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November Update:

Hey Chicktime Nashville-
We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We certainly did! We were fortunate to have 6 volunteers show up at the girls home and many others prepare our delectable feast! From turkey and dressing to chocolate chess pie, everyone was well fed with plenty of leftovers.
 
 
The girls were in their element helping to decorate, setup the tables, and making gingerbread houses. They were so excited to celebrate Thanksgiving with us, as we were to be with them.
 
 

Thanksgiving is a time to pause, reflect, and express gratitude for the many blessings we have. Being able to work with Chicktime ranks at the top of our gratitude list.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!
Blessings and gratitude,
Allison, Laura and Renee
Chicktime Nashville Leadership Team
 
 
 

October Update:

Chicktime- Nashville
At our October workshop the girls were treated to some fall arts and crafts courtesy of Renee and her daughter Abby. They rotated stations where they painted pumpkins, made ghostly makeup bags, and had the opportunity to make ghost garlands to decorate their house.
Volunteers had a chance to bond with the girls and ask them what they had on their Christmas wishlist list- surprise-makeup, jewelry, accessories, and nail stuff. We can’t wait to see their faces come December!
Next month we have our Thanksgiving celebration with volunteers preparing special dishes to share with the girls. If anyone is interested please contact Renee ASAP.
Being able to serve these girls is a true blessing!
Hope to see you next month,
Chicktime Nashville Leadership Team

September Update:

We had a great September workshop!


The girls seem to really enjoy the marbling activities especially making the bandannas.
It’s such an honor to show up month to month to be a small part of the girls healing journey.


See you in October!

August Update:

Our workshop last Saturday was one of service. We had minimal girls at the home but still a lot got done! We had two new volunteers, Amber and Ann, that joined us for our service project. The girls of Wallace House watched as Mrs. Renee showed them how to take scraps of fabric and turn them into dog and cat chew toys. You basically take three strands of fabric, tie a rubber band at the top and then braid tightly. Once finished you take the rubber band off and tie both ends. Super easy to do!
Next, Renee, Laura, Amber and Ann cut the fleece fabeic out to make tie blankets. Another easy thing to make. The girls chatted with Allison, Laura, Ann, Amber and Renee while they tied the blankets. We had a total of 11 blankets once finished! Renee will take these items to her local animal shelter. They run solely on donations and grants. Once she drops them off we hope to snap some pics of the animals using them.
It was a really great day. Afterwards some volunteers and the leaders met at Laura’s house for the regional retreat. Such a fun day!

July Update:

Chicktime Nashville did not meet in the month of July due to scheduling conflicts. We love it when our charity partner has jammed packed summers.

See you in August!

June Update:

 

We are late posting but here’s the rundown of our June workshop of sewing.
Our volunteers were Renee, Marcia, Marcia’s sister Christine, Loraine, Allison & Ashley. Marcia led the girls in creating pj bottoms or a pillowcase. 

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They got to pick their fabric and move it was cut, they practiced sewing on scraps to get the feel of it. Even though we had a lot of issues with all sewing machines and the serger we still had a pretty great time. It was nice for the girls to try their hand at something new.

May Update:

What a fast and furious workshop we had this past weekend! After doing a quick new volunteer training at the local coffeehouse, we headed to the home.
We’ve had an abundance of new volunteers this year and we e couldn’t be happier. Joanne and Tammy tag teamed this one by making chocolate bark and then doing face masks and hand scrubs. The girls had fun choosing sprinkles for their chocolate bark and what fun creations they made!
Then they were shown how to make their clay face mask and put it on. After washing it off they made their salt hand scrubs.
Each girl was able to choose an essential oil to add to her scrub. We chatted about school and just had a ton of fun.
The girls love to do things with their hands.
We can’t wait for next month!

April Update:

What can I say about this workshop and day? Hands down this was one of the best workshops we’ve had in a very long time! Laura was our leader this month. She coordinated a wonderful day on her mini farm in Franklin.

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The day began by the volunteers meeting at Laura’s early to set up our stations and prep the food for lunch. Abby and Belle our younger volunteers wrangled Henry the giant because he’d happily gotten some super muddy paws and feet earlier in the day. We didn’t want him to jump up and get anyone dirty.
Once the girls arrived we met in a circle in the front yard having each young lady fill out a form of which station they wanted to do. Laura asked them questions about their knowledge of horses and found that a few of them were very knowledgeable! She broke them up into teams and off we went.

