Reflections from 2014 - SML Good Neighbors had a great year

Our Mission

To develop good neighbors skills and values in children through programs that nourish, educate and support them while providing life-changing experiences for college students through leadership development internships. 

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Did Anything Good Happen with SML Good Neighbors in 2014?

            To borrow part of a famous quotation—“Let me count the ways.” To keep this short enough to hold your interest, I’m using a bulleted list (in no particular order) of the major highlights, changes and additions that occurred in 2014 with the SML Good Neighbors organization and its programs. I’m truly amazed! I think you will be too.

•  Kids from Rocky Mount Elementary, Sontag Elementary, Bedford Elementary and Bedford Primary were included in our Summer Enrichment Day Camp Program. This brings the number of participating schools to 10—in 2008 (our first year) we served five schools.
• 181 children registered for the summer program
• Lisa Lietz completed her first year as our full-time Program Director
• The S.E.A.—Student Enrichment in the Arts—program was launched in January. This is an out-of-school program that meets after school or on Saturdays. The programs provided were: Eight Saturday mornings with the Roanoke Children’s Theatre (elementary school children); four-week Saturday morning visual arts programs at Staunton River Middle School; four-week Saturday morning visual arts programs at Moneta Elementary School.  
• The S.E.A. visual arts programs were supported by 21^st Century grants in partnership with Staunton River Middle School and Moneta Elementary School. These will continue in 2015. The Theatre program is supported by a special grant— Educate, Inspire, Create—from the Foundation for Roanoke Valley.  In addition to supporting enrichments at our summer programs and the Saturday morning program, this grant will also support an eight-week, after-school Theatre program at Burnt Chimney E.S. beginning in January and at Sontag Elementary beginning in March.
• The summer teaching staff (three men and six women) was diverse and talented. And, they were effective teachers. They came to us from: Vanderbilt University, the University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, Earlham College, Virginia Tech, Guilford College and Ferrum College.  
•  Children from the four (4) new schools participating in the summer programs were provided bus transportation by Bedford and Franklin Counties with additional financial support from the SML Rotary.
• The weekend backpack program (food and books) was provided through a $10,000 grant from the Carilion Clinic Foundation.
• A special grant ($1,800) from the Fraternal Order of Eagles was awarded to purchase books for the weekend backpack program
• Breakfasts, hot lunches and snacks were provided by a USDA summer nutrition grant that is administered by the Franklin County Schools nutrition department. Sarah O’Neal and her staff at Rocky Mount Elementary School do all the food preparation.
• More than 50 new volunteers joined our program.
• Four (4) new special events for fund-raising were added. All four were very successful and will repeat in 2015.
• Good Neighbors was one of eight charities selected to participate in the 2014 SML Charity Home Tour.
• Facebook friends increased from about 80 to almost 500.
• An online store was added to our website
• The website was completely revised
• The newsletter mailing list reached almost 1,000 addresses.
• A detailed proposal for a “Summer Scholars” program was developed. If implemented, the six-week, residential academic program for middle-school students will be held on the campus of Ferrum College.
• The board of directors and advisors held a strategic planning retreat in January with leadership by Dan Merenda and Sara Cole from the Council of Community Services in Roanoke. Three Year Strategic Goals were developed: Provide a facility that is commensurate with program and staff needs; Recruit, employ and train appropriate professional staff to administer the Good Neighbors programs; Increase awareness in Central and Southwest Virginia of the needs and populations being served by the Good Neighbors 
programs; Determine areas of experience that should be included on the board and recruit individuals to help meet those needs; Revise current programs and add additional programs, as appropriate, to address the identified and emerging needs of 
the children we serve; Broaden and diversify the sources of financial support; Expand the volunteer base to meet the growth of programs.
• A property to serve as our official home was purchased in September. It is a brick, ranch-style home built in 1965. It will house our offices, provide meeting spaces, storage and workspace as well as housing for our summer teaching staff. All programs will continue to be facilitated in schools. The property, zoned agricultural in Bedford County, includes a one-acre wooded lot. This purchase was made possible by generous contributions from Shelters Plus, an anonymous family trust; donations from numerous individuals and pledges from 100% of the board of directors. 
• Income for 2014 met expenses; the budget balanced.

            Although we had a very good year, we also suffered losses. Shane Nichols, one of our Franklin County children, died as a result of an accidental gunshot. We all feel a great sadness at losing Shane; he was a special child. We also lost Janet Hill, one of the early planners of the Good Neighbors program and a tireless worker for the children. Janet had a long struggle with cancer but lived fully until the very end. Her spirit is with us and the importance of her passion for Good Neighbors lives on. Finally, the closing of Body Camp Elementary School saddens us. This school has been part of our program since our beginning in 2008. Fortunately, the children will still be invited to participate even though they are assigned to different schools.   

As I write this reflection on New Years Day 2015, I am already excited about the possibilities for 2015. As long as we are faithful to our mission, every year will be exciting and full of surprises. All of us involved with the Good Neighbors programs and the children are blessed. We are "sowing seeds of success in our children."

Happy New Year –

Russ