36 minute read
From Crayons to Campus
August seems too early to turn our thoughts from beach to backpacks, but here we are at the beginning of another school year. In these pages, we take you from an incredibly unique homeschool classroom with a marina view that lets the imagination sail to thoughts on the final year of high school and transition into college life. We also feature two local organizations that are hard at work to meet the needs of students in our community. And backpacks? Yes, we’ve got a little something about them too. We wish all of our students, parents, teachers, and school staff a school year of smooth seas and full sails. (continues)
From Crayons to Campus
From Crayons to Campus
COASTAL CLASSROOM
Photos by Nick Toth, The Darkroom
One of the most interesting classrooms we’ve ever seen comes to us courtesy of designer Mary Knight of Seaside Homes. Mary was asked to convert two office spaces with no distinguishing features into a home school. Her client wanted a space that would not only encourage learning, but also provide complete freedom for her children’s creativity. Adding to the charm are heart pine ceiling beams and antique columns. Many items from the antique wire baskets to the ceiling fans originated in a cotton factory in Lanett, Alabama. All furnishings were provided by Seaside Home for durability and comfort. And with a collaborated effort between Island Sea Designs and Seaside Homes, these vintage fixtures and unique architectural elements are a true example of reclaiming, recycling and repurposing. Seaside Home is located at 125 Gary L. Moore Court. (continues)
THIS PAGE: The wall to the left is a tinted mirror with bookcases. School supplies are stored in 60 year-old tin bins. Under the mirror is a vegetable sink, originally from Budapest.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Connecting the two spaces with an antique barn door set the tone for this rustic industrial but warm and inviting look. The open ceilings are covered with the wire baskets originally used to catch cotton at the factory.
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From Crayons to Campus The center wall has antique columns and an 1880 fireplace surround from the Lanett factory. The center table was made from an instrument used to compact cotton and adorned with a copper top. (continues)
From Crayons to Campus
LEFT: The side desks facing the marina were handcrafted by Edie’s Wildsmith Woodworking. The desktops are hammered copper and each desk has a tin canopy
ABOVE: Mary and Ernie Knight opened Floor Décor 30 years ago, specializing in all types of flooring. Their craftsmanship now extends to a fabrication shop creating counter tops including granite and marble. Mary and Ernie’s two children have joined the business. Ryan manages the fabrication shop and Brittney is their regional buyer. Mary also opened Seaside Homes eight years ago. (continues)
From Crayons to Campus
WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME
The opening line to the theme song from Cheers may seem like an odd starting point to talk about the Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Georgia, but helping kids to make their way in the world today is precisely their mission. You’ll also hear it said by the kids, their families, teachers and staff (continues)
This year is especially important for the Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Georgia because it is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The organization has been providing a clean and safe place for children and youth to gather when they aren’t in school for half a century and is still going strong. They’ll be throwing a party in September and will also be completely renovating the building on Johnston Street to mark their five decades of helping the youth in our community.
Incorporated in 1966 by the State of Georgia as the Boys Club of Glynn, Inc., the Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Georgia began through the work of Rev. Roy B. Setzer in 1930. Rev. Setzer was the pastor of St. James Lutheran Church in Brunswick, the welfare director of the City, and volunteer Probation Officer of the Juvenile Court. Rev. Setzer saw urgent need and decided to form a club. “The purpose of the club was to lay a solid foundation for citizenship in the lives of underprivileged boys. There was a two-fold approach to this: (1) To instill into the boys the moral values of the Ten Commandments: (2) To demonstrate to them that the church and the community (through its civic clubs and leading citizens) had a genuine concern for them.” Meetings where the boys played games and discussed the Ten Commandments were held in the parish hall of the church on Friday nights and other special recreational activities were held during the week. When the group’s membership increased to 45 boys, the group split into two. The Kiwanis Club stepped up
and provided the boys with a camping trip on St. Simons Island each summer, tickets to ballgames, and meals. At that time, there were approximately 90 boys participating in the program. Before Rev. Setzer left the area in 1938, he drew up tentative plans for a clubhouse to expand the program and give it a permanent home. The idea was backed by Alfred Jones of Sea Island Company, among others.
