debrief issue11

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debrief an online publication of Bridge Builders® Alabama A Simple Gesture Top Engineers december ‘ll/january ‘12 MAKING A DIFFERENCE The Show Returns pg. 3

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Transcript of debrief issue11

Page 1: debrief issue11

debriefan online publication of Bridge Builders® Alabama

A Simple GestureTop Engineers

december ‘ll/january ‘12

MAKING ADIFFERENCE

The Show

Returns

pg. 3

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december/januaryread all about it

3 From StephenWhat does being a BB mean?

4 Top Engineers and SchoolsAre you on the list?

5 Shout Out!To Macon East Volleyball &Quanisha

6 Making a Differenceat the Soup Kitchen

8 A Simple GestureBy Joey Zayas

9 Rod White: A Montgomery Health and Wellness Innovator

By Corran Sawyer

10 Taking Care of Our Furry FriendsMontgomery Humane Society

11 A Little GardeningBy James Stair

12 AUM Holiday PartyRecap

®

EVENTS CALENDER

january

february

February 165:00pm – 7:00pm

Leadership Skill Building

January 13-147:00pm – 7:00am

“The Show” Lock-In Common Ground

1516 Mobile Road, Montgomery

January 244:00pm – 7:00pm

Soup Kitchen-Salvation Army900 Bell Street, Montgomery

January 194:30pm – 5:30pm

Finding Financial AidHuntingdon College

Smith Recital Hall1500 East Fairview Avenue

Recruitment coming soon!

The new year is almost here and we’ll be looking for new Bridge Builders® to join the

family.

If you know any 10th graders who might be interested please

encourage them to go to the recruitment when we visit your

school, thanks!

pg. 6

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What does being a Bridge Builder mean? Who are we as Bridge Builders®? Is Bridge Builders® a summer conference? Is it new friends? Is it connections and shared stories with people we would have otherwise never met? Is Bridge Builders® helping out at Dragon Boats or the Mayors Half Marathon, or the “Making Strides” walk? Or, is Bridge Builders® community service projects? Is it

helping out at the soup kitchen, or the Humane Society, or Common Ground? How about the skill building sessions? Is Bridge Builders® learning about leadership, or poverty, or financial aid, or even about facebook? Bridge Builders® is about all of that, and so much more. Bridge Builders® is about new friends, new ideas, new experiences. Bridge Builders® is facing our fears and trusting people who just last week were complete strangers. Bridge Builders® is about fun. It is about cheering Team Full Value on as they paddle to victory.

It is about running into fellow Bridge Builders® around town and knowing that you share something with that person that folks who aren’t fortunate to be a part of us will never really understand. It is all of that and more. What is Bridge Builders® to you? To me, Bridge Builders® is mostly about making a difference! It looks different for every Bridge Builder, but each of us have had chances to give back, to be better than we were. For some, it may be welcoming the new kid in the school, asking that student who looks or acts different than us to join us at our lunch table. It may be the senior project where we raise money for a vital cause. It may be helping another school have a prom this year. It may be serving a dinner to a 5 year old, and for a minute, giving that child an excuse to smile. Last weekend, we had 19 Bridge Builders® help at the AUM Humanics Holiday Party. We partnered with 140 other volunteers and helped give 182 needy children a Christmas to remember! These are the types of situations we as Bridge Builders® take advantage of constantly.We are making a difference, everywhere we go!

From Stephen...

The ShowReturns

Annual Overnight Lock-In January 13th -14th

7:00pm-7:00am

Common Ground of Montgomery

1516 Mobile Road Montgomery, AL 36108

Featuring activities about:

poverty

leadership

diversity

bridge builders®

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Top Engineers

Elizabeth Graham-15Roberta Baldwin-14Ashley Thompson-14Rosa Gomez-14Yowzeph Ziyad-13Desiree Oneal-13Quincy Bentley-13Aldenero Dixon-8Shantinique Hendricks-8 Lauren Walker-8Sydney Foster-7

Congrats to these students and schools! These schools listed have the most participation according to the number of Bridge Builders® that attend there. The list of students have the top three most credits.

