National Volunteer Week 2017: Environmental Club clean-up and Saint Baldrick's Day Fundraiser

April 23rd-April 30th, 2017
NVW 2017 is an opportunity to recognize and thank volunteers who lend their time, talent, voice and support to causes they care about.  Their volunteer stories serve to inspire others to take action and discover their collective power to unite in making a difference. 

Casady's Presidential Award Winners will have a breakfast in their honor on May 3, 2017 from 7:30-7:50 am at the Wing.  At 8:00 am Presidential Award Winners will be recognized during UD chapel by Casady YAC leaders for their commitment to be the change they want to see.


Shine a Light on NVW 4/23-4/30,2017
NVW 2017 is an opportunity to shine a light on the people and causes that inspire them to serve. Volunteerism empowers us to find our purpose and take our passion and turn it into meaningful change.  Share your volunteer story and what inspires you to serve!  download and fill out the #ivolunteer signboard. Take a photo holding the sign and share it on Instagram or Twitter using #ivolunteer and #nwv.

NVW 2017 @ Casady School
4/24-4/27, 2017

1. Participate in YAC advocacy art and transcription of a book projects @ Harper during 3rd hour, Activities, or the Double

a  Decorate traced hands to uplift teens from poverty in Nicaragua and Indonesia.  YAC members Mallory W., Gabrielle M. and Mrs. Clay facilitators. Decorated, traced hands will be mailed to the Bezos Foundation during the double on April 27th.  The Bezos Foundation will send $1.90 per caring hand to empower on ground SAVE THE CHILDREN programs to help teens reach their dreams with education and skills.

b. Decorate the Harper rain barrel with the theme of the 2017 Compassion Earth Week Games: Water is Life. Play the Water is Life Games! YAC Hospitality Chairs facilitators: Sahanya B. Hannah H., Anna B, and Mrs Clay. The rain barrel will be donated to Centennial High School Community Garden during the double on April 27th.

Centennial High School Community Garden.  Mrs. Carrie Renfrow, lead teacher 

Play Earth Week Compassion Games Water is Life
http://compassiongames.org/earth-week/

c. On Thursday, April 27th, 3rd hour to Activities, limited to 10 participants per hour at Harper, learn how to weave a pencil holder,  Facilitator; Heritage Weaver, ISAS 2017 Clinician, Mrs. Pauline Hogan Ashbury http://habasketry.com/

d. Help transcribe the story of service of 50 years behind the fitting room door of Marolyn Stout, Brookdale resident into a book for publication in collaboration with the Village Library, Young Adults Program.  Learn how to use the Village Library recently acquired online program PressBooks.  The transcribers of the book will work with Mrs. Stout during the summer months with a completion date of September 21, International Day of Peace.  The expected release date of the book is October 24, 2017, Mrs. Stout's 90th birthday.

NVW 2017 Cyclone Service Action in OKC

Sunday, 4/23/2017

1. The Casady St Baldrick's Day Team @ VZD @ noon

Members of Casady's Community participated in St. Baldrick's Day, an annual event during which participants shave their heads to raise awareness of childhood cancer and to support cancer research. Third grade teacher Jeff Bush and Fr. Charles Blizzard led the Casady team which started with the two adults 7 years ago and has grown every year in number of volunteers participating and dollars donated.  The 2017 St. Baldrick's Day tem had 25 team members including parents and students from the first through seventh grades.

The event took place Sunday, April 23, 2017, first day of National Volunteer Week at VZD's at 4200 N. Western Ave. View Casady's page on the St. Baldrick's website, which lists all team members and leaders and provides the opportunity to support the participants: Casady St. Baldrick's Team.  On 5/2/2017 by 6:00 am, the team had collected $11,793.

