Stand for Children

Sarah Green, Emma Green and Destiny Acre would tell you what they like best about today’s ninth annual Stand for Children celebration, but the opening beats of the popular Cha-Cha Slide tell the whole story.

The girls immediately begin to bounce restlessly. Tereia Acre of Woodburn told her daughter, Destiny, 7, and Sarah, 8, and Emma, 6, both of Rockfield, that they can go dance as long as they get where she can still see them. Acre laughed as the three young friends rushed to the middle of the impromptu dance floor of Western Kentucky University’s E.A. Diddle Arena, where 35 booths were set up with games and information to appeal to children and adults.

“We come every year. The girls hit every booth that has candy and I can gather information that will help me in my profession,” said Acre, a preschool teacher. “’s a good activity to get kids away from the television, and adults can find out a lot of information about organizations in the community.”

Baily Jordan, 9, came with Camp Eagle ROC, one of Community Education’s summer camps. She was preparing to explore the various games the event had to offer.

“I’ve been here before,” she said. “ like to do all the activities.”

At one of the tables, ALIVE Center Director Cheryl Kirby-Stokes and other volunteers helped children write thank you cards to military troops. She said United Way of Southern Kentucky Executive Director Doug Eberhart came up the idea.

“Children know there are people in another country fighting a war,” she said. “ you cards are grand gestures of kindness.”

The theme for this year’s celebration – sponsored by American Bank & Trust and the Bowling Green Kiwanis Club – is “ Acts of Kindness: It’s the Little Things That Count.” Organizers have been encouraging businesses, organizations and schools to build kindness walls made of “” on which people write examples of acts of kindness given or received and their favorite kindness word.

“We’re encouraging people to keep it going,” said Ann Grubbs, enrichment and volunteer coordinator for Community Education, which helps organize Stand for Children.

Jeff Younglove, director of campus and community events at Western, said he was excited about Stand for Children – formerly an outdoor event – being at Diddle Arena again this year.

“When we renovated the arena, one of our goals was to use it as a community facility with various groups and the community,” he said. “ welcome kids here. By the time they graduate (from high school), maybe they’ll remember Western and come to school here.”

 

Harvey, Alyssa (200, June). Stand for Children. Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.bgdailynews.com/news/stand-for-children/article_69d80307-d25f-5b76-ac37-35cfb15770dc.html