Upon updating our "River Kids Headquarters" in Second Life (Visitors with this software, it is searchable under "Places"), I met a neighbor of the property who works with a company called "Underwater Ordnance Recovery." This organization recovers both live and inert munitions from military dump sites, which include underwater reefs. In an attempt to protect the wildlife from the toxic heavy metals and chemicals that are products of ordnance's decomposition, they remove these bombs (Remember, these can be live munitions that are recovered. Imagine retrieving a bomb that could potentially explode as you lift it above water) and dispose of them properly. For more information, visit their website at www.uwuxo.com.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
REI Night Release Form
If your River Kid is planning to attend either REI Climbing Night, you will
need to fill out the attached permission form and bring it that night.
There is no cost for either night...REI is sponsoring the first night and
River Kids is sponsoring the second. Coffee is extra. :)
Ben
need to fill out the attached permission form and bring it that night.
There is no cost for either night...REI is sponsoring the first night and
River Kids is sponsoring the second. Coffee is extra. :)
Ben
(View REI release form here)
Monday, February 25, 2008
REI NIGHT...S
I've heard from more people, so I'm securing April 15 for River Kids as
well. Since there are 25 for the first night and a few for the second right
now, I may eventually ask people to switch, or come to both, so it's worth
having the second night.
For now, I'd like to hear from anyone that didn't get in on April 8 that can
be there and wants to be there for April 15.
I also want to directly encourage families with 5th grade River Kids to feel
completely comfortable opting out of any RK stuff because of the play. We
have 4th and 6th graders that will be there. There are too many things to
do to cancel the meeting.
Ben
well. Since there are 25 for the first night and a few for the second right
now, I may eventually ask people to switch, or come to both, so it's worth
having the second night.
For now, I'd like to hear from anyone that didn't get in on April 8 that can
be there and wants to be there for April 15.
I also want to directly encourage families with 5th grade River Kids to feel
completely comfortable opting out of any RK stuff because of the play. We
have 4th and 6th graders that will be there. There are too many things to
do to cancel the meeting.
Ben
This Week
Hey All,
Meetings this week:
Tuesday Night - River des Peres Watershed Coalition meeting - 6pm-9pm if
anyone (adult or child) is interested. I'll be there and can take kids if
necessary.
Tuesday - Mural Group - 3:45-5pm - Start at Betsy's Room (Computer Lab
after that I believe - correct me if I'm wrong, Betsy)
Wednesday -
- Mentoring Group - 3:30-5pm - library
- Benefit Dinner Planning Session - 3:30-5pm - library
Thursday - Singers - 3:30-4:30 - PA Room
Friday - H2O Rap Group - working on props and planning play - This is
for all kids interested in helping with this play - Everyone is welcome.
Spring Break Plans - The responses from RK families were all over the place
in terms of when they could go over spring break. Lee and I decided to
postpone this trip until a long weekend either in early May or possibly next
fall. We'll keep you posted. Thanks for the interest...this will be a great
trip when we're able to get it arranged!!!
Hope all is well!
Ben
REI CLIMBING NIGHT
I now have 25 kids for the REI climbing night...that's the max.
If there are any more people interested, you may still let me know and I'll
reserve a second night. Everyone who has emailed me so far has a spot or
three for their River Kid(s) on April 8.
Since it will be jam packed, parents might just drop off kids and head to
Bread Co for coffee or Borders...no need to hang around if you don't want
to. However, if there are any insurance papers or permission slips to sign,
you'll need to come in for that. I'll ask and let you know.
Ben
Friday, February 22, 2008
REI CLIMBING WALL!!!
Our contact over at REI in Brentwood invited River Kids to come climb on
their wall for free one evening. We set the date for Tuesday, April 8 -
5:30-8:30pm. It looks like we will be limited to 25 climbers max, so if we
have a real strong desire from our 46 members to go, we could put together a
second night. For now, it's first email/first-serve...first 25 RK members
that say they will be there get a spot for this date.
Let me know!
