By GLENN VICKERS II
With spring in the air, that only means one thing: allergies. OK, correction, two things: allergies and the renewal of creativity.
Especially for children. Creativity is the freest form of self-expression. There is nothing more satisfying and fulfilling for children than to be able to express themselves openly and without judgment. I’ve been very fortunate to work with teams of passionate youth development professionals, board members and various community stakeholders nationwide that collaborate proactively to solve social challenges in their communities. Without creative thinking, these challenges couldn’t be accomplished.
Keeping to the theme of creativity, let me tell you about Bradley Leighton and his mission to the moon.
In the month of March, Leighton (better know as Brad) Director of Justice Title & Escrow had the ingredients for a great mission.
Brad’s Mission To The Moon Beef Stew:
- 1 six foot dog mascot.
- 10 cups of “walking to the moon”
- 5 tea spoons of “Send A Kid To Camp.”
- 2 ounce of “creativity”
- 3 tablespoons of “bounce”
- 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
To support the Boys & Girls Clubs Send A Kid To Camp Annual Campaign, Brad wanted to do something high energy to appease his appetite, so he created a challenge with the help of our friend Jackie Sisouphonh of Amusement Bouncers . Using the Manassas Boys & Girls Clubs new Chase’s Play Yard, an affordable indoor inflatable bounce house, Brad’s challenge was simple for the youth: Walk to the moon and back!
Using pedometers to help count the 477,000 miles to the moon and back, each step counted as one mile. Justice Title & Escrow donated $ .02 for every step to the Send a Kid to Camp Campaign. After thousands of steps were taken to walk to the moon and (almost) back, this creative idea raised over $8,000 for summer camp scholarships and helped the fight against childhood obesity.
As adults we should never loose the creative nature that we are born with as children. As adults we should continue to invest in children’s creavtiy. So take this time with the warm weather to smell the roses, paint a fence, help a neighbor or even walk to the moon.
More to come….
