8th-Graders Go to Great Lengths to Cheer Up Classmates

By Ellen's Good News0

Best friends Mary Martinez Smith and Damian Marlow wanted to make a difference at their middle school before holiday break. All it took to make a positive impact on their classmates was a few wise words… and 800 Post-It notes.

The friends showed up early in the morning before other students arrived to Axtell Park Middle School in Sioux Falls, SD. They came with hundreds of Post-Its filled with inspirational messages, and put an affirmation on every student's locker.

"Some people they don't get compliments at all and they just feel as if they're worthless, and we wanted to make them feel like they're worth something because they are," Mary told KSFY News.

It took the girls two hours a day for seven days to complete the notes. The messages on the notes ranged from the brief to the poignant - the girls wrote things like "Never say never," "Don't let struggle become your identity," and "You have to fight through some bad days to earn the best day of your life."

"Not only did it make other people feel great, I just feel great for doing it," Mary says. The friends hope their small act encourages classmates to do something positive for others in their own way.

8th-Graders Go to Great Lengths to Cheer Up Classmates | The ...

The 13-Year-Old Who Is Championing World Literacy, a Million Books at a Time

Ellen's Good News
1-28-20140

Freedom begins in the mind, and one 13-year-old girl aims to liberate children the world over with a book campaign to advocate world literacy.

When she was only 8, Maria Keller took it upon herself to begin collecting books for kids. She founded her own nonprofit, Read Indeed, and this month surpassed her goal of sending over a million books to children in various parts of the globe.

The Minneapolis 8th-grader estimates she is bringing in anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 books a month, mostly from Minnesota, but from other states as well.

For Maria, the initiative began with a personal love of books and a desire for all children to have the choice to share in her fancy. According to the World Literacy Foundation, one in five adults cannot read or write, 57 million primary aged children are not in school, and 123 million young people are unable to read or write.

The 13-Year-Old Who Is Championing World Literacy, a Million ...

To find out more about Read Indeed, and how you can support it, check the website.

Weather-Related Traffic Information from Greensboro, NC Police

Police Responding to Large Number of Weather-Related Traffic Accidents 

Hope everyone remains warm and safe during this inclement weather event. Good time to stay home if you don’t absolutely have to be outside……..

 

GREENSBORO, NC (January 28, 2014) – Adverse road and weather conditions have contributed to more than two dozen traffic accidents since snow began falling in Greensboro today.

People are encouraged to avoid unnecessary travel until conditions improve. The safest place during a winter storm is indoors. If residents stay off the roads during a storm, transportation workers and public safety officials are better able to clear roadways and respond to emergency needs quicker.

If you must be on the roadways, to reduce your chances of being involved in a crash when driving in adverse weather conditions:

· Reduce your speed and turn on your vehicle’s headlights.

· Allow plenty of room between you and other vehicles. Stopping distances are longer on wet and icy roads.

· Keep your eyes open for disabled vehicles, and pedestrians who might be in the roadway.

· Approach bridges and overpasses with caution. These areas accumulate ice first. Apply your brakes gently in these areas.

· Avoid sudden braking. This can cause your vehicle to go into a slide.

If your vehicle begins to slide, remain calm and take these steps:

· Take your foot off of the accelerator.

· Do not apply your brakes.

· Turn the steering wheel in the direction the rear of your car is sliding.

If your vehicle stalls or becomes disabled:

· Pull off the roadway as far as possible. If safe, place a warning triangle approximately 50 yards behind your car to alert other motorists that your vehicle is ahead.

· Turn on your emergency flashers and raise the hood or tie a cloth/flag to the antenna or window.

· Stay in your vehicle and lock the doors.

· Run your car just enough to stay warm. Ensure the exhaust pipe is not obstructed, and roll down your window about an inch to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

· Call 911 for help.

You Get What You Give 4:36 min. video

Have you ever doubted what difference you can really make in this world?
5-minute movie beautifully captures how the small things we do in our everyday lives can make a big difference.
Inspire yourself with this vibrant message... If you give a little love, you can get a little love of your own!

Watch - You Get What You Give >>

Parents Slap Daughter's Cyberbullies With Rare Lawsuit

In response to the relentless cyberbullying that has left their 16-year-old daughter feeling humiliated and unable to sleep, a pair of fed-up parents are striking back at the offending classmates in a unique and public way: by suing all seven of them for libel, and all of their parents for…

Parents Slap Daughter's Cyberbullies With Rare Lawsuit

Winning Isn't Everything 2:16 min. video

Watch - Special Olympics Story >>



There's something MUCH BETTER than winning: watch the video.

BackPack Beginnings

Website: www.backpackbeginnings.org

 

Office volunteer opportunities: http://www.signupgenius.com/index.cfm?go=c.SignUpSearch&eid=08C3C9D9FECDF660&cs=09CBBADC8FC48B6C7B7A64735BC09BCE&sortby=startdate&view=l. 

 

BackPack Beginnings is currently seeking volunteers for the following positions:

• Event Chair
• Food BackPack Program Subchair
• Marketing Volunteer
• Clothing Pantry Chair

Each of these positions are 100% volunteer and require 5-15 hours a week (with the exception of the clothing pantry chair). We are looking for volunteers that are dependable, organized, energetic and have the time to commit to the task at hand. Job descriptions are attached.

 

If interested, please contact me so we can discuss the position further. Feel free to forward on to others that may be interested.
 

Parker White

BackPack Beginnings Founder/ Volunteer Executive Director

http://www.backpackbeginnings.org/

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/BackPackBeginnings

Community Initiatives for Safer Schools

Research reveals a child needs

to be fed nutritionally and

to feel “safe, loved, valued”

for the brain to be

most receptive to learning.

Academic success increases

with a

“Focus on Safety”.

Community Initiatives:

Conduct sessions, led by Safer Schools Team members, to explore topics to assure an environment receptive to learning:

·“Fed nutritionally”: donate financial support to Backpack-Food Program for Children to provide nutritional weekend/summer meals

·Telling is not Tattling: It is a means of protecting oneself and others.Students are often the first to know critical information “under the radar”.

·Restorative Practices: positive learning, healing, and growth for all involved

·Tutoring/Shared Time: volunteers to support academic achievement and individual attention and affirmation