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Laura has three horses Toby, Maggie, Benny and one miniature horse Buster Brown. Elizabeth, Trish, Laura, and Allison worked with the girls helping to brush, pet, and lead them. You could tell a few of them were comfortable and we learned they attend equine therapy regularly.
Renee, Belle and Stefani worked with the crafting station. The girls were able to use watercolors creating beautiful pictures and making keychains or bracelets that held deep meaning for them. One young lady explained that her identical keychains with the word ALWAYS, were sentimental as it’s the word she and her mother shared and said before leaving one another. How beautiful is that? It’s amazing when they start working with their hands because that’s usually the best time for conversation and they really open up.
Out last station was inside where Abby sat with the girls while they snuggled the dogs and cat. 🐶We had our big guy Henry that loves to stand on his hind legs and give hugs, 🐶Mattie who just loves everyone, 🐶 Gemma a small snuggler, and then Titus 🐈 who lounges around and just likes to be pet.
We had a great lunch of sandwiches, chips, cookies and granola bars. We chatted about school and how they are ready for summer to get here.
As we were wrapping up we learned that two young ladies will be headed to foster homes which is phenomenal news! We were able to say our goodbyes before they left as we won’t see them again.
What a healing day this was!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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March Update:

Today’s workshop was a great one! Allison one of our newest volunteers led a workshop for personality and career assessment. Allison began talking through her various experiences in school and the workforce. She was super tough act to follow but Laura told of her experiences, then Renee did as well. Abby, our youngest volunteer who’s turning 25 this year, told of the things that have helped shape her future.
Afterward the girls took assessments on the computer and Allison explained they could use those to help them learn more about themselves and what they wanted to pursue. Then we talked about what their plans were after high school.
It was an important workshop that we will continue to have more than once since the girls rotate out of the home. They were super attentive today and really engaged!

 

February Update:

So much love at our Chicktime workshop this month.
Homemade cookie decorating was our activity but the spreading of hope and encouragement is why we are there !
Join us next month

January Update:

Chicktime Nashville starting the new year off helping the girls at Youth Villages focus on goals and dreams by creating Vision Board Mandalas!
Join us one month as we spread love and light!

December 2023:

It was all smiles at our Christmas gathering because we have the absolute honor and privilege to show up and be HIS hands and feet to the girls who live at Youth Villages.

November Update:

Our Thanksgiving Feast was cancelled due to illness at the Villages!

We will double up on our Christmas gathering and go overboard with love, food, and JOY!

October Update:

A few hours …once a month …is all it takes to help soften the heart of someone who really needs the time and attention!
Our October workshop was a blessing! Decorating Halloween cookies allows us to have lots of conversation and lots of laughs.

September Update:

Today our workshop was led by Renee. We had the girls do bean art! Which is actually kind of therapeutic and fun. The girls chose their pre-drawn pictures, grabbed some beans, glue and went to work.

Hassana was back with us and we had a great time just chatting and creating.

August Update:

Our August workshop was all about Family Feud fun! It was the perfect thing because it was so nasty outside with storms. One young lady is terrified of storms and the sound of the thunderclap and lights flickering out sent her into panic. We were able to witness an actual trauma response. She began to cry curled up into a corner and with recognizing this one of our volunteers just stopped what she was doing and sat with her. No judgement, no condemnation, and no criticism; just love, relation, and compassion. After one final round of the game we sat and talked about what kind of skills the girls wanted to learn. This helps us better prepare for our leader drive coming up! All in all a real good day.

July Update:

Our outdoor 4th of July workshop was a BLAST! You will have to use your imagination on the fun that was had as water balloons 🎈 took over and letting loose and getting wet was our priority!
Thanks be to God for the mission of Chicktime Nashville and the volunteers that God sends to build HIS kingdom here on earth.
Hope to see you in August!

June Update:

Our June Chicktime Workshop
was JOY-filled! New volunteers and bracelet making made for a beautiful time with the girls at Youth Villages and we certainly felt HIS presence.
Come join us and get some of this JOY we talk about all the time!

