Children of Promise - Mentors of Hope

Lawton Celebrates End of School

noreply@blogger.com (Marion Ward) — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:14:00 -0700

The Lawton matches will have a celebration for the arrival of summer vacation at the Goodyear Plant on May 23. The matches will be able to munch on hot dogs, go fishing, and play games.
Have a great summer.
from the staff of Children of Promise-Mentors of Hope

Fall Events Offer Mazes, Lasers, and Bowling

noreply@blogger.com (Marion Ward) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:50:00 -0800

A Huge Thanks to the Steve Owens Foundation, Inc. for his generous contribution to our Match Fall Events. The Norman matches spent an evening at TG Farms picking pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, finding their way out of the corn maze, cruising through the corn fields on a hayride, and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over a bonfire. The Oklahoma City and Tulsa matches spent an evening at Laser Quest in each city practicing their Jedi skills and eating dinner to give them energy for another game. The Lawton matches had pizza and an afternoon of bowling. Thanks, again, Steve, for making our fall events really fun.

Great Activity News!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Marion Ward) — Tue, 3 Jul 2007 13:13:00 -0700

Great news!!! Children of Promise-Mentors of Hope has been awarded a grant from the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. With this grant Children of Promise-Mentors of Hope will be able to host a Camp-In for all of our matches at the Omniplex. The Camp-In will take place in July and will include a variety of activities for our matches. For additional information on the Camp-In at the Omniplex please call Marion at 405-325-5454. We hope to see all of our matches there!

The Oklahoma City Community Foundation, the metropolitan area's non-profit public charity, was founded in 1969 to work with individuals to meet the charitable needs of the community through the development and administration of permanent endowment funds for non-profit organizations, scholarships and other charities. Through its Community Program Grants, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation funds, initiates and leads program that benefit the community in the area of arts. education, health and human services, beautification and community development.

Summer Activities

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Tue, 29 May 2007 13:25:00 -0700

Summer is here!! Although the summer can be a very exciting time for children it can also be a time when children feel bored if they are not properly entertained. Luckily, there are programs designed to entertain children during the summer and throughout the rest of the year.

The Home Depot offers free workshops for children ages 5-12. Children who are accompanied by an adult will be able to participate in a workshop. They will receive an orange Home Depot apron, an achievement pin, and they get to take home their project. The Home Depot Kids Workshop takes place on the first Saturday of each month. Call your local Home Depot for further details.

Your local library offers activities throughout the summer including a Summer Reading Program. For more information on summer activities or the Summer Reading Program call your local library. (405) 231-8650 (Oklahoma City), (918) 596-7977 (Tulsa), (405) 701-2600 (Norman), (580) 581-3450 (Lawton).

Check out our blog posted on April 26. 2007 about free summer camps!

For more information about summer activities please feel free to call Erin at (405) 325-5484.

Free Summer Camps

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 08:56:00 -0700

The summer months will be here before we know it. There are several camps in Oklahoma designed specifically for children affected by a parent's incarceration. Each camp offers a wide range of activities for campers. These activities include water activities, games designed to build self esteem and confidence, and arts and crafts to name a few. The camps in Oklahoma are:

New Day Camp
New Day Camp I (ages 8-11) from June 11-June 15
New Day Camp Too (ages 12-14) from July 16-July 20
For more information and registration please call (405) 530-2015 or (405) 530-2014 or visit their website at www.okumcministries.org

New Hope Camp
Camp New Hope (ages 8-11) from July29-August 3
Camp Vision (ages 12-13) from June 23-June 28
Camp Start (ages 14-15) from July 14-July 20
For more information and registration please call Judy Gann at (918) 361-3903 or visit their website at www.newhopeoklahoma.org

Camp Y'Shua
For information on Camp Y'Shua please write to Camp Y'Shua P.O. Box 6272, Lawton, OK 73506 or visit their website at www.vohope.org and click on the link for "Angel Tree Kids Camp".

Match Event

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 12:03:00 -0700

Our Tulsa match event was a great success. Matches from the Tulsa area had a great afternoon eating pizza and skating at Skateland in Tulsa. It was great to see all of your smiling faces!!
Our next match event is in Oklahoma City. The bowling event will take place on Saturday, April 28th from 12:00pm-2:00pm. The event will be held at AMF Windsor Bowling Center located at 4600 NW 23rd street in Oklahoma City. We will have lunch and have a great time bowling. For more information on this and other match events, please contact Erin Tyler at 405/325-5484. We hope to see all of our Oklahoma City area matches there!!

