Community Through My Eyes--The Schools

  I know this topic sort of falls under the same category as my last post. Seeing that it is my blog I got to trump the boss' decision and not write about the scheduled, "community as it relates to the family." It is great being able to change things up on the fly. Back to the topic at hand. The schools are in our neighborhoods just as non-profit organizations are (which I wrote about in my last post). Schools are great places with great people young and older. Because of my involvement in the school community I was able to witness something so rich this past week and it blew me away. As the PTA President of my girls' school, Cleveland Elementary, I, along with my fellow Board members and school administration decided to have a very different spring fundraiser. It went against what everyone knew in the past and it brought a lot of excitement and fun to our school. There was a gem in all of this too. It was something I will never forget. You find these often when the motives of the heart are about bringing real goodness and joy to others. I can say for sure this was one of those times.

  Some of you out there may have heard of an organization called Boosterthon. They are an organization of special people full of energy and do a great job of being a presence inside of a school's community for about two weeks. They come up with a new focus or adventure theme every year. This year was Epic Adventure. The word "epic" served as an acronym (encourage, play, invite, celebrate). Each day a team from Boosterthon would be out at car pool, go inside the classrooms, bring coffee in for teachers and staff and really immerse themselves into the school community. Their trips to the classroom are short and sweet and the acronym plays a part in their short lessons. All of this is capped off by a Fun Run designed to raise money for the school. Students get sponsored to run a certain amount of laps around a track distance of one-sixteenth of a mile. One huge plus is each school that does this fundraiser gets to keep fifty-two percent of the profit while the company keeps forty-eight. You don't see that too often. Anyway the fun was about to begin.

  This past Thursday I took the day off from work to be a part of the student Fun Run. Anything having to do with exercise (running in particular), people, community, fun and music gets me every time. It was cool to see each team (teacher and class) be introduced and run out from the mobile tunnel setup. It was the kids' Super Bowl moment. Everyone was being recognized. All of the kids wore the free t-shirt they were given and all students were allowed to run in the Fun Run even if they did not get any pledges. These people are about inclusion rather than exclusion. That kind of thinking is a winner in my book. There were three different Fun Runs that day. Six grades (K-5) ran with two grades going at a time on the two tracks setup. I had a blast running with the kids and mingling with everyone. They had a different song for every lap. I didn't want the day to end. I stopped for a moment and took it all in. It was overwhelming at times but the best news was yet to come.

  Later that night I attended the Johnston County school administration and PTA dinner at a local high school. As I was standing in line getting some food the principal of our school shared some good news. First, one of the parents who had complained about having to have his daughter get pledges showed up to the event and had a blast. His whole attitude did an about-face. He saw the whole program for what it was. He complimented us on a job well done. That was nice to hear. It brought a school community together for a day of fun and excitement. It made everyone owners of a community that could not be shaken. It was ours and we were sharing it together. I wished more people could have been a part of it. It was cool! The next story is what makes these kinds of events all worth it. Every community event has them. Nothing could prepare me for what I was about to hear.

 As I inched closer to where the food was the principal told us an amazing story of a troubled third-grade boy. People have a hard time accepting him and he has trouble relating to others. She said he is viewed as an outcast. I'm sure you hear stories like this yourself in different walks of life. The principal told me this young boy told his teacher "this was the best day of his life." He said, "for the first time ever he felt like he had friends." I stood there speechless. I thought, this was the best day of his life? You mean he never had a birthday party he liked better? Did ever have a birthday party? The day he was born was not a great day in his mind? Apparently not. I didn't know what to say and the words were hard to find. I couldn't believe my ears and felt my eyes begin to well up with tears. As awesome as it was to hear it broke my heart. This is part of why I get involved in my community. Making a difference in a child's life makes it all worth it. I hope this story encourages you to be a participant and not a spectator in your school community. Our schools are filled with great kids. There are gems everywhere. Some are troubled. Some are crying for help. Some just want to belong. It's never too late to jump in. Remember, it's about the dash!