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The Vision: Creating a world where every child feels safe, loved and celebrated! Challenging You to Be the Change
A Monthly
Tag youre it!!! What schools, homes, families, lives, our relationships and
Newsletter are you grateful for? communities and in the our world be different?
world! Many of us spend
As 2005 comes to a close our lives feeling victim- What if Changing our
Published many people in our world ized by our circumstances, lives and our world could be
via E-mail by nd themselves gripped waiting for some great as simple as living our lives
by war, responding to politician, some knight in with an attitude of gratitude?
natural disasters, suffering shining armor or some
Challenge Day from oppression, poverty, superhero with a cape to Heres the game Our
depression, loss, even y in and change things. personal Challenge to you!
death. Still, regardless of This game has three steps:
January 2006 the circumstances, heroes What if we are all the
always arise. Heroes are heroes weve been wait- Step One Make a list of
human beings who rise up ing for? What if, simply at least 50 things you are
to the challenge, keep the by turning our focus away grateful for in your life.
faith and focus their atten- from the fear, negativity Be sure your list includes
Inside: tion on that which they can and doubt that can often the names of at least
control their own actions, ll our minds, instead we 30 people you love, re-
Teens Being the attitudes and behaviors. turn our intention toward spect, and /or appreciate
Change 2 that which lls our hearts, in some way. Notice how
Heros & Sheroes 2 Day after day we chal- starting with the people you feel making the list.
lenge young people and we love and the things
Volunteer of the adults to Be the Change we have to be grate- Step Two Choose one
Month 2 they wish to see in their ful for? How might our person from your list each
(Continued on page 3)
Coordinator
of the Month 4
Miracles Abound! 4 WOW! by Nola Joy Boyd
Calendar of Events 4 Family Reunion what an amazing program gotten into the habit of see-
Challenge Day this was. I also secretly ing each other through the
Circles of Change 5 hoped that the Challenge lters of these past hurts
Poetry Corner 6 Wahoo!! I was over the Days would be the begin- and comfortable with the
moon!! I was headed to ning of a healing process stories we created to justify
Circles of Change 7 Oahu, Hawaii to do Chal- that I so desperately these obstacles. The details
January Leader lenge Days at the very wanted to see among my of who did what to whom
Profile 7 same Intermediate (Jr. own family members. were not important, we held
High) school that my 3 onto them as if they were. I
How Can I Help? 8 younger sisters attended. Like most families, there was ready to change things
I couldnt wait!! I planned were rifts, scars and pain and wanted to be part of
to invite my sisters and from past conversations, the solution. I am a Chal-
other family members to events and misunder- lenge Day Leader, and in
attend the Challenge Days standings that had created my heart of hearts, I wanted
as adult facilitators so obstacles to closeness. my family to experience the
they could see rst-hand Over the years, we had closeness, love and connec-
(Continued on page 3)
Making Miracles Happen Page 2 of 8
e
ing the spirit of challenge with owers!) for Thanks- a full-time paid school
day and bringing about giving, raised money for board staffer here in
B
Change
the
self-sufciency than simply
bringing more challenge
days to schools. He is
a teacher at Manzanita
a community activist, and
just held a Movie night at
school to raise money to
do school repairs. Like
Alachua County devoted
to assisting us with the
Be the Change Clubs
(which take a lot of sup-
Charter MS in Richmond, Yvonne says, they are the port) and the coordina-
Gary Einhorn CA and recently wrote: heroes theyve been wait- tion of our 30 Challenge
Our January 2006 Hero ing for. Yeah, GARY! You Days, and we think they
I am the facilitator for a are a HERO in our eyes! are going to do it! We are
Be the Change academy very excited about that.
at my school. There, our And from Alachua County, Yeah, Richard! You are a
kids are creating their own FL comes this email hero in so many ways!
visions of what they want from Richard Allen:
in the school and making it
Pat Dwyer
Our January 2006
Volunteer of the Month!
Page 3 of 8 Making Miracles Happen
After one of their Challenge Days last year, Andrea was asked, What would you tell a new
coordinator? She replied, Divvy out the jobs. Encourage others to make the recruiting
easier. The parents need to make it easier and Pay it Forward. Ask each Challenge Day
graduate to Pay it Forward and recruit one student to attend the next Challenge Day.
This year, Andrea coordinated four contiguous Challenge Days. She worked extremely hard
to recruit and organize all the details for the adult volunteers and participants for the four
Andrea Hillman days. The person who was supposed to co-coordinate the days ended up not being able
Liberty High School - Renton, WA to keep that commitment, and Andrea wound up doing a lot of the work herself. It was a
Our January 2006 difcult challenge, yet Andrea was successful in all her efforts. The Challenge Day Leaders
Coordinator of the Month!
said, Andrea did wonderful, fabulous work coordinating the whole weeks program days.
Andrea, we celebrate you for all of your love, your gifts, and your efforts to create a world
where every child feels safe, loved, and celebrated! And we are honored to acknowledge
you as Januarys Coordinator of the Month!
