Friday, May 23, 2014

Google Giving

In addition to the AmazonSmile information previously posted, Susie Thurmond, Cheyenne Education Foundation, also mentioned Google's Giving through which Google provides benefits to nonprofit organizations. For example, the Googler's Give program provides two ways which may benefit your organization. 


  • Google will match any financial contribution of a Google employee to a qualified organization 100% up to $6,000 annually. 

  • In addition, each Googler is given 20 hours of work time to actively volunteer for a qualified organization. 

  • When a Googler gives his time to an organization, Google will pay the organization $10 per hour of volunteer work.

Susie Thurmond, OFE's Local Education Foundation (LEF) 5-19-14 Meeting Minutes from Dr. Karen Rose 


https://www.google.org/index.html 




Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Bike for Pie

After the Washington State Mentoring Conference in June 2013, I noticed this sign in a shop window on Bainbridge Island. 'A creative spin on bike riding, which is a popular sport and networking opportunity in Washington State.


Picturesque Bainbridge Island, reached via a 35-minute scenic ferry ride from Seattle, features a 53-mile shoreline, a variety of vegetation and wildlife in its 150-acre Bloedel Reserve, and only about 23,000 residents intent on preserving the island's charm and landscape.


The idea of pie stops plus scenery and socializing is delicious!

Note the evoluntion of the Bike for Pie event over the past few years.


2010 Highlights

  • Begins at 9 a.m. on Sunday "downtown"
  • Pre-registration required
  • Entry fee to support bicycle advocacy on Bainbridge Island
  • Registration at two bicycle shops or online
  • Challenge Ride, $15 (28-mile loop on hilly Bainbridge and two pie stops
  • Family Ride, $5 (gentle 12-mile ride, six miles each way) and one pie stop
  • Bike for Pie brought over 2,000 bike riders to the island.
http://www.bainbridgereview.com/entertainment/100581644.html     Ret. 4-23-14


squeakywheels.org

2013 Highlights - More rides and more charities  

Bike Bainbridge in any of four popular annual rides around the Island, which all benefit charities:

  • The Chilly Hilly (February)
  • Paws & Pints Ride (August 4, 2013)
  • Bike for Pie (August 18, 2013)
  • Kiwanis Summer Challenge Ride (August 25, 2013)

Bike for Pie’s four great elements: Bicycling, Bainbridge Island scenery, summer weather, pies!

Two routes available
  • Challenging 32-mile ride and a rest stop with savory pies hosted by Friends of the Farm
    "Chilly Hilly Arrival by Ferry," pinterest.com
  • Family-friendly 12-mile ride

Both route options include a mouth-watering selection of fruit pies served at Fort Ward.



kentsbike.blogspot.co.uk

2014 Plan Highlights
  • Sunday, August 10th
  • New location at Waterfront Park
  • Family Ride -8 miles
            -     New route

            -     New pricing:  

                  $18 for adults

                  $5 for children 14 and under,   

                  includes pie at the end       
  • Challenge Route - 32 miles 
-          Savory pie stop
-          Sweet pie stop
-     Pricing: 
       Adults, $28
       Children 14 and under, $10
  • Ride and then hang out at the park to eat pie and listen to music
  • Opportunities to volunteer


squeakywheels.com


 http://squeakywheels.org/events/bike-for-pie.html   Ret. 4-23-14  










Tuesday, May 20, 2014

PR & Inspiration

Public relations (PR) really is about selling and marketing. A wearer of many work and volunteer "hats," Brenda Wheelock, the PR director at the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, was inspired by the idea of "We believe..." in creating a new two-minute video that encompasses all of our foundation's programs.

'A job much more difficult than creating an elevator speech!  The new video, first shown at our Academic Awards Banquet on May 17, 2014, and to be posted on our website shortly, was highly effective.

Brenda
Ironically, I was about to give up on the 'We believe' idea, but Robyn's boyfriend [Nic Cejda] just 'coincidentally' played this same TED Talk during our recent trip to Trinity [University], and I decided it was 'meant' to be. I had first heard it more than a year ago and been pondering how to work it into our marketing. 
Here is the link to the Ted Talk that inspired Brenda. We can all learn from it.