Ben
their wall for free one evening. We set the date for Tuesday, April 8 -
5:30-8:30pm. It looks like we will be limited to 25 climbers max, so if we
have a real strong desire from our 46 members to go, we could put together a
second night. For now, it's first email/first-serve...first 25 RK members
that say they will be there get a spot for this date.
Let me know!
Ben
RK Meeting
There will be River Kids today for sure, but we know some of you will opt
out. No biggie.
FYI - We have Joan Lipkin coming to visit and speak.
We'll also be brainstorming about the VW Art.
Jack Biggs will show the new virtual River Kids headquarters
And more.
Ben
out. No biggie.
FYI - We have Joan Lipkin coming to visit and speak.
We'll also be brainstorming about the VW Art.
Jack Biggs will show the new virtual River Kids headquarters
And more.
Ben
Thursday, February 21, 2008
River Kids Meeting Cancelled
Hey everyone,
We decided that it wouldn't be beneficial (get it? Oh sorry, I was
channeling Tom there for a minute) for the benefit dinner group to meet
today due to the weather.
We'll try again next week.
Ben
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
H2O Rap
Hey everyone!
I met with Joan Lipkin of the Uppity Theater Company today regarding the rap
performance we're developing for the Earth Day Festival in Forest Park.
Joan knows New City well having performed for us as part of the DisAbilities
Project (All the River Kids that were here should know her from their 4th
grade year when they got to see the Project perform.) and in the Garbage
Eating Monster play last year at a NCS assembly...She sings high praise of
our New City audiences so she's excited about working with us on stage.
Joan wrote this wrap a while back and has performed it before. We're
looking to produce a new showing of it with our kids. There are numerous
ways kids could be involved with this production. Any River Kids are
encouraged to jump on board with this. If a kid wants to be up front on
stage, we'll find a role...if a kid wants to do set design or a non-speaking
part, we'll make room.
Joan is going to come to the RK meeting this Friday to brainstorm ideas for
the show and invite kids to become a part of the show. We'll ask for
commitments from kids later, by the time we begin rehearsals.
One thing everyone needs to know before committing is that rehearsals will
be on Friday afternoons for an hour each starting March 7. Earth Day is
April 20, so we'll plan on a dress rehearsal April 18. Also there may be up
to four shows (5-7 minute each) at Earth Day.
We are exploring other venues for the performance as well, including at the
benefit dinner...I'll keep you posted if any other performances are added to
the schedule.
I'm attaching the lyrics to this email...I'm hoping the kids will all take a
look at it before Friday. It would be great if they could come to the
meeting with some ideas for how the rap might be staged. Joan will share
some of her ideas as well. We should leave the brainstorming session with a
collaborative vision in mind.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Rock on River Kids!
Ben
(View the lyrics here)
I met with Joan Lipkin of the Uppity Theater Company today regarding the rap
performance we're developing for the Earth Day Festival in Forest Park.
Joan knows New City well having performed for us as part of the DisAbilities
Project (All the River Kids that were here should know her from their 4th
grade year when they got to see the Project perform.) and in the Garbage
Eating Monster play last year at a NCS assembly...She sings high praise of
our New City audiences so she's excited about working with us on stage.
Joan wrote this wrap a while back and has performed it before. We're
looking to produce a new showing of it with our kids. There are numerous
ways kids could be involved with this production. Any River Kids are
encouraged to jump on board with this. If a kid wants to be up front on
stage, we'll find a role...if a kid wants to do set design or a non-speaking
part, we'll make room.
Joan is going to come to the RK meeting this Friday to brainstorm ideas for
the show and invite kids to become a part of the show. We'll ask for
commitments from kids later, by the time we begin rehearsals.
One thing everyone needs to know before committing is that rehearsals will
be on Friday afternoons for an hour each starting March 7. Earth Day is
April 20, so we'll plan on a dress rehearsal April 18. Also there may be up
to four shows (5-7 minute each) at Earth Day.
We are exploring other venues for the performance as well, including at the
benefit dinner...I'll keep you posted if any other performances are added to
the schedule.
