Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Junior Achievenment Day


Through out the year we like to give back to our community in other ways than just supporting our national recognized charities. This year we are having a Junior Achievement Day tentatively scheduled Wednesday, September 23. All volunteers should use the form to the left to email your Youth Involvement Chair, Krystal Wilkerson. 


Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. Their programs help prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs which make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace. Students put these lessons into action and learn the value of contributing to their communities.

*Facts about Junior Achievement:

WHAT IS JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT?
JA Worldwide® (Junior Achievement) is an innovator in empowering young people to own their future economic success in the 21st-century global marketplace. JA focuses on the impact areas of youth, education and economic development. Junior Achievement’s volunteer-delivered, K-12 programs foster work-readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills, and use experiential learning to inspire kids to dream big, reach their potential, and contribute to the vitality of their local communities and the world economy.

 
PURPOSE
JA Worldwide’s purpose is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

PROGRAM REACH
JA Worldwide reaches 9.8 million students per year in 404,000 classrooms and afterschool locations. JA programs are taught by volunteers in inner cities, suburbs, and rural areas throughout the United States of America and in 123 countries around the world.

VOLUNTEERS
JA Worldwide’s 382,000 classroom volunteers around the world come from all walks of life and include business people, college students, parents, and retirees. These dedicated individuals are the backbone of the organization.

PROVEN SUCCESS
JA is one of a few global nonprofits to use independent, third-party evaluators to gauge the impact of its programs. Since 1993, independent evaluators have conducted studies on JA’s effectiveness. Findings prove that JA has a positive impact in a number of critical areas. These results are available free upon request. Summaries of the findings also are published in the JA Programs section at www.ja.org.  
LEADERSHIP
Ralph de la Vega, President and CEO of AT&T Mobility, is chairman of the JA Worldwide board of directors. Sean C. Rush is president and chief executive officer. A total of 68 JA Worldwide board members represent a wide range of businesses and academic institutions around the world.
 
A BRIEF HISTORY
Junior Achievement was founded in 1919 by Theodore Vail president of American Telephone & Telegraph; Horace Moses, president of Strathmore Paper Co.; and Senator Murray Crane of Massachusetts. Its first program, JA Company Program, was offered to high school students on an after-school basis. In 1975, the organization entered the classroom with the introduction of Project Business for the middle grades. Over the last 30 years, JA has expanded its activities and broadened its scope to include in-school and after-school students.

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW
JA Worldwide is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. The Headquarters office provides strategic direction, leadership, and support to approximately 3,300 employees worldwide. Local volunteer boards of directors comprised of business, education, and civic leaders set the policy and direction for each local office. 

OUR VALUES
• Belief in the boundless potential of young people.
• Passion for what we do, and honesty, integrity, and excellence in how we do it.
• Belief in the power of partnership and collaboration.
• Commitment to the principles of market based economics and entrepreneurship.
• Conviction in the educational and motivational impact of relevant, hands-on learning.
• Respect for the talents, creativity, perspectives, and backgrounds of all individuals. 

*Taken from http://www.ja.org/about/about_news_fact.shtml

Moosehaven

One wonderful thing about being a Lady of the Moose is after we have given back to our community and to our organization, our organization gives back to us. Moosehaven has provided thousands of Moose members and their spouses with a secure, relaxed, and enjoyable retirement experience. The residents enjoy a beautiful community without the burdens of home maintenance. Health care is comprehensive, and transportation is always available as are a plethora of social interaction and activities. the "City of Contentment," 70 beautiful acres on the shore of the broad St. Johns River just 15 miles south of Jacksonville, Florida. Who wouldn't want to retire in sunny Florida?

Founded in 1922 by the Moose fraternal organization, Supreme Secretary Rodney H. Brandon purchased property on the banks of the St. Johns River in Orange Park, FL consisting of eight acres  with a four-story hotel structure, containing approximately 65 rooms. The original concept was to “organize the residents so that they might help each other and help themselves, and provide from their own energy the major part of the cost of their keep.”

Moosehaven was dedicated on October 3, 1922, and the first 20 residents arrived (mostly from Mooseheart) on November 1. During the first six months of operation, some 54 residents were admitted. By 1926, there were 144 residents. Known initially as the “City of Opportunity”, Moosehaven residents performed all of their own work and operated a successful dairy and farm. At various times, as many as 500 Moose members have resided at Moosehaven.

