The Children’s Center of Wilkes claims the title of most steps walked in the Get Up Get Moving Campaign

The Get Up Get Moving campaign, offered by the Wilkes Community Partnership for Children and funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, has ended with The Children’s Center of Wilkes claiming the title of most steps walked during the campaign.  A total of 8,187,009 steps were recorded by the staff participating at The Children’s Center of Wilkes during the Get Up Get Moving campaign.

Amber Shumake was the individual overall winner walking the most steps of any child care provider in Wilkes County, 1,242,049  steps.  The Get Up Get Moving six month campaign began in May and ended in October.  Steps were reported monthly by participants using pedometers that recorded each step that participants took.  This campaign was designed to encourage movement and activity within the child care center.

During evaluations, participants reported feeling better, reducing stress, and losing weight.  Most participants indicated they will continue wearing the pedometer to record steps to ensure a higher level of activity.

Susan Cogdill, Executive Director of the Wilkes Community Partnership for Children, spoke on the benefits of the Get Up Get Moving campaign.  “The Partnership for Children was honored to be chosen to receive funding from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation.  Child care teachers are influential in the physical activity of young children.  Movement throughout the entire day while caring for young children is not only a necessity but a requirement to maintain a successful classroom environment.  Preschool children begin learning about the importance of physical activity in the classroom through their role model, the classroom teacher.  Get Up Get Moving has allowed teachers and assistants to recognize and value movement throughout the day.”

 

For more information on programs and activities of the Wilkes Community Partnership for Children visit their website www.wilkessmartstart.com .  The Partnership for Children is a Smart Start funded agency and a United Way agency.

Wilkes County High School Theatre Department presents "A Christmas Cinderella" at the Stone Center

The Children’s Theater in Wilkes would like all families to come out to see the performance of A Christmas Cinderella.  Show times are, Friday December 13^th  and Saturday December 14th @ 7:00 pm and Sunday December 15^th  @ 4:00pm. Tickets are only $5 each and kids 5 years and under get in free. All tickets are sold at the door of the Stone Center.

"Children love this play version of Cinderella!" The story is true to the famous classic as you know it. Poor Cinderella works all day to please her Stepmother and Stepsisters and dreams of going to the ball.

But since this play is set at Christmas, the pumpkin becomes a sleigh! The mice become flying reindeer! And who should be the coachman? Why it’s Santa Claus himself!

The audience joins in the fun singing Christmas carols like Deck the Hall and O Christmas Tree. Characters sing clever lyrics to familiar Christmas tunes! Cinderella’s special mouse friends take center stage in their comic plot to help Cinderella meet her Prince Charming, just in time for a Christmas Day!

The Children’s Theater in Wilkes is a joint venture of Wilkes County High School Theatre Department; KIWANIS/The Terrific Kids program and Wilkes Community Partnership for Children, a local Smart Start agency. Concessions will be available. There will also be a meet and greet with the cast for autographs and pictures held after each show. Wilkes Community Partnership for Children is a United Way partner agency.

For more information contact Wilkes Community Partnership for Children @ 336-838-0977.

WILKES COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN RECEIVES $2,500 LOWE’S GRANT

Don Easterling, vice president of the Lowe’s Contact Center and Walter Broyhill, Wilkes Community Partnership for Children Chair, assist the children in cutting the ribbon to the renovated playground

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation has awarded a $2,500 grant to Wilkes Community Partnership for Children for playground renovations. The funds will be used to purchase raised garden beds to provide nutritious food for local children and families. In addition, mulch and picnic tables will be added to the playground to provide a gathering place for families. The renovations will encourage members of the community to visit the playground, experience gardening and promote a healthy, active lifestyle.

“Lowe’s is committed to recognizing and supporting efforts that enrich the lives of our neighbors and customers,” said Marshall Croom, chairman of Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. “By supporting projects in our hometown, we are contributing to causes that are important to our customers and employees and helping build brighter futures for our neighbors.”

The Wilkes Community Partnership for Children grant was recommended by Lowe’s hometown grant advisory committee comprised of representatives from education, recreation and business in Wilkesboro-area communities. The committee reviews applications quarterly and recommends grants to the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation board of directors. The foundation has earmarked $250,000 in annual contributions for Wilkesboro-area community improvement and public school projects.

To apply for a Lowe’s hometown grant, visit Lowes.com/Community.

 

ABOUT WILKES COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN

Wilkes Community Partnership for Children, a local Smart Start agency, was established in 1994 with the mission to help Wilkes County children enter kindergarten healthy and ready to succeed by serving children birth to age five. 

 

ABOUT LOWE’S

Lowe’s supports the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects. The company’s signature education grant program, Lowe’s Toolbox for Education^®, has donated more than $36 million to 8,000 K-12 public schools, benefiting more than 4 million schoolchildren. Lowe’s Heroes employee volunteers support local community projects and our national nonprofit partners such as Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Together and the American Red Cross. In 2012, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together contributed more than $30 million to support communities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. To learn more, visit Lowes.com/SocialResponsibility and LowesInTheCommunity.tumblr.com

PetSmart is helping Wilkes Community Partnership for Children provide reading buddies to children in Wilkes County

Wilkes Community Partnership for Children and PetSmart are teaming up to brighten up a child’s day with these loveable plush “Chance” the dog and “Lucky” the cat toys. For every plush toys purchased at the Wilkesboro PetSmart-- it will be donated to Wilkes Community Partnership for Children to distribute to selected Raising a Reader classrooms. Raising a Reader, is a daily book sharing program between parents and their young children, sponsored by the Wilkes Community Partnership for Children.  Children participating in this program will share the joy of reading with their own stuffed animal reading buddy.  Wilkes Community Partnership for Children is a United Way partner agency.



Pictured: Amy Mathis Early Literacy Coordinator, Christy Owens, PetSmart Store Manager, and Susan Cogdill, Executive Director for Wilkes Community Partnership for Children, hold "Lucky" the cat and "Chance" the dog that will be donated to the children.