I'm attaching the lyrics to this email...I'm hoping the kids will all take a
look at it before Friday. It would be great if they could come to the
meeting with some ideas for how the rap might be staged. Joan will share
some of her ideas as well. We should leave the brainstorming session with a
collaborative vision in mind.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Rock on River Kids!
Ben
(View the lyrics here)
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
NPS Junior ranger essay contest
I received this email from a friend at Trailnet this evening. For all those
linguistic kids out there, this might be a great opportunity to share their
talents. You should look over the attached flyer for the details, but in
short, this is an essay contest with the topic being, ³What can you do now
to turn over a new leaf for the environment and help preserve our national
parks?²
Worth a look. Please pass it along to your River Kid.
Thanks!
Ben
linguistic kids out there, this might be a great opportunity to share their
talents. You should look over the attached flyer for the details, but in
short, this is an essay contest with the topic being, ³What can you do now
to turn over a new leaf for the environment and help preserve our national
parks?²
Worth a look. Please pass it along to your River Kid.
Thanks!
Ben
(Attached file is located here)
RK Update
Hey all,
I'll keep it FAIRLY simple this week...don't get too used to it. :)
Meetings:
Tuesday - Singers - in the library - 3:45-4:30 - to practice songs
- Mural Group - in Art Room - 3:45-5:00
Wednesday - Mentoring Group meeting - 3:30-4:30 in library
Thursday - Benefit Dinner Planning - 3:30-5:00 - library conference room
Merchandising - 3:30-4:15 - library - placing order
Friday - Large Group in PA Room - Brainstorming VW Art - River-related
Activity
Updates - The mentoring group (nickname - The River Sisters) met the girls
from Neighborhood Houses on Friday. It was a highly successful day for the
RK girls...they spent 4 hours planning and training and then met the NH
girls, shared activities and ate dinner together. Good times!
Singers - We have scheduled a recording session with Curt Carter. Instead
of going to a studio, we are bringing a professional recording crew to New
City School on March 9. This will allow us not only greater comfort, but a
longer recording session. Since we are recording five songs, we are going
to meet for most of the day on March 9. The kids on this committee will
need to mark their calendars for that date. Sorry if there are any
conflicts for families...we are limited to only a few dates and must get a
recording off to a duplicator with time to spare. Please let me know if
there is a conflict and I will try to work with you.
Upcoming Opportunities for Kids -
- Write a speech - the large group will be reviewing potential RK
speakers for the benefit dinner. There are three possible speeches that
need writing:
a) An welcome speech to dinner guests that issues thanks (2-3 min.)
b) A speech about River Kids and their year (4-6 min.)
c) A speech honoring and introducing Land for Learning (4-6 min.)
If your child is interested in delivering one of these, he/she should bring
a draft to one of the next two large group meetings for review.
- Acting/Rapping - If your child is interested in performing as part of
the Water Rap production being developed in coordination with the Uppity
Theater Company, they must be able to commit to finding the time for
rehearsals and be available April 20 all day (11am-6pm) at Earth Day in
Forest Park. All RK Members who are willing and able should indicate their
interest at this week's meeting. I will have more details regarding
requirements by Thursday after meeting with Joan Lipkin.
- CD Art - We will be designing a CD jacket and would like help. Kids
may offer their ideas as sketches up until March 8.
- Feb. 26 - River des Peres Watershed Coalition Meeting - please let me
know if you or your child is interested in attending this meeting with
Claire and me.
FYI- We've had serious issues with our spam filter lately, so if you've sent
me (or Charlotte and Claire) an email that required a response within the
last two weeks and I haven't responded, I'm NOT ignoring you. Although I'm
busy at times, I make a point to respond to emails within a day or two at
the latest, and usually by late in the evening. Please call me if you think
I'm not getting your emails and I will do my best to update our spam filter
to allow your emails through.
I hope you had a great elongated weekend...See you soon.