S.G. Norton took on the mantle of leadership after Rev. Setzer’s departure and was one of the individuals instrumental in organizing the group officially as the Brunswick Boys Club with a location in a two-story building on “H” street in 1938. The program featured boxing, football, basketball, woodshop, and movies. A new facility on “H” Street was built by the Brunswick Kiwanis Club in 1957, and they continued to support the project under the leadership of Bill Womack. Upon the death of Mr. Womack and subsequent issues, the club closed in August of 1965.
A man that many of us today know as a great friend to this community through his work with the St. Simons Island Land Trust and beyond, Ben T. Slade, III, stepped forward with E.M. Patterson and Paul Warwick, and advised a reorganization of the Board of Directors and helped the Boys Club of Glynn to obtain its incorporated status from the State of Georgia on October 28, 1966. I.M. Aiken, Sr. was elected president of the Board of Directors and Charles Gillican was hired as Executive Director. On May 1, 1967, the doors opened at a temporary site in (continues)
2016 Youth of the Year Tireanna Medlock with Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Georgia Chief Professional Officer Brian Dolan.
Ben Slade spearheaded a capital funds drive in April 1968, and A.J. Reu, building chairman, had a piece of property located on Johnson Street in Brunswick cleared to become the site of the new building that would house the club. That property was donated by the Brice and Davis families of Vidalia. The club continued to operate during this time from various locations on St. Simons Island and in Brunswick, and even increased membership. In June 1970, the new building on Johnston Street opened. This is only one of two freestanding facilities operated by the Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Georgia and is now known as the Terrill Thomas Unit. The other is the 20,000 sq. ft. Elizabeth F. Correll Teen Center that was opened in August 2009 and is located on a six-acre campus on Coral Park Drive in Brunswick. Other club locations are within the Brunswick Housing Authority, the middle schools, and the First Baptist Church on St. Simons Island. Approximately 4,700 youth are served annually through the 9 facilities. The Boys Club of Glynn became the Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Georgia in 1999, one of the last Boys Clubs in the nation to make the change to co-ed status. From serving 90 youth per day in the early days of the organization to now approximately 1,100 per day, the Club remains steadfast in its mission to provide a clean, safe place for youth to gather.
Chief Professional Officer Brian Dolan says that the Club has grown at a tremendous rate, especially over the past 20 years, and they don’t anticipate that growth to slow. Need is greater than ever. It was just this year that the Glynn Middle location opened as part of the Club’s strategic plan to keep youth involved all the way from elementary school through high school. The program that was once known for swim, gym, and football, has turned into a key community tool for ensuring academic success, high school graduation, workforce development, and general life skills. They offer after school and summer programs and recreational
activities for youth on the weekends at the Teen Center. The Club, through its partnership with the USDA, also provides youth with breakfast, lunch, and snack during the summer, serving approximately 2,200 meals per day. During the school year, they offer a snack and hot dinner.
Dolan credits having a very strong Board of Directors and great past presidents like Ben Slade and Bill Stembler as being the driving force behind the growth and success of the Club, giving them the access to reach so many youth in the community. It’s also a testament to the Club that the majority of the staff members came up through the program and now work for them, doing their best to make a difference in kids’ lives they way the Club did in theirs.
A wonderful success story is 2016 Youth of the Year Tireanna Medlock. She’s been attending the Club since she was six years old and says her favorite thing about it is getting to interact with others. “The Boys & Girls Club helped me with career readiness, sports, and getting homework help. I learned so much from the classes I took with them too. Working in the Refuel program helped me to learn work skills. How not to be late. How to say no to your friends when they want you to bend the rules.”
