Introducing the New Faces of 2011

Your zodiac sign isn’t the only thing that’s changing this year! (Yes, I know that only affects those born after 2009, and chances are anyone reading this was born considerably prior to that year but what a shocker, eh?) We’d like to officially welcome the new crew joining KOB this year.

First let’s welcome aboard Inga Wolff, who will be busting out of retirement and back onto the Block in full swing in March. She was involved with Warren County schools for over 15 years as a guidance counselor, instructor, and consultant. And to top it off, Inga has served as an active KOB board member for over 15 years, too! Needless to say, she has the insight that will bring great things to her new position as Development Director. Throughout January and February, she’s training under the current Development Director (yes, that’s me) so that come March 1, she’ll hit the keyboard writing and rocking!

Welcome, Inga Wolff!

Next, let’s say hello to three new puppeteers who made their local debut together in the Bullies & School Safety program at Potter Gray Elementary. I’ll briefly introduce them here with pictures and a tiny expose but if you really want to take a journey through a day at KOB, take a look at our Facebook album titled, “A Day’s Journey at KOB”.

Newly hired puppeteers are required to learn 5 or more scripts prior to performing live for children. That means she’s responsible for 6-7 different characters! Sometimes puppeteers will perform 2 or 3 different scripts in a single day. How’s that for mind-boggling?

Meet Michelle as Zach, star of the Combating Childhood Obesity program.

On top of puppeteering, Michelle also works diligently on the Program of Works, a database that details information collected at shows throughout the year. This database is essential in grant reports and donor solicitation. Michelle also has the coolest job of the bunch in that she’s the first to read the letters and pictures sent from students to our office. Some letters are even analyzed by identifying key learning phrases to tell us just how effective our shows are. How cool is that?

Now let’s sneak up on Veronica as she’s brushing up on the Child Abuse script.

V. pitched an interesting method in assisting in the script memorization process. Using the simple microphone installed on most computers and a small freeware program called Audacity, we were able to record puppeteer rehearsals. The recordings were then burned to CD or transferred to mp3 players so puppeteers can listen to the performances at any time. It’s a great tool and has helped her and the others tremendously! It’s bound to be a tool used for years to come, too. Way to go, V!

Last but not least, let’s Meet Holly.

Holly, joins us every Tuesday and Thursday for puppeteering and PR’ing. Above she’s shown prepping contracts. Each school that hosts a KOB show receives a contract and some super bright promotional posters to get the kids excited for us. To promote events and fundraisers, Holly writes press releases and conducts interviews on the radio. I guess you could say she’s a new face and voice of KOB.

Don’t forget to check out all the fun shots that didn’t quite make it into the blog on our Facebook page!

Congrats to Briarwood!

It's official! The big 25th birthday celebration along with the Kids Kake Off competition will be held at Briarwood Elementary! The school raised the most money during the city/county-wide coin drive with T.C. Cherry and McNeil elementary schools right on their heels. Thank you so much to every school and student that participated!

So get ready, Briarwood. We're bringing tons of cake and excitement to your school next Friday, November 19!

Also, to all home bakers: we still have spots left to register for the cake baking competition! Refer to the blog post below to download your registration form today!

Kids Kake Off

In celebration of our 25th year of service to the community, we're having a great big birthday party! And what's a birthday party without tons and tons of cake? So to insure that our party has plenty of cake, we're opening a competition for all home bakers--it's the Kids Kake Off. Show off your skills to win a $100 gift card from IGA, a trophy, and publicity. Here are the requirements:

• Home bakers ONLY (no professionals, please!)
• No sheet cakes
• minimum size of two tiers

Cakes will be judged on the following criteria:

• Taste (of course) - 50%
  
• Creativity/Presentation -25%
• Texture - 25%

Cakes will be transported at 1:00 pm on November 19th to the school chosen for the birthday party. Judging begins at approximately 1:30. After winners are announced, students and guests will partake in the competition cakes for the party.