Top 10 Schools

Alabama Christian AcademyBrewbaker Technology MagnetBooker T. Washington TuskegeeBooker T. Washington MagnetStanhope Elmore High SchoolLoveless Academic Magnet ProgramNotasulga High SchoolSaint JudeWetumpkaTrinity Presbyterian School

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Macon East Lady Knights Win the Class 2A State Volleyball Championship

Great job to Macon East and our Bridge Builders®: Victoria Henderson, Haley Floyd, and Whitney Springer, all members of the team! Your hard work and dedication has paid off. The game took place on Saturday, October 29 at Faulkner University. Macon East Lady Knights swept the Kingwood Christian Lions in the Final Four game taking home the title! These ladies have demonstrated what teamwork and leadership can accomplish, something we’ve all learned being a Bridge Builder. We are very proud of you all and hope that you continue your successes into the future and influence others around you to always give it their best. Congratulations!

Congratulations to our Bridge Builder, Quanisha Blackmon, for receiving the BTW Student of the Month Award!

Qualifications are: • High Grade Point Average (GPA),• Being an overall progressive and hardworking student,• Exceeding expectations of mentors and teachers,• Reaching above and beyond the normal standards

Great job Quanisha, we are proud to say you are one of our Bridge Builders®! Note to all Bridge Builders®, if you receive any awards at school or in extracurricular activities please let us know!

SHOUT OUT!

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Making a Difference

at the Salvation

Army

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Stephen

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Volunteering for the Salvation Army has been an amazing community service event for the Bridge Builders® this year. Upon arriving the students signed a check-in log. After this they were given aprons, hair nets, and gloves to handle the food that they would be serving the guests. With new uniforms and hesitant expressions, the Bridge Builders entered the cafeteria to begin serving the food. They were asked to make 30 to-go plates to be distributed to the residents and then prepare to serve those dining in. After preparing the to-go meals the girls then started to greet the guests as they sat at their tables.

They made the plates and delivered them to each adult and child. All of the Bridge Builders® kept smiling despite the realization that some children as young as 5 years old were at the table dining and enjoying their family. After the last guests left, the leader of the kitchen spoke to the girls about how the new vision of homelessness does not always have a predictable face. The Bridge Builders® seemed very moved about being able to help serve and all said they truly enjoyed the process. As the student volunteers pulled off from the site, it was evident this event turned out to be a success.

Shout Out: William Speaks, Mary

Elizabeth Massey, Rosa Gomez, Barton Crum, Laura Katherin Crum,

Abi Capouya, Kwaishawn Albritton, Breanna Ward

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Leadership is not some simple adjective that one may give themselves. Leadership is something earned through practice. To be a leader takes time, effort, and a strong will to look adversity in the eye and not back down. It is not always easy to be a leader nor should it be. Leaders are those that you look up to and take comfort in the fact that whatever the problem or task may be, it will be solved. The purpose of Bridge Builders® is to instill these values into you guys and girls so that our local communities can benefit from them. In April 2010, Tuscaloosa, AL was struck by a series of deadly tornados. A recent news article talks about a man, Chad Bianchi, who felt compelled to do something. Bianchi, a 27 year old University of Alabama graduate, printed the date of the tornadoes onto a bracelet and sold them for $5 each. Although he knew that this small gesture would only create a limited amount of money, his goal was to simply change the life of one person for the better. On top of this, Bianchi has been trying to overcome an undiagnosed illness for the past 4 years. The illness has “affected his speech and balance,” according to a WSFA article. This type of self-less act is something that is looked upon with admiration. Bridge Builders® , especially during Junior Conference, tries to instill how important teamwork is. The current number of Bridge Builders® stands at 188. If there were 188 Mike Bianchi’s in Tuscaloosa with the same drive and passion, the impact would be tremendous. When we work together and share the burden there is no challenge that we as a community, state, nation, and world, cannot overcome.

A Simple Gesture

By Joey Zayas

For more info:http://www.wsfa.com/

story/15516874/millbrook-man-isnt-letting-mysterious-illness-get-in-the-

way-of-helping-others

Bianchi’s Blog:http://www.helptuscaloosa.net/

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Rod White is an Alabama State University student that played minor league baseball for a period of time, but then quit the game. Subsequently when he quit baseball he stopped exercising and let himself go physically, mentally, and emotionally. He met with his doctor who told him that he would be battling heart and blood pressure issues if he did not start exercising again. Aware that Montgomery has one of the highest rates of obesity in the country; White turned to First Lady Michelle Obama’s initiative and decided that Let’s move the River Region was necessary for Montgomery, AL youth. Noting that Montgomery is in the 30th percentile in terms of obesity nationally, White concluded how great it would be to commence a program to counteract obesity and get the river region youth outside and active. In a time of Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Playstation, and Xbox it’s clear most of our youth have a strong relationship with their computer or television, more than that of their own backyard or swimming pool. Let’s Move the River Region encompasses a variety of different activities from “Ultimate Frisbee” to baseball and softball tournaments. To make sure that everyone