Tireanna credits staff member Kyajuana Gilberts, who specializes in college/career placement readiment, with helping her to apply for college and find the funding she needed to attend. She says, “When she asked me what I was doing about college, I said ‘I don’t know.’ I didn’t. I knew college was there. I knew college cost money. But I didn’t know anything else about how to get there. She helped me so much.” Tireanna received a Correll Scholarship and will be starting classes at Savannah State at the time this issue hits the stands, with an intent to practice pediatric medicine.
Tireanna says “I want to set an example for other youth. I want them to see that they can do more than make minimum wage, that they can make something of themselves.” She also says she’s going to miss the Teen Center and being able to stop in and talk to everyone, and hopes that they’ll let her come back in some capacity. That speaks volumes.
If you have passed through the doors as a member of the Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Georgia during the 50 years of its existence, they invite you to get in touch by emailing bgcglynnalumni@gmail.com as they are attempting to reach any and all alumni. The 50 Year Anniversary Celebration will be held September 13 at the Elizabeth F. Correll Teen Center and our very own Elaine Griffin will be the guest speaker.
For more information about the Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Georgia and their programs, including the Elizabeth F. Correll Teen Center, visit apositiveplace.net.
The program that was once known for swim, From Crayons to Campus gym, and football, has turned into a key community tool for ensuring academic success, high school graduation, workforce development, and general life skills.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE BACKPACK
From Crayons to Campus
hen we think back to school, we think backpacks. As important as #2 pencils and plentiful notebooks, the backpack is a student essential from elementary school through college. It’s hard for most of us to imagine making it from home to locker and across campus without one. However, it wasn’t all that long ago that this perfect textbook tote came on the scene. Here’s a quick look at the history and evolution of the backpack:
From 1900s through the 1930s, kids carried their books with a book strap. What was this ingenious invention? A leather belt. Wrap the belt around the books, tighten, and carry like a bag or sling the bundle over your shoulders. Handy.
At some point, use of the book strap fell out of fashion and kids simply carried their books unprotected in their arms. The book strap didn’t evolve into the backpack, however, it came from the world of outdoor adventures. major innovations that lead to the development of the modern school backpack: the use of zipper and nylon in rucksacks. Wanting something more convenient to use while rock climbing and dissatisfied with the day packs of the time, the owner of Gerry Outdoors in Boulder, CO, made his own pack with two zippered compartments for easy reach. The zippered canvas rucksack sold well and was improved by Cunningham over the years. In 1967, a huge development was made when Cunningham began using nylon instead of canvas for the packs. It was stronger, lighter, and more durable, and quickly became the standard in outdoor equipment.
It was around this time that companies like Patagonia, North Face, Kelty and others also began popping up with increased demand for better outdoor equipment and clothing. Skip Yowell and Murray Pletz started an outdoor gear company in Seattle, but discovered they needed someone who could sew. It just so happened that Jan Lewis, the woman Murray was dating had a home sewing machine. They made her a partner and, according to Yowell, Murray told Jan if she married him that he’d name the company after her. Thus, JanSport – perhaps one of the best known names in backpacks – was born.
In 1969, they developed the Ski and Hike daypack. One of the ski and outdoor equipment vendors to which they sold was connected to the University of Washington bookstore. The Seattle weather played a part in increasing the popularity of the Ski and Hike daypack because students bought it to keep their books dry. Noting the new use and the weight of the books, JanSport started making the bottom of
the bags sturdier by sewing on a layer of bus seat vinyl. The Ski and Hike pack sold like hotcakes and other college stores began selling it as well.
In 1974, Caribou Mountaineering arose from a similar merger of outdoor enthusiast and seamstress in Chico, CA. Gary Kirk was attending Chico State and couldn’t find a pack that would fit all of his textbooks. Marcia Briggs, an expert seamstress, recalls that he took a pile of those books, wrapped some nylon around them and stapled it together. He brought that to her and asked her to make a backpack for my books. It took a few days, but the Caribou Cricket was born. They took it to the bookstore at Chico State and agreed to sell on consignment terms in case the packs didn’t sell. The first batch sold out and Caribou quickly lined up other university bookstores across the country.
