Hello, River Kids and Families!
First let me thank those of you who found the time to chip in along the River des Peres last week...in short, River Kids provided about half the volunteers! We made a HUGE difference, and there were many grateful individuals. The attached picture is of Sara Bewen and Tyler Doll with a Stream Team volunteer dragging just a TINY portion of their garbage loot out of the river.
I'm particularly glad that several families were there for this in light of comments made at recent RK Board Meetings. The RK Board was formed to give the kids a place to share their voices and establish a direction for the organization. One of the central themes to our two Board meetings so far has been a desire to focus our attention and activity back on the rivers,learning more rivers and interacting with them directly. We'll be participating in many more river-related activities this year, including many more cleanups!
Thanks to all the RK Board members for their extra work in preparation for this year. The meetings have been therapeutic for some and empowering for all. I'm personally thrilled to hear the passion in the voices of these leaders as they tackle the issues related to being a growing organization. While the increased membership and the energy and enthusiasm for last year's projects were undeniably good things, the side effects of getting so large so quickly needed to be addressed. We are well on our way to doing just that thanks to the Board.
There are numerous changes to the RK structure and programs this year in an attempt to solidify River Kids as a positive force. We will be meeting in the library this year, instead of the congested Performing Arts space. All RK will receive snack through the Extended Day program before attending meetings to avoid distractions and cleanup issues. All large group meetings will be focused on learning about rivers and will include field trips, guest speakers, and activities designed to bolster our collective river knowledge. The benefit is being redesigned to be more directed at our selected cause(and away from celebrating RK) and intentionally designed to be less extravagant. In fact, we are starting from scratch this year and may windup with a cleanathon or concert instead of a City Museum experience. Also,there will be no new projects this year; we will focus on bringing closure to old projects before considering new ones.
Another important issue discussed by the Board was the need to be inclusive and inviting to new members, but directly requiring that members be committed to being a true River Kid, not someone who comes for a good snack and the benefit party.
The Board felt it was crucial that we communicate to families more up front about what it really means to be a River Kid. Thus, they decided to host an Open House for all RK Families, focused on sharing the goals for the year and setting expectations for all before signup deadlines roll around. That way families can make an educated decision about whether River Kids is actually for them.
This RK Open House is this Friday afternoon from 4-5pm in the library. There will be a slideshow and some small presentations from a few of the RK Board members regarding the year. Then there will be a Q&A session for all.
I'm telling you all this information because everyone would benefit from the chance to hear about the kids' plans for the year. Thus, even though this Open House was marketed to new families, I thought I'd extend this explanation of our intent and an invitation to previous members and parents as well.
I hope everything is going well for you all. Please feel free to contact me with questions, especially if you can't make the Open House!
Rock on River Kids!
Ben
