Brief RK Update

I wanted the you and the kids to know right away that there has been a major change related to the benefit this year.  Chad Pregracke called and told me that they (Living Lands and Waters) need to back out.  They will not be able to be in town because of a schedule conflict.  He and Tammy had been planning to split their efforts between two groups and they decided that wasn't going to work out.

They were hoping that we would be okay with teaming up with them when they are in St. Louis in September instead.  They will have their whole barge here and a cleanup that will already involve hundreds of volunteers without us adding our connections.

They would also have a lot of publicity worked up that we could tie into. So, while our June plans are shot, it makes for an even bigger and more powerful experience in the fall.

I'm sure many of the kids and adults who read this will be disappointed (as was I) in the change, for various reasons.  However, I'm hoping that the vision of perhaps the single largest river cleanup in St. Louis history tied to our event being one of the biggest ever in honor of rivers and river enthusiasts will entice everyone into being positive about the situation. Plus, some of the 6th graders (then 7th graders) will want to get some of their new schoolmates involved.  Could be a great way for these kids to continue their personal interest in helping protect our rivers whether they are still a NCS River Kid or not...

Please NOTE - I will need to speak with the Board about what they would like to do, but my initial thought regarding the June 13 date, was that we keep it and down-size it to become a RK Family party to celebrate the year.  We'd been talking about the idea already, so I thought it was worth considering...the space is already donated, so we can do this at little or no cost.  We could also use it as an RK fundraiser and sell tickets again...this time just to come celebrate River Kids specifically...It could be a really fun New City bash that would raise some funds for the Benefit expenses in the fall - or for the green roof project directly!  Just some ideas that we'll discuss at the next Board Meeting.  Input is welcome.

Hopefully I'll see many of you on March 28 at the cleanup.  If you or your RK would like a ride, meet at NCS a little before 7am.  Please make sure I know you're coming so I don't leave without your child!  I have been told by a couple families already, but if there are more, I'd like to make sure we have room!

Have a phenomenal break!

Ben

RK Update

Man, time is flying!!!! Spring Break is rolling up fast! It's March...where have I been?

Anyhoo...here are some quick updates:

Meetings -

Merchandising - This Wednesday 4-5pm in the PA room...we will work on organizing the gear and creating a current pricelist. We will need a ton of help on this. If your RK is interested in helping but hasn't been on this committee, please let me know.

Publicity - Thursday - 4-5pm in the Computer Lab - We may move to the library if the computer lab is needed by Ext. Day.

Full Group Meeting - Friday - 4-5pm -library. We will meet despite the early dismissal. With spring break around the corner, this is our only March meeting. Maddie and Jack will be presenting about their experience in Iowa at the youth conference on sustainability.

Next Week - The only RK activity will be merchandise sales in the hallway after school Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30-4:15...There will be a sign up sheet at the meeting on Friday.

Important Dates:
- March 20-22 - Spring Break adventure for RK families at Camp Sabra.
- March 28 - Biggest cleanup of the year besides our benefit cleanup. Trash Bash at the Chain of Rocks Bridge...This is a "Don't miss it!" cleanup in connection with Trailnet. We need to show up BIG!
- April 26 - St. Louis Earth Day - All Day event
- May 2-3 - RK Annual Camping/Canoeing Trip with Land for Learning
- May 16-17 - River Sisters Camping/Canoeing Trip with Land for Learning
- June 8-12 - Prep Sessions possible for Benefit - as necessary
- June 13-14 - RK BENEFIT - Living Lands and Waters will operate a HUGE cleanup on the Mississippi on Saturday. Then we will be hosting a benefit party on Sunday to celebrate the money raised for RK and LL&W. Keep your calendars clear for that weekend...we will need EVERY family involved as much as possible. We'll need friends and businesses involved as well, so get other people to mark their calendars as well. If all goes well, this may be the single largest cleanup event in St. Louis...ever....or at least until next year.

And some slow updates...

Benefit Info - We are tied to the June 13-14 dates because of LL&W's schedule...I'm hoping the timing may work to our advantage, in that everyone will be more free from academic pressure at the time...However, we need to make sure the event gets the maximum amount of publicity in school and out.

Fundraising - We are attempting to raise more money this year. We haven't set a goal yet, but we are saving much more money on the event and should be able to direct that money to the fundraising. All the money will be split between River Kids and Living Lands and Waters for programs to bring kids out to the rivers. RK will use part of the money to support the development of satellite programs in St. Louis schools.

Entertainment - We have secured Chad Dunn (www.chaddunn.com), Illinois native and phenomenal percussionist, to perform at the event this year. Chad is known for his work in creating instruments from recycled materials, some of which are collected from rivers. He will be hosting a workshop at New City later this year for River Kids. The goal will be to create a short number that is performed at the benefit as part of the show.

Trash to Art - we are working on securing an artist to turn some of the rubbish from the cleanup into art for the benefit. We may even auction it off.

Education at the Event - We will have some help from local organizations to create educational activities for people of all ages at the event.

Toning It Down - In case you hadn't heard, the RK Board made it their mission this year to revamp the benefit to become a more river-centered and less flashy experience for all. It will likely still be at the City Museum and there will be food and drink as well as entertainment, but it will not be a big sit-down dinner, there will be less of a focus on celebrating RK with speeches that many people may unfortunately ignore, and there will be a conscious effort to keep expenses down overall.

Connections - If you have any connections and are willing to use them to support RK this year, please email me. We will need help from many sources
to make this event as amazing as it can be. We are interested in pledges for the event, donations to fund the event, auction items, connections to potential environmentally active guest speakers, etc...

Ideas - if you have any ideas for how to make the benefit the best it can be this year, please send them my way. The kids will be discussing the details of the event in the coming weeks and solidifying their plan of action.

Note, I am not accepting ideas for how to shorten my RK Updates...I love to write.

See you all soon!

Ben

RK Meeting

There is a regular full-group RK meeting today in the library as usual. Dona Anderson from the Metropolitan Sewer District will be giving a presentation on point-source/non-point-source pollution using a hands-on model of a watershed.

Because of the size of our group, we will split the group in half and have one group with Dona while the other works with me. Dona would like 35 minutes with each group, so I'm asking that we extend the meeting until 5:20 tomorrow.

If that does not work for your schedule, then please come get your child at 5pm as planned.

Note: There is also a River Sisters meeting in Charlotte's room from 4-5pm.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Ben

RK Update

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

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

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

Meeting

The RK Board will be meeting after school in the library conference room
from 4-5pm.  We will be evaluating the year so far and looking forward to
the major events under development.  We will focus a good chunk of our time
on the benefit.

We understand that this meeting has been added to the schedule, so there
will be some who cannot attend.  Unfortunately, the next Board meeting is
not until Jan 30, and we need to discuss a few things now.

Ben

RK Update

Hello all,

It's been a while since I've written a standard RK missive, so I know you're
hoping I'll go on and on with this one.  Ah, but first the
always-appreciated abridged version:

Upcoming River Kids meetings - Dec 5 and Dec 12, no meeting Dec 19
ADDITIONAL Board Meeting - there will be an new Board meeting added to the
schedule on Dec 10, 4-5pm in the library conference room.  I know some will
not be able to make it because of the odd timing, but the Board has much to
discuss and cannot wait until the end of January to meet.

Upcoming RK Events - No cleanups scheduled yet during the winter...bunch of
weenies out there can't hack the cold.  Polar Bear Pickup Club anyone?

Looking Ahead - January -
   Jan 9 - Special Guests - Tammy and Mike from the Living Lands and Waters
Crew to discuss Green Strategy and Technology
   Jan 23 - 6:30pm - RK will host showing of A Sewer Runs Through It - Boyd
Pickup will be on hand to answer questions and discuss the film.  (NOTE -
there was a regular meeting scheduled for 4-5pm but it is being cancelled to
allow for this event.  Pizza beforehand at New City anyone?)

Looking WAY Ahead - May 2-3 - Reserve these dates for kids - This is the
weekend River Kids will take its annual canoeing/camping trip along the
Meremac River.

Now for the full version...by the way, many River Kids have selected to be
on this mailing list directly.  If your River Kid has an email address to
add, send it to me.  If your River Kid does not receive these emails
directly, please fill him or her in.  I do not have time to go over all the
details at meeting because we're busy learning stuff...go figure.

On with the show...We've now had three major meetings using the new format
of snacking in Extended Day and meeting in the library.  Other than a few
minor hiccups, it's gone well.  We've certainly accomplished plenty.

At the first meeting, the elder River Kids introduced new members to the
concept of River Kids and began to lay the foundation for this year's work,
establishing a return to focusing on learning about rivers and taking
action.

