Getting Close to Christmas

As we get closer and closer, the children get more and more excited, and we teachers and volunteers need to remember as we get more stressed about getting ready for the season, the children are getting more excited about the season.  Today, I am going to focus on preparation for the season, preparation for us and the children.  I personally am getting excited about my eldest daughter coming home from college 2500 miles away.  My other  four children are also anxiously awaiting her arrival.  Sounds a bit like the "reason" for the season. We are waiting on a wonderful arrival and going to celebrate that arrival with much merry-making.

At the center we are making ornaments for our own Christmas tree which was generously donated by Brenda and Jim Houston.  We already completed our tree at Trees on the Square, a community display at the Heritage Center.  We decorated it with paper rings, ornaments made by the children, and ornaments with the children's picture.  Any community exposure that includes the children's learning and creativity is a big bonus. One short anecdote:  I was talking to a business woman friend of mine, and she asked what I was doing now.  I told her my position here at the Center.  She said, "My boys would probably rather go there then come to the store every day after school."  I told her our monthly dues and then proceeded to tell her what we offer, and her mouth dropped open before I made it through half of our program offerings.  This is why community exposure is so important.  We need the business/patron exposure and the opportunity to have our membership grow.

Sears of Paris was also very good to us in several ways.  First, they donated two percent of all sales last Saturday.  Most importantly, though, their event also provided us with more exposure through the community.  They did this with a piece in the local paper and by displaying our posters and information board at the store the day of the event.

The children are also making gifts for family members and will wrap them next week.  They have made stockings out of construction paper and sewn them together with yarn, and each day we fill out slips of paper with something nice about each student.  When they leave for Christmas break, they will get to take their stockings home and read what each person has to say about them.  Especially for a child who feels unloved or unappreciated these kind words can be the best gift.  Of course, the most popular compliment is "Johnny is cool."  We have been working on being a bit more specific.  : )

There is much we want to do with the children during this time of holiday preparation.  It is important for us to remember that we want them to feel good while still retaining some control.  Now we just try to go with the flow.  Our structure is not as strict as we try to understand what the children need and how to continue to encourage their creativity and to expose them to as many learning opportunities as possible.

Please keep all of our children in your prayers as some will have a limited Christmas or stress levels will be much heightened during this season.  We wish all our supporters a big thank you and a stress-free holiday preparation period.

R.E.A.L. Events of the Season

    This  week's blog is mainly about upcoming events.  This time of year is crucial for us as a non-profit  and as an organization for children.  Therefore, it is important to know the kind of activities that help keep us running. 
    
     I hope eveyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving season.  This is a time of year to be thankful, of course, and a time to visit with family and friends.  It is also a time of year for great stress.  I luck out because my parents always handle the bigger portion of the Thanksgiving meal at which we had 17 guests.  I only have to make a side dish and dessert.  It is also the time of year to start preparations for Christmas, and this preparation helps bring awareness to our organization.  There are several events that happen to work for us in this marketing manner.

     The first event is the Downtown Paris Association's North Pole Family Fun Day.  My sister and her family of seven make it an annual event, and it is well worth it.  It always happens on the Friday after Thanksgiving and brings in the start of Santa visiting hours.  It happens at the court square, and this year there were cart rides, train rides, crafts,a  petting zoo, and, of course, visits with Santa Claus.  We had a booth with letters to Santa that the children filled out, colored and dropped in the R.E.A.L. Hope mail box to Santa. 

     The next major event is on December 17 from 6 P.M. to 8 P.M.  Santa's Last Blast also takes place on the court square. It is another time to meet with Santa and create all kinds of arts and crafts.  Even though it is an evening for the children, all ages can enjoy the festivities.  We will be having a snowflake ornament craft at our booth and encourage all youth to attend.  This could be just the present they are looking for to give Grandma and Grandpa.

     Our next big bash is Shiver on the River (formerly known as the Polar Plunge.)  Last year was our debut of this event, and it was a huge success, mainly, because it was so much fun for all.  Personally, I don't get it, but for many people jumping in the icy water is a rush, and I thank them for it.  It is one of our signature events and one of our biggest fundraisers.  It occurs every January 1 and is at noon this year at Paris Landing State Park.  For a $25 entry fee, the "shiverers" get a coupon for breakfast the day of the event at the Inn and a tshirt.   The goal is also to get as many sponsors as possible to support the contestants who jump into the river. Our own assistant director, Stacey Rotterman, will be making the plunge this year, and I will be supporting her fully.

     All of these activities are important to us as an organization, especially a new organiztion.  It shows the city and county's support of our program.  It helps us connect with the children that we may eventually be serving and that we currently work with.  It also helps get the word out to the rest of the community that we are here in the community to serve.  Publicity of any sort is needed in the start up especially of an organiztion like ours.  If it can be a fun event, then that is even better all around.  We are so grateful for all the civic support that we receive and want to thank everyone on behalf of the children.  We also encourage all to come and visit us at Central Community building between 3 P.M. and 6 P.M. on any school day.

Until next week:  Keep it R.E.A.L!

R.E.A.L. Hope Starts Up

About three years ago, Steve Gallimore of Paris, TN, had a vision to help give the youth of Paris and Henry County something meaningful to do.  He decided he would like to open a Boys and Girls Club.  He had community meetings and met with the national club and began fundraising.  Once the volunteers had raised enough money, they proceeded to sign with the national club.  Upon reading the fine print, they decided it would be better to keep the money in Henry County and the controlling interest with the local board, and R.E.A.L. Hope Youth Center was born.

I am Catherine Herrera and am the director of R.E.A.L. Hope Youth Center. I believe so strongly in this program and the ability we have to affect change in our entire community and in the lives of our children that I feel it is important to share several facets through this forum. Most of my beginning writings are to let the readers know what was involved in opening and keeping the center running.  This blog is also to let readers know the wonderful things that our members and volunteers are doing and to be a resource to parents, teachers, students and community leaders.

So please follow me through the beginning months and the year to come as I post each week.  I hope this site can be an inspiration for all who work directly and indirectly with the youth.  I hope to be able to share what works and what doesn't work.  I hope we have more successes than failures and that we learn from those failures.  We, as most things are, a work in progress just as our children are. 

Until next week...