"It is better to give than to receive."

Jesus Christ

"Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting."

Princess Elizabeth

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one."

Mother Teresa

"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."

Winston Churchill

"Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out."

Frank A. Clark

"Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

"When you learn, teach. When you get, give."

Maya Angelou

"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal."

THE ICE CREAM PRAYER (Author Unknown)

Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace. As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good, God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if Mom gets us ice cream for dessert. And Liberty and justice for all! Amen!"

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby I heard a woman remark, "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know how to pray. Asking God for ice cream! Why, I never!"

Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?"

As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer.

"Really?" my son asked.

"Cross my heart," the man replied. Then in a theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment and then did something I will remember the rest of my life. He picked up his sundae and without a word, walked over and placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes; and my soul is good already."

THE END...Sometimes we all need some ice cream.

The "BIG GIVE" 2011 involves 3 parts:

1) As a school we will participate in a week (12/5 – 12/9) of IN CLASS Discussions and Activities about the value and importance of GENEROSITY.

2) Parents are encouraged to give their children daily chores to complete during the week AT HOME for an allowance.

3) Students are invited to bring the allowance they have earned for the week and donate it towards the “45 Gifts of Hope for a Hurting World” on Friday, December 9. Homeroom teachers will collect donations in the morning.

Participation in the Friday fundraising event is COMPLETELY VOLUNTARY.

These “45 Gifts of Hope” will be purchased through Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian Outreach & Humanitarian Organization well known and respected throughout the world. To learn more about the “45 Gifts of Hope” and the people who will be receiving them, please visit:
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/

Click on the “INTERACTIVE CATALOG” link for a page-by-page view.

This is going to be an incredible opportunity for your child and our school to be a part of something bigger than any of us – something meaningful and life-changing. How inspiring will it be for our students to know that through their hard work, commitment and generosity, they are making an impact for GOOD in the world!

What is Hats On Day?

Hats On Day is a nationwide event where students pay a nominal fee for the privilege of wearing a hat of their choice to school to help raise cancer awareness. Why hats? Many times, students battling pediatric cancer must wear hats to school following chemotherapy or radiation treatments that cause hair loss.

The History of Hats on Day:

The Foundation for Children With Cancer (FCC)’s Hats On Day was founded in 1995 by four sixth-graders in St. Louis, Missouri when their friend and classmate was diagnosed with cancer. Their idea was to have all students wear hats on a designated day as a sign of compassion and a way to raise understanding and awareness for their friend and other children who lose their hair during treatment. Unfortunately, he passed away only days before and did not live to see the first Hats On Day event.

Hats On Day Today:

Hats On Day has grown to be one of the most influential awareness and fundraising campaigns among school age children. Since taking Hats On Day to a national level it has raised over $1,000,000 allowing us to assist approximately 2100 families. Funds raised on Hats On Day are dedicated to supporting the mission of the Foundation for Children With Cancer, which is to financially assist the families of children with cancer. By providing tangible and direct financial support, such as mortgage payments, insurance premiums and utility bills, families are given an greater opportunity to focus on their child’s treatment and recovery.

Why Participate in Hats On Day?

By participating in Hats On Day, you are helping to make life a little bit easier for these children and their families in addition to raising awareness for childhood cancer, which is the leading cause of death (excluding accidents) for children under the age of 20; furthermore, Hats On Day encourages students to gain more understanding for the estimated 12,400 children under the age of 20, who are diagnosed with cancer every year.

What sets A.W. Brown-Fellowship Leadership Academy apart from other institutions of education?

Many things come to mind: our wise and supportive administration, our passionate and proficient staff of educators, our state of the art facilities and technology, our unified commitment to the vision of our founder, Rev. Armond W. Brown, and to the mission of our school to produce S.E.E.D.S. (Smart, Effective, Efficient, Disciplined Students). All of these things set us apart and keep us ahead of the pack, but one characteristic stands out more than any other…it would be hard to find any school in American more generous than A.W. Brown-Fellowship Leadership Academy. The generosity of our students and their families is what truly sets us apart. How is this generosity impacting our community and world? Below is a list of the local and global charity programs that we as a school family are involved in on a yearly basis (click on a link to learn more):

• A.W. Brown Education Foundation (www.awbrown.org)
• Annual City-Wide Thanksgiving Food Drive (Hosted by Senator Royce West)
• Foundation For Children With Cancer (www.childrenwithcancer.org)
• Friends of Oak Cliff Parks (www.friendsofoakcliffparks.org)
• “Helping Hand” Dive for the Homeless
• North Texas Food Bank (www.ntfb.org)
• Samaritan’s Purse (www.samaritanspurse.org)
• Special Olympics (www.sotx.org)
• Texas Trees Foundation (www.texastrees.org)
• Welcome Home a Hero (www.facebook.com/WelcomeHomeAHero)

WE ARE BLESSED BECAUSE WE CHOOSE TO BE A BLESSING!