Planting Seeds in Fertile Ground

Planting Seeds in Fertile Ground

I received a call last week from a school principal. She wanted to share a story – actually a testimonial – about one of our young campers from the 2010 program. Those who worked with this child will know her name even though I am not using it in this reflection. For this purpose I will just call her Sally.

Sally was brought to the principal by her teacher. She was having a serious problem with controlling her anger. After a cooling-off period of silence, the principal asked Sally about the problem and then asked her how she might handle things differently when she gets angry. Sally thought about the question and then responded – “Well, in camp this summer they taught me to take a deep breath when I start to get angry, and then count to 10 and take another deep breath. Then I should think about the words I say before I say them.” The principal asked, “What camp are you talking about?” She replied, “The Good Neighbors camp.” The principal took Sally back to her teacher, told her the story about Good Neighbors and asked her to give Sally prompts like she learned in camp anytime she begins to get angry.

The principal, who is a strong supporter of the Good Neighbors programs, was truly thrilled, and surprised, by Sally’s answers. To say the least, I was thrilled to hear the story. It isn’t often you learn about results of your efforts so soon.

This is a remarkable story. I would not have picked Sally as a child who learned anything this significant in the Good Neighbors program. She had just turned six years old in May and even seemed young for a six-year old. At times she was moody, uncooperative, displayed anger toward other children and was a behavior problem for her interns. As a last resort, she would be taken to Miss Shearer, the camp director, as punishment. And, she made many trips to spend time with Miss Shearer who worked patiently with her during the entire four-week camp.

One of the overarching themes during the camps is about living peaceably with one another. The interns, staff and volunteers model civility, respect, and good neighbor values in all interactions with each other and the children. This “way of being” is so important to us that the enrichment programs during the second week of camp (see the blog from week 2) are focused on Peace Education. I have wonderful memories and images (in my mind’s eye and on my computer) of Elizabeth, Alice Ann and the other interns teaching the children about the “anger escalator” and the “anger spectrum.” I can hear the kids say – “when I am really mad I go Ka Boom.” And then all the talks and puppet plays about what to do so you won’t go Ka Boom. All of this was reinforced in the work with the Roanoke Children’s Theatre who taught the kids theater skills using the theme – The Peaceful Child. And, they got even more reinforcement about the values of working together, solving problems peacefully together, listening to each other and respecting each other when the staff of Unbridled Change came to camp with two ponies and a horse to help teach the kids these skills. Who would have thought that you can teach such community-building skills with horses?

You never know when something you say, a behavior you model, a kindness you extend will make a difference. It is easy to see the effects of unkind, uncivil, angry, impersonal behavior. But, the impact of loving, patient (but firm) behaviors may take years to see. Sally’s story affirms for me the value of placing so much emphasis on the Good Neighbor value of living peaceably with ourselves and others.

Seeds of peace were planted in the fertile ground of a six-year old girl this summer; I can only wonder at how many other children were similarly affected. And, I would be remiss if I didn’t confess that these seeds of peace were also planted in my soul.

Reflections and Observations from the 8th Week of the 2010 Good Neighbors Summer Day Camp

On Friday, August 13^th, we ended the 2010 SML Good Neighbors summer programs. These last four weeks at Trinity Ecumenical Parish were terrific. The church is a great location for the Franklin County camp. And, the hospitality shown to the Good Neighbors organization by TEP is was exceptional. Our original plan was to use one of the elementary schools in Franklin County. When this couldn’t be arranged the church council approved our request to use the church. We used almost every part of the church except the sanctuary and I hope we left the building and its rooms in good order. It is always our goal to be Good Neighbors no matter where we operate our programs.

This camp had over 50 children registered. The maximum number attending was 46 and the average attendance was 37. These children came to us from three elementary schools: Dudley E.S., Burnt Chimney E.S. and Windy Gap E.S. Many of the children had attended the 2009 camp and several have been in the program all three years.

Highlights – Week 4 of the Franklin County Program

· Let me begin with the last day – Friday. We followed our regular daily rhythms during the morning. But, the afternoon was different. The Roanoke Children’s Theatre staff worked with the children in the early afternoon to rehearse the program they would present for families and friends. About 1:45 families, friends, volunteers and supporters began arriving in the fellowship hall. We had set up chairs for 100 people thinking that we were being optimistic. By 2 o’clock we had run out of seating. Volunteers began taking chairs from the storage racks as the crowd grew. We counted about 150 guests in attendance. When you add the children, the theatre staff, interns, etc. there were nearly 200 people at this closing celebration. The children were amazing and the crowd loved the “Cooking It” musical presented by the theatre staff and the children. It was a WOW performance. And – there was the strong message about good eating choices! After the musical performance, the children, led by the theatre staff, sang one of our favorite songs that we learned as part of our peace education program. The words are worth repeating since they capture the core of what we try to teach and model for the children… So you be you and I’ll be me/that’s the way it’s supposed to be/and we’ll live, you and me/(clap, clap) together differently. These words seem to be imprinted in my mind and on my heart. I believe these seeds were sown in fertile ground in the children this summer.

· After the performance by the children, we got to say goodbye to our interns. Actually, I don’t plan to lose contact with them; they are now family! It was clear to me from the reflections they shared at this celebration, the comments we heard from families and volunteers, and the interactions with the children, that bonds of love and affection did form between the interns and our community. We have all been blessed.

