In recognition of Memorial Day, Kids Korps and Marine Wing Communications Squadron 38, teamed up to give away bicycles and helmets to local military children. The event took place at Cathedral High School and was hosted and funded by the CHS Teen Korps chapter.

As teen volunteers arrived, boxes of bicycle parts were unloaded and ready for assembly for local military children. Volunteers paired up and soon wheels, handle bars, reflectors and other bicycle parts were seen spread out with one partner reading directions and others putting pieces together.  It soon became apparent that the bike building was taking second place to team building.

“This is one of the most rewarding volunteering experiences because you can see the joy in the face of each of these kids” remarked senior Alex Moffit. After several hours of steering wheel assembling, brake adjusting, and tire pumping, the shiny new bicycles were ready to be ridden off. In addition to a bicycle, each child was given a safety helmet.

Recipient children waited patiently, eager to receive their new bicycles.  Kids Korps volunteers who assembled the bicycles were glowing just as much as the children who received them. Volunteers then fitted the children for helmets, and helped the recipient kids ride their new bikes for the first time.

Namath Hahn, Family Readiness Officer, who selected the children from families whose parents are deployed, remarked, “I want to say thank the Benassi Family, Kids Korps, Rotarian volunteers and all the teenagers that were part of the event. I was deeply touched and want to hug each of you individually so that you know how much it meant to all of the military families in attendance. For young people such as yourselves, to give so freely of your time and resources, is beyond words. My daughter Bella was so happy and in love with her princess bike, that it was difficult getting her off it and placing it in the car to transport. When we got home, she sat on it and we practiced riding and even after that, it was a challenge to get her to part with the pretty pink helmet. Although we don’t know each other personally, I want you to know from the bottom of my heart that you’ve touched us and your kindness will never be forgotten.”

“Thank you so very much for the new bike. We’ve been a part of the military for over seven years and have never received such a wonderful gift. Don’t get us wrong, the military provides our family with wonderful perks, but being able to receive a gift that seemed so personal really meant a lot to our family. We know that it was done out of the kindness of your heart.  We just want to say thank you, thank you and thank you,” added The Brass Family.

“It’s nice to see good teenagers make the effort to reach out to our military! It helps us to know that their sacrifices are not going unnoticed,” smiled Nissy Smith.

The Build-A-Bike program provides Kids Korps volunteers with a great sense of accomplishment.  On the receiving end, nothing can describe the look on a child’s face as he or she is presented with a brand new bicycle. “Our military families do so much, and this is one way we can thank them for their sacrifices and brighten their day,” said Don Meredith.

“There is nothing more gratifying than knowing you have helped make someone else’s life a little better,” smiled Kids Korps Program Director Robin Chappelow. “This is a life lesson that we hope all our members understand when they become involved in Kids Korps projects. Our teens learn the value of giving to someone who is less fortunate than they are, and at the same time feel a sense of pride and accomplishment as they complete the assembly of each bicycle. Volunteers see first-hand the happiness they bring to others.”

Thank you to Marian, Chris and Max Benassi, the many Teen Korps volunteers, and Rotarians Ole Prahm and Don Meredith who spent the afternoon assembling bicycles for these deserving youngsters.

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”.