May Update:

Y’all we had a pretty chill workshop albeit a bit rushed for time. Each young lady made her own pinch bowl or clay creation and then took turns making their own quesadilla. We chatted about school as they also were doing their makeup to go to another event. Renee led the girls in how to make what they call a pinch pot for jewelry. They were left with some paint to use on them for when they are dry. 
 

We can’t wait to see the finished products!

April Update:

Our April workshop was this past Saturday. Sadly it was Anna’s last with our chapter as she is headed back to Austin in a couple of weeks. ☹️ We do hope that she comes back for a visit and volunteer with us again. ❤️
Renee was our workshop leader this month and led the girls through a unique mixed media art project using lipstick, lipgloss and paper! Many sketched out their design and used lipsticks to fill it in. Don’t worry these were brand new ????.
While we snacked on cupcakes and pretzels she led the group on an easy way to make a cute yet seriously affordable, decorative garland suitable for any party. The end was proof that it’s doesn’t take a lot of money to make holiday decor. Renee is all about making something from random objects that we typically have just lying around.
It was a leftover activity from Valentine’s Day but who cares right?!
Supply list:
– 3-4 packs of playing cards
– 2 infinity scarfs ( I had 2 from Valentine’s Day)
– one hole punch
– some bakers twine
– one foot long piece of white fabric
Take the packs of cards (we used three) and then sort out all of the diamond and heart cards. You’ll use these only if it’s valentine theme. Then punch two holes in the top of each card with a hole punch. Once that’s complete you’ll want to cut the two infinity scarves and the fabric into small strips. Then you’ll string your cards onto the bakers twine all facing the same direction. Make sure to make a half knot loop at each end when done so cards don’t slide off. See super easy I know! Then finally you’ll take the strips of scarves/ fabric and tie them onto the string in between the cards however you want. We had enough to make two very long garlands.
You can even add other strips of fun fabric or even handmade paper tassels to make it more fun! These two garlands costed about $6 to make with some still leftover for more garland. You’d just need to buy some more fabric or scarves.
Many of these kids understand what it means to not have birthday parties and holidays because their parents don’t have the money to buy decorations to even celebrate. This was a way to show them that it’s ok to not have the latest and greatest in decor because you can always make something out of nothing and still celebrate no matter how much you don’t have!

March Update:

Our March workshop….
We with the girls to do some fun simple crafts. The first being a sun catcher made of tissue paper and self adhesive paper. Then we made rainbow with clouds and pot of gold with our fun snacks. Our girls wore crazy mustaches and of course Renee and Laura had to join in! It was so laid back we forgot to take pictures of everything!
Hope to see you in April!

February Update:

Loving and talking kindly to ourselves should be a top priority. February is all about the month of love and what better workshop than this one?! co-leader Renee talked about how we see ourselves is important. We know to speak kindly to others but we often forget to do so to ourselves. Renee spoke about taking a dry erase marker and writing notes to herself on the bathroom mirror. She asked the girls to take a mirror and write love notes to themselves as she recounted some stories from her past that explain why this activity is so critical to our self esteem and overall wellbeing.
Heidi brought them each a specially made ding pop full of goodies inside. Anna brought cookies to decorate so they could show off their artistic skills. They are quite competitive! I’m thinking cupcake wars are in our future ????.
During our workshop some girls wrote letters to themselves and some even shared with us what they wrote on their own mirror and why. Things like I’m beautiful, I’m loving, I’m honest, and I’m lovable. That last one will break your soul in half. They often don’t feel lovable. They feel overlooked, discarded, alone, desperate for attention no matter what kind, unlovable, and unloved. I could go on and on. Their circumstances will wreck you. This work will wreck you. It’s hard and often overwhelming. Sometimes the weight of their sadness is too much.
They are worth it and it’s a million % worth being wrecked. Every. Single. Time. ????

