LOVE | CONNECT | SERVE
Our “Giving Back” Compassion program & philosophy:
Our "Compassion Projects" teach children to consider others they may not normally notice and nurtures empathy & sympathy, which facilitates their growth into kind and thoughtful teens & adults. Our children experience connecting with their local community, their community at large as well as their friends as Odyssey. Through compassion projects, children are able to explore how kind actions and words positively affect others. Children learn to lead by example with the hopes that they become lasting role models to their friends going into elementary school. Lastly, our children learn to appreciate people from a variety of ages, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. The program inspires a genuine desire to love, understand and help others. Below are some of the 'giving back' "compassion projects” that Odyssey Preschool and its' families are involved in throughout the year.
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African New Life Ministries (ANLM)Jan/Feb - Our 1st Global compassion project is supporting Rwandan children through ANLM (local headquarters: Portland).
We are supporting two ways! 1. "Food Is" collection change jar. Preschools learn how to earn money at home to donate alongside OP and help ANLM provide over 1.2 million meals to Rwanda children this year! 2. On going love notes and art creations sent throughout the year to ANLM Rwandan Daycare which caregives for approximately 27 children. The children are ANLM vocational training women who would not be unable to attend if they did not have this resource. The Daycare provides the children with crafts, activities, educational lessons, Bible lessons and meals. More info: http://www.foodisrwanda.org/#stories http://www.africanewlife.org/ "Love Rocks"Feb - Love Rocks were inspired by Anna and Abigail, two sisters who's lives ended suddenly in October 2013. The idea is to spread love and joy one rock at a time. Our preschoolers made their own love rocks. We discussed love & friendship a lot this month and we encouraged the kids to send a prayer/wish, or give someone a surprise or a smile with their love rock. We also talked about some ideas for leaving the love rocks different places such as at a hospital, school, park church etc. and we encouraged their family to pick their own special place to leave them!
Find out more about Love Rocks at: https://www.love-drenched-life.com https://www.facebook.com/lovedrenched World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
April - Our 2nd global giving back project. The children vote in class on supporting an endangered or at-risk animal! The children voted on and Odyssey Preschool has donated $ to support at-risk cheetahs in Asia and Africa. The children in return receive information in the mail along with a photo, adoption card and certificate & stuffed animal for our reading center on their cheetah.
More info: http://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/Cheetah.aspx Welcome Boxes for ‘Embrace Oregon’ & DHSMay/June - Odyssey Preschool partners with ‘Embrace Oregon’ & Grace Chapel: So proud of Odyssey Preschool kids and their families! Over the course of two weeks, families brought in items to fill ‘Welcome Boxes’ for local DHS offices for children who have been pulled from their home, taken to a local DHS office and wait for a social worker to find a foster home placement....this can be several hours and these Welcome Boxes help lower anxiety and fears while children wait.
More info: http://www.embraceoregon.org/join-us/welcome-boxes Potting Plants for Older Adults
June/July - Odyssey Preschool families provide a pot for their child & children plant with Daydream Gardens, donating their planted beauties to Marquis Acute Care Assisted Living Center in Tualatin. A special thanks to Daydream Gardens who provides all the potting materials and flowers! The children loved working with their hands and special talents to give back.
Box Tops for Education
August/September - 100% of ‘Box Top’s collected at Odyssey Preschool are donated to Alder Elementary (SE Portland). Located in the highest impoverished Oregon neighborhoods with 95% of its’ children on the free lunch program, Alder Elementary has high minority & very low economic status children in attendance. In 2010, Alder Elementary was the 1st “Dreamer School” in the Nation under the “I Have A Dream Foundation”, a partner of United Way. The Dreamer School Model is 100% high school graduation and 80% post-secondary completion for every student. Alder Elementary works hard to partner with the community in a variety of ways to be change agents tackling the challenge of breaking the cycle of poverty, crime, school drop out, etc in Oregon. They have risen to the challenge and are building a foundation to empower their elementary children for success & this is why we have chosen to support them!
http://www.dreamoregon.org/ http://www.ihaveadreamfoundation.org/html/ http://www.reynolds.k12.or.us/alder http://www.boxtops4education.com/ Odyssey Preschool Usborne Book FairSept/Oct - Odyssey Preschool parents purchased books and learning materials as gifts for their families children through our Usborne school book fair where they raised money to build Odyssey Preschool’s library and educational tools. The children are excited to have new books in their school library to read and learn from throughout the year. Thank you parents for giving back to your children’s school!
Are you interested in supporting Odyssey Preschool’s Library? We welcome you to click the link below to buy books: <link coming soon!> Winter Clothing & Non-Perishable Foods Drive
Oct / Nov - Odyssey Preschoolers & their families collected and donated gently used winter clothing & non-perishable foods to a local charitable organizations for children and families in need. We collaboratively collected items such as: coats, hats, boots, snow pants, and similar winter outdoor gear and canned & boxed food items. We appreciate all that our families at Odyssey Preschool do and we know this winter clothing & food drive helped many needy families this winter!
http://www.the-ftts.org/ http://ths1.ttsd.k12.or.us/caringcloset/ http://www.schoolhousepantry.org/ |