Community Anti-Violence Meeting
After attending a luncheon hosted by The Optimist Club of Omaha, Ciera Hollingsworth and Makayla Bell decided to tag along to the weekly Anti-Violence meeting hosted by the North Omaha Empowerment Network and Omaha 360.
“I loved seeing a lot of important people from all walks of life coming together to support Omaha. It was very interesting and empowering. I also enjoyed attending a ‘grown up’ meeting. This is the real world.” – Ciera
“First, I want to say that all day long I’ve done things that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do without Girls Inc. I liked the luncheon with The Optimist Club and I also really enjoyed the anti-violence meeting. It was great to see the room full of people – not just one race, one gender, or one group, but pastors, senators, councilmen, police officers, and concerned citizens all working together for the common good. They were all interested in helping North Omaha. Well, all of Omaha actually. It was inspiring.” – Makayla
Why nap? Ms. Tess will tell you why.
Most of my kindergarten and 1st grade girls are at Girls Inc. from 7 or 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. That is a long day for a little girls. That’s why we have naptime. Usually all of them fall asleep for about 90 minutes. Many of them even ask, “When are we going to lie down?” They know they’re tired. They wake up right around snack time, refreshed and ready for Part 2 of the day. (And, I’d like to add that our teen helper doesn’t hate naptime either!) – Ms. Tess
Nap Time
“I get tired.” Mariamo, age 5
“I like our new mats. They’re pretty.” – Jessica, age 5
“When you wake up, you wash the mat and put it away.” – Jamila, age 5
Thank you, Optimist Club!
Today, Girls Inc. of Omaha received a check for $1,000 from the Optimist Club of Omaha. Teen members Ciera Hollingsworth and Makayla Bell accompanied Executive Director, Roberta Wilhelm, to the luncheon presentation to accept the check on behalf of Girls Inc. and to speak about their experiences growing up at Girls Inc. Makayla has been a Girls Inc. member since she was seven and Ciera has been a member since the age of six.
“It was encouraging to learn about organizations like the Optimists that are working to make the community better than it is. They were all very nice and caring. My favorite part of The Optimists Creed is ‘To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.'” – Makayla
“I am used to people like the ones at Girls Inc. – mostly women – working to do good things in the community. I am not used to seeing so many men (and, is it ok for me to say “Caucasian men?”) working to make the community better. It was good for me to see this. I liked learning about service organizations and how they help agencies like Girls Inc. I definitely plan to give back to the community like this when I am a professional. Oh, yeah…and the food was good. I had two plates!” – Ciera
A poem written for our visit by Optimist Club member Alden Awerkamp:
Girls Are Special
Welcome to our meeting Roberta this day
You care for kids in a very special way
Boys and girls have different needs
Too often our girl is the one who leads
Growing up before they can be a child
Often the landscape a little too wild
Girls Inc. provides a place of good things
Shelters our girls from difficult stings
We love to support for all that you stand
Help our girls get the best from this land
Help them claim the things that are theirs
All at Girls Inc. in all of our prayers.
YOUR OPTIMIST FRIENDS
Amaya Votes for Chocolate Every Time
“The chocolate is better than the peppermint.” – Amaya [referring to her “model of earth” on a toothpick – peppermint core, marshmallow mantle, and chocolate crust.]
Science You Can Eat
“The girls studied the layers of the earth and then they made their own ‘edible’ earth. The mint candy represents the core, the marshmallow represents the mantle, and the chocolate coating is the crust.” – Ms. Mara
“We’re doing science and we made the earth. And the best part is we get to eat it.” – LaMare’
Night in White
Girls Inc. members and staff participated in Night in White at the Parkside Baptist Church yesterday. The service was hosted by the Alliance of Women Clergy, Inc. and their vision is “a multi-racial grassroots coalition of faith-based leaders on one accord commited to equality and diversity. We see clergy women coming together to weave a web in the sacred acknowledgement of God; learning and growing from that knowledge ‘to encourage and build each other up…’ (1 Thess. 5:11). The theme for the service was “Shine on me Lord!” and opened with the singing of “This Little Light of Mine.”
Girls Inc. was chosen to receive the collection donation from the service and members of the Girls Inc. step team performed during the service.
‘”It was a definitely new experience for me, having the girls perform in a church.” – Ms. Candice, Girls Inc. step team coach.
Which fork do I use for my cake?
In addition to being impressed with the Humanitarian Award winners and throughly enjoying the guest speakers (Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy) at the Inhclusive Communities dinner, the gala also gave the girls the chance to practice eating in a formal setting. For many of them, this was a first meal with more than one fork and with more than one course. The girls learned that a napkin can be a slippery devil and land on the floor despite your best efforts to keep it squarely on your lap. They enjoyed the place settings, the centerpieces, and the overall elegance of their evening. And the cake!
Blind Side Speakers Impress Girls
Thanks to the generosity of David Slosburg, Girls Inc. teens were invited to attend the 2010 Humanitarian Dinner for Inclusive Communities. The dinner served as recognition for community members receiving Humanitarian Awards and featured guest speakers Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy (subjects of best-selling book and major motion picture, The Blind Side).
I truly enjoyed this dinner. I am glad people like Dick and Sharon Davis [Humanitarian Award winners] make Omaha a better place. – Ifeoma
I learned that with every moment of your life you can do something to change another person’s life – no matter if you donate money or just your time. Everyone can make a difference. I also learned that giving from your heart is the best giving of all. – Zhomante
Who would have thought kicking it with Girls Inc. could be inspirational and fun at the same time!? The dinner was nice and I learned so much in one night. Leigh Anne and Sean Touhy were great. I felt so close to them when they were done speaking. Who knew just “turning around” could change life dramatically? – Cierra
I was amazed by the feeling I got when Ms. Leigh Anne (Tuohy) spoke. It was like she was speaking directly to me. She opened my eyes to see how much of a difference I can make in someone else’s life by just helping them out. She is a great speaker and the dinner was delicious. – Denai
It was remarkable how much you can be impacted in less than four hours. The food and speakers were truly a treat. What a great experience. – Dana
Thank you Qwest!
Rex Fisher and Gayland Alukonis came to Girls Inc. today to personally deliver a check for $8,000 from the Qwest Foundation. Qwest is underwriting Girls Make the Grade, a program to support girls and their academic achievement. Girls Make the Grade provides homework supplies (markers, pens, pencils, calculators, poster board, thumb drives, paper, etc…), daily homework help, tutors, computer lab access, and programs designed to support academic outcomes.
Qwest is a longtime supporter of Girls Inc. and we are proud to call them a partner in our efforts to “inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.”
