Are you new to Rainbow Days and would like to learn more about how to get further involved?  Then, please join us for lunch on Thursday, October 13th from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. for a quick "lunch and more" where you can meet staff and board members, hear a powerful testimony from a program participant and discover ways to get plugged in as a volunteer or donor.  Location TBD.  For more information or to attend, please contact Tiffany Beaudine.

There will be a Group Helper training at the Rainbow Days offices (8150 N. Central Expwy. Suite 1600, Dallas, Texas) from 6pm-9pm on Tuesday, October 18th.  If you are interested in volunteering to be a group helper you need to attend this training.  Groups meet weekly and do require a 10 week commitment.  For more information or to reserve your spot in this training please contact Mitzi White.

Rahiel Alemu, a Lake Highlands High School graduate and sophomore math major at Duke University, was recently named the 2011 Intern of the Year by the ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs Program in Dallas. Rainbow Days' Family Connection Program had the honor of hiring an intern this summer, which was funded by the ExxonMobil Foundation and administered by the Volunteer Center of North Texas. Alemu was hired to assist in the planning, coordination and implementation of the annual Back to School Party, but her service was abundant throughout the summer. After a previous food commitment fell through, Alemu sought food donations for the entire week of Camp Bravo! and was successful in getting Chipotle, Corner Bakery Café, Jason's Deli and Romano's Macaroni Grill all to donate food. "I met the kids and knew what they were going through, and I really felt that I could do something," said Alemu. Alemu brought energy, new ideas, commitment and dedication to both Rainbow Days' and the children and families we serve.

 

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University reports that America's #1 public health problem is adolescent substance abuse. According to the report released June 2011: Nine out of 10 people who meet the clinical criteria for substance use disorders began smoking, drinking, or using other drugs before they turned 18.  For those who started using any of these substances before age 18, one in four are addicted, compared with one in 25 who first started to smoke, drink or use other drugs at age 21 or later. The full report provides recommendations toward effectively addressing this pervasive issue and can be read in its entirety at CASA's website. 

Thank you Whole Foods Market to everyone who shopped at Whole Foods Market in Richardson on August 2nd during their Community Giving Day! 5% of total purchases on August 2nd went to Rainbow Days, yielding the Family Connection Program a check for $1,127.15 to be used for the purchase of healthy foods at summer camps in 2012.   

Capital for Kids' Community Engagement Program partnered Rothstein Kass, an investment management business, with Rainbow Days to provide breakfast, lunch and volunteers to help for one day at Camp Bravo! this summer. Rothstein Kass volunteers served breakfast and lunch, prepared art activities and spent time talking with and getting to know the children during the last day of camp. Capital for Kids is committed to supporting organizations, such as Rainbow Days, that educate, protect and encourage North Texas' most vulnerable children. Through the partnership of Rothstein Kass and Rainbow Days, Capital for Kids is helping to build a brighter future for children in North Texas. Thank you Rothstein Kass and Capital for Kids for your generous support!