Calendar of Events
SAVE THE DATE! Sat- this amazing event, please we have added an addition- February 17-19, 2006
urday, January 14, 2006 contact Rodrigo at al Next Step to Being the Concord, CA
Please join us for our Rodrigo@challengeday.org. Change Workshop February March 31-April 2, 2006
Annual Fundraising Event Our Table Host Rally is set 17 - 19, 2006. Spaces are Ukiah, CA
called Inspiring Con- for Saturday, January 14, already lling up quickly. If April 28-30, 2006
nections Safe Schools 2006. This is an event that you are interested in join- Concord, CA
Caring Communi- you dont want to miss. ing us for this workshop, May 5-7, 2006
ties on March 4, 2006 please click on https://www. New Jersey
at The Westin St. Francis Challenge Day & Beyond!!! regonline.com/87288 to
Hotel in San Francisco. If you liked Challenge Day, register or contact JoDee at Annual Challenge
youll love the Next Step to JoDee@challengeday.org. Day Fundraiser
If you are interested in Being the Change Work- Saturday March 4, 2006
being a Table Host or you shop. We have had such a Next Step to San Francisco, CA
would like to be on the rush of people wanting to Being the Change Contact Rodrigo at 925-
team to organize the join us for this workshop, January 20-22, 2006 957-0234 to register as a
actual production of we are excited to announce Concord, CA Table Host or Guest.
Page 5 of 8 Making Miracles Hap-
Something beautiful happened to our family and your My sisters and brother and I, along with our families, have
program made a good family... better. Justin and Nola maintained the open sharing of ourselves. We plan to
started the program with What do you want to come out spend Christmas Day together sharing fabulous food and
of today? I wished for accountability. A long time ago, indulging our inner child with games and gifts. So, maybe
my siblings, (not Nola), wronged me and no one came I did need this program to know that my family loved me,
back to apologize. Over the years I would be civil and because I feel so much of that now. Thank you so much.
polite, but withdrawn. Nola and I kept in close communi-
cation and shed boost my spirits. She refused to have
me disconnect, emotionally or physically, from the family, Our family and a friend of ours were going to The Happi-
even if that made her my only connection. I had, uncon- est Place on Earth to celebrate two birthdays. Because
sciously, become indifferent and apathetic to the family. of the huge crowds that were expected at Disneyland,
I thought it would be easier to keep track of the whole
Throughout the Challenge Day, I was honest and giv- family if we all wore our Be the Change shirts. Imagine
ing, but still cautious and not overly generous, that was my surprise when a woman approached me and said,
until your Power Shufe activity. That activity got me Are you with Challenge Day? I coordinated a Challenge
my wish. My siblings took responsibility. I took respon- Day in the Spring and the kids are still talking about how
sibility. And all we had to do was cross over the line. amazing that day was. We spent a few more minutes
I got to know what happened to my family members, together talking about her school and her Challenge Day
including my children, nieces, nephews, and in-laws experience, then we enjoyed a really HUGE hug and
that would never have come up in casual conversation. went on our way. What a great way to start a day!!!
They got to know whats been going on with me. I also Nola Boyd
know, too, that whatever happened to me and my fam-
Making Miracles Happen Page 6 of 8
Poetry Corner
If You Really Knew Me
Anthony Young - 12/05
If you really knew me, Im fairly sure youd know That even though I have a house
That right about now Im terried, afraid of letting go Its often not a home
You see, theres a circle of eyes upon me Do I tell you I cant measure up
Waiting for me to share To what my parents want me to be
About who I am, and why I am That no matter how many times Im there for others
And all the masks I wear I cant be there for me
But theres just so much I cannot say Do I tell you about my hopes and dreams
Things are already hard enough My loves, my goals and all those things
How could I show my face tomorrow That it could bring my heart to sing
If they really knew this stuff? If you really knew me
My defenses are there for a reason
They get me through the day If you really knew me
They hold inside the tears I hide Youd know itd be a relief
So that people wont run away To nd someone to help me heal
And now theyre telling me to let these go From all my pain and grief
To drop the water line Because even though Im doubtful
But dont they understand, this is all I know Im hoping that Im wrong
How Ive survived through all this time That someone here will lift me up
So here I sit frightened, trembling and weak When Im not feeling strong
Praying they just let me be But how will I ever know that
All these things and more youd see If I dont rst take a chance
If you really knew me No party would ever get started
If we all refused to dance
If you really knew me So I swallow, take a breath, and raise my hand
Everything would change Not knowing what Ill say
Youd know that Im not like you Life is rarely ever easy
Youd know my life is strange But this is a Challenge Day
Youd be aware that when I say Fine In all these faces I see a chance
Thats code for angry, hurt, or sad To allow myself to just be
And then I might have to tell you the truth All these things and more youd see
About my friends, my Mom and my Dad If you really knew me
I just wish my life could be perfect
I wish I could be more like you If you really knew me
I wish I could smile and have tons of real friends Youd know I need your love right now
The way I know you do I need your respect and your full attention
But thats not that way it is for me So that I may allow
Somewhere things got out of control My best to express, to confess all my stress
Its true, some days its all I can do And address with success all this mess I repress
To stay in this body and soul And yes, I am blessed
And I dont want to complain, because although its rough To assess my distress, to undress my BS
Some have my problems times three Get this weight off my chest
All these things and more youd see So I guess its a test
If you really knew me Regress or Progress