I got a note from a mental health counselor at an inner city elementary school about an epidemic of negativity in her Dayton, Ohio school. Her moving testimony and her idea for closing the positivity gap, made me want to help:
“It seems the focus is always on the negative things that kids do. In the past 2 years, I have tried to spread positivity to the staff and students, like creating a nomination box for students and teachers to call out individuals when they have done something caring or responsible.”
“We teach in a poverty-stricken district. Drug use is prevalent, abuse is prevalent. Our test scores are low, not because our teaching staff is sub-par, but because these kids are worried about having enough to eat or mom/dad being high or violent when they get home. It gets to the staff, and then the staff bicker at each other, instead of lifting each other up.”
“I want to remind people that the kids can feel our negativity and frustration… But, with likely teacher lay-offs and testing coming up, people are feeling bleak and frustrated.”
“I would love to be able to buy your “Good Happens” tee-shirts for the staff, but there is no budget for this. I would need about 45. I completely understand if it isn’t possible to donate them, but would be eternally grateful if it does!”
The phrase, ‘Ask, and it is given,’ is such a powerful invocation.
As if to confirm Lisa’s good intentions, I received a notice from CafePress.com, the shop that prints and sells Good News Network merchandise, describing a 3-day sale ending Wednesday offering 20% off to shop owners for orders on their own stuff!
With my discount, most shirts would cost about $12.00 plus $2 each for shipping (if I ordered these during the sale period ending Wednesday night.)
If this story moves you and you can donate to this effort, I’ve set up a DONATE button using Paypal that will accommodate any amount. (All money would go directly to the cost of the shirt.) Please be generous, if you can. (All proceeds go toward cost of shirts.) NOTE: You do not need to have a Paypal account. Donations can be made directly with a credit card – Click where it says, “Don’t have a PayPal account?”.
You can also order directly from the shop to send the shirt personally to Lisa’s school.
www.cafepress.com/goodnewsnetwork – (The shirt will cost a bit more, but you could include a personal note with the order when you mark it as a GIFT — And, Paypal would not be involved — You could use any credit card.)
SEND orders directly to: Lisa Otto, Virginia Stevenson Elementary
805 Old Harshman Rd.
Dayton, Ohio 45431
Shirt sizes needed:
5 mens – (3) 2XL size, (1) XL size, and (1) Medium.
Women’s sizes: 6 smalls, 11 medium, 9 large, 11 XL, 4 2XL
I hope many of you are moved to help with this! I will post updates here for a running tally, showing how many shirts were manifested. I will pay all shipping charges myself and purchase a couple shirts to get the tally moving!
(Send me a note if you order a shirt directly, to let me know what sizes you sent.)
When you donate, you can send an encouraging note to the teachers, or forward them to me by email or in the Comments space below.
May Good bless all the teachers!
AN UPDATE on the Successful Campaign can be seen here on the blog!
Growing up in the Kenyan slums, Peninah Nthenya Musyimi was surrounded by drugs, prostitution and dire poverty.