Today, more than 300 Moose members reside on Moosehaven’s 70 acres. Instead of doing farm work as they did in the early years, they pursue new enjoyable experiences every day! Many have “Sunshine” jobs that help keep the community running smoothly—answering phones, driving vans and buses, delivering mail, running the stores, sewing and more. Their jobs are only a small part of the active life they already enjoy with each other.
 


Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Mooseheart

Beyond the Ladies' of the Moose's commitment to our own communities and community service, Mooseheart supports our own in their time of need. Mooseheart serves as a full service school for children in need that are affiliated with Moose fraternity members. Each lodge conducts their own fundraisers to support this school.
 

The history of Mooseheart Child City & School is inextricably intertwined with that of the Loyal Order of Moose and the Women of the Moose, two organizations whose stupendous growth during the first quarter of the 20th century was inspired by the idea of creating this beautiful home and community for children in need. 

Mooseheart, the famed Moose "Child City," is a home and school founded in 1913 by the Loyal Order of Moose for the children of Moose member families in need and as of 1994, for all qualifying children in need. Mooseheart is a complete community for young people, situated on 1,000 acres of prime Illinois farmland in the Fox River Valley, about 38 miles west of Chicago. Mooseheart has its own homes, schools, cathedral, farm, health center, post office and utilities.

Families whose young people come to Mooseheart are generally charged nothing, but the "entrance fee" is nonetheless extremely high: many youngsters at the Child City reside at Mooseheart because they have lost one or both of their parents. In many other cases, their parents have separated or divorced, or there has been severe financial need, or other problems causing family instability. Over 11,000 children have resided at Mooseheart for such reasons since its founding.

In assuming the obligation of raising these children, the Moose fraternity makes every effort to provide them with a stable, secure environment, in houses as well-appointed and comfortable as the best single-family homes, along with the best academic education and vocational training possible. Awaiting every eligible Mooseheart high school graduate with a 3.0 or better grade average is an annually renewable full tuition-room-and-board scholarship, with value equivalent to state-university expenses, to any North American college or university to which he or she can be academically accepted. 


Mooseheart has its own complete accredited school system located on the campus. Beginning at age three, children begin their formal education in Nursery School. The elementary school serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade, in self-contained classrooms where the teaching of basic skills is the primary focus. Middle School is for students in grades six through eight; Mooseheart High School for grades nine through twelve. Class sizes are small, generally, with fifteen or fewer students.

The curriculum in the Mooseheart Schools is typical of what is used in schools across the nation — with one significant difference. Beginning with career exploration at the middle school and evolving into vocational education at the high school level, each Mooseheart student learns a vocation in addition to earning an academic diploma. Vocations include areas such as Agribusiness, Business, Child-Care, Computer Science, Cosmetology, Graphic Arts, Health Occupations and Small Engines. A broad extracurricular program is available at Mooseheart, including athletics, vocal and instrumental music and club activities. The majority of Mooseheart students participate in both athletics and music. 

The Moose fraternity’s support of Mooseheart students does not end at the time of high school graduation. A generous financial aid program exists which provides scholarships for students meeting academic criteria. Students who achieve a 2.0 grade point average are eligible for consideration for a two-year scholarship and students with a 3.0 GPA or higher are eligible for consideration for a four-year scholarship. The majority of Mooseheart graduates do go on to college, attending universities throughout the nation.


  James J. Davis (right) conceived the Child City concept and Rodney Brandon (left) is credited with planning construction, staff, and supervision of the program for its first three years. 

 Housing at Mooseheart


Student at Mooseheart 

Arial view of Mooseheart


Thursday, July 14, 2011

An Introduction and Mission

Hello readers!


On this blog you can expect to see everything about the comings and goings of the Moose ladies, Pasadena chapter, as well as information on Moose national, Mooseheart, and Moosehaven. The calendar will be updated with meetings, community events, dinner nights, and special events for children. In keeping with a lighthearted theme, recipes from our Moose ladies, articles on health and well being, as well as an idea drop box will be included. Feel free to drop us an email if there are any requests or ideas about postings to the blog.


The mission of this blog is to keep the community involved with our chapter, spread the word about our community involvement and to connect Moose ladies from all over the nation.


Check back for photos of recent events and a more in depth look at Mooseheart and Moosehaven!