Announcing Service Project Month!!!!!!!

[Mendorah]

It's that time of year again. February is the time to put your spare time and money to a good cause. It's Service/Volunteer month at the White Tower!

 

In years past, the White Tower has always sponsored Service/Volunteer month. Last year, we didn't do any service projects, but Mother has asked that we renew this tradition again this year. Since I'm a big supporter of volunteering and service for our communities, I'm going to be spearheading the event this year. For all of you Novices and Accepteds, there's an opportunity to gain some points in this endeavor, so I urge you to participate and take advantage of that. And I hope that our established members will also join in and participate just for fun and also for a good cause as well.

 

So here are the details:

 

This year, the White Tower is officially sponsoring one service project for everyone. Mother has chosen a cause that is near and dear to her heart and has asked that the White Tower pitch in to help. The Amana Academy in Atlanta, GA needs reading material for its students. This is a simple and easy project. We would like for you to donate books to the Amana Academy's library. Follow the link to find some books that have been recommended for donation. http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/18BRILTRAU885/

However, you do not have to go by the wish list. The Amana Academy would like any reading material appropriate for upper level reading. That means Anything appropriate for middle school reading and above. And you also don't have to donate newly purchased books. The Amana Academy will take your Gently Used books as well. Please contact Mendorah Sedai at mendorah_sedai@yahoo.com with a Subject Heading of DM Service Project for shipping instructions for anything you're not purchasing directly from the Amazon Wishlist. If you want points for your donation, e-mail Mendorah Sedai with the details of your donation so not only can she give you proper credit for the amount of books, but so she can let Mother know what to expect as a donation. One point per book will be awarded to those who donate. There is a maximum of two points to be awarded. You may donate as many books as you wish, but will only earn up to the maximum points.

 

So who is the Amana Academy?

 

The Amana Academy is a K-8 charter school located in suburban Atlanta. Amana Academy's unique educational approaches include environmental stewardship, hands on, project based learning, small class sizes, and mandatory Arabic instruction for all grade levels. Amana has received multiple awards during its first two years of operation, including the prestigious Walton Grant, Environmental School of the Year awarded by the city of Roswell and recognition from the Governor's office for high test scores.

 

The Amana Academy is a 5019© nonprofit and all donations are tax deductable. Letters of proof of nonprofit status can be provided upon request.

 

http://www.amanaacademy.org

 

And if book donating isn't for you, then there are also two other options for you to take advantage of:

 

1. Donate your time to a service organization in your area. You pick the cause. You can receive 1 point per 8 hours of service with a limit of 2 points. You may donate as much time as you want, but can only recieve points for a maximum of 16 hours (2 points). Time donations should be logged into a timesheet which can be downloaded here : http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pea4po9SDscRtt5TYchZkCw

 

Blood donations will be awarded 2 points and item donations will be awarded varying by how much is donated. Both of these donations will have a limit of 2 points.

 

2. Donate your hard earned cash. This is the donation option that does not receive any point compansation. Just give what you have when you have it and make someone's day better. You can pick your organization, cause, or event. You can even give to a homeless person. It does not matter. I will not be asking about the specifics of this option. If you'd like to be listed in a "Thank You" list at the end of the Service Project's report, you can send me an e-mail stating that you did give money somewhere. List the organization or person if you like, or say confidential. I don't want to know how much you gave. Just that you did give to someone or something.

 

And speaking of that Project report, if you had fun getting involved with your particular project, please feel free to send me some pictures of you enjoying yourself. I'd like to include those pictures in my report for all to see what we do around here at Dragonmount.

 

The deadline for reporting your service to Mendorah Sedai is March 10, 2007. All service for points compensation must be completed by February 28, 2007.

 

Happy Volunteering!!!

[JenniferL]

Thank you for organizing this, Mendorah!

 

I feel incredibly weird having this year's service project be the school I work for. However, Amana is SUCH a special and unique place, I hope everyone will be comfortable donating to it. The books you donate will belong solely to Amana Academy. If I leave Amana, the books will stay there.

[Mystica]

wonderful initiative, but im sorry to say I won't be part of it. First, I don't think the school would be much helped with Dutch books and I don't really have the means to buy and send books to the states.

 

However, that said, I'd like to take this opportunity to talk about an organisation that I have been sponsoring for years, every month.

