Thursday, March 16, 2017

A Small Act of Kindness

Recently I was blessed to be a part of “The Great Kindness Challenge” at Gordon Russell Middle School.  This program addresses the problem of bullying and offers a better solution…respect.   Each day of the “Kindness Challenge” community members were offered the opportunity to give small “token” awards for the student’s participation in this challenge….

It was an interesting fact that most all of the 6th graders embraced the challenge and filled out and completed their challenge forms, not quite so many of the 7th graders and then even less of the 8th graders….which led me to thinking – do we get less kind as we grow older?   That is just not acceptable!
So as the Daffodils start to poke their sunny little heads to the sky and the weather (we hope) gives us a few rays of sunshine we challenge you to the following because we all want to be as kind as a 6th grader and Gordon Russel Middle School had lots of them!!

Your list:  Smile at 25 People, Slip a Nice note in your Friends Backpack (or purse or pocket), Compliment 5 People, Pick up 10 Pieces of Trash in a Public Area, Tell a Joke and Make Someone Laugh,  Be Kind to Yourself and have a Healthy Snack,  Draw a Picture and Give it to Someone, Hug a Friend, Entertain Someone with a Happy Dance, Say “Good Morning” to 15 People….this list is short  - the students had a list of 50 Challenges!!   So the challenge of the week is be kinder than a 6th grader!


Final Challenge – Tomorrow is our “Drive For Your School”, from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.  Anyone can come and drive (must be at least 18 years of age) a brand new Ford around the block, fill out a form with a few questions and  Centennial Football, Sam Barlow Senior All Night Party, or Lewis & Clark Montessori School will receive $20 from Ford Motor Company . (You choose which school organization).   Seriously, there is no pressure!!!   It is a kindness that if all of us pull together we can provide up to $6,000 for our schools.

Read all of Bess's articles in the Gresham Outlook weekly.  Or to suggest a story contact Bess at 503-665-0102 or Bess@GreshamFord.com.  


Sunday, February 12, 2017

Coaches vs. Cancer

If you look around, you’ll find that there are so many amazing people in our community and Coach Chris Knudsen is one of them.  First of all, we’d like to congratulate him on receiving the “Coach of the Year” award, but it doesn’t stop there.  Chris’s heart is much bigger than just the next win for the football team.  And one of the things that is near and dear to him is the Coaches vs. Cancer program. This is especially close to Kris and the school as one of its coaches/teachers, Justin Rosenblad, is battling stomach cancer.
The Centennial High School coaches are joining the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association in a "Coaches vs. Cancer" campaign. The two goals are to raise awareness and raise funds to fight cancer.
Coaches vs. Cancer program is a statewide collaboration between the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association (OACA), Oregon Athletic Directors Association (OADA) and the American Cancer Society that empowers coaches, their teams and local communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer by participating in awareness efforts, advocacy programs, and fundraising activities to help people with cancer today and to find cures to end the disease tomorrow.
Because cancer has touched so many in our coaching community, Coaches vs. Cancer offers a unique opportunity to fight the disease.  Participating schools can truly make a difference in the fight against cancer and raise awareness in their communities about the importance of cancer prevention, early detection and making healthy lifestyle choices.

At the home Wrestling match on Wednesday February 8 vs. Oregon City and at the home girls and boys basketball games on Friday, February 10 vs. David Douglas, spectators will be given a free pink T-shirt, information will be distributed about cancer and various activities will be going on to raise funds to fight this disease. Anyone wishing to donate can call Brent Child, Athletic Director, at (503) 762-6136