2nd Annual "Drop In and Decorate" Event!

After a great experience last year, Tiny Hands will once again be decorating cookies for the Ronald McDonald House and wanted to give you the dates!

Decorate cookies: Sunday, December 9th, 4 - 5pm

Delivery of cookies: Friday, December 14th, meet at 3:15 at Captain Isaac Paine School for carpooling to Ronald McDonald House. We will visit from 4 - 5pm approximately.

*** We need 3 more familes to make 25 cookies each. Specific recipe that needs to be followed will be provided and you will need to bring the cookies (or drop them by) for the decorating on the 9th of December. We are participating in this event through Ninecooks and you can see more information on the wonderful history of Drop in and Decorate here: www.ninecooks.com

Here come the Holidays! Enjoy!

May focus: Beautifying our community!

Tiny Hands met up at the Butterfly Garden at the school with garden gloves in hand. There was much weeding to do and the children did a fantastic job of sprucing the garden up!

Enjoy summer and we'll see you in the Fall!

Multiple Sclerosis Walk 2007

Quick thanks to all who supported and walked in the 2007 Multiple Sclerosis Walk in Narragansett. It was a beautiful day and some of the bigger kids actually walked the entire 6.2 miles. For a link to the website, visit http://www.nationalmssociety.org

Tiny Hands, March: Focus on physical challenges

On Thursday March 29th Tiny Hands members met and learned about what it is like to live with physical challenges. The children did a great job exploring what it would be like to be vision impaired as well as considering how a house could be changed to acccomodate someone moving about in a wheelchair.

From 3 year olds to 7 year olds, these kids had some great ideas and showed empathy and their own strength of spirit when presented with challenges.

Go Tiny Hands!

Happy Valentines Day from Tiny Hands!

With forecasts of big snow, we moved our event up one day and brought our flowers and cards to the teachers on February 13th.
With much enthusiasm, the children took turns going classroom to classroom handing out flowers to the 19 teachers and support staff at our local elementary school.

THanks to all who attended!

January focus: Honoring teachers

This month we've chosen to honor the teachers and support staff at our local elementary school where many of our children are attending and even more will be in the next few years.

We honor all of the teachers who will influence our children's lives!
Especially for...
Demonstrating a passion or love for one’s subject.
Challenging students to better themselves.
Working within the family to encourage learning.
Setting an example of civic responsibility and challenging students to consider the ethics of a situation.
Using creative or innovative practices in the classroom in order to enliven or enhance classroom participation.
Consistently setting an example for students on how to conduct one’s self.
Consistently helping students in problematic situations, and demonstrating an evenness of mind when doing so.
Demonstrating acts of courage.

On Valentines Day, Tiny Hands will be delivering bouquets of flowers and handmade cards for all the teachers and support staff at our local elementary school.

If you live in our community (Northwestern R.I.) with a child between the ages of 3 and grade 2, and would like to participate, please email k.swanson@cox.net

December event: Drop In & Decorate with Ninecooks

What a great success this event was! 17 children, along with parents, gathered on Saturday, December 16th and did a fantastic job of decorating 80 sugar cookies! The kids showed great skill and creativity and had allot of fun in the process. BIG thanks to Ninecooks for allowing us to share in this great tradition. Visit their website at www.ninecooks.com for an update on the main event! We also created 16 gift bags filled with donated toys, for the children of families residing at the Ronald McDonald house.

On Monday, December 18th, our group traveled into Providence to the Ronald McDonald house where we made like elves and left 16 gift bags outside of residents doors. The House Manager was also kind enough to give us a tour and share the mission of this special place with the kids.

For more information on the Ronald McDonald House, a "home- away-from-home" for the parents & families of pediatric patients and severely ill maternity patients, visit www.providenceronaldmcdonaldhouse.org

*Cookie shown was made (by humans older than 3 - grade 2) at Ninecooks Drop In & Decorate Event last year.

Tiny Hands visits the Foster Public Library

Thanks to all who attended our November 11th event at the Foster Public Library!
15 children signed up for their very own library cards, enjoyed stories, made beautiful bookmarks for patrons, helped to return books to the shelves and learned about how lucky we are to have a Public Library (2 in fact) in town!

We hope to see you all in December for "Drop in and Decorate!"

Tiny Hands Badges

These badges are so cute, we wanted to post a picture! At each of our Tiny Hands events, we give the children a badge to celebrate their accomplishments. Those participating in the Presidential Program get the wall badge holder to boot! Thanks to Jennifer, Laverne and Meredith for all of their work making these for us...

Halloween at the Nancy Ann!

On Saturday October 14th, Spiderman, a Prince, 3 Princesses, a bride, 2 cowboys, a mermaid and a bumble-bee brought Holiday Cheer to the Nancy Ann Nursing Home! Children experienced riding in a wheelchair, stories where shared and Halloween treats enjoyed.
Thanks so much to all who participated...

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Margaret Mead

October - Focus on Serving Seniors

Halloween at the Nancy Ann Nursing Home!
Date: 10/14/06 - 2-3:15 pm at the Nancy Ann Nursing Home - Foster, RI.

Join us as we gather at the Nancy Ann Nursing home to bring the residents some Halloween Cheer! We'll meet at 1:45pm at the Paine School in Foster for carpooling or meet us at the Nancy Ann at at 2pm sharp. (Located @ 40 East Killingly Road, Foster, RI.) Kids and adults are welcome to wear costumes!
This was a great experience for the adults and kids last year and we are really looking forward to participating in this tradition again!

We will meet to prior to this for making decorations, email k.swanson@cox.net if you want details.

Recycling Center Fun!

On September 30th, Tiny Hands visited the Recycling for Rhode Island Education Center in Providence where we learned, first hand, that one persons (or companies) "junk", is someone elses treasure! This place is doing a great job of diverting tons of trash from our landfills. We toured, we worked (sorting/packaging materials) and practiced recycling first hand. And it's not a Tiny Hands event without a little finishing celebration! Thank you so much to everyone who came - what a great bunch of kids we have.

Beach Cleanup 2006!

On a beautiful, sunny, perfect July morning, 20 Tiny Hands members met on East Matunick Beach for our annual Beach Cleanup. This is a beach that we go to regularly so we thought it would be a great idea to have the kids clean it up.
Prior to the start of the cleanup, the Head Lifegaurd took some time to talk to the kids about the hazards litter poses to aquatic and bird life. Empowered to make a difference, and equipped with our new Tiny Hands gloves, logo hats (thanks Jennifer and Laura!) and plastic bags we combed up and down the beach and became aware of how much trash is littering the beach! Cigarettes, balloon fragments with strings attached, bottle tops, plastic ... all things that, beyond visually taking away from the shore, are hazards to the creatures that dwell there. We each collected full bags of trash to take away and learned allot.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

And as a great surprise, our local NBC 10 news channel responded to our press release and came down to cover the event! One of our 5 year old members was interviewed and did a great job explaining why we came to clean the beach up. (Great job Max!) Tiny Hands made the 6 o'clock evening news generating excitement for our members and some local exposure.

Interested in joining us at our next event? Leave a note in the comments or send us an email.

Presidential Service Awards Program

Starting September 1st, 2006, Tiny Hands will start our year long commitment to 50 hours of community service as part of our participation in the President’s Volunteer Service Awards program. In September of 2007 we will award certificates from the President to any members who have met the following requirements:
- 38 hours of Tiny Hands sponsored community service hours and 12 hours of independent community service hours, of your choice. This service must be completed between 9/1/2006 and 9/1 2007.
Click here for a link to the Presidential Service Awards website.

Whether or not you choose to participate in the program described above, we welcome any level of participation, be it one project or all twelve. Thank you for your support!

Our Monthly Focus - see "Upcoming projects" for details.
September -Focus on Recycling - Recycling for Rhode Island Education Center
October - Focus on Serving Seniors - Halloween at the Nancy Ann Nursing Home
November - Focus on literacy - Library Public System
December - Tiny Hands participates in Drop in And Decorate by Ninecooks.
January: Focus on Animal Welfare - Volunteering at Animal Shelter
February: Focus on Disabilities -
March: Focus on Diversity - Mural project
April: Focus on Health Challenges - Multiple Sclerosis Walk
May: Focus on Hunger - Food Drive
June: Beautifying our Environment - Planter program
July: Tiny Hands Fundraiser - Car Wash!
August: Focus on Environment - Beach cleanup

Have any ideas on a project for our kids? Leave them in the comments section... we welcome all ideas!

The Results are in! Monster Munch 2006

Tiny Hands is proud to announce that we collected 700 lbs worth of goods for the Rhode Island Food Bank! This is nearly three times what we collected last year.

Thanks to all our Tiny Hands members who supported our efforts and the community for so generously donating!

WE MADE A DIFFERENCE!

Tiny Hands Car Wash Fundraiser was a great success!

Our morning started at 9am at the Scituate Animal Shelter where we talked with a volunteer about what an animal shelter is and the ways that some of the animals may have come to the shelter. We then toured the cat and dog rooms where the kids got to meet the animals and hear their stories. The kids were able to see first hand that several of the dogs needed beds, so off we went to raise some money for the shelter!
With about 10 kids and 8 adults in attendance, we washed our way to over $120.00 in revenue for the shelter! All involved felt this was a GREAT event and we look forward to doing it again next year!

Library ADOPT A POT, summer 2006

On May 24th, on a beautifully sunny day, 15 Tiny Hands members, with shovels, flower and potting soil in tow, met at our local libraries to fill four planters with Petunias, Pansies, Marigolds and more!

