Hey folks,
We had another great meeting last week. Hardly ever a dull moment. We spent the first part of the meeting on important updates, catching everyone up on the latest RK news. There's been a lot happening behind the scenes, and in front of the scenes for that matter. Then we finished a series of trust activities started earlier this year. I'll tell you more in a minute, or two. First, the short version for the temporally challenged...
Meetings:
- Wed - Special Board Meeting (OPTIONAL) - Terri Grossman (Lee's mother and Director of Camp Sabra) will be meeting with me to discuss the development
of the newly planned River Kids spring break outing to Camp Sabra's facilities. Any Board members who would like to discuss options and cost should plan on attending from 3:30-4pm. We'll meet in the PA room.
- Also Wednesday - Merchandising and Earth Day Planning - 4-5pm - PA Room - Merchandising will continue to organize and set prices.
-Th and Fri - NO MEETINGS
- Sunday, Feb 15 - Board Retreat - details sent in separate email
Now, the details...We spend much less time on updates in meetings now, by design. We are much more action-oriented...yet there is still a need to keep the group posted on committee action. Reports were as follows:
Merchandising Committee - one meeting, three in attendance, picked the new hat design and made recommendation to the Board for approval. (Board approved design and it the order in being placed.) Spent the rest of the time counting inventory and discussing some price changes.
Earth Day Planning Committee - One meeting - three in attendance - discussed changes to our booth - we will have the stream table (with organized lessons
and rules for participants), we will have recycled art instead of beading (Beads will be bagged and sold at merchandise table instead), there will
still be an info table with merchandise, discussed purchasing a new banner for second booth (increased visibility), discussed staying focused on our
booth, not a performance like the H2O Rap; finally, we discussed having a mascot at the booth - "Rivie"
Publicity Committee - Three meetings - 10 in attendance - learned about press releases, worked hard to create a PR for the Polar Bear Pickup and
sent out to 15 different contacts. Also working on collecting testimonials from River Kids and others about River Kids, also spent time researching
educational publications that might accept submissions about River Kids and what we are doing. Collection of information, photos and video will be a
part of future work - goal is to document and share RK story.
River Sisters - Two meetings - Planned for first meeting with outside group. Planned a series of teambuilding/icebreaking activities. Date for welcoming meeting TBA.
I'm proud of the kids who have been putting in extra time to drive these committees forward. Keep an eye on the weekly updates for meeting dates.
The rest of the meeting was spent on the last, most challenging event in a series of well-constructed trust-building activities. We headed outside to the playground and each child who felt comfortable enough was able to fall backward into the arms of a well-prepared catching crew. While there was
only limited risk involved due mainly to the intense coordination and communication system in place, anyone who took the plunge knows that the feeling of placing all the control over your safety in the hands of your friends is just plain scary. Yet, the relief you feel when you discover they are indeed there for you, is amazing. After things settled down and the adrenaline junkies had their fix, we discussed the connection between this activity and real life...how that need for collective protection, looking out for each other, is crucial to our group and perhaps to the success of our larger society. Hmmm...I wonder if bungee jumping similarly has life lessons within the experience...I'd imagine maybe something like "don't play with rubber bands."
Big news for River Kids - I recently received an invitation to serve as a guest speaker at the Living Lands and Waters Green Revolution Conference in Iowa. It's a youth conference aimed at high school students in the Quad Cities area on sustainability issues. They've asked me to come tell the story of River Kids in hopes that there may be some students who are inspired to create their own club or grass roots organization. While I think that's pretty cool for RK to be spotlighted in such a way, I'm most excited about the fact that they offered me the opportunity to bring two River Kids with me as age-rule exceptions. Thus, Maddie Ruwitch and Jack Molho, two of several very deserving candidates, will be traveling this week up to Iowa to participate in the conference. They will get the chance to learn about some of the green issues and the solutions being developed and implemented around the globe. Maddie and Jack will no doubt have a lot to share with the group when they return.
New Addition to the RK Event Schedule:
1 - Board Retreat - The Board will be spending a full day together next weekend. They will spend some of the day traveling to the Alton area and around the Confluence to gain a deeper understanding of our local river systems. They will also spend a good chunk of the day discussing the future of River Kids and how to make it the best it can be. I think this is a smart move for River Kids and an investment that will hopefully pay off for all the kids in the future.
2 - RK Spring Break Trip - The Board has decided to sponsor a River Kid family outing during the middle weekend of Spring Break this year. They
think it's a great idea for the kids and families at different age levels to get to know each other a little better. SO, ALL River Kids and family members are invited to come camp out at Camp Sabra and enjoy a weekend of outdoor activities (including time on the high ropes course) with RK friends and family. We are in the early stages of planning the details and selecting the actual activities for the trip, but it will be happening March 20-22. RSVPs aren't necessary just yet, and MANY more details are still to come, but mark your calendar if you're interested!
Have a great week!
Ben
