Polar Bear Pickup Report

What a phenomenal day!  We should have brought ice skates...we could have
gotten to the trash a lot quicker...

Some of the items found along the 1/4-mile:

   - Stove top (not a lot cookin' though), 2 10-foot sections of PVC pipe
(anyone building a very large marble set?), a TV (apparently someone was
REALLY annoyed by the changeover to digital), construction barrel (odd
because there was more destruction that construction going on), For Sale
sign (no one was buying), a swing set (no swings, so really it was a giant
pull-up bar), tires (definitely snow tires in this case), and the usual
million plastic bags (it was tough to count them all, so that's an
estimate).

We also cleared most of the honeysuckle from a 250-foot section of the bank
along the river! That was perhaps the most visible change we created...

Kudos to all those kids and parents who were daring enough to brave the
conditions (oddly enough, it was a great temp - it was colder in November!)
to make the first annual Polar Bear Pickup a big success.

We owe huge thanks to the folks over at River des Peres Watershed Coalition
and the Green Center for arranging all the details and supplying everything
we needed, right down to the lukewarm chocolate...

Cool things happen when people pool their resources and get motivated toward
a common cause...and you never really know how far reaching your effect
might be when you do this stuff.  In the midst of shooting pics of our crew
pulling pipes and tires out of the river, a young man approached me to ask
what we were doing...I explained.  He apparently works with a local high
school community service club...he now plans to bring his group out to our
next cleanup.  Whether they make it or not, that young man discovered
something new and wanted to be involved...A number of people rode or walked
by, and neighbors came out to speak with some of us...

So, it may very well be that by being people who took action (albeit in a
semi-crazy fashion, we created a few people who want to take action a little
or a lot more than before...

Go River Kids and RdPWC!

Ben

RK Update

RK Families, (sorry I wrote this before today and somehow didn't hit send!)

What a week!!!!  Sledding Tuesday night, a RARE Snow Day on Wed...I could
get used to the slow down created by the white stuff...

Alas, we'll all be right back in the grind tomorrow...

Don't forget -

Thursday - RK Publicity Meeting - 4-5pm in the computer lab - press release to be finalized and delivered

Friday 

- Board Meeting in the library conference room - 4-5pm

- First official River Sisters meeting 3:30-5pm in the main part of the library.  Board Members also on RS will meet with RS first and need to come join the Board Meeting for a couple decisions, then they may return to RS.

Saturday - River Kids Cleanup...we're hosting the Polar Bear Pickup from 12-3pm Saturday...we'll start at the intersection of Groby Rd and Mona Ave just south of Olive in U. City.  Be there for any or all of the time if you can!

Thanks!  Let me know if you have any questions.

Ben

RK Media

Hey everyone!
Everything should go up eventually, but here's a peek at some of the cool footage and pictures we've taken of River Kids and what we've accomplished so far. A worthy note: The server that this stuff's being hosted on is a little spotty, if it takes to long to connect that probably means it's down.
Here's us on KSDK! 
Various RK Photos

Update: Okay, the previous links didn't work AT ALL. Let's try this again.
Here's us on KSDK!
Various RK Photos

Pizza and More

Reminders:

-- If you'd like to join other RK families for pizza before the movie,
please let me know by sometime tonight.

-- Publicity meeting this afternoon - 4-5pm in the Computer Lab

-- Movie showing begins at 6:30...invite anyone you'd like.  This is free
and open to the public.  Seating is first-come/first-served.

Please join us for the showing if you can.

I'd like there to be a table with some of our info on it...it would be nice
to have a couple RK there to speak from 6:10-6:30...anyone up for it?

Ben

RK Update

Hello, all!

First the nuts and bolts info:

Meetings - Tuesday and Wednesday - none
       - Thursday - Publicity - 4-5pm in the Computer lab
       - Friday - Movie Showing - 6:30-8:30pm
Earth Day, River Sisters, and Merchandising are off this week.

Movie Showing Info - The movie showing is the meeting...we will not meet from 4-5pm. However, I will organize pizza for kids and families that would like to meet in the 5:30-6:15 range.

PLEASE SEND ME A NOTE WITH THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN YOUR FAMILY THAT WILL BE HAVING PIZZA WITH US.  If you're not coming, a note is not necessary of course.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

I appreciate the enthusiasm from the many River Kids who showed up for extra meetings these past two weeks in order to get rolling on the new committee work we'll be doing.  It's not always easy to make it to meetings, and some kids are making it to several extra, but we cannot do the things we do without that extra effort.  The mural group will likely be reconvened soon
to seek a new site for the art.  There are some possibilities in the works.

Over time I've always been impressed with the motivation of the kids (and parents) connected with our organization.  Even more impressive is the heart and soul so many invest in the pursuit of our mission.  After all, there isn't a secondary agenda for our kids...just one sincere belief in the rivers and their power to make a difference.

The steadfast genuineness of RK has earned it some appropriate attention these past couple years.  It may be that many of you aren't really aware of just how much attention River Kids draws at the local, regional and even national levels. I receive communications from people and organizations around the area and beyond on a regular basis...some are curious about what
RK really is and many already know and simply want to express their appreciation for what the organization is doing.