Ned Kitchel, a senior project manager at L.L. Bean was looking for a daypack to hold textbooks since receiving a suggestion letter from a Harvard Law student. Fortuitously, he met Briggs at a trade show. At Kitchel’s request she modified the Cricket to add more room up top and brought it to L.L. Bean headquarters in Freeport, Maine. In 1982, the new Book Pack was featured in the L.L. Bean catalog. It quickly became the company’s topselling product. JanSport followed with the release of the Spring Break, a new model designed specifically for textbooks in 1984. That too was wildly popular. Between the two companies, both the East and West Coasts were covered and other competitors arose too. Backpacks had become a necessity and by the late 1980s, nearly everyone student walking to school used one. Since that time, the styles haven’t changed much, but designs have made the packs better suited for schoolwork and the needs of students: more compartments, mesh pockets, water bottle pouches, spaces for electronics and cords. Wheeled packs were developed in response to health risk concerns of carrying heavy packs.
Right now, millions of students are still using the classic JanSport and L.L. Bean packs and other models like them all over the world. There’s a good chance there’s even one in a closet in your house right now. (continues)
From Crayons to Campus
EXPANDING THE BLESSINGS
A recent Blessings in a Backpack packing party hosted by Tallie Pipkin and her motherin-law, Judy Saalfield.
You may remember reading about Blessings in a Backpack in past issues of Elegant Island Living. This national not-for-profit organization provides weekend food to more than 78,000 elementary school children on free and reduced lunch programs in 800 schools throughout the U.S. For many children, while their nutritional needs are met during the school day, food is not available at home on the weekends. The local branch was serving approximately 500 students at Altama Elementary school and has been the beneficiary of proceeds raised from the annual Wiffle Ball Challenge held by the sponsoring Davis Love Foundation and PGA Tour Wives Association in connection with the RSM Classic (formerly McGladrey Classic).
Last year, a dynamic force arrived in the Golden Isles in the form of a blonde from Oklahoma named Mary Catherine Moon-Sexton. Unaware of the Altama program, and already familiar with the national Blessings in a Backpack organization, she learned of the incredible need locally and, together with Jennifer Meyers and some other friends, set about providing the weekend food program to as many children as they could reach. She began a GoFundMe campaign and
ABOVE: Non-perishable food ready to be packed. RIGHT: Even local civic organizations like the Girl Scouts, Girls on the Run, and vacation bible school classes have helped with packing bags.
started organizing packing parties. Friends volunteered and shared the need to raise awareness. With just those efforts, they were able to provide weekend food to 50 students at Goodyear Elementary last year, and in March were able to increase that number to 75 students. With the aid of the national organization, Blessings in a Backpack Glynn County, was born.
Developments earlier this year have led to Mary Catherine and Blessings in a Backpack Glynn County now taking over the program at Altama Elementary school and also now handing services that were once provided at Burroughs-Molette. Mary Catherine estimates that there are approximately 2,700 students on the free and reduced lunch program in Glynn County who are currently in need of weekend nutritional support. She states firmly, and with a smile, “We want to expand to reach ALL of the kids who need it.” Jennifer adds, “and realistically, although that seems huge, we CAN!” They stress that it only takes $100 to feed one child for the entire year. It’s as simple as that. You can make a donation of $100 one time and that is one more child who doesn’t have to go hungry on weekends. That’s a pretty impressive impact with tangible results that are reported by teachers and counselors: improved behavior in school, better grades, increased span of attention, etc.