Ben
I'll keep it FAIRLY simple this week...don't get too used to it. :)
Meetings:
Tuesday - Singers - in the library - 3:45-4:30 - to practice songs
- Mural Group - in Art Room - 3:45-5:00
Wednesday - Mentoring Group meeting - 3:30-4:30 in library
Thursday - Benefit Dinner Planning - 3:30-5:00 - library conference room
Merchandising - 3:30-4:15 - library - placing order
Friday - Large Group in PA Room - Brainstorming VW Art - River-related
Activity
Updates - The mentoring group (nickname - The River Sisters) met the girls
from Neighborhood Houses on Friday. It was a highly successful day for the
RK girls...they spent 4 hours planning and training and then met the NH
girls, shared activities and ate dinner together. Good times!
Singers - We have scheduled a recording session with Curt Carter. Instead
of going to a studio, we are bringing a professional recording crew to New
City School on March 9. This will allow us not only greater comfort, but a
longer recording session. Since we are recording five songs, we are going
to meet for most of the day on March 9. The kids on this committee will
need to mark their calendars for that date. Sorry if there are any
conflicts for families...we are limited to only a few dates and must get a
recording off to a duplicator with time to spare. Please let me know if
there is a conflict and I will try to work with you.
Upcoming Opportunities for Kids -
- Write a speech - the large group will be reviewing potential RK
speakers for the benefit dinner. There are three possible speeches that
need writing:
a) An welcome speech to dinner guests that issues thanks (2-3 min.)
b) A speech about River Kids and their year (4-6 min.)
c) A speech honoring and introducing Land for Learning (4-6 min.)
If your child is interested in delivering one of these, he/she should bring
a draft to one of the next two large group meetings for review.
- Acting/Rapping - If your child is interested in performing as part of
the Water Rap production being developed in coordination with the Uppity
Theater Company, they must be able to commit to finding the time for
rehearsals and be available April 20 all day (11am-6pm) at Earth Day in
Forest Park. All RK Members who are willing and able should indicate their
interest at this week's meeting. I will have more details regarding
requirements by Thursday after meeting with Joan Lipkin.
- CD Art - We will be designing a CD jacket and would like help. Kids
may offer their ideas as sketches up until March 8.
- Feb. 26 - River des Peres Watershed Coalition Meeting - please let me
know if you or your child is interested in attending this meeting with
Claire and me.
FYI- We've had serious issues with our spam filter lately, so if you've sent
me (or Charlotte and Claire) an email that required a response within the
last two weeks and I haven't responded, I'm NOT ignoring you. Although I'm
busy at times, I make a point to respond to emails within a day or two at
the latest, and usually by late in the evening. Please call me if you think
I'm not getting your emails and I will do my best to update our spam filter
to allow your emails through.
I hope you had a great elongated weekend...See you soon.
Ben
Monday, February 18, 2008
RK Updates
Howdy!
Lots to tell about...sit back and enjoy the ride.
Meetings:
Monday - Merchandising and T-Shirts in Claire's room - 3:30-4:00
This will be a quick meeting - The M group has to pick 2-3 items
for productions and the T-shirt group has to finalize their design. Orders
will be placed this week for t-shirts and RK gear.
No other meetings scheduled right now due to conferences. Mentoring Group
does have its gathering on Friday. Check with Charlotte for details if you
aren't sure of time and location.
Group Updates:
Herbie, Jr. - Sam and Carson are collecting ideas all week for how to
decorate the VW. They will be developing a fairly informal presentation to
give to the officials at City Museum in a couple weeks. Date TBA.
Rain Harvesting - No we're not promoting heavy drinking, but we are buying a
couple old whiskey barrels. After some deliberation, the Building and
Grounds Committee, Bill Sprung, and the River Kids decided that the best
option for new rain barrels would be to reuse something old. We will be
purchasing two old whiskey barrels that have been reworked to serve as rain
barrels. They will be installed in the next month or so next to the garden
pavilion. Bill is already beginning the gutter installation. The two
barrels together could potentially collect about 18,000 gallons of run-off
from the garden pavilion roof per year given regional precipitation trends.
