The past couple of weeks have been filled with extra activities. Our youngest is a Pay-It-Forward Ambassador for the Chaeli Campaign again this year. As an ambassador, he promotes the Chaeli Campaign's events, attends monthly meetings, and has the amazing opportunity to create his own fundraising project for a charity of his choice.We have found this incredible year long programme to be of huge benefit to all three of our children, giving them so much more than they could ever give back by taking part....
Earlier in the year, we visited The Bean People, the home of bath time fun!
They make magical bath beans and sprudels. Z approached the owner and asked about selling sprudels to raise funds for his project. We were overjoyed at her enthusiasm to make a difference and support him in his efforts. Two weeks ago he was given an incredibly generous donation of over 400 sprudels.
He and K have been working hard, cutting out stickers for the sprudels and re-packing trays. He has already sold 5 trays of sprudels. He has chosen to raise funds for the Chaeli Campaign.
In the same week, K, a friend, and I went to watch "Dreams". Students from Wynberg Girls High and the Chaeli Dancers put this short production together after a two week integrated dance workshop.
It was truly entertaining and beautiful to watch the wheel chair dancers and able bodied dancers come together in this production. Of course I cried right through the show.
We look forward to future productions.
K and J both served as Pay-It-Forward Ambassadors in 2010, and K was a mentor for last year's ambassadors, while J was put forward by the Chaeli Campaign to participate in the President's Award.
This is a voluntary International Award for young people from age 14 to 25.
It is an individual challenge, as every individual is different and faces different challenges. Participants are encouraged to examine themselves, their interests, abilities and ambitions, and then go on to set themselves challenges in the four sections of the award.
Summed up, the four sections are as follows:
Service - to give useful, meaningful, practical and regular service to others.
Adventurous Journey - to encourage a spirit of adventure and discovery within a team.
The journey requires physical effort, perseverance and cooperation. At Bronze level, participants journey should be at least two days and one night, with 12 hours of purposeful effort in total.
Skills - to encourage the development of personal interests and practical skills.
This can be a skill that is new or one that the participant already has some knowledge of.
Physical Recreation - to encourage participation in physical recreation and improve performance and fitness.
Once again this can be a new activity or one that is already in place.
To gain an award, the participants must show regular commitment, effort, progress and improvement. There is a minimum time requirement for each level, but participants are encouraged to continue their activities beyond the minimum time frame in order to achieve personal goals.
K and J both served as Pay-It-Forward Ambassadors in 2010, and K was a mentor for last year's ambassadors, while J was put forward by the Chaeli Campaign to participate in the President's Award.
This is a voluntary International Award for young people from age 14 to 25.
It is an individual challenge, as every individual is different and faces different challenges. Participants are encouraged to examine themselves, their interests, abilities and ambitions, and then go on to set themselves challenges in the four sections of the award.
Summed up, the four sections are as follows:
Service - to give useful, meaningful, practical and regular service to others.
Adventurous Journey - to encourage a spirit of adventure and discovery within a team.
The journey requires physical effort, perseverance and cooperation. At Bronze level, participants journey should be at least two days and one night, with 12 hours of purposeful effort in total.
Skills - to encourage the development of personal interests and practical skills.
This can be a skill that is new or one that the participant already has some knowledge of.
Physical Recreation - to encourage participation in physical recreation and improve performance and fitness.
Once again this can be a new activity or one that is already in place.
To gain an award, the participants must show regular commitment, effort, progress and improvement. There is a minimum time requirement for each level, but participants are encouraged to continue their activities beyond the minimum time frame in order to achieve personal goals.
J has worked consistently over the last year and a bit and has attained his Bronze Award.
For the service component, he raised awareness for the many projects of the Chaeli Campaign as a Pay-It-Forward Ambassador. For his fundraiser, he and K worked together on a family fun car rally and managed to raise a substantial amount for the Pink Ladies Organisation.
His adventurous journey took place at the beginning of this year when he went on a youth camp to Betty's Bay. He participated in team building events, hiking, and a scavenger hunt. Cooking and cleaning duties were shared and teams learned to trust one another and value individual strengths.
He improved his skills by doing a three month karate coaching course, where he was trained to motivate and teach students aged 4 to 13. He has been teaching classes for over a year. This has been a great confidence builder for him and he relates well to students and parents.
Karate was once again his choice for the physical recreation aspect of the award.
Over the past year he achieved well:
Selected for Provincial Trials
Graded to Senior brown belt
Shotokan SA National Champs - 3rd team kata, 2nd individual kata and SA Champ for Kumite 2011
Regional team kumite competition - 2nd brown belt open division, 1st in his age and weight division
Graded to Senior brown belt 2
Regional Kata competition - 3rd
Western province Champs - 3rd kumite
We are really pleased that he has chosen to enter the next level of the President's Award and that K has entered at Bronze level.
Last weekend all three kids spent time volunteering their services to the Chaeli Campaign at the Cavendish Square Annual Charity Book Sale.
This weekend and last, J and K have had the opportunity to spend time painting a mural on the walls of the Chaeli Cottage.
We are so grateful for the opportunities that our children have been given through the Chaeli Campaign.
I am so impressed at the way that your family gives to the community. Well done all of you. Love you xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Cath, it has been something that has challenged and grown them in many different ways. It has been a fantastic journey for them all.
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