Nicole Harrison, Todd’s Mentor Coordinator, reports that he regularly spends 20+ hours with his mentee each month. Board President Rev. Ed Allen commented, “Todd’s work with BEST Kids is not only selfless and tireless; it is infectious.  The entire organization is inspired and fueled by his passion and his determination.  It’s one of the things that makes BEST Kids an incredibly rewarding place to serve.”

More information about the award is available at the Volunteer Fairfax website. Here’s a brief description:

Established in 1993, the Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards serve as a community-wide celebration of volunteerism. The Awards honor individuals, groups and organizations that have given outstanding volunteer service through a broad range of activities and programs. Over the last 19 years, Volunteer Fairfax has recognized more than 2,500 individuals for their commitment to the community.

Pictured below (L to R): Todd Leibbrand, joined by his wife Jane Leibbrand and Cynne Simpson, Emmy Award winning journalist who anchors ABC7/WJLA-TV’s Good Morning Washington and MC for the evening.

Pictured below (L to R): Todd Leibbrand’s mother Crit Leibbrand,  wife Jane Leibbrand, Todd and father Keith Leibbrand.

On Wednesday, May 9, BEST Kids is hosting our Second Quarter Ongoing Mentor Training on Attachment at the BEST Kids Offices.  We are honored to have Ms. Mary Owen join us for an ongoing training about attachment.  She will give a presentation on attachment difficulties; what they are, what they look like, how they’re caused. This presentation will be followed by a Q&A segment where mentors can find out how to respond to more specific attachment-related behavioral difficulties. Ms. Owen is looking forward to meeting many of our mentors for the first time this month and helping us all achieve a greater understanding of attachment difficulties that many of the BEST Kids youth experience.

The Middle Peer Group focused on learning and practicing self-defense techniques and was led by friend of BEST Kids, Tom Davidson.  After the self-defense portion, the group split up and learned how to use weight and cardio machines, knowledge that will help them focus on fitness in the future. This Peer Group was held at the YMCA in Northwest Washington, D.C., a partner organization that generously provides space for many of the BEST Kids Peer Group events.

The Lower Peer Group went to the Library of Congress on April 14 for Japanese Culture Day. They learned more about the history of DC’s cherry blossoms, how to fold origami and how to write their names in Japanese. They also colored traditional Children’s Day flags, practiced using chopsticks and tried on kimonos. The group was able to use the Library of Congress’ Young Readers’ Room for one-on-one reading time with their mentors and enjoy a sunny picnic on the lawn in front of the Capitol building.

Have you ever heard your mentee talk about school and think “Man, I really want to get his teacher on the phone to find out what really happened”? Have you ever made contact with a teacher and just didn’t know what the right questions were to ask or observations were to share? Do you wonder if your mentee is getting the proper attention at school?

If your answer to these or any other school-related questions is “Yes!”, please join us for our First Quarter Ongoing Mentor Training in the evening of Wednesday, March 21. Dinner will be provided, so please notify us of any dietary requests.

This month, we are honored to have Advisory Board Member Carol Gross, M.D. join us for a training on Educational Advocacy. Carol is a Special Education Consultant and a former general classroom and Special Education Teacher. She is looking forward to meeting many of you for the first time this month and helping all of us be more successful in our attempts at partnering with our mentees’ teachers.

Mentors, please contact your Mentor Coordinator for more details about this ongoing training opportunity.

Wednesday April 18^th 5:30 PM

Wednesday May 16^th 5:30 PM

Saturday June 2^nd 10:00 AM

Wednesday July 18^th 5:30 PM

Saturday August 4^th 10:00 AM

Saturday October 6^th 10:00 AM

Saturday November 3^rd 10:00 AM

Saturday December 1^st 10:00 AM

E-mail Cedric to sign up for one of our New Mentor Training sessions:
cedric@bestkids.org

BEST Kids’ oldest youth participated in the MLK Day of Service at Dunbar High School for the January Peer Group event. Organized by City Year, this project brought in nearly 1,000 volunteers and focused on a campus-wide beautification project of Dunbar, America’s first public high school built for African American youth. The BEST Kids youth enjoyed the opportunity to learn and do service together while reflecting on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy.

Read more about the event at:

http://wamu.org/news/12/01/16/education_secretary_joins_service_project_at_dunbar_high

The lower peer group had a session devoted to “Making Good Choices” and they discussed decision-making, conflict resolution and played the game “Would you rather?”

The middle peer group went ice skating and all of the youth and mentors in attendance tried skating, even though many had to overcome some initial anxieties about stepping out on the ice.

The upper peer group participated in City Year’s MLK Day of Service and reflected on MLK’s legacy.

See more about the conference at:

http://www.mentoring.org/program_resources/training_and_events/national_mentoring_summit

Attendees included long-time supporters as well as new faces to BEST Kids. “I thought the banquet afforded us a great opportunity to expose people to the mission and vision of BEST Kids on a scale we have not yet managed to achieve.  And they seemed to respond.  This is such an awesome organization, I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I guess you never know until you see it,” said Board Vice President and Banquet Speaker Rev. Ed Allen.  Several of the tables were generously sponsored by individuals and organizations, while other tables introduced new people and groups to each other.  “There was awesome energy in the room before, during and after the program,” Allen continued.

This banquet marks BEST Kids’ first large-scale fundraising event and set a high precedent for future events with friends of the organization.  Said Allen, “I really believe the banquet was a real first step toward creating a support base that can carry BEST Kids to the next level.”  Mentors and other longer-term supporters also recognized the growth the banquet signaled for the organization.  “BEST Kids’ first fundraiser showed me just how much the organization has grown since I first started mentoring with them in 2006. It was truly a supportive and warm event where I felt free and encouraged to share the rewards and challenges I have with my current mentee,” said BEST Kids Mentor and Banquet Speaker Sonali Patel.  BEST Kids Staff and Board Members felt that the banquet was so successful that they are already in talks regarding the next large-scale event.