Realistically, given the size of the barrels, we expect to harvest at least
1800 gallons to supplement our sprinkler system. The barrels will have hand
pumps on top so that kids can fill a bucket and water the plants themselves.
Way to go, rain harvesting group!
Mentoring - This group will be spending a good chunk of time this Friday
training to be mentors and group leaders. They will learn how to lead
activities, build team skills, support participants emotionally, and even
basic CPR. Later in the day, they will get to meet their new friends from
Neighborhood Houses for the first time. Hard work with great rewards.
Kudos to these girls!
Singers - This group has been working on a two-part harmony for Roll On
River (a song by Betty Elders) and are practicing our originals. Curt
Carter will be joining them for practice in coming weeks. We will hit the
studio in March and release the CD in April, possibly at the benefit.
Songwriters - Rock on, St. Louis!! Thanks to a few rockin' River Kids,
there's a new RK rock song brewing. If it's ready in time, it will be on
the CD and performed live at the benefit.
Benefit Dinner - Lots of action on this front. The kids who have met on
Thursdays have been able to accomplish a great deal already. Here are some
of the stories from this group:
- Title of Event Chosen - "Willy Wonka's Wonderland" - Break out your
sweet tooth...or it'll rot out anyway, 'cause this party calls for nothin'
but candy and associated junk foods. Chocolate fountain, buckets of WW
candy, River Kids chocolate bars (with one having a Golden ticket inside -
BIG prize of course), cotton candy maker, popcorn machine and more...I
suggested that we forgo all the planning and just place bags of pure sugar
all around the room, but the kids want to work for their sugar.
So for all the healthy people out there cringing at the thought of giant
Pixie Sticks and Dippn' Stix packs washing out in your laundry, please look
the other way for this one evening...we'll bring extra carrots on the
campout.
- Artwork - The flyers, signs, posters, tickets, and such will be sent
off to a graphic artist at Lipic Recognition this week along with an order
for new merchandise.
- Donations -
- HUGE thanks to Major Brands Premium Beverage Distributors for
donating the drinks for the dinner!
- More HUGE thanks to the City Museum! They have donated the
Architectural Hall for the event!
- More HUGE thanks - AEP Rivers has donated $2000 to support the
event. We will use the money to purchase the kayak and canoe packages for
raffle.
- Keep your eyes open for new opportunities for donations. If
you're out and about and happen to swing by a store that might like
supporting our organization, take a moment and ask the manager what they
think. You never know!
- There are some organizations (such as Dick's Sporting Goods) that
only offer donations in response to written or online inquiries. If you're
interested in filling out forms, let me know. That's something that can be
done with your child so they can learn those ropes.
- Catering - The kids were on the phone calling the caterers last week.
Not surprisingly, some caterers weren't very responsive to a child calling
about such a big contract. However, there were three that passed the test
and resisted the temptation to underestimate these kids. Proposals are due
back this week. A caterer will soon be under contract!
- Costumes - Break out your orange make-up and green wigs, we're all
invited to dress the part for this party...I've been elected to dress as
Willy Wonka himself. Go figure. Oompa-loompas will abound, I'm sure!
- Guest Speakers - Many kids spent a good chunk of time writing to those
that they thought would be interested in hearing about River Kids and their
event. Emails were flying out to Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and
Oprah, as well as many more...Wouldn't that be an attendance list?! Really,
we are seeking out a top-notch speaker for this event. No one secured just
yet. Who will it be?????
- Entertainment - Some discussion about the lack of organization
surrounding last year's games. Games this year will be at least more
structured, possibly limited, and may be eliminated. There will be live
music - several bands are being contacted and considered. DJ will be
quieter if there is one.
- Ticket Sales - Tickets will look like the "Golden Ticket" from Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory. There are plans to make it possible to buy
tickets online this year. Prices are set at $30 per adult and $20 per
child. This includes dinner, drinks, all entertainment, and admission to
the City Museum until 2am. There will be only 200 tickets sold at this
price. We will sell after-dinner tickets, which will include entertainment
and admission to City Museum for $20 and $10 starting at 9pm. We have not
set a cap on the number of these tickets to be sold.