January Update:

January workshop was a pivot! We ended up doing our service project a month early. Our Girls of Wallace House tied blankets to give to the women’s shelter.
We had salsa chips and hot chocolate. Anna was able to donate puzzles and books to the girls so they can keep busy. This means we have to change up our February workshop. Stay tuned for the post on it!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

December Update:

Y’all our volunteers ROCKED the task of not only getting dirty Santa gifts to play at our workshop but went they. Went. All. Freaking. Out! Backpacks overflowing with things they could call their own, journals, hand sewn pillowcases to lay their heads on no matter where they are, candy of course, sleek skinny tumblers with motivational stickers and affirmations, pends, lotions, blankets, etc.
They loved them and were so excited with remarks and squeals of delight of, “This is just for me?!”
How often we take things like that for granted. Simple pleasures in life. I’m so happy that we could be fortunate enough to give them gifts.
We talked and a couple opened up with the much smaller group as we made our own ornaments. It was a short visit but such a good and happy one. We can’t wait for January!

November Update:

Chicktime Nashville showed up ON Thanksgiving to set up a beautiful Thanksgiving table, prepare a Thanksgiving meal and have a gratitude lesson with the girls at Youth Villages.
Not the day before or the day after….ON Thanksgiving day.
What a beautiful display of love.

October Update:

Today was a great day. After some challenging weeks in the house the Chicktime Nashville volunteers got to attend and provide their planned workshop for the Girls of Wallace today. Dio de Los Muertos was taught again this year by Juanita. She is literally the best. It was fun to see the house decorated for Halloween already. Peep the van picture. ????
As we waited for her to arrive, Mrs. Renee led us through an activity that helps develop appreciation, camaraderie, relationship, and respect between housemates and even staff. Each young woman was placed in front of a white board and her housemates had to write one positive attribute for her. Some were anxious as they don’t really like the spotlight. They had some good words to say about each other. And it was such a great exercise! It seemed to put the girls at ease.
We have a few new girls in the home. With disruptions and behavior challenges, the atmosphere can become tense. But we were able to push through and even though a couple didn’t participate we were able to make connections with them 1:1. Sometimes those are the best ones. We made beautiful tissue paper flowers, ate some super yummy Mummies ????, got to know each other, and they all took their turn whacking the piñata for candy. Even though it fell in the first swing. ????????‍♀️ Juanita said it was too heavy and full. Oops! That was a sure fail but Mrs. Renee improvised and they still got to take some swings until it finally cracked all the way open. We had some GOOD laughs.
As the year is winding down we have two more workshops left. November is ALWAYS having volunteers serve and break bread with the Girls of Wallace on thanksgiving day. It’s sort of our tradition. Not all can be there and that’s totally ok! With as many volunteers that seem to be coming up it gives everyone a turn! Then we will wrap up with our annual Christmas party.
There going to be some workshops just for the volunteers coming up as we work to learn more about trauma informed care and the foster system. Our volunteers should be equipped with the knowledge of how trauma affects the kids we show up for. Let me tell you, the more you know, the more you want to show up for them. You can become a light of hope in their eyes. We want to delve deeper into ways of helping Youth Villages and not only the Girls of Wallace but spread the word about the need for foster homes, the needs of kids in the foster care system, and what YOU can do to help.
Because. It. Takes. A. Village. (Pun intended ????)
Stay tuned.……..
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

September Update:

It was a Viva Fiesta kind of day at our Chicktime September workshop!
We learned to make homemade tortillas and had genuine fellowship at a Taco party!
We had lots of new girls . We pray they felt our love for them.

August Update:

Well we had a slight change of plans this past weekend for our monthly workshop. Chicktime Nashville volunteers always step up to the plate and know how to pivot! Since Suzette couldn’t attend, Anna stepped in and led our workshop. With some fun and eat craftiness. We made THE cutest paper craft with tissue paper and glue. Soooo easy but filled the two hour time block.
Anna said it best, “When you give them something mindless to do with their hands they start talking. It allows them to open up about hard and often traumatic things that they’d otherwise shoulder alone.”
She is so right. It gives them a chance to be heard and a chance to be seen. Topics ranged from death of parents, to abuse, even to miscarriages. Yeah you read that right. Some have lives hard lives. Our home has dropped in number due to age outs, transitioning back to homes, and sadly being removed and placed back in behavioral care. My heart breaks each time we lose one back to west Tn. I want to shake my fists in anger and cry how unfair it is. One of our girls said, “I’ve pretty much given up on being adopted and having a family to call my own.” she’s about to age out into Independent Living program. I wanted so badly to say, ”I’ll take you and call you mine.” But it doesn’t work that way.
We had a great time even when the lulls of sadness floated in the air after hard things were spoken. Selene regaled us with her fascinating career of being a former police officer and we had a NEW volunteer named Sarah! We are so blessed that we have been able to expand our volunteer base and bring more women into the fold to share their gifts and love on our girls.
 
