2011 Kids at Hope Day
November 9, 2011
(Celebrated annually on the 2nd Wednesday in November)
Kids at Hope Day Honor Awards
Best Overall
*STAR Academy - Avondale Elementary School District Avondale, AZ
Stacey Gandy, Treasure Hunter and School Social Worker submitted the following, "This year our program changed. Instead of being a program for at-risk kids, we became a program for Kids at Hope. We learned the philosophy, said the pledges, and became Treasure Hunters. We continued to build meaningufl relationships with our students, but added the continuous, intentional thought that ALL children are capable of success...NO EXCEPTIONS! We identified the various ways we currently provide Aces to our students and challenged ourselves to search for additional means to ensure our students' "decks" were stacked."
* Canyon Breeze Elementary - Pendergast Elementary School District, Phoenix, AZ
Canyon Breeze celebrated Kids at Hope Day in a big way! Children wrote reports on the importance of Aces in their lives as well as creating a plan on how they can be Aces in the future - talk about Time Travel! This celebration was extra big since it was also the grand opening of the school's brand new gymanasium. The City of Avondale is a Kids at Hope City and Councilmember Jim Buster gave a "very inspirational, motivational speech about never giving up on your dreams and always believing in yourself. He spoke highly of Kids at hope and the amazing positive atmosphere at Canyon Breeze."
*Pendergast School District Transportation Department
Phoenix, AZ
You know a school district has fully adopted Kids at Hope when the Transportation Department is on board! They wore Kids at Hope t-shirts, made banners and giant hand made Aces to let their kids know they are an Ace in their lives. Bus Drivers and Student Assistants visited schools throughout the district and got involved in helping students with their Kids at Hope projects. They now not only think of themselves as "Bus Drivers" or "Bus Aides," but true "Treasure Hunters" in a child's life and how they indeed can make a difference. They had this to say, "We at Pendergast Transportation Department already feel like winners in the thought that we touch children's hearts everyday. This feeling is rewarding and very satisfying."
We are pleased to acknowledge the organizations who best exemplified the following Kids at Hope Themes in their Kids at Hope Day Celebrations:
We Believe
Magnet Traditional School
Phoenix Elementary School District - Phoenix, AZ
South Kitsap Transportation Department
South Kitsap School District
Port Orchard, WA
Imagine Bell Canyon
Imagine Schools
Phoenix, AZ
We Connect
Bayshore Elementary
St. Lucie County Public Schools
Port St. Lucie, FL
We Time Travel
Collier Elementary School
Littleton Elementary School District
Avondale, AZ
Annapolis Youth Services Bureau
Annapolis, MD
Honorable Mentions
Texarkana Independent School District
Texarkana, TX
Texas Middle School
Theron Jones
Spring Lake Park
Westlawn
Morriss
Nash
HP
Dunbar
Wake Village
Texas High School
OPTIONS
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Honors Program
“WE BELIEVE – WE CONNECT – WE TIME TRAVEL”
Kids at Hope Day/Month was established to bring extra attention around a holistic child and youth development cultural strategy that ensures children are surrounded with caring adults who believe, connect and help them learn to mentally time travel. Those efforts represent Kids at Hope’s Three Universal Truths. Research has shown that if children are surrounded by adults who believe and practice the Three Universal Truths, their chances of growing up successful, hopeful and optimistic are greatly increased.
Kids at Hope Day is celebrated on the second Wednesday in November – this year that date is November 9, 2011. While this is the designated day, we encourage you to celebrate anytime during the month of November or all month long if you wish! In that spirit, the theme for 2011 Kids at Hope Day is “We Believe, We Connect, We Time Travel”
We Believe
Universal Truth #1: Children succeed when they are surrounded by adults who believe they can succeed, No Exceptions.
We Connect
Universal Truth #2: Children succeed when they have meaningful and sustainable relationships with caring adults. We recognize this truth by describing the Four Aces.
We Time Travel
Universal Truth #3: Children succeed when they can articulate their future in four domains rather than just one (which is generally education & career): Home & Family, Education & Career, Community & Service and Hobbies & Recreation.
Kids at Hope Day Honors Program
Kids at Hope would like to honor and recognize your school/organization/community’s efforts that best demonstrate how you believe and practice the overall themes of Kids at Hope Day/Month.
What are we looking for?
- Overall - How does your school /organization/community best demonstrate the Three Universal Truths?
We Believe – We Connect – We Time Travel
- What do you do to demonstrate to all children, No Exceptions that you believe in them?
- How do adults on your campus or in your community connect with children in a meaningful way? And how do you know they are connected? How do you represent the Four Aces?
- How do you help children to mentally time travel?
Definition of Hope:
The ability to visit your future, return to the present and
prepare yourself for the journey.