Skating Event

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Tue, 3 Apr 2007 07:48:00 -0700

It's time for another match event in the Tulsa area!! Our next match event will take place on Saturday, April 14th from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm at Skateland. Skateland is located at 1150 S. Sheridan Road in Tulsa. We will be serving a slice of pizza and a drink to all of our "Bigs" and "Littles". If you plan on attending the event with your "Little" please let us know by April 11th. We hope to see all of our Tulsa matches at the event!

Happy Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 10:34:00 -0700

Spring is finally here! Let's celebrate the season with a fun and easy craft that is great for children and adults. These wind chimes are easy to make and will make a wonderful sound as the spring time breeze blows into our state.
For the wind chimes you will need:
Scissors
Clear Plastic Lids
Hole Punch
Fishing line
Stick or Dowel
Jingle Bells

1. Cut the rims off of the plastic lids, then help children cut out several leaf shapes from the clear plastic lids.
2. Punch a hold in the top and bottom of each leaf. Tie a 7 to 10 inch length of fishing line to the top of each leaf then hang the leaves, evenly spaced, from the stick or dowel
3. Using the short lengths of fishing line, hang a jingle bell from the bottom of each leaf.
4. To make a hanger, tie the ends of a 6 to 8 inch piece of fishing line to each end of the stick.

For this craft and many other exciting spring time activities please visit familyfun.com! Enjoy!!

Shamrock Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 08:12:00 -0700

Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day!! What a great day to get together with your "Little" to celebrate! These Shamrock Cupcakes are an easy and fun way to celebrate the day.
To make Shamrock Cupcakes you will need:
Cooled Cupcakes
White Icing
Green Gumdrops or Spearmint Leaves
Small Heart Shaped Cookie Cutter
Rolling Pin

1. Frost a cooled cupcake (baked from your favorite recipe) with white icing.
2. For the shamrock, flatten three gumdrops or spearmint leaves with a rolling pin
3. Use a small heart shaped cookie cutter (about 1 1/2 inches across) to cut a heart from each flattened leaf.
4. Place the hearts on the cupcake to form a shamrock.
5. Cut a stem from the excess of one of the flattened candies and set it in place below the three hearts.
6. Enjoy!!
We hope you and your "Little" will enjoy this recipe. For this recipe and others like it please visit familyfun.com.

Spring Time Games

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Wed, 7 Mar 2007 08:57:00 -0800

Spring is here, the weather is beautiful. It's time to get outside with your children or your "little". This frisbee game is a fun and easy way to enjoy the lovely weather. For this game you will need a frisbee, two teams and two goal lines.
1. Begin with each team standing behind its goal line. One team throws the frisbee into the other team's end zone. The receiving team must try to move the frisbee up field by using a series of passes.
2. Each time a player catches the frisbee, they must stop in their tracks and throw to a team mate before taking another step.
3. To score a point the receiving team must complete a pass to a player positioned behind the opponent's goal line. The opposing team is awarded the frisbee following a score, and incomplete pass or an interception. The first team to score 21 wins!

Have fun!!

Game courtesy of familyfun.com. For more fun games like this one visit familyfun.com

Happy Valentine's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 14:08:00 -0800

Valentine's Day is almost here! Here is an easy way to make ordinary cupcakes into heart-shaped cupcakes. To make "Cupid's Cupcakes" line your regular cupcake tins with baking liners. Prepare a batch of your favorite cake batter and fill the cups halfway. Place a small marble or a 1/2 inch ball of aluminum foil between each liner and one side of the tin. This will push the paper into the batter to form the notch in the heart. Bake the cupcakes at the temperature suggested by the recipe but make sure to check for doneness a few minutes early. Let the cupcakes cool, then remove the marbles or foil balls. Frost with icing and top with colored sugar or sprinkles. This is a fun and easy way to celebrate Valentine's Day with the ones you love.
Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Recipe courtesy of Familyfun.com

Tulsa Match Event

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Tue, 6 Feb 2007 13:14:00 -0800

Children of Promise-Mentors of Hope is excited to announce their next match event. The event will be held in Tulsa on Saturday, February 17th from 11:00am - 1:30pm at the Oilers Ice Center. Lunch will be served at 11:00 and ice skating will begin at 11:45. The Oilers Ice Center is located at 6413 S. Mingo Road in Tulsa. If you and your "Little" will be able to attend please RSVP to BJ Sherman at 918-728-7956. We hope to see all of our Tulsa matches there!!!

