Handing Off the Project

On Monday (8/18), I met with Goose Hollow's coordinators, Brandi Tuck and Matt Kertman, to hand off my project. As usual, I had an awesome time talking with them and hearing their feedback and ideas, but this time was special because for the first time I left with lighter arms than I went with!

With the final, edited activities book, I also gave Matt and Brandi feedback forms for the Kid Time Hosts that gauge the activities' effectiveness and double as inventory checks, a sponsor form that lists the contact information for all current and prospective sponsors, and email templates and guidelines for contacting businesses.

My Girl Scout troop leader, Julia Churchill, was also at the meeting. She has always been there for me from the start of this project and, really, from the start of my Girl Scout career. I think the meeting made a great impression on her as well, because both Matt and Brandi were very open about including Girl Scouts in other shelter opportunities. As I mentioned in my previous post, one such opportunity that I am very excited to take part in is the holiday party that takes place in December. Another event is the shelter's annual fundraiser that occurs in October. Since I won't be home at that time, I am thinking of asking the Key Club I previously contacted to help with the event. I think it would be a great way to link the Key Club with the shelter!

Going forward, what I will be doing during the school year is contacting shelters nationally (with permission from the coordinators, of course) to increase awareness about the need for self-expression in homeless shelters. I will probably start doing this a few months after the self-expression program has been implemented, so I can use Goose Hollow as an example.

Attached is a picture of me with Brandi and Matt:

Testing Out Materials - Rounds Two AND Three!

This post is a little bit belated, since it has been a few weeks since a tested out new materials at the shelter. On the 3rd and 7th, I went to Goose Hollow to test out materials donated by Collage, Mimosa Studios, The Naked Sheep Knit Shop, and SCRAP. Specifically, we did collaging and drawing on tiles on the 3rd, and pom-pom making and finger-painting on the 7th.

The testing session on the 3rd was a little bit of a learning lesson. Let me just say this: giving Mod Podge to kids under the age of five is stressful and messy unless you dish out the glue beforehand! However, the older kids seemed to enjoy collaging and produced some very pretty pages. We also tried tile-painting again, but the kids were still more interested in drawing on them with markers. Plus, by then I was determined not to give any liquid-based mediums to the kids. Both the collages and tiles were big hits with the kids. I've attached photos, per usual. :)

On the 7th, there were fewer kids at the shelter and the shift was a lot shorter, so I did quicker and easier activities. I taught the kids how to make pom-poms and brought out a little finger-paint-like stamp set from SCRAP. The kids loved their pom-poms very much - some of the girls even attached the pom-poms to their hair! And of course, like most other kids, the finger-printing set was very popular. More pictures attached!

The shelter is currently closed for its annual renovation, and I will not be able to volunteer much during the school year. I will come back during breaks and update this blog with pretty pictures, but until then, it looks like I may just be posting text - no photos unless I get them from other volunteers.

On a happier note, when I come back during winter break, you can expect many, many photos from my volunteer sessions and the holiday party the shelter throws every year! It's an awesome program they have set up for Christmas, and I am so excited to update you all when the time comes. Until then, I hope these photos will suffice!

Second Round of Materials and Sponsors

I have exciting news today - just received a second round of donations from two generous stores yesterday. I picked up a second box of ceramic tiles from Mimosa Studios. The store owner is also interested in partnering with Goose Hollow shelter to create some sort of collaboration program! So excited to break the news to the shelter coordinators when we meet on Monday.

The second store who donated is Piccolo Mondo Toys. I actually have been to this store many times as a kid, and remembered how much I loved their creative, colorful toys. The store owner generously donated an entire packing box's worth of toys, instruments, crafts, and other miscellaneous kids' items. I am so grateful for the generosity that local businesses have shown to Portland Homeless Family Solutions and my program. Without any further ado, here are the pictures of the donated items.

Courtesy of Mimosa Studios

Courtesy of Piccolo Mondo Toys