u n i t e d way o f a m a r i l l o & c a n y o n
Uwac mat ters
s u c c e s s s to ry s a Girl Scout leader, I first met Kate at a swimming party for girls who were top cookie sellers. After swimming, the girls enjoyed a fashion show. Kate was so proud of herself when she walked through in her beautiful gown. She counted down the days until she could attend summer resident camp where she would have the opportunity to swim everyday, ride horses, make new friends and most importantly, learn more about herself. This story may not be especially noteworthy, except for the fact that Kate has a physical disability and needs crutches to walk. Girl Scouts is a safe place where Kate and thousands of other girls have found acceptance, positive challenges and enjoyment of activities they never dreamed would be possible if not for the support of the generous donors of United Way of Amarillo & Canyon. Thanks to your gift to United Way, programs like those at Girl Scouts Five Star Council help all girls develop their potential, make friends, and become a vital part of their community.
Fall / winter In this issue:
november2013
Success Story
1
Special points of interest:
Fun Facts
1
Shout Outs
2
Holiday Stress Less
4
Upcoming Events Out & About
F u n fac t s Turkeys can run at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour and fly as fast as 55 miles per hour. Pumpkins are a good source of nutrition. They are low in calories, fat and sodium and high in fiber. They are loaded with vitamins A, B and potassium. The seeds are very high in protein and are an excellent source of B vitamins and iron.
Guitar Bazarre Pg 2
This year’s Canyon Nights Gala proved to be a huge success with over 500 tickets sold! This year’s theme was Rock of Ages and the program providers participated by decorating a guitar to represent their agency. The guitars were displayed at the entrance of the Gala and voted on by attendees. The winners were The Salvation Army with first and Family Support Services came in second. The Salvation Army will receive a staff pizza party and Family Support Services will get a staff cupcake party both presented by Campaign staff from United Way of Amarillo & Canyon. These guitars took a great amount of effort and it was just another way for them to inform the public of services available and participate in a UWAC event. Special thanks to : Cheryl Malcolm of First American Title of Canyon for chairing the event and Terry Price of Xcel Energy that provided the guitar templates for the event and assistance with final prize winners parties.
MAYOR VS. MAYOR PAINT OFF ! It was a dual of the paint brushes with Amarillo Mayor Paul Harpole VS. Canyon Mayor Quinn Alexander. Each mayor was coached by a professional provided by Spirited Expressions and painted a signature item from their respective cities. The paintings were auctioned off at the annual Canyon Night’s Gala and raised over $5, 500 which included incentives packaged up with the paintings. Special thanks to: Spirited Expressions, Seven Bar & Grill Mayor’s Quinn Alexander and Paul Harpole
Pg 3
OUT & ABOUT
United way Of Amarillo & canyon 2207 Line Ave Amarillo, Texas 79102 Editor: Jessie Gunn Assistant: Sharon Horrell Tel: 806 376 6359 E-mail: jessie@unitedwayama.org
www.unitedwayama.org
SCAN TO DONATE!
H o l i day s t r e s s l e s s During the holiday season the one thing that everyone has in common besides the overbearing in-laws, is the overwhelming sense of having to want perfection when preparing for the holidays. There is the stress of work schedules, holiday parties, secret Santa gifts and avoiding wearing the ugly Christmas sweater you received as a gift. On top of all of that you are then expected to decorate your home so that it looks as if Martha Stewart herself came in and put everything in place! Well while I can’t provide you with less overbearing in-laws or Martha Stewart, I can provide some helpful tips on how to reduce your holiday stress that seems to creep up on us all every year. With a little preparation, a positive attitude, and maybe a little more wine than usual, you can make it through these crazy times.
3. Get out and get some fresh air by taking a walk with a friend, listen to your favorite music, or meditate to get yourself to that happy place. Research shows even removing yourself from a stressful situation for five minutes helps. 4. Delegate to family, friends and coworkers when you can so the projects that you can’t delegate get the attention they need in order to be a success. 5. Eat and drink healthy, at least until the day of Thanksgiving or Christmas. Lack of essential vitamins, nutrients and water can cause fatigue, sickness and overall crankiness which will not get you invited to parties next year!
Last but not least unleash the power of positive thinking and tell yourself as things 1. Don’t expect for things to be perfect. In come up, “I am CAPABLE of handling this!”. fact, expect the opposite. This will make You will be surprised how quickly you will be for a wonderful surprise and uplifting able to get back up and take care of business! I experience when things go awry. hope these tips help you get through this holiday season and allow you to enjoy your 2. Get plenty of rest. Lack of sleep causes much more than a late start the next day. time with family and friends! You will be less focused and able to Happy Thanksgiving! problem solve when things do come up so try to get at least 7 full hours of sleep during this hectic season.