Wednesday

Sometimes I sit at the computer and draw a total blank as to what we did that day!

I'll try working backwards....

Right before dinner Dallas did his "reading". Currently this involves me setting his timer for 15 minutes, and his reading from "Reading Pathways: Simple Exercises to Improve Reading Fluency" by Dolores G. Hiskes. This approach to increasing reading fluency uses a "pyramid" format. Each page has a full sentence at the base of the pyramid. The reader starts at the top of the pyramid with a single word, usually the first word of the sentence. Then each line moving down the pyramid adds word or two.

Prior to this, we hit the "kid gym." "We" being Dallas and Emma, and the "kid gym" being a Fitwize4kids franchise in Cary. At Fitwize, a "coach" takes the kids (ages 6 and up) through a weights/aerobics circuit. They have kid-sized weight machines. The weights aren't heavy, just enough to keep them moving for about 45 minutes. Each time they go they get a least one "fitbuck." They can save the fitbuck to "purchase" fitness stuff like ripsticks (a type of skateboard with only 2 wheels) and tennis rackets. Emma wants a ripstick.

The "kid gym" thing is "mandatory" by order of Mom and Dad. We take them twice a week, currently Weds. afternoon and Sat. morning. I tell them that if they were in school they would be doing PE at least twice a week. Not exactly true, since a) many schools are eliminating/cutting back on PE and b) they get WAY more exercise at the "kid gym" than they would in an elementary PE class.

Prior to the "kid gym", Emma did her "reading." She's working out of the Explode the Code series of workbooks. She's in the middle of book 2. Mia did one lesson at www.clicknkids.com, an online reading program.

I'm not too concerned about Mia's learning to read. She strikes me as one of those kids who will just "get it" pretty much on their own. She's already well ahead of where Dallas and Emma were at her age. She picked up the whole idea of words going from left to right/top to bottom pretty early. Plus she would point to individual words and ask "What's this word? What's this word?"

What did I do today? I spent a while writing an e-mail to all the families in our Girl Scout troop asking them to donate to the Family Partnership Campaign. Here's my letter:

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Dear Girl Scout Troop 1152 Families,

I am Allison Armieri, mom to Troop 1152 Brownie Emma and Daisy Mia. I am writing with the hope of convincing you to make a donation to the North Carolina Coastal Pines 2008-2009 Family Partnership Campaign.

You might be thinking, "Huh? I just wrote a check for $XX.XX to pay for my daughter's registration and dues!"

Did you know that it costs our council around $150 to support one girl for one year of Girl Scouts? And the council does not collect that much from each individual girl. The balance comes from a variety of funding sources, including cookie sales; gifts from corporations, foundations, and individual funders; and from the Family Partnership Campaign. (The $10 membership fee paid when you or your girl registered is a national membership fee. This entire amount goes directly to Girl Scouts of the USA, which provides activity insurance, program enhancements, and management support to the council. The council does not receive any portion of this membership fee, all of it goes to Girl Scouts of the USA for maintaining the national viability and strength of the Girl Scout Movement. Troop dues stay within our troop and do not go toward the many other services that the council provides such as financial assistance, volunteer and girl recruitment,volunteer training and support, and upkeep of council properties including three camps and field offices in each of the 41 counties we serve. Your gift to the council supports these other services.)

"Plus I pay for each council-sponsored outing!"

(Your payment to attend a council-sponsored event helps offset some of the costs associated with sponsoring the event. North Carolina Coastal Pines strives to keep the cost of attending council-sponsored events at a minimum so that all girls can fully participate in all that North Carolina Coastal Pines has to offer. There are many costs associated with all events – such as food, program activity supplies, and site rental fees – which far exceed the fee paid by the girl and her family. Also, the girls’ fees do not cover many less obvious costs such as staff time, clerical support, telephone cost, postage, printing, and insurance.)

You might think, "Huh? I support Girl Scout by helping my daughter sell cookies! And by buying cookies!"

And yes, cookie sales ARE an important part of fund raising for the Girl Scout. But Cookie Sales are only one part of our fund raising. (Product sales are aimed at the general public, a different audience from this fund raising effort. Our hope is to reduce the council’s dependence on product sales, at the same time significantly increasing funding from other sources. A diversified funding base is vital to our continued strength.)

Many of us are able to provide our girls with valuable, enriching activites. Some North Carolina families are not as fortunate.

Your gift of:
- $200 Sends a girl with financial need to a week of adventure at resident camp
- $150 Covers the cost of serving one girl for one year
- $50 Trains a troop leader in CPR and first aid, or buys a lifejacket for girls to wear while canoeing or sailing at camp, or ensures there's an American flag and stand for troops to use at meetings
- $35 Helps a girl with financial need attend Camporee with the other girls in her troop

Each family that gives $35 or more to the Family Partnership Campaign will receive a window cling to show their support!

More important than the dollar amount of your support, is the statement made by your family's support. When the NC Coastal Pines council approaches other donors, such as the United Way, one of the first questions we are asked is, "How many of you member families are donors?" Meaning, just how much do your own Girl Scout families value this experience. Do they value it enough to make a donation? With family donations in hand, our council can say, "Yes! XX% of our families made a donation to our Family Partnership Campaign." The bigger the XX%, the easier it is to convince corporations and foundations to support Girl Scouting in North Carolina.

When you give to the Family Partnership Campaign, 100% of your donation stays within North Carolina Coastal Pines' jurisdiction.

I think our troop is truely, truely blessed to have Lauralee Moran as our founding leader. She is committed to this troop. She is enthusiastic. She has a long range vision for our troop. I have no doubt that the girls who pass through Troop 1152 will be hugely benefited by the experience. They will be our future leaders. [Sixty-four percent (64%) of today’s women leaders in the corporate, civic, and entertainment fields were Girl Scouts. The overwhelming majority of these women believe Girl Scouting influenced their success.]

I believe in Troop 1152. I believe so strongly in this experience for my girls that I volunteered to be a Daisy Leader. Even though that means figuring out and jumping through all the Girl Scout red tape and paperwork and whatnot!

And.... for those competitive sorts.... there IS a trophy.... given to the troop in the Durham 10 area that collects the most money for the Family Partnership Campaign. The SAME troop has won it for the last couple years! And last year they only collected about $2,000..... ;)

Additional information on the North Carolina Coastal Pines Family Partnership Campaign can be found at http://www.nccoastalpines.org/home/support/family.aspx.
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Anyone reading this blog interested in donating to the Family Partnership Campaign on behalf of Troop 1152 can do so at https://secure.bpworldcast.com/nccoastalpines/home/support/donate.aspx