What a start to the day! Laurie Austin and I were out very early to attend the Communities In Schools' Literacy Breakfast with a few hundred of our closest friends.
The event really drove home the powerful work that CIS is doing to improve the ability of at-risk kids to achieve academically. The two high school boys who introduced the award for Mentor of the Year were great. Particularly, when one of the boys described the changes in his life by telling how he used to get in trouble in middle school, but in high school he was doing well with grades and hadn't been suspended...yet. The 'yet' produced a lot of laughs, but we all understood that he wasn't going to get suspended again, because of the work that the CIS mentor Pete Gonzalez had done with this boy.
I'm proud to be on the advisory board of Communities In Schools Federal Way and proud of the work that they do.
Listening to the stories of kids who had been touched by CIS, I was reminded of the role that we play at Friends of the Hylebos, in helping to create a better future, a healthy future for the communities of the Hylebos Creek Watershed. But more than just the physical aspects of healthy forests and clean air and water, we're ensuring the existence of places that are so important for children.
Many of us have had the experience of connecting with nature as a child. Whether it be from climbing trees, exploring the shorelines of Puget Sound, or tromping through muddy wetlands looking for frogs. I think of natural areas as magical zones of mystery and discovery.
The world we give the next generation has to be more than the right angles of buildings and the temperature-controlled habitat of the shopping mall. Your work with the Friends as a volunteer, and your support, is helping to ensure that the future generations will still have plenty of forests to explore, wetlands to slog through, and frogs to chase!
By the way, a big Hyle-thanks to John and Aline Carnahan, who graciously invited Laurie and I to sit at their table.
Greatings Chris and Welcome Laurie. I've been eagerly waiting to hear, who would continue in Sheila's footsteps and it sounds like Laurie is a great match.
Posted by: Adele | February 26, 2009 at 02:33 PM
Chris,
Thanks for your support at Communities in Schools of Federal Way!
Posted by: Pete Gonzales | February 27, 2009 at 01:34 PM