Smell the flowers?

I just got back from my first professional sporting event ever in Florida :) My best friend Sue took me to see the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team play the Atlanta Thrashers for my birthday.
It’s weird… it’s not like I’m terribly old I suppose, but this year, for the first time ever, I am actually kind of dreading my birthday. I guess it kind of reminds me about how I’ve really not lost any weight since last year… 8 lbs. I’ve furthered my career a whole lot but honestly, I’ve not stopped to smell the flowers at all. Tonight I realized how much there really is to do in Tampa and how I’ve lived right near there for like 2 years and I’ve seriously only been there once recreationally (the other times were airport trips.)
Right now I’m watching “Dark City” from 1998 starring Jennifer Connolly and Kiefer Sutherland. I hadn’t heard of it until I haphazardly came across it on netflix. I’m not sure how I did, but I did. It came out the year before the Matrix and it seems to possibly have influenced it a bit… it’s a weird ass movie. I’m about 20 min in and I like it so far.
That’s about all I have to report right now. I’m always really busy and pretty lonely…

Today

“You know today, I just woke up and I said, you know, instead of waitin’ on a good day, waitin’ around, through ups and downs, waitin on something to happen, I just say, ‘I’m gonna have a good day …”

- Nappy Roots from the song “Good Day”

I am definitely have a good day today because I signed into the <a href=”http://www.fldoe.org/”>Florida Department of Education</a> website to discover that they finally got to my Professional Certificate application and according to that, I have my Professional Certificate now!  Hopefully this means the paper one will be coming in the mail soon!

We haven’t really had many responses at all to our news efforts, but I’m not giving up on the school yet!  Keep hoping!

If you or anyone you know has space they have trouble renting in Bradenton, FL and they would be willing to make a deal with our school, please call (941) 567-1022!

“If you don’t have a dream, how’re you going to make a dream come true?”

-Dizee Rascal

Let’s Hope…

Today the news crew from Tampa Bay’s 10 came to do a story on our school and how we need $60,000 or we have to close.

Here’s the link to the story.

I’ve been watching Kathy Griffin recently and I saw her talking about starting a small school like Oprah did. I keep wishing that there were a way I could get in contact with her to tell her about our problem. I really feel like she would help us if there were a way to contact her. Her website makes it seem like they get so many emails that they couldn’t possibly read all of them let alone answer all of them.

We only have until August 15 to make this happen and I’m not someone who just gives up… especially on a cause like this one.

If you have any ideas, let me know!

Save Our Next Generation

As many of you know, I teach at a small school that services 8 to 12 year old girls year round. Here is our mission:

“PACE provides girls and young women an opportunity for a better future through education, counseling, training, and advocacy.”

We were told in a staff meeting Thursday that if we don’t raise $60,000 for the coming year’s rent/operating costs by August 15, we have to close. This means that the girls we service have to go back to public school for the first day of school on August 18.
This means larger class sizes, less one-on-one attention, very little counseling if any, and they have to adjust to a whole new environment again.

Many of these girls have needs like behavior problems that are not adequately addressed by public school. At PACE’s SONG Program, we provide the support these girls need to get them back to the point where they can succeed in public school and not drop out because they are behind.

Believe me, I know people don’t have a lot of money to spare in today’s economy but even if you have even $5 or $10 to spare, this will help. Thank you so much for your help!! (We’re non-profit – It’s a tax write-off!)

Please contact our school at:

PACE Center for Girls, SONG Program
2620 Manatee Ave W, Suite E
Bradenton, FL 34205
(941) 567-1022

I’ve attached a link to an article the Bradenton Herald did about our school today!

Thank you so much!

I am on the far left in green (of course) with the other staff members and some of our girls.

Bradenton Herald Article