Thanks to one of our neighboors for the great popsickles!

Message from the RI Community Food Bank

Tiny Hands Monster Munch Food Drive Testimonial

The Rhode Island Community Food Bank provides quality food to people facing hunger through a network of certified member agencies. The organization also provides leadership and information to promote citizen action, advance government nutrition assistance, and promote private efforts aimed at developing effective solutions toward the elimination of hunger in Rhode Island. In order to help meet the nutritional needs of people seeking food assistance, the Food Bank relies on the generosity of the community for donations. Food donations and organized collections are critical to help the Food Bank acquire product. For the past two years, Tiny Hands has organized the Monster Munch Food Drive to benefit the Food Bank. "The opportunity to introduce young children to philanthropy and helping others through their actions is invaluable," stated Bernie Beaudreau, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. "Summer is a difficult time for the Food Bank and those we serve. Anticipating another shortfall of food this summer, we are constantly in need of food drives like this."

Multiple Sclerosis WALK 2006 success!

As part of our commitment to walking for a cure for Multiple Sclerosis, we wanted to educate our children on the effects of the disease. One of our member parents, who lives with Multiple Sclerosis, gave them some examples of challenges she experiences everyday. For example, to show them what it was like to experience blurry vision, she passed around glasses that had been coated with vaseline.

After raising over $2,000.00, approximately 20 Tiny Hands members walked for a cure for Multiple Sclerosis on April 21st.

For more information on Multiple Sclerosis and what you can do to help click HERE.

Tiny Hands approved as an Official Certifying Organization for the Presidents Volunteer Service Awards!

Tiny Hands is proud to announce that we have been approved as a Certifying Organization for the President’s Volunteer Service Award, a national program recognizing people (in our case children) who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to volunteer service. Established in 2003, the Award was created to give Presidential recognition to individuals, families and groups who meet requirements for volunteer service, measured by the number of service hours performed over 12-months.
Tiny Hands is one of thousands of organizations that have joined forces to deliver the President’s Volunteer Service Award and honor the volunteers who strengthen our communities. As a Certifying Organization for the Award, Tiny Hands is responsible for verifying service hours, nominating potential recipients and delivering the Award.
Together, we can strengthen our communities – one hour at a time.
For more information about volunteering with Tiny Hands, contact k.swanson@cox.net. For more information on the President’s Volunteer Service Award and to find out how to identify additional volunteer opportunities in this area, visit www.presidentialserviceawards.gov or call 1-866-545-5307.

Monster Munch Food Drive project outline

After great success last year with the collection of several hundreds pounds of food, *Tiny Hands presents our 2nd Annual Monster Munch Food Drive and first ever Photo contest!
For the Monster Munch Food Drive, we will be turning garbage receptacles into funky monster food receptacles and then setting these up for collection of non-perishable food items for the RI Food Bank.
WHEN: Decorating of the monster receptacles will be conducted at our local elementary school, with participation by our children and other children in the community that hear about our event through the paper. Donations will be accepted from May 1st through June 17th.
WHERE: Our hungry "monsters" will be conveniently located at 6 local spots that we feel have good traffic
PRIZE: To WIN, contestants must take their photo donating to each of the 6 monsters - then email or mail their photos and address to one of our members. On receipt of photos we will mail the winner a prize and enter them into our GRAND PRIZE DRAWING!
GOAL: Two-fold: Provide our community with the opportunity to bring our local Food Bank much needed food during the summer months. Within our organization, to provide our children with the opportunity to learn about the needs of others and empower them to make a difference. Our children participate in creating/maintaining the monsters, weekly food collection, maintenance and delivering of food to the Food Bank.

Tiny Hands, Big Hearts Valentines Day Fundraiser

For the 2nd year running, we ran our "Tiny Hands, Big Hearts" fundraiser where we provide an opportunity for local residents to send tulip bouquets, with a personalized Valentines Day message, to one another for the holiday. This project was a BIG success this year with 35 bouquets sold, thanks to lots of local support! Our community paper generated new sales along with our members actively selling the service. The children worked together to make the bouquets and then participated in the delivery of the bouquets, along with their parents. Bags, decorated by the kids and filled with candy, were brought by our local nursing home on Valentines Day.

Happy Valentines Day from Tiny Hands!

October focus: Bringing Holiday Cheer to our local Nursing Home

On October 16, we got together to make Halloween decorations to bring to our local nursing home. The kids made bats and spiders out of clothesline pins and decorated bags to fill with Halloween Candy.
On Halloween we went to the Nursing Home for a costume parade and holiday party with the residents where we shared punch and cookies. It was a special opportunity for the kids to connect with local seniors, many of whom grew up in their town. We look forward to more celebrations with them in the future!