 

Hachiko is a non-profit organisation that buys and trains dogs to become guide dogs for people with a fysical disability. Each dog, after the full training of 2,5 years cost price going up to 25000 US Dollars, is given to a new owner for free. This has been going on for years without àny government support and works therefore purely on the sponsoring of volunteers. The dogs give these people back a much needed independance, increase their social life and their self esteem and re-installs a high level of purpose that a lot of them lose. It's no secret that the dogs also are a natural antidote against depression and isolation.

 

I'll quote a saying that we use a lot, from one of our members:

 

Before I was the chick in the chair.

Now I am the Lady with the dog.

[JenniferL]

That is an awesome organization, Mystica. I hope some of the other European members are inspired to assist it.

[Mystica]

thank you Mother. There are organisations like this one in the other countries of Europe too, though I'm not certain if in all of them. There's just not enough means to accomodate all the people that could (should) have such a companion for any one organisation as the goverment systematically refuses to acknowledge it's right to an official funding. Unlike blind guide dogs, the goverment is only willing to acknowledge it as an official NGO but nothing more.

Which in our opinion is a foolish and idiotic thing to do, as that dog makes the person much less depending on aid from humans, thus it also releaves the social workers who can use that time (and government money) for other things.

[Serinia_Sedai]

Looks like great work Mendorah - well done!!!

[JenniferL]

Thank you Calypsa! Yours are the first books I've received so far. My sixth grade is actually studying the Renaissance right now and we're going on a field trip to the GA Shakespeare Center in a few weeks, so I'm sure that the book of Shakespearean insults will get lots of play with that group.

 

Thank you so much!!

[Adanza]

woohoo! yay Caly! *huggles my mentee* this is the best way to earn points, in support of a good cause!

[JenniferL]

Now, who else will send me books?

 

Oh, and I found out today that I'm definitely NOT teaching language arts next year, so if anyone was thinking "Hey! She's just trying to get books for herself!", that is NOT the case. These books are already being catalogued by the media specialist and put into circulation for the students to use.

[Harmony]

I haven't done anything that amounts to eight hours, but some people from Beta club went around cleaning elementary classrooms for an hour the other day after school. I also volunteer in the church nursery twice a month. I used to be back there every Sunday, but then the head person decided to actually put me in the schedule instead of assuming that I'll just be back there every week. Last month, I helped paint and clean a community center with my dad and his work people.

[Calypsa]

Lol, you are most welcome, Mother. *many snuggles* I'd hoped that one would come in handy in particular... There's some really funny stuff in there! ;)

 

*More snuggles* Glad to know they made it safely! I'm still looking for others that haven't been too "not-gently-used" by myself when I was younger.

[Mendorah]

Yay! Thank you Caly for your donation!

 

Ok, folks, who else is going to make Mother's School library explode????????

 

Let's get to it, the month is already half way over.

 

Harmony, you have all month to accumulate hours, so if you want to use those hours somehow, log them down and send them to me. I'd love to be able to count you as a participant in the Service project.

[Emillith]

I have some coming. I ordered them last week, and they are still waiting to ship. :\

[JenniferL]

Yay! Thank you!

[Talya]

I've ordered a few and should arrive over the next couple of days. Amazon told me in two separate parcels.

[Amavia]

Hachiko?? Let me guess the starter of that organization is japanese?.... (Hachiko means dog in japanese)

We have something like that in the netherlands to...

 

As for the project....

I am currently not in a good financial state so I Can't help sorry..

But don't worry I am starting my new job next week so maybe in a little while...

[JenniferL]

Thank you guys! My students will appreciate you for years to come.

 

And if anyone needs a tax letter, please let me know and I'll get our business person to mail you one. I had forgotten about that bit until I got my thank you letter for the annual fund drive yesterday.

[JenniferL]

I received a lovely book from Tessa today. Thank you! My 7th graders have been told that if they are very, very good, they will be allowed to read it next year. Maybe.

[Talya]

I'm glad you got it...have little control from this side of the pond... There should be another box...don't know why they didn't come together.

Hope they are all useful and enjoyed.

[JenniferL]

They probably are being shipped from different warehouses. But I got "Outrageous Women of Colonial America", so I'm very happy.

[Talya]

I liked the subject too...sounded really interesting.