If you're interested, please download the registration flyer below and return to Kids on the Block by November 12 with your $15 registration fee. Call the Kids on the Block office at 842-2259 with any questions.

Good Luck!

Festival of Sand 2010

Firstly, I would like to take this time to recognize and thank the inventor of the poncho, as the morning of Festival of Sand kicked off with a soggy start. That rain didn't discourage the teams sculpting their celebration themed designs. To honor Kids on the Block's 25th birthday, some teams chose a birthday route, while others like Sportsmanship Award winner, Old Union School played off another popular party--the very merry un-birthday celebration from Alice in Wonderland.

Winner of the sculpting competition, Briarwood Elementary, honored the 25th birthday celebration with a huge cake, peeking presents, and a great big gift. A recent addition to the rules allows teams to include a single prop to accent their sculptures. Briarwood included a colorful birthday banner. Approaching the sculpture, visitors felt like they were walking into a giant party on a dazzling tiled floor. It's just too bad that giant cake was not edible! Perhaps there will be a celebration featuring an enormous cake in the not so distant future...

Gift Wrap Give Back

As we begin to pull into the final two week homestretch before the holidays, I can't help but smile (and gloat a little) at the fact that my shopping is done. To me, that's the easy part. It's the wrapping that really gets me. If you're in the same boat as me, I have the solution--gift wrapping at Barnes & Noble. The Kids on the Block team, comprised of our wonderful board members, will be on location wrapping your gifts for donations. You can visit our table between 11 and 6 on Saturday and again from 12-4 on Sunday. And if you have several packages, just think about how you can kick back and enjoy a read or a latte while we work. So come help us help you, too. Remember, donations from the community keep our troupe performing for the Bowling Green/Warren County children free of charge. We hope to see you this weekend!

Puppets on Parade in Smiths Grove

Looking for something to do with the family this Friday evening? Our troupe has been invited to march in the 10th Smiths Grove Christmas Parade. Gather in downtown Smiths Grove for the parade at 6 p.m. Kids on the Block will be among floats, marching bands, beauty pageant winners, and other special participants. It looks to be a brisk evening, so cuddle up with your family and 2,000 expected spectators for the event. (And don't forget the hot chocolate!) Be sure to look for our "Kids" waving from the van and catch the treats as we toss them into the crowd.

And before I leave you, I'll share a shot of the KOB board members that happily came to this morning's early holiday meeting.

GoodSearch

Many of you probably received this in an email, but if you did not here is a note from Debbie, our Executive Director:

It has been a couple of years since we asked everyone to put GoodSearch on their toolbars. GoodSearch is a way for KOB to earn donations every time you search the Internet; they have also added GoodShop which is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 30 percent of each purchase. There are some great stores: Amazon, Gap, Best Buy, eBay, Macy's, and Barnes & Noble, just to name a few. I'm asking everyone to do this as there are organizations that have made $1,000 or up to $30,000 in a year. Please go to this site GoodSearch toolbar for KOB and add the toolbar to your computer. Every little bit helps, and if you do any Christmas shopping online, it may really help KOB. Thanks.

GoodSearch is powered by Yahoo! Search. It's a tiny toolbar in your Internet browsers, so give it a try. Don't be afraid to pass the link along to any other family and friends who would like to support Kids on the Block. Thanks, everyone!

Edit: Here are some details about the GoodShop portion of the toolbar, including the values of donations from popular stores. You must link to these stores through the GoodShop button on your toolbar!

Allposters.com: 7.5%
Amazon.com: 1%
American Eagle: 1.5-3%
Barnes and Noble: 3%
Bath and Body Works: 3.5%
Best Buy: 1.5%
Dick's Sporting Goods: 1.5-4.5%
eBay: 25-37.5% donation of eBay's Revenue (not item sale price) on All winning bids/buy it nows
Gap: 2.5%
Half.com: 2.5-5.5%
iTunes: 2.5%
Kohl's: 2%
Macy's: 1.5-2.5%
Netflix: $10 donation for brand new paid subscriptions
Old Navy: 2.5%
Sirius Satellite Radio: 5-10%
Toys 'R' Us: 1.5-2%
Walgreens: 3%
Williams Sonoma: 2%

On a side note: most hotel chains, mobile phone companies, and several airlines participate.