- Raffles - There will be a canoe package and a kayak package at least.
We are seeking other large raffle items. The canoe will be the same as last
year's. We are considering a sea kayak (one that would be typical of those
used in river races). We are also seeking new ideas for raffle packages
that we should make available. Please forward your ideas. If we receive
enough donations, we are planning on having small/medium raffle items on
tables at the event.
RK Spring Break - Based on the feedback I'm getting, (and this may change)
it looks like it might be a good idea to shoot for the middle weekend of
spring break - 3 days/2 nights. Sounds like there may be several parents
who can go, as well as several kids that would come alone with other adults.
We are thinking we'll provide cabins, ropes courses (low for younger and
high for older), canoeing/kayaking, and another major activity TBA. Keep
sending your thoughts. We'll continue to build the trip to meet your common
interests. Mud football anyone?
Parent Opportunities - There's been some talk about maybe having some
parents chip in to help supervise/facilitate groups of kids as they tackle
the many varied tasks associated with organizing the benefit. There are
lots of other ways parents might want to chip in as well. One parent
suggested a morning coffee to discuss parent opportunities. If you're
interested in such a meeting, please let me know. I'll be around NCS Friday
all morning, so maybe that would be a good day. Friday anyone? 8am?
So, I really don't TRY to make these emails this long...there's just so much
to talk about. Those darn youthful upstarts of yours keep producing new
material.
On that note, some of the coolest moments in meetings have come from
unplanned announcements regarding issues that one or more River Kids have
discovered. It's good to know that these kids are really paying attention
to the world as it evolves. They are the kind of kids that won't ignore an
issue. Thanks to all those kids that use our meetings to share their
concerns and for the passion they exhibit.
A couple extra dates to consider:
- Saturday, April 12 - Big Cleanup in connection with Trailnet. This is
a great kid-friendly event including some planting opportunities.
- Sunday, April 20 - Earth Day - 10am-6:30pm - kids will work in shifts
- may work with or without parents
- Friday, April 25 - Benefit Dinner - Kids (and any available parents)
will be working set-up from 3:30 until 7pm - then we will all party. We will
need help with break-down at 11:30pm as well. We'll have a truck to haul
everything.
- May ???? - RK Member Camping Trip with Land for Learning (kids only)
- July 7-11 - Ben and Claire run a Naturalist Camp for 4th-6th graders -
camping on the river for three days. See Tobie for details.
- July 21-25 - Ben and Claire run a Naturalist Camp for 6th-8th graders
- 5 days in Tennessee on the Hiwassee and Ocoee Rivers. See Tobie for
details.
- August 23 - Operation Clean Stream - HUGE river cleanup. River Kids
have been invited to run a booth.
Have a great Monday! Of course it may be Tuesday by the time you get to the
end of this email...
Ben
Lots to tell about...sit back and enjoy the ride.
Meetings:
Monday - Merchandising and T-Shirts in Claire's room - 3:30-4:00
This will be a quick meeting - The M group has to pick 2-3 items
for productions and the T-shirt group has to finalize their design. Orders
will be placed this week for t-shirts and RK gear.
No other meetings scheduled right now due to conferences. Mentoring Group
does have its gathering on Friday. Check with Charlotte for details if you
aren't sure of time and location.
Group Updates:
Herbie, Jr. - Sam and Carson are collecting ideas all week for how to
decorate the VW. They will be developing a fairly informal presentation to
give to the officials at City Museum in a couple weeks. Date TBA.
Rain Harvesting - No we're not promoting heavy drinking, but we are buying a
couple old whiskey barrels. After some deliberation, the Building and
Grounds Committee, Bill Sprung, and the River Kids decided that the best
option for new rain barrels would be to reuse something old. We will be
purchasing two old whiskey barrels that have been reworked to serve as rain
barrels. They will be installed in the next month or so next to the garden
pavilion. Bill is already beginning the gutter installation. The two
barrels together could potentially collect about 18,000 gallons of run-off
from the garden pavilion roof per year given regional precipitation trends.
Realistically, given the size of the barrels, we expect to harvest at least
1800 gallons to supplement our sprinkler system. The barrels will have hand
pumps on top so that kids can fill a bucket and water the plants themselves.
Way to go, rain harvesting group!
Mentoring - This group will be spending a good chunk of time this Friday
training to be mentors and group leaders. They will learn how to lead
activities, build team skills, support participants emotionally, and even
basic CPR. Later in the day, they will get to meet their new friends from
Neighborhood Houses for the first time. Hard work with great rewards.
Kudos to these girls!
Singers - This group has been working on a two-part harmony for Roll On
River (a song by Betty Elders) and are practicing our originals. Curt
Carter will be joining them for practice in coming weeks. We will hit the
studio in March and release the CD in April, possibly at the benefit.
Songwriters - Rock on, St. Louis!! Thanks to a few rockin' River Kids,
there's a new RK rock song brewing. If it's ready in time, it will be on
the CD and performed live at the benefit.
Benefit Dinner - Lots of action on this front. The kids who have met on
Thursdays have been able to accomplish a great deal already. Here are some
of the stories from this group:
- Title of Event Chosen - "Willy Wonka's Wonderland" - Break out your
sweet tooth...or it'll rot out anyway, 'cause this party calls for nothin'
but candy and associated junk foods. Chocolate fountain, buckets of WW
candy, River Kids chocolate bars (with one having a Golden ticket inside -
BIG prize of course), cotton candy maker, popcorn machine and more...I
suggested that we forgo all the planning and just place bags of pure sugar
all around the room, but the kids want to work for their sugar.
So for all the healthy people out there cringing at the thought of giant
Pixie Sticks and Dippn' Stix packs washing out in your laundry, please look
the other way for this one evening...we'll bring extra carrots on the
campout.
- Artwork - The flyers, signs, posters, tickets, and such will be sent
off to a graphic artist at Lipic Recognition this week along with an order
for new merchandise.
- Donations -
- HUGE thanks to Major Brands Premium Beverage Distributors for
donating the drinks for the dinner!
- More HUGE thanks to the City Museum! They have donated the
Architectural Hall for the event!
- More HUGE thanks - AEP Rivers has donated $2000 to support the
event. We will use the money to purchase the kayak and canoe packages for
raffle.
- Keep your eyes open for new opportunities for donations. If
you're out and about and happen to swing by a store that might like
supporting our organization, take a moment and ask the manager what they
think. You never know!
- There are some organizations (such as Dick's Sporting Goods) that
only offer donations in response to written or online inquiries. If you're
interested in filling out forms, let me know. That's something that can be
done with your child so they can learn those ropes.
- Catering - The kids were on the phone calling the caterers last week.
Not surprisingly, some caterers weren't very responsive to a child calling
about such a big contract. However, there were three that passed the test
and resisted the temptation to underestimate these kids. Proposals are due
back this week. A caterer will soon be under contract!
- Costumes - Break out your orange make-up and green wigs, we're all
invited to dress the part for this party...I've been elected to dress as
Willy Wonka himself. Go figure. Oompa-loompas will abound, I'm sure!
- Guest Speakers - Many kids spent a good chunk of time writing to those
that they thought would be interested in hearing about River Kids and their
event. Emails were flying out to Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and
Oprah, as well as many more...Wouldn't that be an attendance list?! Really,
we are seeking out a top-notch speaker for this event. No one secured just
yet. Who will it be?????
- Entertainment - Some discussion about the lack of organization
surrounding last year's games. Games this year will be at least more
structured, possibly limited, and may be eliminated. There will be live
music - several bands are being contacted and considered. DJ will be
quieter if there is one.
