Post by gatordog on Oct 12, 2010 11:44:24 GMT -5
Greatest show looks to honor kids who give back
By Kathy Millen kmillen@stmedianetwork.com Oct 11, 2010 08:26PM
P.T. Barnum was more than a founder of “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
He also was a great philanthropist.
His spirt was alive and well Monday afternoon in a large room at the Aurora location of Feed My Starving Children, a 25-year-old hunger relief organization that sends packets of dried food to almost 70 countries around the world. Some 84 kids had gathered on their Columbus Day holiday to assemble food packets when Dot, a clown with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, burst into the room to announce the call for Chicago-are nominations for The Barnum Award that recognizes the good deeds of kids.
“I think you guys are amazing,” said Dot before helping out at one of the food assembly stations. “I think you guys are awesome, on your day off from school, to come here and do this for others. Kids like you deserve to be recognized.”
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is looking for children ages 6 to 14 who give back to their communities in creative, fun and innovative ways. Nominations are now being accepted through Oct. 29. Three local award recipients will be chosen by a panel and on Nov. 17, before the opening night performance of the circus at the United Center, will receive medals and grants of $1,000, $750 and $500 to fund local service projects.
“That age group is often overlooked,” said Denise Gallina of Naperville, Chicagoland development adviser for FMSC. “They’re such generous hearts and they are so giving,”
A clown in their midst only added to the lively atmosphere. Monday’s volunteers included members of the Waubonsie Valley High School Key Club and youth groups from churches in Sycamore, Lemont and Peoria. After a short orientation, they donned hair nets and began to work, scooping measured amounts of dried soy, rice, vegetables and a chicken-flavored powder enhanced with vitamins and minerals into bags to the beat of oldies rock ‘n’ roll.
Audrey Stern, 16, of Aurora came to the center with her friends from the WVHS Key Club.
Having previously volunteered for Feed My Starving Children, she said it felt good to do so again.
“I think it’s a fun way to give back and it helps a lot of people,” she said.
Sivani Aluru of Aurora, Key Club vice president, agreed.
“It makes you realize how much you have when you come here to help people who don’t even have anything,” she said.
Natalie Pear, 11, of Naperville, a sixth grade student at Crone Middle School, said helping out is “a good thing to do.”
“It makes me feel really good about myself and it also makes me want to do more,” she said.
At the end of their shift, the volunteers had put together enough bags to make 15,768 meals which will feed 43 children for a year. Each week, about 345,600 meals are shipped from the Aurora location alone.
There are three other facilities in Minnesota and a new branch at 1072 National Parkway in Schaumburg that will hold a grand opening celebration at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Program wide, more than 416,000 volunteers packaged a total of 96 million meals last year.
While their efforts save children from starvation, Gallina said volunteers are often better for the experience as well.
“It’s powerful,” she said. “Kids, especially, know this is something they can do that really fundamentally makes a change. They get excited about it and they come back and they tell other people about it. They’re our best advocates.”
By Kathy Millen kmillen@stmedianetwork.com Oct 11, 2010 08:26PM
P.T. Barnum was more than a founder of “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
He also was a great philanthropist.
His spirt was alive and well Monday afternoon in a large room at the Aurora location of Feed My Starving Children, a 25-year-old hunger relief organization that sends packets of dried food to almost 70 countries around the world. Some 84 kids had gathered on their Columbus Day holiday to assemble food packets when Dot, a clown with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, burst into the room to announce the call for Chicago-are nominations for The Barnum Award that recognizes the good deeds of kids.
“I think you guys are amazing,” said Dot before helping out at one of the food assembly stations. “I think you guys are awesome, on your day off from school, to come here and do this for others. Kids like you deserve to be recognized.”
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is looking for children ages 6 to 14 who give back to their communities in creative, fun and innovative ways. Nominations are now being accepted through Oct. 29. Three local award recipients will be chosen by a panel and on Nov. 17, before the opening night performance of the circus at the United Center, will receive medals and grants of $1,000, $750 and $500 to fund local service projects.
“That age group is often overlooked,” said Denise Gallina of Naperville, Chicagoland development adviser for FMSC. “They’re such generous hearts and they are so giving,”
A clown in their midst only added to the lively atmosphere. Monday’s volunteers included members of the Waubonsie Valley High School Key Club and youth groups from churches in Sycamore, Lemont and Peoria. After a short orientation, they donned hair nets and began to work, scooping measured amounts of dried soy, rice, vegetables and a chicken-flavored powder enhanced with vitamins and minerals into bags to the beat of oldies rock ‘n’ roll.
Audrey Stern, 16, of Aurora came to the center with her friends from the WVHS Key Club.
Having previously volunteered for Feed My Starving Children, she said it felt good to do so again.
“I think it’s a fun way to give back and it helps a lot of people,” she said.
Sivani Aluru of Aurora, Key Club vice president, agreed.
“It makes you realize how much you have when you come here to help people who don’t even have anything,” she said.
Natalie Pear, 11, of Naperville, a sixth grade student at Crone Middle School, said helping out is “a good thing to do.”
“It makes me feel really good about myself and it also makes me want to do more,” she said.
At the end of their shift, the volunteers had put together enough bags to make 15,768 meals which will feed 43 children for a year. Each week, about 345,600 meals are shipped from the Aurora location alone.
There are three other facilities in Minnesota and a new branch at 1072 National Parkway in Schaumburg that will hold a grand opening celebration at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Program wide, more than 416,000 volunteers packaged a total of 96 million meals last year.
While their efforts save children from starvation, Gallina said volunteers are often better for the experience as well.
“It’s powerful,” she said. “Kids, especially, know this is something they can do that really fundamentally makes a change. They get excited about it and they come back and they tell other people about it. They’re our best advocates.”