 
 
 
 
 

July Update:

Y’all! I can’t say enough about Chicktime July. I’m STILL smiling from ear to ear. Picnic Day for Chicktime Nashville was a blast; literally. We started off with having our picnic moved indoors due to threat of rain and thunder. Mrs. Renee brought turkey, ham and all the fixins for a good sandwich. We had chips, veggies, fruit, cookies, Gatorade, and popsicles to round out our meal. Miss Anna brought some adult coloring books and we passed the time coloring and chatting to wait out the weather.
Then we took this wild crazy party outside. It was on as the girls teamed up against our volunteers with water balloon fight???? and busted out the water guns. Miss Abby and Miss Anna were under attack and took the brunt of water. It was good to cool off though because it was hot and muggy! Mrs. Heidi did not let them get away with it cause she targeted them from behind the tree with her full water gun ????. ????
We played with bubbles ???? and even did jump rope! Miss Anna taught us all how to be so very “extra” with our beautiful fancy fans to keep us cool. Miss Abby even taught us some dances. You’ll have to see the next few posts for those and her sweet jump rope skills. We think she and Mrs. Heidi had the most fun. ???? As you can see, it was a wet day!

 

June Update:

Ball chain art, lots of fun! We discussed making and claiming positive affirmations..
A beautiful time together. You should join us one month!

May Update:

Our May workshop was jammed packed with lots of fun!! Here are some pictures of just part of what we did- painting pots and planting flowers!
Stay tuned for the other activity pictures !
We can hardly wait for our June workshop! It’s such an honor to be on these precious girls journey to healing.

April 2022:

Oh how good it is to be with our girls of Wallace House again! Our April workshop was so fun and refreshing. Our leader of the month was Anna and she brought all our supplies for making fancy journals out of regular composition notebooks.
We crafted our best and blingiest beauts. I love how the girls seem to open up while their hands are busy making something cool. We had way more open space to move around now that the house has been remodeled and it was in dire need of it. Thank yous to whom ever did that.
We talked about hobbies, birthdays, boyfriends, school, and all their favorite things while we ate homemade pizzas made by Danielle’s husband. Then Heidi brought out sweet Easter treats and baskets for each girl.
I gotta say the hugs I received just did my heart and soul good. I even got an “I missed you too” from our toughest cookie. Those moments alone are what makes it worthwhile. The house had a happy and easy going vibe to it which is definitely not the norm in foster care group homes.
We’ve had a few more volunteers sign up via our website and I gotta say Holly was right. God is moving in Middle Tennessee y’all.

March Update:

Well we finally got to see our girls! Sadly Renée couldn’t join us as she was having her own girls getaway!
Selene brought totes for everyone to decorate! Some girls would start something, not like it and scribble over it but then they would just change the plan and paint something different over it. I thought that was so beautiful. Mistakes into masterpieces.
Next they had Donuts and Gatorade and watched TV, talked about spring break plans, played with puzzles Danielle donated and just hung out and mingled. The workers even painted a tote

 

February Update:

 

Our February workshop just couldn’t happen! The agency remodeling project and just life “stuff” got in the way. We are saving the supplies to do the workshop later in the year.
We can’t wait to see the girls at our March workshop. We know where we are called to be…..so today we stay focused.

 

January Update:

We had to cancel our original day and then cancel the rescheduled day….
We remain focused and will be flexible until Covid is behind us. We care about the girls that much.
 

 

December Update:

Huge shoutout to Holly Stewart Suzette Bordonaro Johnson and Anna Scott for shifting their plans to reschedule our monthly visit with the Girls of Wallace House for December.

Cookies and ornaments were decorated and they looked so good!