This year seems to be the beginning of a new wave of attention, beginning with our inclusion in the documentary on the River des Peres. Undoubtedly being included in a full-length documentary should serve as great publicity. You should also know that Diana Hartel, nationally involved environmental leader and author, interviewed some of us to record the story of River Kids for potential inclusion in a book on river restoration efforts in the United States. Moreover, Living Lands and Waters has asked me to come speak at an upcoming youth conference on sustainability they are hosting in the Quad Cities.  People are now calling us often to become involved with their programs and activities.  Schools are interested in teaming up to create events along rivers.  Being a river kids has always meant a lot to us, but it seems that it's starting to be something many others wish they could be as well.  Seeing such a small dream 6 years ago becoming a big dream for people all around is just amazing.  And while I hope RK continues to affect more people, I hope it never loses touch with that pure vision that has been at the core of all we've done so far.

Thanks as always to the kids for their efforts, and to the parents who continually help close the gap between RK dreams and reality.

Ben

RK Flyers

Here's a downloads page for RK Flyers. Enjoy!

Jack

Great Opportunity for RK

I've been contacted by some folks at the Science Museum regarding the new movie they are opening this Friday, Grand Canyon Adventure: River At Risk. This is a new OmniMax film that takes the viewer on a whitewater adventure through the Canyon while teaching about issues the river is
experiencing and how people are taking action to solve the issues. You can check out the film details at: www.grandcanyonadventurefilm.com We've been asked to have 2-3 kids come attend the opening Friday and have a table out to explain who River Kids is and how they are making a difference locally. The table would include a few handouts and a laptop with a slideshow...easy. The talking will be the real challenge and the reward.
There are two showings that evening. The schedule would look like this:
- Arrive at Science Center between 5-5:30 to set up the RK stuff on the table.
- 5:30-6pm - seating begins and people will filter in and visit the table
- 6pm showing
- 7:30-8pm - Second group of people filters in and visits tables
- 8pm - second showing (We wouldn't need to stay for this)
This is a private event with more than 600 people attending over the course of the evening. Obviously this is a great opportunity for some of our kids to be there and share their mission with those in attendance. Part of being a River Kid is helping teach others to be stewards for the rivers...coincidentally the same goal as the film. Plus, we get a chance to see a very cool film before it opens to the public. I'm sending this info to RK Board Members first. Please let me know of any interest in attending and helping out. I would really like a parent volunteer to handle at least the first showing as well, so parents who are interested should contact me also.
Let me know ASAP.
Thanks!
Ben

Meeting Friday

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope the break has been a break!

We have the first meeting of the year this Friday, January 9 in the usual library location. We will be hosting Tammy Becker and Mike Coyne-Logan from Living Lands and Waters for a presentation about LL&W and what it takes to make a difference in our world.

Tammy is the Education Program Coordinator for Living Lands and Waters. She is, according to the rest of the LL&W crew, the most positive person on their team, and that's saying a ton. She has been an amazing force for LL&W and a great friend to River Kids from the beginning.

Mike is a former teacher who joined the LL&W crew permanently after spending a couple summers with them as a volunteer. He's now a big part of the magic that LL&W creates everywhere they go.

Parents are welcome to attend this meeting and catch a glimpse of what makes Living Land and Waters tick. We will be teaming up with LL&W for our benefit dinner this year, so we'll get to know them even more later on.

Have a great week...See you all soon!

Ben

Committee Meetings This Week

There are some additional meetings on the schedule for this week as
follows:

Tuesday - Merchandising Committee - 4-5pm in Ben's Room
Wednesday - River Sisters - Library Conference Room - 4-5pm
Wednesday - Earth Day Planning Committee - Library - 4-5pm

Nothing Thursday of this week - Publicity Committee will be meeting soon. I have not heard back from many of the families with kids on that committee. If your child is signed up, please let me know if Tuesday or Thursday is better for your family. Monday and Wednesday are NOT POSSIBLE according to responses I've already received. Thanks to those who have responded!

Please check with your RK and arrange for attendance at meetings IF NECESSARY. Also, if your child cannot attend, but could if the meetings were on another day, you are welcome to send that info along to me...Meeting days will be decided at this first meeting, so nothing is set in stone yet.

FYI - Some kids are signed up for multiple committees. They may serve on all, but one is certainly enough! Schedules and responsibilities for committee members will be discussed at the first meeting. They may choose not to serve after hearing what is involved, perhaps because of schedule conflicts or finding out it's not what they thought it was. That's fine.

There are plenty of kids signed up for each committee, so no fear if you have to skip some.

Dealing with Extended Day...if your child normally attends Extended Day past 5pm they should go to Extended Day first for check in and snack. They will not be able to rejoin Extended Day after the meeting if they haven't checked in before.

If your child does not normally attend ED, and you know you will pick them up at the end of the meeting, then they may come directly to my room without checking into Extended Day. In that case, it may be nice to send an extra snack for your child. I'll try to have something, but it won't
necessarily be something every child will like.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Let the games begin,

Ben