Mary Catherine and Jennifer have many more helping hands than can be named and are avidly spreading the word about the expanded services that they are providing and (continues)
the huge need that still exists. Friends, fellow congregation members, and school parents, are joining them to help raise donations, collect food, and arrange packing parties, in private homes, in conjunction with church groups, vacation bible school, organizations like the Girl Scouts and Girls on the Run. They’re trying to get as many bags packed as possible to be ready for the school year and it’s inspiring to see the community rallying behind them. If you want to throw a packing party as a girls’ night, or as part of a project for a community organization or business, your assistance is always welcome!
While non-perishable food donations are helpful to them, Mary Catherine says, monetary donations go much further. With money donated, Blessings in a Backpack can purchase food from sources like Second Harvest at a significantly reduced cost that isn’t available to the average consumer. The amount of food they can get for their money is amazing, and allows them to fill more bags. And $100 to feed a child during the weekend for an entire year – isn’t that more rewarding than a few months of double shot hazelnut cappuccinos at Starbucks?
The other pressing need right now for the organization, Mary Catherine shares, is a groundfloor climate controlled storage area where they can keep the food, receive deliveries, and pack on site. The space they are currently using, generously donated by Crabdaddy’s, is upstairs and they’re rapidly running out of room. If you
have a unused storage facility or empty warehouse space somewhere locally, you too might be able to contribute.
Teachers and counselors at the schools tell the Blessings in a Backpack volunteers that the kids are so excited on Fridays when they get the food packed for them that they can’t wait to see what’s inside and show their friends too. It’s not an embarrassment, but a source of joy. Joy can be seen on the faces of kids who are collecting donations for the Carina Taylor, a mother of children receiving food through Blessings in a Backpack of Glynn wrote this to the volunteers:
“As a single parent who has two jobs, I understand what it means to appreciate every gift that I have been blessed with, and your program is definitely a gift to me and my children. As a mother of four, it’s hard to provide food, but since we were able to be a part of your program, it has been an enormous help. I really want to thank you for everything and I hope you’re able to bless more families.”
Elegant Island Living has been spreading the word about Blessings in a Backpack for more than a few years now and has helped host events that benefit the program. We invite you to join us in supporting this organization through your own donations and volunteer efforts or by attending this year’s Wiffle Ball Challenge at the RSM Classic where we’ll be planning some special activities. Stay tuned!
For more information about Blessings in a Backpack of Glynn County, visit www.feedingourfutureglynn.org
From Crayons to Campus
BACK TO SCHOOL BACK HEALTH
by David Robinson, DPT, Advance Rehabilitation SSI
Heading back to school is an exciting and busy time of the year. We check off our supply lists, shop for new clothes and make sure the young ones are ready for the first day of school. As parents you will have a lot of responsibility to ensure it is a smooth process. The last thing you will likely be worried about is your child’s spinal health. Don’t worry, Advance Rehabilitation has your back … literally.
The daily routine of students over the next 10 months may not be physically exhausting, but the repetition of hauling heavy backpacks and hours of sitting can take its toll on the spine. Not to mention the extra hours spent poring over smart phones and tablets, checking out Instagram and Snapchat while pretending to do homework! That’s right, parents, “text neck” is actually a real condition.
We want to provide you with a few tips to prevent back and neck pain through proper fitting of backpacks and a few simple exercises to reverse the postural damage caused by hours of sitting.
Let’s start with the backpack. Assuming your child doesn’t have a rolling backpack, take time to check the following to ensure proper fit and usage. First, the backpack should not extend above shoulders and it should rest in contour of lower back (not sag below belt line). Shoulder straps should rest comfortably on shoulders and underarms, allowing arms to move freely. Wider, padded straps will better disperse pressure over shoulders. Straps should be tightened so that the pack is snug on the back, and both straps should be worn at all times, because uneven forces on the spine can lead to muscle imbalance. Another important safety feature to consider is that the pack is made with reflective material or strips to increase visibility in low light. The total weight of the pack should not exceed 15% of child’s body weight. If it does, then a rolling backpack should be used.