Time for a new year and new ideas for workshops and monthly visits. I hate I had to miss this month. It always brightens my days when I get to visit

 

November Update:

Breaking bread with the girls of Wallace House is always a good idea. Our volunteers always show up and show out! Mrs Renee and Miss Abby brought turkey, a giant pan of homemade cornbread dressing, goblet gravy, French bread, and Mac and cheese from scratch. Ms. Anna brought fruit salad, homemade peanut butter fudge, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, napkins, plates, and cutlery. Mrs Holly had a temp so sent her food by Mr. Eric which includes green bean casserole, rolls, apple pie, peach pie, and sweet potato casserole. Mrs. Suzette couldn’t make it but sent some deviled eggs.
We had a great time! Many girls talked about what they were thankful for and some talked about who or what they missed. It was a bit of a somber conversation and caused me to reflect on the things I missed as well. People that were gone on to heaven or those who are far away. But one thing they all agreed on was how yummy all the food was! Afterward our volunteers helped the staff clean up the tiny kitchen so they could enjoy the rest of the afternoon.
We are already planning on December.

October Update:

October workshop was so much fun!
Our leader for the month was Juanita. She brought her sister along to show and assist the girls with making tortillas from scratch and teach us about Dia de Los muertos. We tag teamed and while 2 girls made their own batch of tortillas the others hung outside with us to decorate styrofoam sugar skulls and wood masks.
Did you know that Dia de Los Muertos is a holiday that celebrates the dead? Typically called Day of the Dead. Not in some weird creepy way but on November 1st as a Mexican heritage they celebrate the life and death of the children. They make beautiful sugar skulls, hang bright colored cutouts, have a photo of the person and make their favorite food. Then they do the same on November 2nd for the adults who’ve passed on. It’s really beautiful tribute. Much like Americans celebrate the dead by placing beautiful sets of flowers on the gravestones at graveyards each year.
Mrs. Rachel Beechboard and her sweet girl Chloe made some yummy mummy Oreos for the girls to munch on while they craft. They ate them all! Juanita taught them how to say Dia de Los Muertos and they did really good!
As we sat outside, some girls talked about what’s been going on in their lives and others opened up about what it’s like being an orphan without the ability of ever seeing your 3 siblings again. What it’s like to be a former self-harmer and then having your adopted family un-adopt you after 6 years because they couldn’t take it. Give them back?!? How?!? Why?!? 6 years?!?
The facts like they have been treated as a second class citizen in their own adopted home and then dropped off and discarded like the Wednesday garbage makes your Mama Bear soul roar in indignation.
The way they talk about it so matter of fact is like a true gut punch. Don’t get me wrong, these girls are anything but “woe is me pity party”. They just long to be heard; truly heard. It’s why we are here. Oftentimes you’ll see us listening more than you will see us talking.
You’ll hear them talk about you taking them home. Granted if we could we’d tuck them in our pockets and take them with us. As one joked about it, Suzette said we can’t do that it’s a kidnapping charge! The girl said yeah but then I’d have a home. And a mom; we’d be a family. Insert ugly cry right now. Gosh how they long to be WANTED! Renee Smith said “Look around you right now. You see these women here? Chicktime will ALWAYS be your family. No matter where you are or where you go.” Suzette Bordonaro Johnson said, “Yeah baby girl. You got lots of mommas here!”
“True”, she said. “I’m glad for that.”
I’ve seen them write the words, ‘It gets better’, over and over. Yes it will get better. May not be right away but you’ll get there. Emotions run high in a girls group home. Some act tough but you know they long for those mama hugs and prayers. I always come out of there wiped!
Abby really connects with some of them because of the age closeness. They argue over who sits next to her and that’s in itself beautiful. Holly Stewart and Anna Scott right in and craft with the girls, helping them to not feel so guarded and tense. They let their creativity flow honey! Many put those jewel stickers on their glasses and face just to strive for difference and individuality. Some end up being loners and after so much you’ll see them find a corner to hide in. It’s always an ebb and flow.
We had one of our very first original girls back this time. She ages out in a few weeks. Did you know that if a child in care turns 18 in the middle of the school year they have 45 days to be placed elsewhere?! WHAT?!?!? They haven’t even graduated yet and they as a rule must be removed from the home. Granted they find a place for them if they don’t have family or any place to go but I don’t get it. The system seems broken doesn’t it? That is how so many end up in the street and in bad situations.
I know this post is long but I want others to understand. I NEED you to understand what we’re up against. We have limited time with them and that time is precious. We need your help. We need your talents and time.
WE JUST NEED YOU!
 