Here is the link to our new OFE promo video to see how Brenda applied Sineks' inspiration.

http://youtu.be/v624tBopbIQ 


Note: Robyn, mentioned above, is Brenda's elder daughter.

Monday, May 19, 2014

AmazonSmile - Online Shopping & Giving

Today at the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence's Local Education & Fall Forum 2014 Committee Meeting, we learned about the following, used by Cheyenne Education Foundation and others.

Thanks to Susie Thurmond, Cheyenne Education Foundation for sharing this opportunity, which Cheyenne's foundation uses.

Charities can register on AmazonSmile so that a small percentage of shopping done by supporters will go back to the nonprofit. Read the instructions online; however, Thurmond says that the foundation is registered and has a bank account into which proceeds are electronically deposited. Even minute amounts of charitable giving will grow over time, especially if nonprofits educate their supporters. This service costs the nonprofit nothing.


When I logged into AmazonSmile by entering my email and account password, Amazon recognized me and offered a few charities from which to choose or allowed me to add the charity of my choice. See below.


As you see from this screen shot, every purchase I make will go to the Wounded Warrior Project unless I change the charity. 


When I am ready to shop, at the top of the screen is my chosen charity. When I logged out and back into my "regular" Amazon account, I was asked if I wanted to shop from AmazonSmile instead. 










As an update, here is what Kiwanis International sent all of its 2012-13 and 2013-14 leadership plus anyone who has access to PR for their clubs via a 5-20-14 email:
Smile! You can now shop online and support our foundation at the same time
The Kiwanis International Foundation is now on AmazonSmile. That means the next time you shop on Amazon, a portion of your purchase will be donated by Amazon back to our foundation. To do this, go to www.smile.amazon.com, log in as normal and choose the Kiwanis International Foundation from the drop down list. Then, shop as you normally would. It’s a simple and convenient way to get a little something for yourself and give a little something back to us.

Explore this option!


Thanks to Dr. Karen Rose, director of OFE's Local Education Foundation Outreach, for including mentoring at the meeting.

Friday, May 16, 2014

OKCPS Foundation Recognizes Volunteers

Although these volunteers are not strictly mentors, we are interested in how they contribute to their communities and how the sponsoring body chooses to thank them. 

   
Foundation Names Valuable Volunteers  

Posted May 13, 2014  

The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools has named six people who have volunteered thousands of hours in Oklahoma City Public Schools as its 2013-14 Valuable Volunteers.

Winners are nominated in the fall, and a committee chooses up to six winners each spring. The volunteer is honored at a school assembly and recognized in The Foundation's annual Stars of Education publication. Each winner's school receives $500.

The Valuable Volunteer selection is part of The Foundation's annual Stars of Education program, which also highlights teachers, support staff and community partners. Devon Energy, Chesapeake Energy Corp., Cox Communications and SONIC, America's Drive-In, served as presenting sponsors for this year's Stars of Education program.

"As our school district continues to improve, we know that volunteers willing to spend their time and energy helping our students and teachers are invaluable." said Dave Lopez, interim superintendent for Oklahoma City Public Schools. "They deserve to be recognized for their commitment and example to others."

This year's Valuable Volunteer winners are:


Will and Michelle Calvo, Monroe Elementary,   
Calvo


Will and Michelle Calvo, whose two daughters attend Monroe Elementary, have helped strengthen the school's Parent-Teacher Association and routinely assist with other school projects. Michelle tutors two third-grade students, and Will tries to take off work one day each month to volunteer in a sixth-grade class with more than 30 students. He's also recruited speakers for the class to expose students to career options.


Gurich
Noma Gurich, Southeast High School  

The Honorable Noma Gurich, an Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice, knew the students at Southeast High School were a special bunch. She just needed to convince some of her fellow Kiwanis Club members. Gurich was instrumental in helping her friend and Southeast teacher Mary Cloos launch a Key Club at the school, which has more than 50 student members.

