April 25th

On April 25th the Big Brothers Big Sisters mural was permanently installed on the wall at the YWCA child care center. The process went really well and the mural looks incredible!

After the mural was completely installed we had a small unveiling of the mural for the community, friends, family and supporters to see.
Here are a couple of videos from the event. Enjoy!

St. George Celebrates GYSD 2009

We were a little late for Earth Day (Wednesday, April 22) but perfectly timed to kick off National Volunteer Week (April 27 - May 3) when 25 youth - and adult - volunteers gathered at the Rotary SK8 Park on Global Youth Service Day (Saturday, April 25) to spread 15 cubic feet of redwood mulch at the entrance of this very popular recreational venue. Rotarians, members of the local Rotaract Club, AmeriCorps team leaders Angie, Billie and Sheena, and assorted members of the Youth Volunteer Corps of Washington County, gave up a portion of their Saturday, April 25 to celebrate the contribution of youth volunteers to meeting the needs of every community! Mother Nature cooperated, delivering a cooler-than-usual late April day for the first of many service projects planned at the 2-acre, city owned and managed SK8 Park.

This is the first of many service and service-learning projects at the SK8 Park which was completed in 2005, but never landscaped or lighted due to the city's lack of funding. Mark your calendar and watch for more service opportunities on National Make-A-Difference Day (Saturday, October 24) and National Family Volunteering Day (Saturday, November 21).

One Month To Go

Well there is offiicially less than a month to finish our project and oh so much to do. Right now, after a large group of kids painted the mural today, it is about two-thirds of the way completed. It's so exciting to finally be able to see that it is all coming together and is right on schedule to be finished.

Last week a group of University of Utah students from a class called Art in the Community came and taught a group of about twenty bigs and littles about service at Rose Park Elementary. All of the kids were engaged and participated in reading "Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed". Together with their bigs and their teachers they came up with great ideas about how to portray service through art. Some drew pictures of cleaning their room, donating food, and teaching kids how to play basketball. They will be painting their pictures when they get back from spring break.

Since the last post students from Mountain View, Rose Park, Newman, Whittier, and Washington Elementary have all painted sections of the mural. We've had a couple touch up parties to fill in white spots and a few more to go. Here is one of the fifteen sections completed below and the first two together.

First Planting in St. George

On Wednesday, March 18 - in the middle of Spring Break - nearly a dozen youth volunteers gathered at one of St. George City's greenhouses (the one at Vernon Worthen Park) to plant seedlings in little cups like those you probably remember from kindergarten when you learned "the roots grow down and the plant grows up!" The weather was a balmy 72 degrees and Ryan Kammerer from the city's Leisure Services Division was on hand to share his knowledge of plant names and other details. Everyone had the chance to get their hands in the dirt - all in preparation for Global Youth Service Day on Saturday, April 25 when the plants will have matured sufficiently to be planted at the 2-acre Rotary SK8 Park. Things are moving a lot slower than was first anticipated, but we have great partners and plenty of enthusiam . . . and this just the beginning with lots more service in the future at this location. Come on out and join us!!!

Great Quote, Please Read:

"The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt".

-Leo Buscaglia

Thanks to all of you for your great posts this past month, and for the great work you do on a daily basis! I read this quote during the week, and thought of all the great work each of your organizations is doing, and the difference you are making in the lives of youth you interact with. Please keep up your great efforts and work!

I can't wait to see your March updates! Please contact me if you need anything!

-Katie

Food Bank Project

The Volunteer Connection (Six County RSVP and Volunteer Center) continues to work on the food bank project in Central Utah in coordination with Central Utah Food Share and local 4-H groups among other youth. Boxes are located in local grocery stores within the Six County Region which includes (Sanpete, Sevier, Juab, Wayne, Piute, and Millard Counties). We continue to collect food and look forward to our end result.

Spy Hop Productions Update

Well, there is very little to update for this month. We have made many contacts and are very excited about the projects that are getting underway. The most difficult part of this project is the scheduling. Thanks to all of you who have replied to me about the times and dates of your projects. I look forward to meeting with you and interviewing your participants.