September Update:

Wow is all I can say. What a great workshop we had! This past Saturday our girls from Wallace worked on their service project. For September we chose a give back workshop that allows the young women to be the giver instead of the receiver. Since they are always on the receiving end the workshop allows them to feel empowered that they themselves have something to give. It sends a message we strive for them to hear; that they are valuable, especially in the eyes of Chicktime and of God.
Renee spoke to the girls about the elderly that are living in nursing homes as she used to work in one for many years. Many of them either no longer have family around or are quarantined away from loved ones since they are some of the worlds most vulnerable when it comes to the pandemic. She was able to explain that although they live together they can sometimes feel very alone. Much like a group home. And some of the girls can relate by knowing those feelings of loneliness all too well.
Some of us used Renee’s extensive collection of stamps to create our cards while others used the Cricut cutouts that had special messages of hope and love. There were fun bright stickers washi tape and lots of sweet notes and sentiments about keep on going and not giving up.
The girls were so animated and talked up a storm while we made cards. You could tell they were having fun and really enjoyed it. They tell us each time how they like to create things. Lucky for us, that is right up Renee’s alley! ????
Abby, Renee’s daughter is now able to be there for workshops since changing jobs. She’s 22 but looks 16. The girls seem to gravitate towards her because she has such a bubbly personality, is 1000% genuine and just has a way with people. She makes them feel at ease and you can tell she got her mommas love of service.
The girls love Suzette and her sassiness! She gets right in there and gets them talking. Being an avid hugger, she doles them out every single time. There a some that are a bit prickly but she is wearing them down! She wants them to know love and that they are safe with her.
Anna always brings the fun when she comes and always has food! She made cards right alongside the girls. We can depend on Anna for awesome ideas on workshops and snacks. We missed both her and Holly last month during our workshop.
Holly, our fearless leader, helps keep us all in line and stays up to date on what’s going on at the house. She’s our main line to the volunteer coordinator that helps us keep our workshops on the calendar.
We have a terrific group of volunteers!
I read some of the notes in the cards and oh my heart these girls are so sweet. One young woman even mentioned to give her card to the one that’s hurting the most. She looked me dead in the eye and said with such conviction and seriousness that she wants them to know that someone loves them. I wondered later what trauma and horrors her heart has known. Did someone love her like that? And it broke me to pieces.
I know the residents will adore these as much as I do. We plan to drop them off this week to one of the local homes. They will feel a little bit of love from an unexpected place and sometimes that’s the best kind.

August Update:

August event in the books!! Paint with Feet was interesting to say the least. Did you know studies have shown that painting with your feet makes you use different parts of your brain? ????
Some gave up and used their hands cause it is definitely challenging! It was also very HOT ????. Renee painted a flower. Selene painted so capped mount with a sunset. Suzette painted her cat Mr. Tinks. Abby painted a beautiful fall scene complete with apple tree and pumpkin patch! One of our girls painted an cute abstract full of dots and splatters.
We sat in the shade and talked about school, getting jobs, and what crafts they’d like to do next. All in all it was a good day even if we were covered in paint and sweat!

July Update;

Our Summer BBQ at Youth Villages was perfect!

We are already busy planning our next workshop and we hope it includes YOU!

June Update:

We had to improvise our workshop as there was some scheduling conflicts.

Movie nights ahead for the girls with summertime snacks!

May Update:

Well even our rescheduled date turned out to be a conflict with he campus.

We are hoping that as they lift volunteer restrictions all around their schedule will get set like pre-covid and no other conflicts will happen.

April Update:

Can you believe it rained again on our attempt to play volleyball with the girls? ????
We improvised and found these fabulous games for them to play year round! So our volleyball workshop turned into a game drop off workshop! It all works, but oh how we were looking forward to hanging out with them! Maybe next month!

March Update:

Well Boo!
Our March (outdoor )Volleyball Workshop was canceled due to rain. We rescheduled it and wouldn’t you know it… it rained again! We will try again in April as it’s a favorite of the girls!!

February Update:

We had a Zoom workshop this month and made Vision Boards. So fun. If the house sends us pictures we will post them. Miss Anna sent precut no sew blankets for the girls to make too!

