Partnerships inspiring educational achievement and developing community success.

 Bright Futures Joplin | http://brightfuturesjoplin.org
APRIL 2014
Coordinator's Report: Why We Golf
I have to be honest with you...I'm not a golfer.  I don't know much about golf, except there was that one time my husband and I decided we'd try something new and went to the local putt putt place. Unless that counts as "golf knowledge" though, I come up pretty short.  

Working with Larry Warren from Atlas Security and the others who have helped us on this year's golf tournament fundraiser has been an eye opening experience. From what I have seen, golfing is definitely an art form, and I have gained a whole new level of respect for those that make it look so easy!

But here's what I know...there's a REASON WHY we here at Bright Futures golf.  And the reason is simple - our kids.

Every month holds a new set of stories to tell. One story that stands out to me above the rest this month is this one:  We have a family in the district who had a tragic loss of the father in the family who took his own life in their home. Prior to this, dad was the only one working while mom stayed home with the younger children. The call that came into my office was a simple one. The older daughter of the family is an artist - that's how she works through hard things. However, her art kit was in the room where her dad had died...and nobody was ready to go in there yet. The Hope Team Counselor asked if we could help.

Immediately, Bright Futures sprung into action. We were able to provide the student with an art kit that day. Since then, we've worked together with the counselors to help meet the family's needs until they were established with community agencies that could help them get on their feet and attempt to put the pieces of their lives back together. Things like the mortgage payment and utilities were all covered until Social Security and insurance kicked in. 

This is a tragic loss that nobody should ever have to go through, but certainly no child should have to go through alone. Together, we were able to meet this family's practical needs in a time when it was desperately needed.

This is why we golf.

I realize that during spring, there are many things competing for our time, attention, and resources - all good things! But let's remember why we golf. Let's remember why Bright Futures is here, and let's join together to keep taking care of our kids. It's not too late to sign up with your team here

 

Thanks for being a community that walks through the good and hard days together!

 

Serving together,

 

Melissa Winston

Bright Futures Joplin Coordinator

Bright Futures Council News

Welcome New Business Partners

 

Bright Futures Joplin is excited to announce that we have two new business partners to celebrate this month.  Innovative Objects will be serving on our Bright Futures Council at West Central Elementary, and Wells Fargo will be serving on the Council at Soaring Heights Elementary.


We are so excited to have you on board!

 

We are looking for additional partners at several of our schools to serve on their Bright Futures Councils. If you have a partner in business that you think might be interested in serving, tell them how much you love it, and send them our way.

A Special Thanks
A big shout out to our Eastmorland Elementary business partner Mid-Missouri Bank. They held a food drive at both bank branches for the Snackpack Program. Andy and Heather delivered all the goodies to the Bright Futures office themselves.

We are so grateful to have such awesome partners!

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In This Issue
How You Can Help
We are in special need of these items:
  • Girl's underwear (sizes 6-10)
  • Boy's underwear (sizes 6-10)

Items can be delivered to the Bright Futures Joplin Donation Center in the Joplin Schools Administration Building, 3901 E. 32nd. For more information, email or call (417) 625-5200 ext. 2339. 

Upcoming Events: Bright Futures USA Triple Crown Race
Bright Futures Joplin and Bright Futures USA are teaming up for a Triple Crown Race Series. Joplin will host the final leg of the race on July 26th - a 15K! So get out your running shoes, and get ready. You can learn more and sign up here.
Don't Miss a Single Facebook Post
Did you know that you might be missing out on the chance to meet kids' needs with Bright Futures Joplin?

Due to programming changes made by Facebook, many people are not seeing posts made by the Bright Futures Joplin team.  Many of our posts invite the help of our community to meet student needs within 24 hours such as this one: 


 
To never miss a Bright Futures Joplin post, be sure you:
  • Go to our page,
  • Click on the "Liked" drop down box,
  • And select "Get Notifications."

Without this, these vital posts are likely getting lost in your newsfeed. If you need help, please call us at (417) 625-5200, ext. 2229, and we'll walk you through the process.


417-625-5200 ext. 2229| melissawinston@joplinschools.org
http://brightfuturesjoplin.org
3901 E 32nd St
Joplin, MO 64804

Bright Futures Joplin |  April 2014


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