Denise Hooker-Shepherd, Cleveland Elementary
Hooker-Shepherd

Denise Hooker-Shepherd was drawn to the family environment at Cleveland Elementary. Now, she's a key guardian of the family. She started and continues to operate the school's multicultural night. She's active in the PTA. She reminds students to mind their manners in the school office, where she's volunteered many hours. She's also served as a substitute in any class as needed.


David Purcer, Eugene Field Elementary
Purcer

On David Purcer's first visit to Eugene Field Elementary, his purpose was to deliver school supplies. He now sees God had a different plan. After being asked to provide extra help for a music teacher, he ended up as a regular volunteer in a special education classroom. He provides consistency for those students and also helps as needed in the music room.


Katy Leffel, Wilson Arts Integration Elementary

To hear teachers tell it, Katy Leffel is one reason Wilson Arts Integration Elementary is a great place to teach and learn. She organizes school carnivals, field trips, fundraisers, and campus clean-up days. Leffel, a former teacher whose two children attend Wilson, also tutors students who need academic help.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Father-Daughter (Mother-Son) Dance


In a Collaborative Mentoring Webinar, which discussed parental involvement in mentoring, one of the presenters mentioned this TEDTalk as a way to connect young girls with their incarcerated dads.

Of course, a father-daughter dance can be hosted by any mentoring group for any mentees.


Always think outside the box!    

Perhaps two dances--dads and daughters in the fall, moms and sons in the spring?



















Highlights

Way to connect themselves with their dads

Venue for second dance - county jail (16 inmates, 18 girls)

Catered meal, decorations, dress up

Opportunity to interact - touch their daughters, serve their plates, pull out chairs, etc.

Flip cams to interview each other and keep the connection alive

 Girl's question to her dad: "...when you look at me, what do you see?"

"Our daddies are our mirrors..."

Dads from the first successful dance, which became an annual affair













https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_patton_a_father_daughter_dance_in_prison#  

Video filmed November 2012 at TEDxWomen 2012, Ret. 5-15-14

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Tulsa's 2014 Partners in Education Awards

The Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce and Tulsa Public Schools have a successful 30-year partnership and model in recruiting and honoring Tulsans who contribute to the school system. Here is the post from the Tulsa Regional Chamber website. Of particular importance are the ways in which businesses and organizations encourage education/ training and develop the workforce. 

APSCO, Inc. CEO Larry Mocha earns 2014 Partner of the Year award
Posted on: May 14th, 2014













APSCO, Inc. President and CEO Larry Mocha was named Partners In Education’s 2014 Partner of the Year on Wednesday as the Tulsa Regional Chamber and Tulsa Public Schools honored TPS’ top business, church and volunteer supporters at the annual Partners In Education Recognition Reception.

Mocha co-founded OK2GROW, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving high school completion rates, promoting entrepreneurism among youth and developing Tulsa’s workforce pipeline. The organization offers scholarships to young entrepreneurs and oversees the High School Completion Coalition, which meets monthly with community leaders and school administrators to keep students in school. Mocha and his company are partnered with Nathan Hale Jr. High School under the Partners In Education Program.

“A true giver to our community, Larry Mocha has invested, time, money and sweat to make sure students and their parents are fully aware of education and job opportunities,” said Kuma Browne, Tulsa Regional Chamber education program manager.

Mocha said supporting education — and encouraging support throughout the business community — is a top goal of his company: “What we want to do as a company is to have more businesses recognize the need to support our educational institutions, specifically our public school system. Hopefully, what we’re doing and what we’re doing together will help make that happen.”

Each year, the Chamber honors people and organizations who support schools through Partners In Education, a 30-year-old partnership between the Chamber and TPS to connect children and teachers with corporate and  volunteer assistance to improve academic and personal growth for students.

More than 60 businesses and individuals were nominated for awards in 13 categories this year. During a joint award ceremony at Oklahoma State University in Tulsa, Chamber and TPS officials delivered the awards to businesses, churches, two students and a principal:

Student Champion Award: The winners, Webster High School students Corey and Cortavia Brown, created the “It Stops with Me” anti-bullying group, which created an inclusive support group of students and asked specific teachers to act as safe places for kids to share their bullying experiences. The group also staged a bullying incident to gauge how students would react and offer tops for what to do if witnessing bullying.