· Earlier in the week, Lisa Bowman, principal of Dudley Elementary School, visited the camp. Many of the kids are from her school and they were excited to see her. Lisa is a strong supporter of our programs. I can’t overemphasize the importance of close, working relationships with the schools. We are fortunate to have Lisa as a partner.

· Angela Massino completed two videos about the Good Neighbors programs. Both of them can be accessed through our web site: www.smlgoodneighbors.org The are excellent at telling the story of the day camps and the internships. This was Angela’s second year with us; now I have to find a way to have her return for a third year!

· We asked families to complete a survey about the Good Neighbors experience for their children. I could fill several pages with quotes but will settle for just a few:

“My child has picked up a book to read for the first time in a longtime without me telling her to do so.”

“My son loves this program! I don’t know what we would do without it!”

“Her enjoyment of the camp counselors and the volunteers has enriched her life and helped show her “People do care!” Life can be happy and whole.”

“I think this program is terrific. Every day my son comes home with a smile on his face and so much to tell us. He has benefited from the interaction with other kids and his continuing learning of reading and writing. He has learned new songs that have become our nightly entertainment at home.”

“It was so nice to hear my boys singing camp songs and wanting to read to me instead of me begging them to.”

Comments like these from families affirm our mission. And, they help remind me why we have been gathered here, in this place, at this time, to do this work.

· Finally, I will end with several photos of life with the children during the last week of camp. After a brief pause, we will begin preparing for 2011.

Highlights and Observations from the 7th Week of the SML Good Neighbors Summer Enrichment Program

The third week of the Franklin County camp was another good week. Amazingly, we have not had to face any major problems. On the other hand, we did find it necessary to drop one child from the program. The decision to drop a child is always difficult and we worked diligently with this child for over two weeks before realizing that we simply were not equipped to deal with his needs. The team (interns, camp director, and program coordinator) came to agreement that his behaviors were having a negative effect on the program for the other children.

The enrichment theme this week was “World Week” or “Global Education.” The Week 3 report from the Bedford County camp also highlighted the objectives for this week. Monday was about Haiti, led by Marion Wagner and Patsy Smart; Tuesday was about Tanzania, led by Pidge Morgan. On Wednesday David Fox took us to Guatemala and on Thursday Hannah Sizemore organized a program about Japan. Our interns also facilitated programs on arts and crafts, food, games, stories and other interactive activities connected with each of these countries as part of the afternoon enrichment.

Observations and Highlights

· During the Guatemala program I joined a circle of children sitting on the floor in the fellowship hall while Alice Ann (intern from Virginia Tech) led the kids in an exercise using Spanish and English words. Alice Ann is fluent in Spanish - we do have gifted interns! This exercise taught the kids colors – Que es rojo? Que es violeta? Que es blanco? Que es negro? I’m sure you knew the English answers to each of these questions (red, purple, white, black); the kids did! And then she would use the English word and the kids would reply with the Spanish word. I was amazed at how quickly most of the kids got it, and how much fun they were having. At this age learning is still fun for the kids and they (most of them) soak it up like a sponge. One of the boys liked it so much that he asked me for paper and pencil so that he could write down all the words. This began with Creole during the Haiti program. By the end of the week he had the words for hello, good bye, thank you, etc. in Creole, Spanish, Swahili, and Japanese.

· A first for our program - During family night at the end of the first week, a young woman asked me what she had to do to be a volunteer in the program. I connected her with Janet Hill and she is now volunteering as a camp facilitator. So what’s so special? Well, she is the daughter of a woman who is the foster parent for one of our campers. This is the first time we have had a family member working as a volunteer in the program. I hope we have others in the future.

· Another young woman, Emily Meissel, worked as an intern assistant at the Bedford camp and loved it so much that she spent another week with us during this camp. Emily is a senior in high school at the Governor’s School in Roanoke. She volunteered as a Reading Buddy last year along with her dad. It was great to have Emily in the program. The interns were impressed with her work and none of us will be surprised when Emily applies for an internship in a year or two. The Good Neighbors family continues to widen its circle.

· During writers’ workshop on Thursday, Hannah and Alice Ann asked the orangutans (the name for their group) to write about someone who is a hero in their life. The 30 minutes for this work occurs at the end of the day and you would think the kids would be tired and uncooperative. But, this group was focused and so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Hannah and Alice Ann circulated among the kids, helping with spelling and encouraging them to put their ideas on paper. Again, I felt so privileged to be present and to see the nurturing, encouraging, loving relationships that have formed between the children and their interns.

My Hero is my Dad…

· One day this week, the poster pictured below caught my attention. It is on the wall beside the table where the children check in and out every day. It expresses the kind of advocacy that all children need and deserve. I hope Good Neighbors is such an advocate.

· Finally, the last highlight of the week for me occurred on Sunday. Six of us (four interns, a boy friend, and I) attended the Lovely Valley Baptist Church morning worship. This is a rural, African-American congregation. I list this in my highlights because we experienced the kind of Good Neighborliness we try to model for the children. The congregation opened their doors, their arms, and their hearts to us. It was the experience of welcoming the stranger; of embracing our diversity. I know I speak for the group when I say that we felt very much at home as we worshiped with this congregation. And, the service, including the music, was inspirational and Spirit led.

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“The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others. In dangerous valleys and hazardous pathways, he will lift some bruised and beaten brother to a higher and more noble life.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.