Next, let us look at a few simple corrective exercises to reverse the effects of hours of sitting at desks while reading, writing and texting … I mean listening to the teacher.
The following few exercises can benefit everyone who is required to sit at a desk all day. It is never too late to begin a daily routine and consider it nothing more than “spinal hygiene.” It can become a normal part of your day just like brushing your teeth.
Hours of sitting will cause your hips to become tight, specifically the hip flexors in the front. This tightness will put excess pressure on the lumbar spine while standing and walking. A simple and very effective stretch to open up the hips and ease the pressure on the spine is the “couch stretch”. This can easily be done at the edge of a couch or chair. Aim to accumulate 2 minutes in the stretched position on each side per day.
The middle part of the back, or thoracic spine, will also lose mobility as a result of prolonged sitting. The thoracic spine needs to be mobile to ensure proper shoulder and neck positioning. In fact, when patients come into our clinic with neck and shoulder pain we almost always see a limitation in thoracic spine mobility. Maintaining proper motion here will prevent a host of issues. Two simple exercises (continues)
COUCH STRETCH
THORACIC SPINE EXTENSION OVER TOWEL ROLL
Using a rolled-up towel, lie down with the towel between the shoulder blades and perpendicular to the spine. Keeping your belly tight, take your hands over head and use the towel as a “fulcrum”
for the thoracic spine, then bring the arms back to the starting position and repeat 20 times.
To perform the “open book”, lie on your side with both knees bent and arms straight out. Slowly take the top hand up, away and in the opposite direction. Exhale completely when opened up, then return to the starting position and repeat 20 times. Be sure to perform on both sides.
It is always a good idea to first increase mobility and then capture the new range of motion with a strengthening exercise. Lastly, we will provide an exercise that activates and resets the muscles that are responsible for maintaining good posture. The “W” is a simple movement that strengthens muscles often compromised by prolonged sitting. Grab a band with elbows at your side. Slowly pull band apart while squeezing shoulder blades together, hold for 1 second then return to starting position and repeat 20 times.
As humans, we are made to move. We have an amazing architecture that gives us a mobile yet
stable spine when respect our intended design. Unfortunately, many things we do on a daily basis hinder optimal functional movement. Encourage your child and even yourself to use these few tips to prevent postural issues that can lead to further dysfunction.
Advance Rehabilitation loves to help. If you or your child is experiencing pain or are concerned about proper body mechanics and want to learn more, give us a call for a free Movement Screening. We can identify ways to help your movement become more efficient and pain-free. Have a great school year! (continues)
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From Crayons to Campus
THE DROP DEAD DORM ROOM
by Elaine Griffin
Ifyouwant totake yourstandard dormroom
from blah to bling, here are the essential must-haves to create a drop dead dorm room this fall:
A DESIGN SCHEME. Well-designed spaces start with a design scheme, and dorm rooms are no exception! But don’t blow your décor budget pre-shopping, especially freshman year. Buy the essentials in advance (bed linens,
shower stuff, small art & storage), then make an itemized wish list or Pinterest board of other elements that depend on your room’s size and layout (big art, area rugs, lighting, mirrors). Execute orders once you’ve hit campus and measured the space in real life.
A BLINGED-OUT BED. Because your bed takes up the overwhelming majority of your dorm room’s visual real estate, your bed linens should be the star of the show, whether you plan on keeping them all four years or swapping them out every year. Invest in (continues)
washable (what collegians dry clean anything?), easy-to-care-for quality linens, 300 thread count and up, and no-iron cotton sheets (it’ll say so on the package). It’s up to you whether you want your roommate to have matching bedding or styles that just complement, instead, but I promise that Décor-to-YourDoor.com’s customizable Lilly bedding (seen here) will insure preppy, sun-filled dreams nightly for every Southern Princess.
STRATEGIC STORAGE. Max out your outof-sight storage. Use under bed space and get risers to create more space! Try stacked hangers in closets, plus cute boxes and bins wherever you can squeeze them in. Also use in plain sight storage: wall hooks laid out in rows or grid patterns, cubbies and shelves galore. Go big with multi-taskers and combo anything. Remember, when you can’t go horizontal, go vertical. Think of walls as floor-to-ceiling opportunities to add both style and storage.
LOADS OF PERSONALIZED PERSONAL-
ITY. As Southerners, we know that anything looks better with a monogram, including message boards (a charming old-school must for your door, even if everything goes down via text these days), pinboards, bath towels (to discourage your roomie from swiping yours), and lampshades. You’ll find a gazillion options online at Etsy.com. If it moves, you can monogram it, and shops on the island will do that.
Great options for filling prime-visibility, abovethe-bed or other major Wall Moments: custom removable wallpaper or decal cutouts, supersized murals or wrapped canvas prints of the fam (art with love!), and shamelessly brilliant giant monograms and oversized college logos. (Check out Fathead.com for the guys.)
LUSCIOUS LIGHTING. The only bigger visual buzzkill than most school-issued bed frames (and THOSE you can dress up with fabric!) is most rooms’ overhead lighting, which can be nothing short of treacherous. So plan on loads of lamplight, instead. You’ll want task options for your desk to study by, a table lamp or two, depending on the size of your space, and a mini wall-mounted or clip-on number for late night reading in bed. Festive string lights are optional.
From Crayons to Campus
BIG KID CARE PACKAGES
Remember when your kids were little you’d always put a note (maybe with a Hershey’s kiss or two) in their backpack or lunchbox to wish them good luck and send a little extra love on their first day? Care packages for college kids have just the same effect and are especially appreciated when they come out of the blue, but think outside of the box of homemade chocolate chip cookies and brownies. (Although sending those every now and again is awesome too!) Here are some fun and still practical ideas for some care packages every college kid would love.
THE STUFF THEY LEFT BEHIND. Yep. It happens. When they leave, they forget stuff. Box it up and tuck in a few family photos or maybe a shot or two of the dog. Add a sweet treat, just because. Throw in a couple favorite t-shirts that are still in a drawer or maybe pick up a few vintage concert or comic tees at a thrift store. (continues)
And if you tuck in a gift card card for the local coffee shop, you’ll gain extra points.
THE SICK BAY. Kids forget that when they’re away from home there’s no handy medicine cabinet already stocked for them. Send them a box of the essentials. And you might even want to do this as more than one package, send one full of first aid supplies like band-aids, Neosporin, gauze, antiseptic, antihistamine, aspirin, and the like (you may even want to provide full size and a small carry-along kit); then send another with cold remedies, cough drops, extra Vitamin C, tissues and maybe a few cartons (since they’re better and lighter than cans) of chicken soup, and some herbal tea.
CLEAN IT UP. Along the same lines, kids are used to having cleaning supplies at their fingertips. Dorm rooms get dusty and start smelling stale. Send a box with some air freshener, dust cloths, paper towels, multisurface cleaner, electronics cleaner, and some laundry detergent pods too. Throw in some soy candles in a scent you use to give them a whiff of home.
JUST A NOTE. Never underestimate the power of a few simple words of love and encouragement. Grab a box a whimsical notes or pick up a funny card once a month and just drop it in the mail for no reason at all. It doesn’t have to include a lengthy letter and shouldn’t be used to guilt them into calling or writing back. Try to include a gift card whenever you can, even if it’s just for a couple movie tick-
ets, $10 for some new iTunes, or a pizza. Every little bit helps.
WATER FIGHT! Remind them that they’re still a kid. Send a box with water guns, water balloons, silly string, and goofy hats or sunglasses. Pack up a box of whatever you can think of that you know they’ll get a laugh out of and wrap it in comic book pages. Then put it in a bigger box and wrap that one. And so on. Make ’em smile. NIGHT AT THE MOVIES. Movie boxes are easy and can include some DVDs of classics you love, new movies, a Netflix card (or a note with the password to your Netflix account), or maybe even some old home movies burned to disc. Add a bag of cheese popcorn, some boxes of candy, and a bottle of soda. If they have a favorite movie, you can theme out the box with random toys and merchandise – think Star Wars, Harry Potter, Avengers, or even Minions!
