These are just some pics from daily life at HH South. Katy is one of our 3rd graders pictured up above. Next to her pic is Tre, Jacob and Gilbert Joe "busy" during homework time!
All month, we have been discovering all of the things that are important to consider as we grow up. We have had several visits from community members who have shared their skills and careers with us, and last Friday we had a remarkable group visit our kids to talk about aspiring to do something very valuable.....make a difference for people and the world.
Texas 4000 for Cancer is doing just that. A group of over 40 individuals who are passionate about contributing towards the fight against cancer. Passionate enough to embark on a bicycle journey from Austin to Alaska to educate, fundraise, and motivate. On Friday, they planned several hands-on learning activities for the children which touched on all the reasons why they are making this trip and how Heart House children can create their own efforts to raise awareness and contribute to the greater good of society.
Several activities included a hands-on play dough activity to demonstrate what cancer looks like, an interactive map journey to visualize the route from Austin to Anchorage, a bicycling demonstration, and an opportunity for children to learn about the importance of volunteerism and brainstorm their own ideas for making a difference in their community.
We had many special guests this month, including a presentation from the City of Austin on graffiti education, an interactive experience “tasting the rainbow” by Meals on Wheels and More, an Easter day of fun arts and crafts led by Austin Junior Forum, and a travel adventure to Panama, Turkey, Vietnam, and Sweden led by several awesome Heart House volunteers! And at the end of the month, our founder Anna Land came by and facilitated an art contest activity for the older students to offer them the chance to have their artwork featured on Torani flavored syrups. Thanks to the hard work and effort of the Heart House staff and volunteers, we had a very full month of exploring and learning with Austin community partners!
Andrew Bowen has an amazing breadth of work experience, ranging from geological consulting to software management. In fact, at the point in his career when Andrew wanted to shift into software, he was discouraged by others who told him that he did not have the requisite skills or education and would not be successful. He worked extremely hard to gain an MBA at the University of Texas at Austin and learn the appropriate skills for this career change, and has experienced great success as a result.
This experience made Andrew extremely passionate about education and its accessibility to people of all socioeconomic levels, since he regrets that not everyone is fortunate enough to have the educational opportunities that he had. Therefore, Andrew has embraced the mission of Heart House and its education-based program. He is also a self-proclaimed former “latch-key kid” who benefited from participation in the Boy Scouts during his youth.
Andrew not only donates personally to Heart House, but he also actively encourages others to donate and even includes Heart House’s website as a “Favorite Place” in his email signature so that people can be aware of Heart House and its mission. He is always thinking strategically about how to generate buzz about Heart House in order to help fund the program.
Andrew also shares of his time and talents by coming to Heart House to teach the children about aquifers and groundwater by bringing samples and portions of his extensive rock collection.
Andrew ultimately hopes to have a career focusing on community service and philanthropy. He is clearly well on his way. Thanks, Andrew, for sharing your generous spirit with all of us at Heart House!
On one of my recent visits to Heart House on Slaughter Lane, we had some "down time" and I had an opportunity to talk with some of the kids, program leaders and parents. I wanted to get to know them better so I asked them some revealing questions.
Question: Who would you invite to dinner and why?
Question: If you could change your name, what would you call yourself?
Question: If you go anywhere where would it be?
gamble
Australia. Also she would go to Europe to meet her German familyQuestion: What would you do if you had a million dollars?
Haley joined Heart House North in the fall of last year and we are so excited she is a part of our program. She is a terrific student and a positive role model for the other children in her group. Haley likes Heart House because “it is fun and has a lot of nice teachers!” (She also mentions that she likes that there are a lot of decorations around the building, too.) Most of the time, we see her with either a broom or vacuum in her hand, which is very unusual for a second grader, but she genuinely enjoys clean-up time at the clubhouse. And just a bit of interesting trivia: Her mother is the lead singer of a rock band in Austin! When asked what Haley wants to do when she is an adult, she replied, “I want to be a veterinarian. I have already taken care of 2 cats, a dog, a bird, and abandoned kittens by my house! I like to take care of animals and give them love.” Haley certainly is a warm-hearted little lady....to every animal and everyone she meets!
Heart House South has selected Gilbert as our Student of the Month. Gilbert is a third grader at Casey Elementary. This Spring semester, Gilbert made a big move to Ms. Jet's 4/5/6th grade class due in part to his fabulous academic achievement. Gilbert felt he needed a bigger challenge and has definitely stepped up to plate! The move has proven to be a good one as Gilbert has shown enormous improvement at school and home. Way to go, Gilbert!