Hand Washing: A Brief Life Lesson

And I mean that quite literally in many ways. At the office we are still basking in the greatness that is our water heater, especially as cold and flu season settles in. We eat up all the stories in our media as we hear how important hand washing is to prevent the spread of disease. As adults, we should be experts on hand washing, but maybe kids don't quite have the same grasp we do. This is why Kids on the Block started offering the 5-minute skit, Life Lessons: Hand Washing, as an optional add-on to all performances. The effort launched yesterday, pairing the skit with the Childhood Obesity programs in Barren County. So counselors, teachers, parents, etc., keep this in mind when you schedule your next program. Go ahead and ask us to add the Hand Washing program!

Just as a side feature for our adult readers, I've always battled with which soap is more effective: antibacterial or plain-Jane hand soap. I caught a feature on Good Morning America the other day and researched a little more, so I'll pass on my knowledge on to you.

GMA study: Basically, antibacterial soap effectively killed more bacteria only by a very thin margin. The FDA actually recommends using regular soap over the antibacterial kind for fear that strains of bacteria will begin to evolve and develop a resistance to the antibac.
I'll even link you to the video from the GMA website.

It seems to be much more important the timing and duration of the hand washing over the type of soap used. Make it count: aim for a 20 second wash. It's easy. You know the chorus of the song that you can't get out of your head? Just let that play out while you wash. Also, we know to wash after the bathroom, but don't forget to hit the sink before you eat, touch your eyes, handle an animal, make food, and when around sick people.
And if for some reason you or someone you know thinks the 20 seconds is time wasted, turn it into a pampering experience. Pair the wash with a creamy lotion. Your hands will thank you this winter when dry skin season comes blowing in!

Can You Hear Me Now?

Yes, we can thanks to the WHAS Crusade for Children grant and DC Communications. Board member Inga Wolff put us in contact with Darren Casada and within a couple weeks we replaced our entire system. See: our phones finally match! Not only that, each employee has her own extension and voice mailbox. We've been playing around with the intercom feature throughout the day; incidentally, we've done a pretty good job of scaring each other, too. Just be aware, we're still learning the new system so if you happen to call the office and we accidentally transfer you wrong or hang up on you, it's nothing personal!

Tobacco Program Debuts Wednesday

This Wednesday, over 200 students in Manchester, KY will be among the first to view our Tobacco Abuse Prevention Program. This program is one of two brand new show topics introduced this fall. As tobacco abuse remains a widespread issue in the state, our program aims to reduce the number of children involved with tobacco. The 30 minute program identifies the different types of tobacco products and the harmful effects the substance has on the body. Like our other programs, the Tobacco Abuse Prevention Program features a question and answer session in which children in the audience are free to relay any comments and concerns to the star puppets of the program.
Locally, the program is supported by The Medical Center. Also, Kids on the Block has partnered with the Smoke Free Communities Coalition of Bowling Green. This partnership offers us handouts and activities for audience members along with opportunities to deliver our programs at local special events free-of-charge.
The Tobacco Abuse Prevention Program debuts locally on Tuesday, November 12 2009 at 7:30 AM for the 6th graders at Bristow Elementary.
For more information on the program and how to view or schedule, call (270) 842-2259.

Thunder Cruise Rounds Out Season

...Fundraising season that is. With over 100 riders and around $16,000 raised, I would definitely say Twilight Thunder Cruise was a success! We had some great participants come out for the event clad in bandannas and chaps (just like the PSA requested), and one even won the big $5,000 raffle at the end of the night. We'd like to thank everyone who participated, sponsored, and volunteered. We couldn't have done it without all of you! Special thanks to Ruth Rose at Biker Up magazine for our two full page spreads in her excellent magazine and RC Components. Help them celebrate their 20th anniversary by checking out their products. I don't know much about bikes, but I understand they have amazing gear.

