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!

New Look in September

Today is a big win for the performance team here at KOB! Thanks to the great advisory council at the WHAS Crusade for Children, we're receiving a grant that funds a new backdrop for performances. Inspired by the Chattanooga troupe's setup, our new backdrop will feature a burst fabric display that proudly dons our logo at the top. And it doesn't stop there--the Crusade for Children is also funding a number of programs for us to educate the children in Louisville (and show off our new look, too)! So come September, we'll be ready to kick back performances back into high gear with our new backdrop.

Of course this would not have been possible without the generosity of the people of Kentuckiana who participated in this year's telethon, so a great big thanks to all of you!

Heading West

Get ready Muhlenberg County elementary schools, Kids on the Block will see you next school year! Thanks to a grant from the Felix E. Martin Jr. Foundation, our troupe will be performing in Bremen, Central City, Greenville, Longest, and South elementary schools starting in August. The $5,200 grant delivers 2 shows of the principal/guidance counselor's choosing to each school. Freedom to choose any topic from our catalog of 20+, makes this project highly customizable for these administrators. That's two shows to present to each elementary school however each administrator feels our services will suit his/her school's needs. Let me tell you, these principals were excited as I spoke with them on the phone prior to completing the grant. I can't wait to deliver the good news and schedule our shows!

Big Thanks To The Cralle Foundation

Get ready, Louisville, we'll see you again soon! Thanks to the Cralle Foundation, Kids on the Block will return for performances in 2011. The $5,735 grant will fund 10 performances for Louisville elementary schools. KOB offers over 20 topics for performance which includes the Bullies & School Safety program, a highly sought after program in Louisville and local schools alike.

Also, our tickets for Garden Tour have been printed, so expect them to show up at our seller locations: Schott Gardens, Warden & Co., Riley's Bakery, MacKenzie's, and Fern Runners! I'll be posting more information in the coming weeks before the big event on Saturday, June 19!

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!

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.

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.

Kosair Commends KOB

This just in: Kosair Charities of Louisville, Kentucky has approved a grant proposal for performances in their home city. The $1,175 grant funds 2 performances--one spina bifida and one cerebral palsy--for schools or hospitals in 2010. This is an excellent opportunity for our troupe to educate children on these topics. The performances fit especially well with Kosair Charities as the organization funds agencies devoted to children's health issues, such as the Cerebral Palsy K.I.D.S. Center, the Spina Bifida Association of Kentucky. For more information, visit their website http://www.kosair.org/.

It certainly made my day!

Puppets Perform for Kiwanians

Wednesday, we all travelled with Debbie to the Kiwanis Club of Bowling Green's lunch meeting. As acting president, Debbie brought our troupe to the meeting to involve the members of the club. As Kiwanis often sponsors our Child Abuse Prevention Program as a part of our Adopt-a-Puppet fundraiser, we like to give a demonstration of the work that those dollars support. This meeting featured a vignette in which we took volunteers from the club to perform as an experiement. The Kiwanians were good sports and stepped up to the stage. After the Kiwanians showed their efforts, our puppeteers performed the same vignette to demonstrate the dedication and work that goes into the performance style of Bunraku. Here are some shots from the meeting.

Kiwanians try out the Bunraku puppets

Celebrating after a highly praised effort

KOB to Perform for Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Students in July

Coming up this summer on Wednesday, July 8, the KOB troupe will be performing the water safety show for Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing students as a part of a summer program sponsored by First Baptist Church Deaf Ministry. This particular day will start out with a performance by our troupe before the students head out to swim at a local pool or park.

The summer day camp aims to continue learning for Deaf children while they are out of school. You can find more information at their website at: http://kysigningsummer.blogspot.com

Puppets in The Daily Independent

Last weekend, the puppeteers travelled all the way to Ashland, Kentucky (a 4.5 hour drive from our office in Bowling Green) for an event on Saturday hosted by the local Safe Harbor. Our puppeteers provided activities--paper bag puppets, anyone?--along with a performance of the Child Abuse show. Tim Preston of The Daily Independent paper in Ashland wrote an article about the event. Check it out here: http://www.dailyindependent.com/archivesearch/local_story_109000426.html

We are Busy, Busy!

Let me tell you, last week was a busy one and it's spilling over into this week, too. We're getting geared up on fundraisers by gathering with the respective committees. Garden Tour and Tea is really shaping up. We just received notification on our final gardens, so we're at full capacity with 8 gardens around the city. Everyone seems really excited about the line up for this one. Keeping up with fundraisers, we've set an official date for Festival Sand. We'll be building excitement for the Friday, September 11 event out at the Russell Sims Aquatic Park.

This first half of March is roaring in like a lion with a busy, busy schedule for the puppeteers. By the end of our work week tomorrow, the troupe will have performed 23 shows over the course of 9 days. They've hit the city and county schools to perform 6 different topics including: First Aid/H20 Safety, Fire Safety, Bike Safety, Bullies and School Safety, Child Abuse, and Divorce. And it shows no sign of slowing as the schedule will have the troupe adding another 28 shows in the last half of March. This month will come in like a lion and race right out just as fierce as ever. So as we've been so busy, I've been working on updating our catalog of photos. Here are some of my favorite from the past couple weeks. Enjoy!