Principal of Excellence Award: Booker T. Washington Principal James Furch was honored for a long tenure that has earned the respect of his peers. During his tenure, Booker T. Washington has been named one of Newsweek’s top 100 high schools five years in a row.

PSO Public Service Partnership Award: Highland Park Christian Church was honored for donating time and resources to its partner school, Hoover Elementary, including purchasing benches for the school’s playground, donating supplies, beautification projects and hosting a mentor program.

Champions Award: T.D. Williamson, Inc.’s charity to its partner school, Robertson Elementary, has included providing buses for field trips; purchasing Warehouse Market gift cards for needy families during Christmas and Thanksgiving; helping build an outdoor classroom; buying hats and gloves for all students; matching funds at various fundraisers; and buying school supplies. This partner also pays the salary of a community schools coordinator, funds school and family enrichment efforts and does something special for a teacher each year during Teacher Appreciation week.

Award of Excellence: Verizon Wireless’ charity to its partner school, McKinley Elementary, has included providing employee volunteers as lunch buddies and mentors; hosting an annual school drive; providing Angel Tree-style giving during the holidays; hosting a Thanksgiving food drive that supplied 260 meals to needy families last year; giving books to students and having employees act as pen pals for students.

Outstanding District Partner: Arvest Bank was honored for charity to its partner school, Columbus Elementary, that has included funding a computer lab and school uniforms; having its employees volunteer to translate during parent/teacher conferences; providing test proctors; and, at Christmas, giving families wrapping paper, disposable cameras and helping develop their family Christmas photos. Arvest also displays student artwork at its downtown location through a monthly student art contest.

Valuable Investment Award: Covanta Tulsa Renewable Energy was honored for charitable giving to its partner school, Eugene Field Elementary, including providing snacks, wipes and Kleenex to every teacher and classroom; buying clothes for students in need; donating funds and supplying volunteers for the PTA’s annual carnival and hosting a cleanup day for the neighborhood.

Outstanding Faith-based Partner (large congregation): Southern Hills Baptist Church’s charity to its partner school, Marshall Elementary, has included adopting classes to help with projects and launching a “Sharefest” event where congregates have donated time to projects such as cleaning out a school flower bed, painting classrooms, building bookshelves and installing an indoor track. The church also provided 250 Thanksgiving baskets to 250 families at both Marshall and McClure.

Outstanding Faith-based Partner: Restoration Church’s charity to its partner school, East Central High School, has included providing proctors for end of instruction tests, giving teachers gifts during Teacher Appreciation Week, helping with mother-daughter and father-son breakfasts and hosting an annual senior picnic and annual volleyball team banquet.

Dedicated Partnership Award: The McLain Foundation, made up of McLain High School alumni, has encouraged McLain students to participate in community activism; it holds college and career fairs, offers tutoring and mentoring, hosts a literacy program and sponsors students to attend the American Airlines Initiative field trip to the Flight Academy in Dallas. More than 60 students have had job shadowing and training opportunities during its four-year partnership with the school.

Outstanding Small Business Partner: HiCORP, Inc. and owner Brad Camp were honored for charity to partner school Eugene Field Elementary that has included encouraging employees to volunteer as lunch or reading buddies; providing field trips to the company’s offices and warehouse; offering Christmas gifts and teacher gifts; and hosting reading parties for students.

Chittom Challenge Award: “Bandy” Pratip Banyopadhyay, a volunteer at Webster High School, helps teach Algebra and pre-Calculus classes. Nominators said he has turned down numerous paid job offers in favor of his volunteer position and has demonstrated an extreme passion for learning that has made him popular with students.


Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Kevin Durant--Mentors, Obstacles, Overcoming

chinadaily.com.cn
"KD," or Kevin Durant, is a deservedly hot topic for his basketball performance, his recent honor of being chosen MVP, and his humble speech upon being honored.

Two older publications about Kevin Durant have life lessons worth discussing, too. The first one is about Kevin's mentor, Charles "Chucky" Craig. The second includes obstacles he had to overcome. Many mentees and mentors will identify with some of these obstacles. 