- Ticket Sales - Tickets will look like the "Golden Ticket" from Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory. There are plans to make it possible to buy
tickets online this year. Prices are set at $30 per adult and $20 per
child. This includes dinner, drinks, all entertainment, and admission to
the City Museum until 2am. There will be only 200 tickets sold at this
price. We will sell after-dinner tickets, which will include entertainment
and admission to City Museum for $20 and $10 starting at 9pm. We have not
set a cap on the number of these tickets to be sold.
- Raffles - There will be a canoe package and a kayak package at least.
We are seeking other large raffle items. The canoe will be the same as last
year's. We are considering a sea kayak (one that would be typical of those
used in river races). We are also seeking new ideas for raffle packages
that we should make available. Please forward your ideas. If we receive
enough donations, we are planning on having small/medium raffle items on
tables at the event.
RK Spring Break - Based on the feedback I'm getting, (and this may change)
it looks like it might be a good idea to shoot for the middle weekend of
spring break - 3 days/2 nights. Sounds like there may be several parents
who can go, as well as several kids that would come alone with other adults.
We are thinking we'll provide cabins, ropes courses (low for younger and
high for older), canoeing/kayaking, and another major activity TBA. Keep
sending your thoughts. We'll continue to build the trip to meet your common
interests. Mud football anyone?
Parent Opportunities - There's been some talk about maybe having some
parents chip in to help supervise/facilitate groups of kids as they tackle
the many varied tasks associated with organizing the benefit. There are
lots of other ways parents might want to chip in as well. One parent
suggested a morning coffee to discuss parent opportunities. If you're
interested in such a meeting, please let me know. I'll be around NCS Friday
all morning, so maybe that would be a good day. Friday anyone? 8am?
So, I really don't TRY to make these emails this long...there's just so much
to talk about. Those darn youthful upstarts of yours keep producing new
material.
On that note, some of the coolest moments in meetings have come from
unplanned announcements regarding issues that one or more River Kids have
discovered. It's good to know that these kids are really paying attention
to the world as it evolves. They are the kind of kids that won't ignore an
issue. Thanks to all those kids that use our meetings to share their
concerns and for the passion they exhibit.
A couple extra dates to consider:
- Saturday, April 12 - Big Cleanup in connection with Trailnet. This is
a great kid-friendly event including some planting opportunities.
- Sunday, April 20 - Earth Day - 10am-6:30pm - kids will work in shifts
- may work with or without parents
- Friday, April 25 - Benefit Dinner - Kids (and any available parents)
will be working set-up from 3:30 until 7pm - then we will all party. We will
need help with break-down at 11:30pm as well. We'll have a truck to haul
everything.
- May ???? - RK Member Camping Trip with Land for Learning (kids only)
- July 7-11 - Ben and Claire run a Naturalist Camp for 4th-6th graders -
camping on the river for three days. See Tobie for details.
- July 21-25 - Ben and Claire run a Naturalist Camp for 6th-8th graders
- 5 days in Tennessee on the Hiwassee and Ocoee Rivers. See Tobie for
details.
- August 23 - Operation Clean Stream - HUGE river cleanup. River Kids
have been invited to run a booth.
Have a great Monday! Of course it may be Tuesday by the time you get to the
end of this email...
Ben
Mural Group
Betsy reminded me that the Mural Group will be meeting on Tuesdays starting
AFTER this week. They will meet from 3:30 until 5pm or so...Kids may be
picked up earlier than 5pm...the reason for the fuzzy ending time is due to
some kids having talents classes and needing to come after or before another
obligation.
Thanks!
Ben
picked up earlier than 5pm...the reason for the fuzzy ending time is due to
some kids having talents classes and needing to come after or before another
obligation.
Thanks!
Ben
Mentoring Meeting Friday
The actual meeting time for the mentoring group on Friday is 10am inCharlotte's Room.
There will be training with Land for Learning and a
meeting with the Neighborhood Houses kids later in the day. All will end
about 5:45. If you have any further questions about the event, please
contact Charlotte. She's got all the details.
Ben
about 5:45. If you have any further questions about the event, please
contact Charlotte. She's got all the details.
Ben
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