New Blog Feature: Wowza!

We're always on the lookout for the latest-and-greatest creative websites, widgets and games on the web, and we REALLY like the ones that make us say, "WOWZA! That's super-cool!" So with that, here is post number one of our newest weekly blog feature: the Wowza!

This week's Wowza came a-knockin' at our door recently through a friend of a friend (everybody's got 'em): JamStudio.com! Join for free to create and listen to your own music. How cool is that? We even went and found a useful video to help us make the most of this neat little web tool. Mix and match instruments, chords and sounds to build your own personal theme song - enjoy!

Photo Friday!

These little kiddos are participants in the Thriving Minds after-school program at Mills Elementary School. Under the direction of their extraordinary staff, led by Site Manager "Miss Judy," these students put on a fantastic music and dance extravaganza at the end of the school year!

Rumor on the Street is...

...that TEDxSMU and TEDxKids are back - October 15 & 16. And they’re looking for creative types--artists, architects and designers--to submit ideas for a performance, installation or interactive-based project. The winning project will receive a $1,500 honorarium plus up to $7,500 for project fees, materials and resources. But time's running out…deadline is July 8. Check out the details at www.TEDxSMU.org/art-commission.

Photo Friday

SLANT 45 is not just about community service - the kids who participate are also given the opportunity to reflect on their project and its effect on them and the community in a creative way. Each youngster is given an 8x8 sheet of paper on which they can draw, collage, paint - whatever their heart desires - to show their feelings on their accomplishments. The reflective art pieces are being collected and will be toured throughout north Texas in a special SLANT 45 exhibit. Here's a glimpse of the art that's been completed - more to come!

Team Sasha Strikes Again...

Remember Team Sasha, the inspiring children's basketball team from Plano? Yesterday marked their final delivery of thousands of Legos collected for their SLANT 45 project to Children's Medical Center in Dallas. The team rolled up to the hospital Monday afternoon with wagonloads and donation boxes full to the brim with more than 400 Lego sets for the patients and their families to enjoy. It was quite a spectacle to see those boys and their families surrounded by hospital staff and cameras galore as they piled their donations up in the entrance!

Team Sasha's members then headed up to the 10th floor of the hospital to receive words of thanks from Dr. Bowers (Sasha Ohotskiy's doctor) and Sasha's father, Sergei (among others). The boys gave heartfelt interviews for the press, remembering Sasha as "one in a million," and talking about how optimistic he remained both in and out of the hospital during his treatment, and then hauled their wagons over to the 10th floor playroom to stock the shelves FULL of Lego sets! The rest of the donations were distributed to other playrooms for general use or stocked away to be used as birthday presents for patients.

Team Sasha has served as an inspiration for many, including the 8th grade graduating class at Levine Academy, where many of the team attend school. Each year, the class does a fundraising project, and this year, they chose to support Team Sasha's SLANT 45 Lego donation program. Soon, a check for $500 will be headed to Children's Medical Center to join the thousands of Legos who've already made the hospital their home - which really demonstrates the generosity of these kids and their capacity to care and provide for others!

Photo Friday

Miss B's 3rd and 4th graders in the Thriving Minds after-school program at Twain Elementary chose to make a HUGE paper recycling bin for their school for SLANT 45. They primed the individual wooden pieces to make a smooth surface, used paper templates to plot out design elements, and painted the pieces of the bin with every color in the rainbow - especially green!

Every Dog Has Its Day

...and for the pets of 250 Arlington area Meals on Wheels customers, that day was Saturday, May 22. With the help of Girl Scout troop #3502, Meals on Wheels and the Arlington Animal Services Shelter collected over 6,000 pounds of dog and cat food.

The Girl Scouts, under the leadership of troop leader Sandy Worth, chose the Giving Back Twice event as their SLANT 45 project, and set about collecting donations at Kroger grocery stores and Arlington Fire Stations. On the day of the event, the girls made colorful posters to display, helped meet and greet customers at the shelter and handed out donation fliers in the Tails n' Trails dog park at the facility.

Chris Huff, Community Services Educator for the city of Arlington and coordinator of the event, was extremely pleased with the hard work of the Girl Scouts. The original goal for the pet food drive was 1500 pounds, but the girls were so efficient and excited about the project that she revised it - twice - and they still exceeded the new 5,000 pound goal! Said Chris, "The success of this event shows how much kids can do and how much they're willing to do; they just need an opportunity."

The girls each worked 2-hour shifts at the shelter, pausing only to grab a drink or play with a puppy in the dog park. Girl Scout Peyton had this to say about the experience: “When you give back to the community at least once, you keep wanting to do it over and over again because of the really good feeling and fun that you’re having.” Friend Lauren agreed, saying, “Yeah, and it inspires other people to start taking action, too.”