is aware of these events, White uses Facebook and Twitter to get the word out there. Using these social networking sites is a great idea because children are always subject to check with their computer first for information. Let’s Move the River Region is very well known across Alabama. Elementary schools to universities have incorporated it into their curriculum. More than six counties in Alabama are participating and even some surrounding states have begun to follow White’s lead in pushing movement and activity. For more information and to become involved make sure to visit the website. We as Bridge Builders® can learn from the example set by Rod White. It is important to notice where problems are and to take part in the change that we want to see. Rod White’s leadership and initiative now pushes children of all ages and backgrounds to set their sights on achieving any fitness goal thrown their way. We commend Mr. White, Alabama State, and the River Region for educating and inspiring us to strive to be knowledgeable, healthy, and productive Alabamians!!

Rod White: A Montgomery Health and Wellness InnovatorBy: Corran Sawyer

www.letsmovetheriverregion.com

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On December 3, 2011, Bridge Builders® Alabama volunteered for two hours at the Montgomery Humane Society. Thirteen kids woke up bright and early to make their way to the HSPCA by 8 a.m. Upon arriving at the humane society, the kids were broken up into three different groups: cleaning up the big dog cages, cleaning the cat room, and cleaning the puppy rooms. The Bridge Builders®, with their noses plugged, had to remove all the animals from their cages and put them into crates. Afterward, every cage was cleaned and washed out. The large dogs were herded out of their cages and put outside while their cages were cleaned. Once all the cages were cleaned and the floors dried, the animals were returned to their cages. Although this particular service project was a bunch of manual labor, the Bridge Builders® loved playing with all the animals and helping out the HSPCA. The staff on hand was so amazing. They gave clear instructions and were extremely friendly and easy to work for. The humane society was so grateful for all of the Bridge Builders® hard work. There was such a fantastic turn out for this event that we will be volunteering again, next semester, and would love for people that didn’t sign up this time to come out.

iTaking Care of

Our Furry Friends

Thanks again to all those who helped out on Saturday: Jailyn, Takia, Clint, Vestavia, David, Hakan, Mary Elizabeth, Taylor W., William, Jordan, Rachel, Chassidy, and Kaitlyn.

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A Little GardeningBy James Stair Sitting, waiting, and wishing that things would change. That someone would understand, maybe taking time to listen and show interest in what we have to say. We all want to feel like people care and acknowledge what we have to show. There is a Montgomery man who felt this way. He decided he wanted to do something that would greatly impact people’s lives. Little did he know how big of a difference he was going to make. Dennis Itson had the idea to create a community garden. His idea sprung to life with the help of more than 30 students at Faulkner University, and since its implementation, has supplied food to over 50 elderly residents. The impact of the garden in the elderly community was a bit more than Itson could have predicted. Not only were the residents receiving food, they were also experiencing a change in their lives. The garden is maintained by the nearby senior residents. It gives them a reason to get out of their homes and to be productive. Many residents don’t seem to get out much either because they are physically unable to or they have an illness which limits them. One man was mentioned in an article of the garden. He has cancer. They said he has been depressed and pretty much stays in his apartment. Since the garden was created he has been out helping to take care of it. He’s been meeting and learning about other folks who spend time in the garden. This is not just a garden; it is much more than that. It brings happiness to people’s lives and has put life in people’s eyes. It goes to show you that something as simple as a garden can have a great impact on people. As Bridge Builders we know what it feels like to see the positive impact of what we do. It doesn’t take a lot to change someone’s life it just takes a little gardening (metaphorically speaking). Our Bridge Builders from Notasulga and Tuskegee are creating a community garden for their senior project.

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On Saturday December 10, 2011, the Bridge Builders® participated in the annual Humanics Holiday Party hosted by Auburn University in Montgomery. They helped to make a wonderful holiday experience for many disadvantaged youth in the River Region. The youth targeted by the program were generally 5 to 12 years old. This event served about 190 children with the Bridge Builders® as mentors and guides throughout the exciting holiday festivities. For our students, this was an event they really enjoyed and connected with. Kwaishawn Albritton, a junior student at Central Hayneville, commented that this could be the only Christmas many of the kids experienced and how touched she was to be a part of its success. Kwaishawn wisely made the comment that the holidays are about giving and that those who have should always do just that. During the debriefing of the event the students came to a consensus to be thankful for what they have. Overall the AUM Humanics party turned out to be an amazing success!

AUMHumanics Holiday Party