Uniting our time, talent, and treasure to build relationships and 

create pathways of success for students.

 Bright Futures Joplin |  http://brightfuturesjoplin.org
JULY 2015
Coordinator's Report:  21 Days & Counting


In just 21 short days, our kids will be going BACK TO SCHOOL. Can you believe it!? This summer has flown by! So much will be happening during this next 21 days as we prepare for kids and all that goes with getting a GREAT school year off to an awesome start. With so much going on, there's lots of ways to get plugged in to help us make it happen in EAGLE fashion!
  • 19 days from now, on August 18 at 9AM, we'll be having our annual all-staff opening day. It's a great time to celebrate and get pumped up for the year.  Would your business/church/agency like to join us for the tailgate party before to welcome back our team? Click here to join in the fun! 
  • 14 days from now, August 13, our teachers and staff come back to begin to prepare their classrooms and lessons for the kids to soon enter. Would you like to join a Bright Futures Council at one of our buildings to help keep our teachers encouraged and our kids cared for? Click here to look at what it means to be a Bright Futures partner and jump in!
  • 11 days from now, August 10, we'll be unloading, sorting, and delivering enough school supplies for 850 kids to our 17 schools in the district. Would you come help us? Click here to help!
  • 3 days from now, August 3, our principals, secretaries, and a handful of other staff begin coming back to the office. The next two weeks will be FULL of Professional Development time and planning - all for our kids. Would you help our leadership team get off to a great start by sending an encouraging email or note? Click here to see their names/contact info.
We're SO excited for the 2015-16 school year, and we just want to say thanks in advance for all you - our partners, our volunteers, our community - do to help make Joplin Schools great. We couldn't do it without you! 

Serving together,
 
Melissa Winston, MSMFT, PLMFT
BF Joplin Coordinator

Wanna be a Superhero!?
Wanna Be a Superhero?
You can be a Superhero in the life of a child in as little as 30-60 minutes a week! Would you consider taking your lunch hour to be a PAL? Or maybe you have a little more time to give and can be a TREK Coach for an hour after school once a week?

We are on the hunt for heroes - will you be one? Sign up here today! 
Little Eagles Corner

In an effort to improve customer service and expedite the process, Joplin Schools will be opening a new Welcome Center where all new enrollments will happen beginning this coming Monday at the Administration Offices. One of the pieces that was important to us was to have a space where little ones could play while their parents were filling out paperwork and getting things taken care of.

Thanks to a partnership between Bright Futures Joplin and United Way's Success by Six program, we have an awesome corner for our Little Eagles to enjoy complete with a Little Blue Bookshelf, blocks, crayons, and all sorts of fun toys! Thanks to Melissa Dumas and the crew at United Way for making it possible.

In This Issue
Facts & figures - July 2015
Student Needs Met this Month 7
Student Needs Met this School Year 7
Bright Futures Partner of the Month
We are thrilled to introduce Miss Katie Hargrove with  Neighborhood Life House Inc.  as our July Partner of the Month! LifeHouse serves as a partner with  Columbia Elementary  and is deeply involved in the school. 

Mrs. Mwangi, principal at Columbia, shared the following, "You don't get much more lucky than to have a non-for-profit in your school community, promoted to support YOUR students! They  provide weekly programming to our students at Columbia. Katie and the LifeHouse volunteers are an active part of our school. They not only help fulfill needs outside of school hours for us, but volunteer as Lunch Pals. There are many students and families they have touched by their generosity and consistent relationship building. LifeHouse and Columbia work hand-in-hand to meet the needs of our students. They are like our "community parents" who help with anything from character building of students to basic needs for the household. We are very appreciative of their commitment!"

Congrats, and THANK YOU to Katie and the awesome crew at LifeHouse who serve our kids and their families so selflessly every day! Special thanks to the Joplin Regional Business Journal for taking this picture for us.

Pictured L-R: Peggy Fuller (BF Joplin Advisory Board Past Chair), Katie Hargrove (Director Neighborhood Life House), and Melissa Winston, (Bright Futures Joplin Coordinator).
Welcome our new VISTA Volunteer
Special welcome to our new VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), Melissa "Mel" Doura, who will be serving with Bright Futures Joplin for the next year. 

Melissa is a recent graduate of Pittsburg State University with a degree in Communication, emphasis in Public Relations with a minor in Sociology. She will specifically be helping us develop our volunteer base in the Donation Center, as well as help with capacity building throughout our work. We can tell already that she's got a HUGE servant's heart, and we are excited to spend the next year together. Welcome, Melissa!
Bright Futures Joplin
417-625-5200 ext. 2229
melissawinston@joplinschools.org
http://brightfuturesjoplin.org
310 W. 8th St.
Joplin, MO 64801
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