Training Information

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 14:47:00 -0800

Great News!!! In an effort to make the training days and times convenient for all of our mentors we will be offering more training dates. The trainings have been scheduled for the next two months. We hope that you will be able to attend one of them.

Oklahoma City Training
Located at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma City.
4101 Perimeter Dr. 2nd Floor, Oklahoma City, OK
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Monday, February 5, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Monday, March 5, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Please RSVP to Leslie Fitzhugh at 405/962-0456 or Todd Balcom at 405/325-5450 if you plan to attend an OKC Training.

Norman Training
Located at the University of Oklahoma Building 4
555 E. Constitution St. Large Conference Room 1st Floor, Norman, OK
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Please RSVP to Michelle Chapman at 405/325-1791 if you plan to attend a Norman Training.

A training is required for all mentors matched with the Children of Promise-Mentors of Hope program. If the above dates and times are not convenient for you, please feel free to call Leslie, Michelle or Todd to schedule another training date. We hope to see you soon!!!

Lawton Match Event

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 11:37:00 -0800

It's time for another match event for Children of Promise-Mentors of Hope. Matches in the Lawton area are invited to join us for a fun afternoon of bowling. The event will take place on Saturday, February 17, 2007 from 2:00PM - 4:00PM. The event will be held at Thunderbird Lanes Bowling Center in Lawton located at 4405 NW Cache Road in Lawton. Invitations should be arriving soon. Feel free to give us a call if you have any questions. (405) 325-5484. We hope to see all of our Lawton matches there!!

Cold Weather Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 06:58:00 -0800

There are many fun and exciting activities for children to participate in during the winter months. By properly preparing for the cold weather we can help to keep our children safe and warm while they are playing outside in the snow.
Here are a few tips to keep your children warm when it is cold outside.

"Make sure your kids have a snack before going out. The calories will give them energy in the cold weather".
Avoid sunburns by applying sunscreen to your child's face. We sometimes forget that "snow can reflect up to 85% of the sun's ultraviolet rays." Sunburns are possible, even in January.
Dress children warmly by using layers of clothes. "If the top layer gets wet, they can peel off some clothes down to a dry layer".
Waterproof pants and jackets are great for a top layer because they don't allow the wetness to seep in. Don't forget the warm socks, hats and mittens.

For more tips on keeping your children safe, warm and entertained in the cold weather visit kidshealth.com

Adapted from Kidshealth.com Reviewed by Steven Dowshen, MD September, 2006

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 08:35:00 -0800

Ready, Set....SKATE!!! Children of Promise-Mentors of Hope will be hosting a match event for all of our Oklahoma City area matches. It will take place on Saturday, February 10th from 11:00am - 2:00pm. The event will begin at Wilmont Place Baptist Church located at 6440 S. Santa Fe Ave. in Oklahoma City. We will be having lunch and participating in an activity making music with drums. After lunch and the activity we will be heading over to the Blazer's Ice Center for ice skating. PLEASE RSVP to Marion at 405/325-5454 by February 5th so we can have a proper count for food and the ice skates. We hope to see you there!!

Norman Event

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Fri, 5 Jan 2007 13:55:00 -0800

Get Ready to Drum Up Some Fun!!! Children of Promise-Mentors of Hope will be hosting an activity for all of our matches in the Norman area. The event will be held on Saturday, January 27th from 11:00am - 12:30pm. It will take place at Alameda Church of Christ located at 801 E. Alameda St. in Norman. We will be having lunch and then participating in a fun activity making music with various drums. If you are interested in attending, please call Marion at 405/325-5454 by January 23rd. We hope to see you there!!!!

Upcoming Mentor Training

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 09:09:00 -0800

Oklahoma City Volunteer Mentor Training
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
6:00pm-8:30pm
Big Brothers Big Sisters
4101 N. Perimeter Dr. Suite 235 Oklahoma City
Please RSVP to Leslie Fitzhugh at 962-0456

Norman Volunteer Mentor Training
Thursday, January 25, 2007
6:00pm-8:00pm
University of Oklahoma - Building 4
555 E. Constitution Norman
Large Conference Room (First Floor)
Please RSVP to Michelle Chapman 325-1791

Lawton Volunteer Training
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
6:00pm-8:00pm
Cameron University
2800 West Gore Blvd Lawton
Conference Room To Be Determined
Please RSVP to Michelle Chapman 405-325-1791

We hope to see you there!!!!