Recognition & Honor Awards
- 3 prizes will be awarded in each category
- We Believe
- We Connect
- We Time Travel
- 3 prizes will also be awarded for Best Overall Depiction of the Three Universal Truths
Awards/Prizes
- $100 gift certificate to the Kids at Hope Store
- Large banner honoring your school/organization/community
- Honorable mention to any group that submits an entry. Each will be awarded with a certificate and a Treasure Hunter’s Pledge poster
How to Submit an Entry
Entry should be no more than two pages (12 point font) describing how you celebrated the themes of Kids at Hope Day – We Believe, We Connect, We Time Travel. Collateral material such as photos, short videos (5 minutes or less), news clippings, or anything else you believe may enhance your entry are welcome, but cannot be returned.
Please submit electronic entries to kim@kidsathope.org – all entries must be received by 5:00 PM Friday, December 9, 2011. Entries may also be mailed to Kids at Hope, 2400 W. Dunlap Ave., Suite 135, Phoenix, AZ 85021.
Announcement of honor awards will be made by Friday, January 20, 2012.
HAVE FUN!
Past Kids at Hope Day Contests
2010 Kids at Hope Day
November 23, 2010
( Tuesday before Thanksgiving)
Kids at Hope is excited to announce plans to commemorate the 2010 observance of International Kids at Hope Day/Month to be celebrated throughout the United States and Alberta, Canada.
Traditionally, Kids at Hope Day has been the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. However, in recent years many school districts in the US have extended the typical four day Thanksgiving holiday by recessing school for the entire week. Accordingly, we are looking forward to our friends and fellow Treasure Hunters in Canada joining us for this very important celebration. Beginning in 2011 we will begin recognizing Kids at Hope Day on the second Wednesday in November. This change of date will be effective in 2011. For 2010 we will celebrate Kids at Hope Day on Tuesday, November 23, 2010.
Kids at Hope Day and/or month has been established to bring extra attention around a holistic cultural strategy that 1) surrounds all children with a belief that all kids are capable of success, No Exceptions; 2) ensures every child is connected to a caring adult by a meaningful and sustainable relationship; and 3) all children can articulate their future at four destinations: home and family; education and career; community and service; and hobbies and recreation. By applying the aforementioned three universal truths through the Kids at Hope Top Five Practices; 1) celebrating the belief; 2) reciting the power of the pledge(s); 3) offering at least once a year, a Kids at Hope Report Card; 4) offering, at least once a year, the Passport to the Future; and 5) tracking ACES-ensuring all children are connected to a caring adult(s); a school, youth group or an entire community demonstrates how all children can succeed, NO Exceptions.
In that spirit Kids at Hope encourages all of its fellow Treasure Hunters, schools, organizations serving youth and entire communities to celebrate its commitment and achievement by commemorating Kids at Hope Day and/or month.
Kids at Hope, therefore, wishes to support its 2010 observance with the following activities:
2010 Kids at Hope Day/Month Theme: The Time Traveler
Contest: Best Observance-Depiction-Celebration of what it means to be a Time Traveler. See description of the Time Traveler for ideas. The end result is that children who are able to articulate their futures at four destinations (mental time travel) are much more hopeful then children who can't.
Grand Prize: $500 gift certificate to the Kids at Hope-Hope Store - this prize is awarded to the best overall observance of the Kids at Hope Day/Month theme Time Traveler. This award may be given to a school, youth group, department or an entire community.
Grand Prize Contest
The Time Traveler
As part of its everyday research and strategy, Kids at Hope incorporates three universal truths from research findings that help us understand why some children succeed and others fail. These truths are:
1) Children succeed when they are surrounded by adults who believe they will succeed.
2) Children succeed when they have meaningful and sustainable relationships with caring adults.
3) Children succeed when they are able to articulate a future beyond just a career or occupation.
Kids at Hope has developed a concept which further explains the critical importance and capacity of articulating one's future. To support this effort, Kids at Hope is proud to introduce its Time Traveler - an exciting character who helps young people mentally time travel to their future.
Mental time travel is the capacity to imagine a future and feel empowered to reach it. This ability goes well beyond our understanding of self-efficacy - the belief that one is capable of attaining goals- in that it draws more on our recent recognition of HOPE. Hope consists not only of setting goals, but developing a roadmap to those goals and having the energy to pursue achievement. Mental time travel, therefore, defines hopefulness. Equally important is our understanding of the concept of terminal thinking, the inability to imagine a positive future, which inevitably results in HOPELESSNESS. Please link to the following site for more information re: The TIME TRAVELER
Special Theme Awards/Recognition (all first prize awards):
First Prize: $200 gift certificate to the Kids at Hope-Hope Store -This prize is awarded to the best poster depiction of the Time Traveler. This award may be given to a school, youth group, department or an entire community with an additional $50.00 US saving bond award to the student artist, if an individual.