So that rounds out the fundraising season. As a first timer to not only Kids on the Block, but the nonprofit world in general, I have to say it's exhausting, yet exciting. With one round under my belt I'll be looking forward to making each fundraiser better next year...after the winter breather of course!

As for the picture: That would be Candi and myself pausing for a quick shot before hitting the crowd to model the leather Harley jacket for the raffle.

Just a Reminder, Bikers

Bust out the chaps and bandannas, riders, it's time for the 3rd Annual Twilight Thunder Cruise! If you or anyone you know loves his or her bike and wants to show it off, this is your event. It's coming up this Saturday, October 3rd. The fun part about our ride is that it happens right at sunset. What sounds cooler than riding under the lights of Scottsville Road while families literally jump out of their seats at restaurants to wave at the parade? If you're worried that it's during dinner time, no worries. Wha-Bah, Fire and Ice, and Chaney's Dairy Barn will all be at our final destination, Circus Square. Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a black leather Harley jacket or your choice of $500 cash or a $1500 gift certificate towards RC Components wheels. And if you might have been worried that you'll be bored, know that there will be a live band playing your Southern Rock favorites.

So join us in the fun this Saturday. Registration is $20 per bike--which means you can pair up with your significant other, child, dog, whatever for one low price! Go to our site to sign up or be at the Harley store at 5:30 for registration.

The weather is looking great for the event, too. Per the Weather Channel, we're looking at low 60s under partly cloudy skies at dusk. Sounds perfect to me!

Doing the Safety Dance

Last Thursday kept our puppeteers quite busy. Featured at the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day at the WKU Agricultural Center, our puppeteers put on not one, not two, but TEN performances in three hours! As small groups of children from local elementary schools cycled around to each booth, kids stopped to enjoy an abridged version of the bike safety program. Cash Express even teamed up with us to provide the kids with a bike safety activity book and multicolored suckers. I think we were a hit! Here are the shots.

Coming Soon to KOB: Hot Water!

Finally!!! After working in the office without hot water for the past year or so, we just received a grant to change our situation. Thanks to the Kentucky Colonels, Debbie will be setting up the appointment for the new heater tomorrow morning. We're so excited that the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels deemed our cause worthy. After all, the application was written during national hand washing week last December! This next hand washing week will certainly be observed in honor of this grant!

THUNDER AT DUSK

And I'm not just talking about the week's dreary weather pattern! Press release for Twilight Thunder Cruise. It's less than two weeks away already!

The South Central Kentucky Kids on the Block to Hold Annual Motorcycle Run

Bowling Green, KY – September 21, 2009 – Kids on the Block will host the 3rd annual Twilight Thunder Cruise Saturday, October 3, 2009, sponsored by RC Components.

The fundraiser to benefit Kids on the Block will feature a motorcycle ride at 6:30 p.m. departing from the local Harley Davidson store to Circus Square Park downtown. Riders will cruise at dusk under the stars and city lights on Scottsville Road. Following the ride, a party for riders and families will be held at the final location of Circus Square Park. The event will feature food from Wha-Bah and Chaney’s Dairy Barn. Families can enjoy live Southern rock favorites and corn hole at the party.

Title sponsor, RC Components, will celebrate its 20th anniversary by offering premium wheels as a part of the event’s raffle. Also up for grabs is a leather jacket donated by the Harley Davidson store. In addition to prizes, anyone in the community may purchase a raffle ticket now or at the event for $40 for a chance to win $5,000.

Those interested in participating in the ride can register at the event at 5:30 p.m. or fill out the form online at www.kykob.org. Registration is $20 per bike.

South Central Kentucky Kids on the Block is a nonprofit organization that travels the state of Kentucky to perform educational puppet shows that teach children about differences and how to develop a healthy lifestyle.