Cookie Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Tue, 5 Dec 2006 08:10:00 -0800

Now that the weather is cold, kids need some fun activities to occupy them during the day. Baking cookies can be a fun way to spend a cold and snowy afternoon. Here is a fun and easy recipe that everyone can enjoy.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Cookies

You will need:

Your favorite sugar cookie dough recipe
3-inch long teardrop cardboard pattern (for Rudolph's head)
Pretzels
Cookie frosting
M & Ms
Red Hot candies

Roll out the cookie dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Set the cardboard pattern on the dough. Parents can cut out the reindeer's head with a sharp knife. Bake as directed

Let the cookies cool. Break apart the pretzels to form the antlers and attach them at the top of the reindeer's head with little dabs of frosting. Add the M & Ms for eyes and a red hot for the nose.

You can find this recipe and many more recipes and craft ideas at familyfun.com.

Enjoy!!

The Spirit of Giving

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 14:55:00 -0800

The holiday season can be a fun and exciting time of the year. Many people get so wrapped up in the material aspects of the season that they forget that the holidays are about the spirit of giving rather than the actual gifts. Teach your children about the spirit of giving and how rewarding it can be to look for, make and wrap something special or do something special for the people they care about and for those who are in need. Gift giving will always be a part of the holiday season. Giving can teach children to consider other people's feelings.
Show your children that the holidays can be a wonderful time of the year, not just a time to worry about shopping. Remind them that it is more important to receive a few thoughtful gifts than piles of presents. You can help to change your child's prospective on the holiday season by teaching them what it means to give and receive all year long!

Adapted from Kidshealth.org. Reviewed by Barbara P. Homeier, MD Dec. 2004

Upcoming Volunteer Mentor Training

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 10:26:00 -0800

Lawton Training Information
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
6:00pm-8:00pm
Cameron University
2800 West Gore
North Shepler Building, Truman Room
Lawton, OK

Please contact Michelle Chapman for additional information at 405/325-1791 or
888/322-HOPE or by e-mail at mchapman@ou.edu

Norman Training Information
Thursday, November 30, 2006
6:00pm-8:00pm
University of Oklahoma
Building 4 555 E. Constitution
Large Conference Room, First Floor
Norman, OK

Please contact Michelle Chapman for additional information at 405/325-1791 or by e-mail at mchapman@ou.edu

Oklahoma City Training Information
Monday, December 4, 2006
6:00pm-8:30pm
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Oklahoma City
4101 Perimeter Center Dr. Suite 235
Oklahoma City, OK

Please contact Leslie Fitzhugh for additional information at 405/962-0456 or by e-mail at promise@cce.ou.edu

Match Events

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 10:16:00 -0800

Attention all "Bigs" and "Littles"!!! Children of Promise-Mentors of Hope wants your input for our next match activity. Our Fall Fun Events were huge successes in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Our Oklahoma City group spent an evening at Chester's Party Barn petting the animals, playing in the mystery maze and going on a hay ride. Our Tulsa group had a blast at Riverlanes Bowling Center eating pizza, and bowling. Children of Promise-Mentors of Hope plans to have more events in the near future. If there are any activities that you and your "Big" or "Little" are interested in please feel free to share them with us. We would love to make our Match Events a fun time for everyone. We hope to hear from you soon!!!

Fall Fun Event

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 07:56:00 -0700

The OKC/Norman Fall Event at Chester's Party Barn was a huge success!! All of our "Bigs" and "Littles" had a great time petting the ponies and goats, running through the Mystery Maze, singing karaoke and roasting hot dogs! Thanks to everyone who participated! We look forward to getting all of our matches together in January for our winter event!

OKC/Norman Fall Event

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 07:43:00 -0700

The OKC/Norman Fall event for matches is almost here. The event will be held at Chester's Party Barn on Tuesday, October 24 from 7:00pm - 9:00pm. The event will feature a 3 acre mystery maze, food, games, karaoke and a giant hay slide! If you and your "Little" plan to attend, please give us a call at (405) 325-5454 or e-mail us at promise@cce.ou.edu. We hope to see all of our "Bigs" and "Littles" there!!!!!

Lawton Mentor Training Postponed

noreply@blogger.com (Erin Jones) — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 10:09:00 -0700

The Lawton Volunteer Mentor Training originally scheduled for Tuesday, October 30, 2006 has been postponed until Tuesday, November 28, 2006 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. The location will remain the same.

Please contact Michelle Chapman for further information at 405/325-1791 or mchapman@ou.edu.