Our second meeting was dedicated to learning about water conservation and
seeing water as the "new oil."  We live in a water-rich environment in this
part of the world, so it's easy to miss the fact that there are many rivers
in the world that are literally drying up due largely to diversion tactics
for agriculture or feeding the thirst of an ever-expanding population.  The
kids calculated how much water they might be using as well as how much they
could easily save with some simple changes to behavior.  The goal was for
everyone to walk away thinking about water conservation a little bit more.

Our third meeting, we spent some time viewing a video about green roof
technology and discussing an opportunity to participate in a new green roof
project being developed at New City.  We also watched the section of the
River des Peres documentary about New City River Kids.  We counted how many
times we were on camera and compared...just kidding.   Then the last half of
the meeting we took part in a stream table simulation where each member took
on a role related to the model river, such as fisherman/hunter, commercial
developer, residential developer, industry, recreationists, and
conservationists.  Each group of role-players received a plot of land to
develop along the model of the stream as they saw fit (according to their
role).  Then, they had to discuss, in town hall fashion, how to address the
issues that came up.  Again, the goal was to leave everyone thinking about
the issues, the solutions, and the complexity of resolving inevitable
conflict surrounding valuable resources.

We will continue to explore different ways of thinking about rivers and
experiencing them this year.  We are planning cleanups, field trips, guest
speakers, and hands-on activities for many meetings. Please email me with
ideas for new activities when they come up.

Since we are spending the majority of our large group meeting time on
learning, we will be starting small committees to handle some of the
projects and aspects of actually running an organization.  We will be
sign-up sheets for several groups with the expectation that River Kids will
sign up to help where they are able.  Sheets will be out at the next two
meetings.  The following groups are currently forming:

1) River Sisters - highly motivated girls may sign for this urban exchange
program - This group is coordinated by Charlotte and begins in January.
2) Publicity - This group of linguists will be seeking ways to publish the
story of River Kids in educational journals, magazines and other media.
3) Earth Day Planning Committee - This group will decide what our booth will
look like at Earth Day this year.
4) Merchandising - This group will take charge of selling RK merchandise to
raise additional funds for projects.  Kids in this group will need to spend
some time before or after school selling merchandise.

Meeting days will be decided based on what is best for those who signed up.
Unfortunately, this means some kids may not be able to help on certain
committees.  Other groups will likely be formed as necessary.

So, is that long enough?  I didn't even rave on about the positive energy in
the group or how cool it is to hear a kid say "riparian corridor" in passing
conversation because they just know this stuff...or how amazed many kids
were at how much water we all use.

This is no doubt a lucky "profession," being the leader of such an
enthusiastic and well-intended group.  If they stay the course they have
chosen, there's no doubt in my mind that they will change the world around
them for the better.

Looking forward to some change,

Ben

RK Update - Meeting Friday

Hello all!

There's a RK meeting this Friday.  This meeting will be a workshop on Water
Conservation.  People in the field of natural resources are saying that
water is the new oil...There aren't any wars over water just yet, but there
are constant local skirmishes, legal battles and substantial evidence to
suggest that things are getting worse.

It has never been more important to become aware of the conservation issues
facing our rivers and water sources around the globe.  This should be an
eye-opening adventure, especially given the water-rich environment in which
al of us live.

I'm attaching the RK meeting schedule for the year.  I know that many kids
did not take one as they exited the library last meeting.  There were other
important papers attached to the schedule as well.  Make sure your RK family
has all the info by grabbing one at tomorrow's meeting.

Thanks to the RK families who've been coming out to local cleanups.  All our
rivers need attention after the spring flooding, but our adopted River des
Peres has needed special attention.  Anyone who's been out there knows just
how much debris has been stirred up.

It's a great lesson on hydrology as well when you witness a log 2 feet in
diameter hanging fifteen feet up in a tree...The speed and power generated
by impervious surfaces along the banks is astounding.

There is another big cleanup this weekend - Saturday, November 8.  I've sent
info about this and there are signs in the halls with details.  It starts at
9am and it will be COLD.

If you're coming out to the cleanup, bring gloves and wear waterproof boots
if possible.  Rubber gloves under garden gloves can keep the cold water off
of your hands for a while at least.

Also, come for any portion of the day that you can...even 15 minutes of help
will make a difference...especially when added to the 15 minute of 50 other
River Kids!  We have the potential to make a tremendous difference!

I'll be in touch more next week about current events for River Kids.

See you soon!

Ben

View attached file here .