Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays! 

May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope;
The spirit of Christmas which is peace;
The heart of Christmas which is love.
- Ada V. Hendricks

It's Christmastime! Merry Christmas Eve everyone! It's that time of year when you watch The Grinch four times in one month (thanks Nicole!), decorate a real Christmas tree in the living room, bake dozens and dozens of cookies, attend multiple holiday parties at work, cook and eat delicious meals, relax, laugh and love! 

I hope that everyone is spending time with loved ones, family, friends, and enjoying the holiday season! I wish there was snow down here in Massachusetts. I'm enjoying these days spending time with my parents and siblings! May peace be yours this Christmas and throughout the New Year! I'm finding that sometimes, the holidays can be stressful, but we must remember to relax, cherish these times, and enjoy the love that surrounds us! 

I Have a Dream Community Service Day

I am currently working with Nicole, and two other VISTAs who serve in Bennington: Ali Siegel and Kevin Wandrei, on the I Have a Dream Community Service Day. This event is a day of service in Bennington held in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It will be held on Monday, January 21, 2013! 

Together, we have been working with over ten community agencies to put on this day of service, and have also received donations from three local businesses thus far. Our goal is to engage 25 - 50 volunteers in service in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Some of the service activities we have planned include: sorting donations at a local homeless shelter, making thank you cards for hurricane response teams and National Guard members, painting classrooms at a local church, making "have a good day" or Valentine's day cards for nursing facility residents, putting together activity books for children in the hospital, and helping in the Meals on Wheels cafe to prep the kitchen. 

In addition, the Youth Ambassadors have also been helping in the process of coordinating the day of service and will be attending and each of them will be bringing a peer, family member, or friend! With continual support from SVHC, the Alliance for Community Transformations, and several other community organizations, we are hoping the event will be very successful!

I'll leave you with another poem! Have a wonderful holiday!

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words on repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow