Monday, December 19, 2011

A VERY appropriate song...

One of the students shared a song that she thinks embodies the A.C.T. spirit.  I would have to agree with her!  Thanks to all of those that have been involved so far!

The lyrics are from the song, "Waving Flag", by the Young Artists for Haiti.

If you weren’t involved before it’s never too late to start
You probably think that it’s too far to even have to care
Well take a look at where you live what if it happened there?
You have to know the urge to make a change lies within

Subway Day Tomorrow!

Please visit the Subway on Oakton for the first of the restaurant fundraisers this year!  We are so excited to be teaming with Subway again, and thank them for supporting our cause!  Make sure to get a flyer, or print the one from this blog!  Thanks for your support!

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Another student reflects on what A.C.T. and A Better Life For Kids means to her...

Hello, my name is Trisha, and I am a student at McCracken Middle School. The Better Life For Kids foundation is very dear and warm to my heart! I have been working with this foundation for a little over two years, and I am absolutely attached to it! My 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Nizynksi, is the founder of this foundation. This makes me even more close to this because my teacher went to Ghana for the first time when I was in her 2nd grade class. I am very familiar with what kind of a person she is. She is very caring and loving.  I can tell that these kids from Ghana really do mean a lot to her, and she is very very attached to each and every one of them. She always wants to be with the kids in Ghana, and she is always very sad when she has to leave.

Each time that she goes to Ghana she takes money that we raise to help the children in Ghana.  Last year, in the 2010- 2011 school year, McCracken Middle School raised over $5,000, which was a huge help towards all of the purchases that needed to be made in the local Ghanaian market. 

A Better life for Kids has really made a huge impact on me! I have only been working with this foundation for two years, but I am very, very attached to it. Seeing kids all around the world that are less fortunate than I am really makes me immensely sad and depressed. I believe that all kids around the world should have the same opportunity to life to live in a safe environment that gives them food, education, and clean drinking water, which are essentials to living. Each day I think of these kids in Ghana and what I can do to help them out.  I will do anything and everything that is possible to help these kids out and give them a better and brighter future. Each year I get excited to go to school knowing that each day everyone can help out.  If we all raise enough money for this foundation we can save hundreds and hundreds of kids. I love the feeling of accomplishment! I love the feeling of raising enough money to hear that we had saved hundreds and hundreds of kids at this orphanage. I love seeing the pictures of happy children after Mrs. Nizynski goes there, helps them out and buys them food. A Better Life for Kids has really become a HUGE part of my life, and I know it will stay that way for a long time!

My goal with this orphanage and foundation is to be able to actually go there and hug all these kids that I have helped out! I want to see them smile and be happy, and I want to be able to see them in person. I want to be able to hold and feed the babies! I want to be able to have that feeling of warmth and happiness be filled inside of me! This orphanage and these kids have really made a huge impact on me! I will forever try to help. This Foundation has made me a better person on the inside! I love to be able to give and have smiles lit up on kids faces. This orphanage will forever have an impact on me, and one day I wish to be able to actually go to Ghana and see all these kids! Every dollar counts! Be a donator, have a heart, and join me to be apart of A Better Life For Kids! <3

Monday, December 5, 2011

First Donation!

The first donation is in!  The 8th graders raised over $200 by donating their extra money at lunch to rise to the challenge made by two of their teachers.  Today, Mrs. Blades and Mrs. Wade, in response to this donation, and in acceptance of the challenge, ran a mile at recess!  Mr. Blomquist is up next.  He plans to eat a bug!  Yuck!

Voices of A.C.T. Students

My experiences with ACT have been nothing but interesting and astonishing all at one time! Last Friday, Mrs. Nizynski came to our school's extended advisory and talked a little bit more in detail about the orphanage and A Better Life For Kids. She mentioned that the people of Ghana enjoy playing soccer, and they can't even participate in tournaments and events because they don't even have the money to get a field. Also she mentioned that many kids were going to school for the very first time this school year. She explained that Ghana doesn't have the money for medicine when these kids have deadly diseases. She also mentioned that the leaders don't know what many of the diseases are that their own people have. Although the thing that I found the most astonishing was that they were feeding the babies bread at the orphanage instead of milk because the orphanage was always run out of baby formula. I found this the most astonishing because I have an 18 month old sister and could not imagine her eating bread all day long.

Nora