March News
We will be having a Chick gathering at the Retama clubhouse on Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 at 6:00pm. This event will be an informal drop in. Our March event will be creating and decorating personal t-shirts. Marianne Pilkton will be our group leader. Date to be announced soon!
February Highlights
On Saturday, February 9, Sue Thatcher successfully organized a fun filled, Olympic-style play date for Chicktime members and volunteers with the Rio Grande Valley Children’s Home residents. Sue’s kindness, caring, and organizational efforts certainly made the morning one to be remembered as a genuine Chicktime success.
To begin the festivities, the opening ceremony was held with the children and adults waving American flags and marching to patriotic music. The reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance prompted one of the children to sing the Texas anthem in Spanish. Although some did not understand Spanish, everyone understood the courage of the child to perform for the gathering. Andy Mozynski, a veteran, told the children about the history of the American flag as well as how to care for it while Echo Richardson shared her personal story of patriotism. The children were excited to own an American flag to wave during holidays and cerebrations.
The majority of the morning was spent at “the Olympics”: running races, tossing bean bags, bouncing and dribbling balls, hopping on one leg, keeping balloons aloft. With all of the laughing and giggling, it did not take much encouragement for even the shyest of children to fully join the activities and add joy to the day. Following the inside activities, it was truly a glorious sight when the children and the babies in the loving arms of adults scampered about in the morning sunshine with red, white, and blue streamers sailing in the breeze exhibiting a true celebration of a healthy life. After the heart-thumping activities and “energy snacks” (cookies, candy, and juice) the children were individually presented Gold Medals for their accomplishments. The children proudly displayed their gold medals showing how much they enjoyed the interaction and playtime fun with much love and enthusiasm.
Then, with the unexpected addition of two rousing rounds of “Happy Birthday” for the boy and girl who were celebrating their upcoming birthdays, it was undeniably difficult to distinguish who enjoyed the morning the most – children or adults.
Lunches of McDonald’s Happy Meals were catered to meet each child’s dining request. A special thank you from everyone went out to Andy Mozynski for thoughtfully donating and helping to serve the lunches. The residents really enjoyed lunch based on the quiet that came over the room after the prayer of thanks and the eating began.
So after the heart-thumping Olympic Games that rivaled the London Olympics and a favorite children’s lunch, it was nap time – for Chicktime, at least.