RSF Kids Korps sells flowers for Teacher Appreciation day at Roger Rowe School

By Rachel Fetzer, RSF School, 6th grader
Members of the Rancho Santa Fe Kids Korps sold flowers in front of the Community Center, the gym, and the lower grade drop off areas at our school. Flowers such as beautiful red roses and lovely carnations of many colors were bought by many Roger Rowe kids. The kids were buying the flowers for their teachers in appreciation of all the hard work they do all year.
We started our day setting up the flowers really early in the morning so we could be ready for the rush once school was about to begin.  One woman in my station said early on, “We may not have sold that many yet but once the day starts, then the real business starts!” And how right she was, the flower stands were swarming with customers. The carnations were $1 and the roses were $2. (When the selling gets going, the selling gets (not) tough.)
I’m sure all of the teachers were so happy to receive beautiful flowers to brighten their room.   Most of the proceeds will go toward taking local military families to a Padre game this spring.  Any other money left over will go towards a Kids Korps Build-A-Bike event later this year.
The extra flowers were given to an elderly home. The students at the Roger Rowe School, the teachers, the buyers and the elderly all had their day brightened.

Heart and Sole Shoe Drive

By Liz Jones
Footwear – it is a basic need that most of us take for granted every day. While most of the people around the world do not have one adequate pairs of shoes, Americans have an abundance of footwear sitting idle in their closets. Your consideration of simply cleaning out your closets will make a significant difference in the quality of life of someone in need.
We collected a total of 4,783 pairs of lightly used and new shoes. 50% of the shoes were shipped directly to Soles4Souls and the remainder of shoes will be distributed throughout San Diego through Father Joe’s and Stand Up for Kids.
Soles4Souls primary target in their global efforts is on orphanages throughout Central and South America, Europe, and Africa. Most recently they have been able to further expand into Asia as well as Australia. These abandoned and orphaned children cherish a pair of shoes more than something to eat or even a new toy. Over 300 million children world-wide have never had one pair of shoes. Kids Korps volunteers helped change that number with their donation of children’s’ footwear.
For us, comfort and style are the primary reasons for the footwear we select. For those without shoes, the healthcare benefits are the most urgent reasons footwear is so desperately needed. A quality pair of shoes protects their foot from scrapes, cuts, and contaminants that lead to potentially serious healthcare issues.
Thank you to all the Kids Korps families for helping turn an idea into a reality and for helping so many thousands of people

Bingo at Silverado Senior Cener

By Lori Mendes co-leader at St. James Academy Kids Korps
Leading the group at Silverado Senior Center on Sunday was a great experience for the kids (as well as the parents who attended).  At first, the kids were a bit hesitant because the Alzheimer’s experience can be a little scary at first.  But, as with anything, after a brief explanation, the kids acclimated and jumped right in.  We played bingo with the residents for 1 and 1/2 hours and the kids thoroughly enjoyed being the “big shots” who rolled the balls and called out numbers, as well as playing the game themselves.   The facility also had a group of dogs, maybe 6 in all that have free roam of the place and were absolutely delightful. The kids thoroughly enjoyed them as well.   Many of the residents’ faces brightened when we walked into the room.  I know they enjoyed sharing the experience with us.
For me personally, it was bittersweet as my dad was diagnosed with the disease several years ago but has yet to progress to the level as some of the residents.  It is experiences like these that allow children to see beyond themselves and to have compassion for all ages.
The nurses there were great and asked us to “please come back again”.

share