Entry could either be the original poster or copy of the poster. If in color, please do not send a black and white copy. Multiple entries are allowed but should be screened by a local group to ensure we are receiving the most interesting/creative/artistic poster.
First Prize: $200 gift certificate to the Kids at Hope-Hope Store - awarded to the school or youth group that has given out its Passport to the Future to the most students over the past 12 months.
Entry is no more than two pages-12 point font-single space describing the number of children receiving their Passport to the Future, ages or grades; over what period of time, how the Passport strategy was introduced and general observances or quotes regarding the value of the Passport from children and adults.
First Prize: $200 gift certificate to the Kids at Hope-Hope Store awarded to the school, youth group or department that hosts a dress up day depicting the Time Traveler, Hillary Hope, Oscar Optimism, Sammy Success, the Dream Stealing Villain, and/or Sheriff Hope-a-Long.
Entry is no more than two pages - 12 point font- single space describing the dress up event. No more than 4 pictures - electronic submissions only please.
National Honorable Mention in all categories to any group that submits an entry. Each group will be awarded with Kids at Hope's newest commemorative poster-The Time Traveler.
Other Information
Groups may enter as many applications as they wish in all categories. However, only one Time Traveler poster will be given to an organization.
Collateral material such as photos, short videos, news clippings, or anything else you believe may accent your entry is welcome, but cannot be returned.Entry is not more than two typed pages - 12 point font- single space.
Most Importantly, HAVE FUN!! Good Luck!!
All Entries must be received by 5:00 PM, Friday, December 17. Electronic entries to kim@kidsathope.org
Announcement of Winners will be made by January 15, 2011.
Entries may also be mailed to Kids at Hope, 1715 W. Northern Ave. Suite 104, Phoenix, AZ 85021 and need to be received by Friday, December 17, 2010.
2009 Pledge to Remember Day
A Pledge to Remember
Kids at Hope is inviting all children and youth, schools, youth organizations, recreation departments and communities to be part of A Pledge to Remember - a celebration of National Kids at Hope Day held annually on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving (November 24, 2009).
To recognize this special day, Kids at Hope is encouraging all groups and communities to simultaneously recite the power of the Kids at Hope Pledge at 1:00 PM, Eastern Time; Noon, Central Time; 11:00 AM Mountain Time; and 10:00 AM Pacific Time on November 24, 2009 (Tuesday before Thanksgiving).
It is believed that the Kids at Hope Pledge is the second most recited pledge in American schools (after the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag). It is estimated that almost 500,000 children recite the Kids at Hope pledge in schools, YMCA's, Boys & Girls Clubs and other youth groups.
Contact your local media and let them know what you are
doing to celebrate your Kids at Hope!
We hope each of our partner schools, youth groups and entire communities, as well as other interested parties, join us in this very exciting declaration of our shared belief that all children can succeed, No Exceptions. We encourage our friends to invite their governors, mayors, supervisors, superintendents, directors and all caring adults to join in this remarkable event. Groups may even wish to follow the Kids at Hope Pledge by reciting the Treasure Hunter's Pledge. All groups participating will receive a special certificate commemorating their participation. In addition, a $500 cash gift will be awarded to the group, school or organization that best commemorates Kids at Hope Day. The winning group will also be featured on our website as well as future editions of Kids at Hope’s Newsvision magazine. There are additional prizes as well. See below for more information.
See below for Kids at Hope Day-A Pledge to Remember Contest Information.
There is no one right way to celebrate Kids at Hope Day. Get creative! Below are some suggestions from past Kids at Hope Day celebrations:
- TUNNEL OF HOPE: ALL school/organization staff, parents and community representatives position themselves at the beginning of a hallway or entrance creating a sort of tunnel of "OTHER CARING ADULTS" that children must walk through. As kids pass through the Tunnel of Hope shake their hands, give high fives, applaud, and let them know how important they are. Make the environment fun and festive with helium balloons, Kids at Hope stickers, t-shirts, banners, etc. We’ve even done this event at High Schools. It’s like greeting the football team as it takes the field. Why not do the same for all students as they pursue their educational goals. If it takes a village to raise and educate a child- invite the village.
- Choose an honorary Chief Treasure Hunter: a local celebrity, dignitary, community member, someone who personifies what Kids at Hope Day is all about. Honor them on Kids at Hope Day.
- Ask you school board to adopt a resolution making November 24, 2009 Pledge to Remember or Kids at Hope Day.
Click Here for a Sample Resolution
- Think about poster contests, door decorating contests, school assemblies, Future Day (highlighting all 4 Destination Points), reading and writing projects all designed to promote the concepts of hope, optimism and success in all students and youth, NO EXCEPTIONS
- Hold a Kids at Hope themed essay contest by grade or age level. Themes can range from "I am a Kid at Hope because..." to "Someone who believed in me more than I believed in myself..." Honor contest winners over announcements or in an assembly.