BE CREATIVE. Decorate your packages with drawings or tuck notes in with funny sayings or telling why you included the items you did, or “instructions” on how to use. Wrap items by putting them in cute and whimsical socks, pillowcases, bed linens or t-shirts. That’s a two-fer! Goofy puns are always terrific too. Making ’em groan is just another way to make ’em smile.
SURPRISE! Not so much a “care package,” and a little harder to put into effect when you have a busy, on-the-move college student, is a surprise delivery order from their favorite pizza place or Chinese restaurant. Call in and pay for an order to be delivered to your student’s door, and send a text saying “dinner’s on me tonight!” (continues)
From Crayons to Campus
One year. One year to learn how to do my own laundry. One year left to go to Waffle House after football games. One year to (attempt to) learn how to save money. One year left to spend every weekend with my best friends watching movies, stuffing our faces with the most unhealthy food on the planet, and helping each other figure out life. One year to learn my left from my right (yes, I still have to make a L with my hands). One year to make memories. One year to grow up.
As my senior year starts, the little speck of big fear that has been living in the back of my mind begins to (continues)
ONE YEAR
by Hayden Chambless
512 Ocean Boulevard St. Simons Island, GA 31522 912.634.9977 www.mulletbayrestaurant.com Live Music on the Deck
ENJOY FRESH FISH & SEAFOOD DAILY ON the OPEN AIR DECK One year left to spend every weekend with my best friends watching movies, stuffing our faces with the most unhealthy food on the planet, and helping each other to figure out life.
grow. The speck that is growing so large encompasses the feeling of fear and now it begins to allow stress and anxiety to also manifest in my brain. So much to do and so little time. One year.
As high school freshmen and sophomores we are focused on the end goal: graduation and adulthood. We realize it is not about the destination but about the journey. All those days we wished would just hurry up and end are going to be sought after and desired to last forever. For another second of walking with that cute boy in the hallway or even worrying about drama at lunch. Anything to go back to a time when worries were small and responsibilities were manageable.
One year left of having Mama’s famous pumpkin bread whenever I please. One year left to pick pointless fights with my brother. One year left to fall asleep on the couch to my daddy watching the golf channel. One year left of coming home to thousands of kisses from my dog. One year.
As teenagers, most of us don’t appreciate our family the way we should. We’d rather be out with friends more than at home. But as that now bigger speck of fear grows and grows, you can’t help but start to think about what it will be like to not have your mom to hold you while you vent and cry about that friend that betrayed your trust, the boy who chose someone else, or the stress of schoolwork and good grades.
Now with that growing speck of fear comes a fast rising flood of excitement.
One year until my world will become much larger. One year until we decide our own curfews. One year until we decide who we choose to hang out with and where. One year until we get to decide when (if ever) we clean our dorms.
The Friday night lights will now become college game days. Class sizes will go from thirty kids we know to three hundred people we’ve never met. We know there will be old friends but soon, we hope, there will be countless new ones. We will have the comfort of old memories while we create new ones. We will have a new freedom without all the responsibilities of adulthood. One year.
One year will fly by. Before I know it, the football games, homecoming, senior prom, and my high school graduation will have passed. But for now, every moment will be appreciated. I’ll try to slow down, because all of who I am will soon become who I was, and I know who I will become will really be what’s most important.
This year I am going to soak it all in. I’ll spend time with my friends, savor Mama’s cooking, watch Animal Planet with my dog, smile when my little brother becomes taller than me, laugh at Daddy’s
jokes and relish time with my grandmothers. I know this will be one year I won’t ever forget.