Seventh graders Bianca Caves and Vivienne Sweet were interviewed by KWTV 9 Reporter and Casady parent Angela Buckelew Coyle. Mrs. Coyle speaks with members of the Casady Community each year about their interest in St. Baldrick's and how cancer, childhood cancer, and research is important to them. The clip on KWTV aired on Sunday on the morning show, on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m., and on Wednesday at noon.  http://m.news9.com/Video.aspx?clipId=13283297&catId=112037 

2. The Brookdale Statesman's Club residents helped decorate Casady's Students Rebuild, Youth Uplift Challenge traced hands
The residents of Brookdale decorated  traced hands to uplift teens from poverty in Nicaragua and Indonesia after lunch and before dinner.  One of the residents decorating hands was Mrs. Marolyn Stout whose life of service in OKC will be transcribed by Cyclones and OKC teens to Pressbooks, a Village Library Program.  Mrs. Stout's story of "50 Years Behind the Fitting Room Door" will be a book written in verse. The book aims for a release day of October 24,2017, Mrs. Stout's 90th birthday. 

3. Play the Compassion Earth Week Games: Water is Life!

Reflect On Yesterday's Mission Before moving on to Mission #2, reflect on yesterday's mission. What was it like to imagine your special place in one thousand years from now? How did you feel spending time there? Did you feel calm, peaceful, or more present? What might you do to care for this place so that future generations of life can enjoy it the way you do now? If you haven't already done so, shares your experiences on the Compassion Report Map to elevate good in the world!

Our second mission, Agents, is to become acutely aware of water’s role in our lives and then develop habits to save as much of it as possible. “In the end it does not matter who you are... for we all drink from the same world-wide well. There is a beauty in every drop of water, and when water flows together it is powerful, capable of creating amazing change. We are water. And together, we create change.” -Takaiya Blaney, Sliammon First Nation Water connects us to all life, present, past, and future. The water that makes up our bodies was once a glacier, the ocean, the falling rain. Each droplet once composed a leaf, an ancient species, another human being. And one day, it shall be these things again in new ways. Human beings are 65% water. Water is what protects us in our mother’s womb, and water is the most vital resource for life to exist. A human being can live for more than three weeks without food but only 3 days without water. And yet, just a tiny fraction of water on Mother Earth is fresh and drinkable - less than 1% of the water on our planet! In the modern world, however, the reality of how precious water is can be easy to forget. Water surges through our sinks and bathtubs with the flick of a hand. Because of this privilege, it can be easy to allow so much good water to drain away without ever being used or fully appreciated. Agents, our second mission is to love water for its many gifts, learning where our water comes from, and then saving as much of it as possible. In every activity we engage in today with water, let’s be mindful of how precious water is to life! First, identify which watershed you live within. Where does your water come from? (You can quickly find which watershed you live within here!) Then, identify ways you can appreciate, protect, and save as much water as possible!: When you brush your teeth, turn the water off when you are not using it between brushes. Try to only run full loads of laundry and dishes. When you shower, think of all the moments where you really need water’s help, and when you don’t. When you lather your hair or your body with soap, or when you’re shaving, consider turning the water off until these stages are complete and shorten your shower by even a few minutes. Wash vehicles at a carwash that recycles and filters pollutants out of the water. Be mindful of what you put into the drains! All products make their way to our waterways eventually, impacting entire ecosystems and even ourselves. Buy products that are biodegradable, non-toxic, and do not contain plastic microbeads. Consider letting your yard go through natural draught phases, or having plants that don’t need as much water in your yard. Capture the rain in rain barrels and use this water for your yard or garden. If possible, consider “letting the yellow mellow” when you use the toilet to minimize flushing. (But of course “let the brown down”!) Get your household involved and work as a team! Who can love water and save it the most? Talk with all members of your living space to work with you on this goal. Add notes by every water source as a reminder of this new and important habit! Share your experiences on the Compassion Report Map to inspire others and amplify the power of your compassion for Mother Earth! Good luck, Agents! Going Deeper: Mission #2 was inspired by the mesage of Ta'Kaiya Blaney, an Indigenous youth from the Sliammon First Nation who has helped ignite sacred activism for the Earth around the world. Listen to her moving message from World Water Day in 2014 in the video below, still as powerful today as it was then. Each day during Earth Week, the Compassion Torch will be passed to a different Champion of Compassion. On Day 2 of the Earth Week, we are deeply thankful to pass the Compassion Torch from Earth Day Network to the remarkable Amy Walker. Read Our Featured Story About Amy Walker Here!