- Another idea might be to have staff wear t-shirts representing their alma mater. Or put up a GRADUATION DATES bulletin board with all kids COLLEGE graduation dates! -- High Expectations is the message here
- Anchor Parent breakfast/lunch – recognizing the most important adult in a child’s life
- Offer all children a Kids at Hope Report Card
- Use the Kids at Hope Passport to the Future which provides a framework for all children that helps them envision and plan for their futures
- Get your media involved. . . share with them your commitment to witnessing children as at hope rather than as at risk and what you are doing about it
Again, these are just sample ideas-the opportunities are endless!
At the end of the day all children should have experienced the following:
- Through the power of self talk, children and youth are affirming their positive belief in themselves and feel empowered to achieve their future
- An understanding that adults in their lives truly care about them. There are lots of ways to be smart that have equal value to the skills of reading, writing and math (think about emotional intelligence, moral intelligence) -recognize them
- Success isn't something, it is somewhere - in other words success is realized when children grow up and are prepared to contribute at each of life's destinations: home and family, education and career, community and service and hobbies and recreation
Any questions please contact Kim at kim@kidsathope.org or 866-275 HOPE
Have Fun!
Videos
Kids at Hope Song - Westwind Primary Chorus, Phoenix, AZ
Professor for a Day - 5th graders from Canyon Breeze Elementary teach Kids at Hope to Arizona State University West students
Blueprint Education's Kids at Hope Academies
Promoting the Belief:
St. Lucie County, FL: Kids at Hope partners participated in the MLK Parade with a banner “We have a dream - All children will succeed, NO EXCEPTIONS!”
Fox Elementary School in Hanover Park, IL: Invited the entire community to attend a series of trainings introducing them to the Kids at Hope belief system and strategies.
Those in attendance included: Chief of Police and officer, Parks and Recreation officials, faith based community, parents, school board members, the Mayor of Hanover Park, Fire Chief and firefighters and many other community leaders.
Vallejo, CA Widenmann Elementary School: hosted a Successful Parenting-Successful Children workshop and had standing room only.
Phoenix, AZ Maryland Elementary School: faculty and staff wear their Kids at Hope t-shirts the first day of school and line up to create “Tunnel of Hope” where school staff and community members cheer returning students on to education victory.
Kids at Hope Pledge:
Schools, pre schools and youth groups across the country start each day with the Kids at Hope pledge:
I am a Kid at Hope.
I am talented, smart and capable of success.
I have dreams for the future
And I will climb to reach those goals and dreams everyday.
All kids are capable of success, NO EXCEPTIONS!
Hortonville Elementary School and Palomino Elementary School, along with other Kids at Hope schools have taught all students the Kids at Hope Pledge song.
This tradition was started by New River Elementary School in Arizona.
Sonoran Sky Elementary School: once a week a different group of staff or faculty appears on the school’s in-house TV station and recites the Treasure Hunter’s Pledge to all the students. By doing this students now understand the importance of these adults in their lives:
As an adult and a Treasure Hunter
I am committed to searching for all the skills
and intelligence which exist in all children and youth.
I believe all children are capable of success, NO EXCEPTIONS!
Kids at Hope Report Cards:
New River, AZ New River Elementary School: passes out their Kids at Hope Report Cards one day each year. The buses run late on this day because students can’t stop sharing the good news with each other and their teachers and staff.
Phoenix, AZ Valley of the Sun YMCA: offers Little Kids at Hope Report Cards to children participating in their pre school programs.
Kids at Hope’s Passport to the Future:
Phoenix, AZ Desert Horizon Elementary and Middle School: ensures that every “graduating” eighth grader receives their Passport to the Future thereby ensuring each student understands that they have a future filled with hope, optimism and success.
Many schools are now adopting Destination Days to compliment the Passport to the Future. Instead of just asking students what they want to be when they grow up, the Passport to the Future and the Destination Days are replacing Career Days, helping students focus on more than just a job and career. These schools are offering days focused on Home and Family, Education and Career, Community and Service and Hobbies and Recreation so that students also begin to understand the importance of their adult role at all of life’s destinations.
East Side Boys & Girls Club in Tacoma, WA- Graduation Day: all members know when their college graduation date is, thereby reinforcing high expectations for all youth.
Phoenix, AZ Amberlea Elementary School: offers students examples of College Diplomas noting their expected date of graduation and their major area study interest.
ACES Tracking
Chicago, IL Brian Piccolo Specialty School: asked students to identify those faculty and staff with who they believe they have a meaningful and sustainable relationship and who are willing to support their success.
Phoenix, AZ Sonoran Sky Elementary and Middle School: shares a school wide roster with all faculty and staff asking them to document those students with whom they have meaningful and sustainable relationship. They use the Kids at Hope Aces symbols to describe and define the types of relationship through which students benefit.