1. Kevin Durant/ Charles Craig Special on ESPN - 2012 NBA Playoffs

Video Highlights (also why he wears the number 35)

Quotes from Kevin Durant regarding Charles Craig, his mentor

One day you can be pretty good if you work.

He gave me confidence when I didn’t have confidence in myself.  

He told me every time I stepped on the floor, 'You’re  the best player on the floor. Go out there and play like a superstar.' 

That’s what I tried to do.




Published on May 28, 2012

2. Kevin Durant humble in the heartland

Highlights
  • Single-parent mom worked the overnight shift 
  • Success through hard work
  • Father figure needed--Chucky Craig and Taras Brown 
  • Loss of a Aunt Pearl
  • Ball-hoarding
  • Self-conscious in middle school (hated middle school)-tall eighth-grader with size 11 feet and used Nikes
  • Mentor shot in back
  • Brief lapse into anger, edginess, and arrogance
  • Rookie year not stellar (first year in a career or job)
  • Rebounding 

ESPN Outside the Lines
Commentary
Updated: May 15, 2011, 12:16 AM ET
By Tom Friend | ESPN.com



3. Kevin Durant MVP Award Speech - Full Ceremony HD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksRjNOvSGiY   

Published on May 6, 2014
Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant accepts the 2013-14 Kia Most Valuable Player Award, thanking his family, his teammates and the entire organization.
  

Ret. 5-13-14

Monday, May 12, 2014

Chair-ity Auction

pinterest.com
Mendy Stone is a highly creative person. Everything she, her board and staff do is clever.

May brings the highly successful Green Country All-Star Tournament and Serve for Youth Tennis Tournament for Volunteers for Youth, Rogers County. July is the annual Golf Marathon. This June, however, is the new Chair-ity Auction. Mendy Stone shares some planning ideals below. We will update the post after the event. Always think outside the box!

pinterest.com

Tentative dates 
June 19th or 26th, both Thursdays

Time 
6-9 p.m.

Location 
Tentatively the Claremore Community Center

Concept is simple.
Auction off creatively re-purposed chairs or other small furnishings that are provided by participants. 

Three categories of participants
  • Individuals
  • Groups
  • Businesses. 
Key

Recruitment of participants willing to create and contribute an auction item

Highest bid in each category

roomstogo.com
A traveling trophy

People’s choice
  • Voting boxes next to each participant’s entry
  • Voting will be in the form of dollars
Revenue
  • People’s choice winners to keep half of the money in their voting box
  • The rest, as well as the bid amounts, will be Volunteers for Youth revenue
Entertainment (possibly)
  • A country band
  • Instruction of attendees in line dancing
Ticket prices
  • Pre-sold tickets could be $15 each or two for $25
  • Tickets sold at the door could be $20 each
Food BBQ. 

Publicity
  • Local papers
  • Individual Facebook pages
  • Value News
  • Website and others

Shared by 
Melynda Stone
Executive Director
Volunteers for Youth

Email 4-2-14 

A previous post about the Green Country All-Star Weekend is 7-6-12


Saturday, May 10, 2014

Students Striving for Success Mentor Appreciation

Everything about El Reno’s new mentoring program, begun in fall 2013, has been organized, thoughtful, innovative, and exceedingly youth-friendly.

First Arrivals
Instead of a banquet or luncheon, therefore, Students Striving for Success Mentoring Program’s choosing a spirited, laughter-filled, and casual mentor-mentee bonding celebration to close its first year is not surprising.

Time

11:15-12:15 for lunch and fun (excluding prep and clean-up)

Arrival
The queue

At the Jenks Simmons Annex, or fieldhouse, older mentees arrive first by school bus and begin eating and chatting with their mentors in the brightly sunlit foyer.  Chester the Clown works this crowd first. Younger students arrive a little later and go directly to the gymnasium for a surprise and activities. Later they swap places and activities. After eating, everyone is in the gym playing.

Activities

On the west, the western half of the gym floor covered with tarpaulins features two giant inflatables. On the center of the gym floor is Chester the Clown, making balloon figures, telling jokes, and charming everyone. On the northeast side is a group of mentors and mentees shooting hoops. To the south side is a long row of tables with a bunch of white stuff.