If you would like information on program topics or would like to support the organization, please contact the Kids on the Block office at (270) 842-2259. Keep up with the “kids” at www.kykob.blogspot.com.

And the Winner Is...

Everyone! Well, in the sense that if you were at Festival of Sand Friday, you came out a winner in one sense or another. Let's break down the official winners:

Spirit Award: Bristow Elementary
3rd Place: Potter Gray Elementary
2nd Place: Briarwood Elementary
1st Place: St. Joseph School (pictured)
Bowling Green Choice: Potter Gray Elementary

Sponsorships and donations helped Kids on the Block raise money necessary to keep programming free of charge in the local area. So as I said, everyone's a winner!
Be sure to check out all the photos and become a fan at our facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/South-Central-Kentucky-Kids-on-the-Block-Inc/44278941743?ref=nf

Huge Week Last Week

Not only was Festival of Sand last week (which deserves its very own post), but we received 3 grants! Sam's Club of Bowling Green donated $1,000 for local programming, and Target awarded us with $3,000 for local Bullies and School Safety shows. And that's not all! I received an email that the Kentucky Colonels will be giving us money next Tuesday, September 22. We won't know exactly how much until then, but hooray all the same! We're especially excited about the KY Colonels because I wrote that to fund a new water heater. We've been without water since before I started last November. It's definitely time with the fall and winter months approaching rapidly. So take a look at the check presentation. This one was especially cool for me since I was able to pull a close friend and dedicated Sam's employee in the picture with me.

Hear Us, See Us, Read About Us!

Everything is moving at a break-neck pace, you know, with planning 2 fundraisers. Prep for Festival of Sand is about to wrap up--the big event is next Friday! Then Twilight Thunder Cruise pops in 3 weeks later on the 3rd of October. We've been busy doing some publicity for the events. If you listen to D93 or SAM 100.7 here in Bowling Green, you'll hear the PSA we produced for Festival of Sand. You might also catch us on WNKY for interviews or the video PSA. Wait, there's more! Check out the write-up about Festival of Sand on the SOKY Happenings issue for this month. And, if we hadn't hit every media outlet just yet, you can always find pictures and write ups here and on Facebook.
We're excited for the big Festival of Sand. Teams have some really creative designs for the giant sculptures. There's a nice little buzz in the air as teams are competing for prize money this time around. It will be a day of fun and games. I have to say that I'm excited about the music this year, too. I've sunk a good deal of energy into making the playlist rock for everyone! So what are your plans Friday, September 11th?

Ruth Rose Rules!

Ruth Rose, editor of the motorcycle magazine Biker Up, is a great addition to our Twilight Thunder Cruise committee. The magazine features news and tons of event opportunities as well as jokes, recipes, and just a little bit of everything. I checked out the guest book on the site, and one fan even describes the publication as a biker's bible! Personally, I don't know much about bikes, but I picked out a really good drink and cheesy potato recipe out of it. I can't wait to try them out! There really is something valuable for anyone who picks up the magazine.

This month and next month you'll find a full page (that's right, FULL PAGE) ad for our Twilight Thunder Cruise on October 3. In addition to the ads Ruth runs in the magazine, she'll be donating arm bands for riders and boards for corn toss at the final destination of Circus Square Park. She's really taking the extra steps to help support our organization, and that is awesome.

Now go check out that ad in this month's magazine or visit her site at: http://bikerupmagazine.com/Home_Page.php

Note: The magazine is free so there's no reason not to check it out!

Chattanooga Bound

With the help of grant funding, we will be travelling to train and network with the Chattanooga Kids on the Block troupe. The annual training has been downscaled considerably due to budget cuts and economic woes, but it's not stopping us! We're trading the conference setting with intimate in-house workshops. This is especially great since we just hired our newest puppeteer. From what I hear, the Chattanooga puppeteers are very talented so it sounds like a great opportunity.
After the training is over Monday evening, we'll be back to host a class for Festival of Sand at our office. We're really kicking into gear for the fundraiser so expect tons of updates soon!