We have the best volunteers.

January Update:

November Update:

Our December Movie Night workshop will for sure be a hit!

November Update:

We got a last minute notice that volunteer restrictions are back in place at Youth Villages. Actually the night before our workshop was scheduled. The house we serve was put under quarantine for a couple weeks therefore we could not have our Thanksgiving workshop. 

October Update:

Rain prevented us from having our Halloween Celebration outside so the Pumpkin Fun was moved inside!

September Update:

Our September workshop was in person and let us tell you…our hearts are full.

We planned fun outdoor activities for the girls at Youth Villages and got so wrapped up in the day and all it meant we didn’t take a ton of pics! Getting lost in the loving and serving  is what Chicktime Nashville is all about ….you should join us one month!

August Update:

Oh the fun things you can make with arts and crafts supplies!!

Even though we weren’t able to visit with our Wallace girls in person this month,
we were able to show some Chicktime love and put together
spa gift baskets for all the girls, and send one of our graduates off to
MTSU with a giant box full of college essentials.
Thank you sooo much to all who contributed! Y’all are amazing.

Congratulations to Holly Stewart, Jeanette George, and Stephanie Mullenax
for Chicktime Nashville being nominated for the 2020 Strobel Award!
This award recognizes volunteer organizations that have made a
significant impact in their community. Way to go ladies!!
 
#makeanimpact #serveyourcommunity

February Update

Chicktime Nashville sends a special thanks to
 
Anna Peterman for such a great Valentine’s craft day!

 

January Update

Chicktime Nashville was hosted by Mrs. Mary Tuck today!
Thank you so much for sharing your talents.

Today we painted on Canvas.
Our girls love expressing themselves with art and they did not disappoint.

November Update

This year we cooked and served the young ladies of Youth Villages. YouthVillage.
The food was amazing.
After dinner we did karaoke Christmas songs.

 

October Update

The girls loved the goat farm.
They received and gave love to the goats.
Each goat had its own personal story.

 

September Update

In September we talked about the power of words and
learned about two different kinds of poetry.
Holly brought some personal blackout poetry to share
and we made bracelets by choosing colors that represented us as individuals.

August Update

The kids won the water wars. They enjoyed getting the leaders drenched.

We had a great time playing Dodge the Water Balls, badminton, and volleyball.

The gifts were greatly appreciated. Thanks for all of you that donated.
We would also like to thank our volunteers that barbecued our yummy lunch.

We ended our day with ice cream sundaes.

This event was one of our favorites.
Each person is touching the lives of these young ladies by donating gifts,
donating items or volunteering.
And for that, we can’t Thank You enough.

 

July Update

“We should not teach children the sciences
but give them a taste for them.” -Jean Jacques Rosseau

We had a great time at our science workshop with the girls!
They learned about DNA strands and extracting DNA!
Big thanks to Youth Villages for having us and
Chelsea Cash for a great time with the girls! – Holly

 

June Update

NASHVILLE CHICKTIME had a GREAT DAY TODAY!!!!
We met and learned about sugar gliders from Australia
and spent the afternoon singing karaoke and eating sweet treats.
Everyone was there and engaged, it was fantastic!

 

 

May Update

The ladies enjoyed sports day. It rained so we moved it inside and played table tennis.
Our tournament was one for the books.

After Renee Smith taught us how to make flower crowns.
The perseverance paid off and we finally finished the crowns.
The finished product was beautiful.

We then proceeded to our first Chicktime birthday party.
Each girl received a pink bag with coloring books, pencils, and journals.
The house received towels and art supplies.
Leader Stephanie made the cupcake cake. It was perfectly moist and delicious.

We loved seeing Renee, meeting Anna and Jackie. Thanks for all your help and love.

We hope to see you at next month’s sing along.

 

April Update

This morning Chicktime was a fun and creative event.
We love getting to know the young ladies. We had two volunteers today.
We love our volunteers! Thanks again!

Miss Stephanie built these garden boxes by hand.
The painted rocks are markers to remind the ladies which plants are which.

March Update:

We had so much fun today with the youth at Youth Villages.

The girls loved making pizzas and showing their creative side. We can’t wait for next month!