Chester the Clown






Inflatables












End-of- Year Gifts/Mementos

Theleda Fuller, Patricia Coleman, Dana Gibson

'No plaques for these mentors! The tables have hundreds of sacks organized for mentees by name and school and for mentors by name. Inside each mentor’s sack is a plastic-framed photo of the mentor and the mentee with the school year. Each mentee receives a duplicate framed photo and passes for swimming and the movies.



Contents of mentee bag





















Michelle Robyler Ahern, 
Alisha Kirkland


Food


Elliott Roberston grilled hotdogs, which the mentoring board and volunteers wrapped and sacked. McDonald's furnished apple slices and paper bags. InterBank, BancFirst of El Reno, and Bank of Commerce furnished bottled water. We heard that next year dessert and chips will be added.

Curtis Blanc, Alisha Kirkland, Toni 
Grantham, Chris Lambakis















Interviews

Di Anna Taylor, a Mercy home health nurse, reads with her mentee and then does a related activity each week. After reading Curious George Flies a Kite, for example, they flew a kite.

Maddie, her six-year-old mentee, mentioned some of the many crafts they have made together. The pair created coloring books for Maddie's class Easter party, colored pumpkins at Halloween, glued jewels on two flower pots, and produced a shadow box for Maddie's mother. When asked what was the best part of having a mentor, Maddie said
She does nice things for me.
Inspired by another mentee, off the two went for Chester make a balloon hat for Maddie.

Mentors and Mentees


Chris Lambakis
Di Anna had shared that a fellow mentor had two mentees, but the prize for the most this year went to Chris Lambakis, who had his three confident, cheery, active but well-behaved young men sitting across the table from him. When asked how this works, Chris said he takes all three each mentoring session and varies the activities. The diverse trio appeared comfortable with and close to each other.


Mike Bigwood, Linda Smith
Another couple, who met at the University of Oklahoma chemical engineering graduate school, Mike Bigwood, Ph.D., chemical engineering, and his wife, Linda Smith, the technical (chemical) director at Gemini Coatings, coincidentally mentor an eight-year-old boy and girl at the same time. One benefit is that the four play math games and do activities together. The partnership of Bigwood and Smith is reflected in the relationship of their mentees, i.e., the children help each other. Smith said

The best parts of mentoring are watching the kids develop and thinking of ways to help them grow.

Businesses Supporting Students Striving for Success

Although we are not listing all of the El Reno businesses that allow employees to mentor on the clock, we learned about a few. Gemini Coatings supports the mentoring program. Pictured below, Billy Guinn, the general manager of Armstrong Tool, himself a mentor, allows employees to participate. Mercy Hospital, BancFirst of El Reno (formerly Bank of Union), and others realize the impact of their employees' time.

Cindy Guinn, Billy Guinn, Curtis Blanc

Ashbrook Foundation

Virginia Douglas, an original foundation board member, and Gayle Meinberg, a board member, represented the Mary K. Ashbrook Foundation For El Reno OK.

As Dana Gibson, Students Striving for Success chair, mentioned in her May 6th Facebook post for the community

You all are perfect examples of ‘it takes a village to raise a child.'

Also from Gibson's Facebook post but omitting those identified in the photos here
Special thanks to Brooke Rickner Robertson, Rana Porter-Seymour, Craig McVay, Rodger Roblyer, Karen Reed, Ronnie Fields, Charlie Blount, Linda Hulbutta...Richard Steanson...Lillian Ray, Jenny Gibson Woodson, Jennifer James, Gerardo Troncosco...Shana Fields, Karen Olive, Linda Kennedy...Roylyn Porter, Marge Feddersen, Pam Broyles...Andrea Strong [and others who led and served].
El Reno’s community has hit a grand slam. Imagine recruiting 150 mentors by February 24, 2014!

'Thunderous applause for the community of El Reno--school system, businesses, citizens, and public schools foundation!


Previous posts above El Reno’s Students Striving for Success Mentoring Program
8-26-13 and 11-12-13

Event, May 6, 2014