What a Week! (Whew!)

2007 Legacy Builder's Breakfast!

Months of preparations, complications, no relaxation and no vacations paid off as our 2007 Legacy Builder's Breakfast was a success! Although we don't yet have final numbers in terms of how much was raised and how many people showed up, we do know the following:

(Pictured above left, Sandra Hilton, Executive Director and "Visionary Leader" of Perry Nursery School.) Great job Sandy!

* More than 100 friends, family and colleagues were in attendance.

* There were no problems with the microphones and none of the speakers lost their voices!

* Much to my personal relief, most guests showed up on time (this was my greatest worry.)

* The children who sang were as adorable as ever and Miss Sharon and Miss Amber did a great job corralling them where they were supposed to be.

* The food was excellent!

* The children's murals didn't fall down, the decorations were beautiful, and the souvenir boxes were enjoyed by all!

* The tears were flowing in abundance (this is a good thing! people were touched by our mission!)

* And most importantly- Perry Nursery has gained priceless friendships and much needed exposure, which will help us continue our mission for generations to come!

In The Week Ahead...

Board Meeting

Wednesday, May 23rd 6 p.m. Meeting Room

The 2007 Legacy Builder's Breakfast will be discussed!

RESCHEDULED FOR JUNE 21st
Parent Workshop

Thursday, May 24th 5:30 p.m.

This workshop is on Personal Safety. PLEASE NOTE beginning with this workshop, all workshops will be summarized on this blog, as a resource to parents who couldn't attend.

Miss Sharon's Birthday!

Saturday, May 26th

Word has it, she LOVES Macy's! (and presents)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS SHARON!

Why I Love Perry Reason of the Week!

Junior League of Ann Arbor

When I hired in at Perry, I heard the Junior League of Ann Arbor was a major supporter of Perry. They donated an outreach board, purchased play equipment for our indoor play area, cooked meals for our parent workshops etc.
Unfortunately, I didn't get to actually meet any of them until their going away party/meeting room dedication yesterday.

I spent the afternoon learning about Junior League, getting to know their members, and eating a slice of yummy cake (or 2!)

I can honestly say that I can't recall meeting such an amazing group of woman since I got hired in here and met the teachers. To dedicate such a great amount of time and energy volunteering to help out an organization you may otherwise not have been associated with, is something I will always have great respect for.

They were incredibly kind, had tremendous amounts of energy and really cared about their work.

I was also happy to see many parents stop in and sign their thank-you card (decorated by the children of course.)

Organizations such as Junior League really make me feel fortunate to work for a non-profit, and be able to see first-hand the impact of connections between non-profits who are so different from each other. As I always believe, collectivism is always stronger than individualism, no matter what form it may take.

Thank you Junior League for giving so much to Perry (three years worth of support!), and good luck with your next project!

Exciting new developments!

There are many exciting things happening right now in the land of Perry. Here is a run-down of this week:

New volunteer!
Perry has a new volunteer, Rachel Schultz!
She comes to us from Huron High School, where she is vice president of the National Honor Society. She will be helping Miss Michelle and Miss Janis in the Gold room, where she will practice her Spanish-speaking skills.

Roxella was very excited to meet her last Thursday as she asked, "Are you going to stay?"

Perry Video
This week some of our parents, teachers, staff and board members already have or will soon view the draft of our video. The video, which includes parent testimonials, video of children, and staff relays the mission of Perry in a 7-minute time span.

It's emotional, funny at times, and very real. The parent testimonials really tugged at my heart, and made me want to run around and hug every child at Perry and their parents too.

The video will be shown at the "Legacy Builder's Breakfast" as well as at outreach events and presentations to potential sponsors and supporters.

Thanks to Russell Video Services for their hard work!

Legacy Builder's Breakfast
Don't forget the date! May 16, 2007 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Morris Lawrence Building, Washtenaw Community College. We still need volunteers to help before, during and after the event. Please E-mail Us to find out more.

Camp Perry!
We are busy passing out fliers and preparing for Camp Perry. Remember the dates: June 11-24. ALL children preschool through kindergarten age are welcome, regardless of income. Know of a friend who may be interested? Are you able to post our flyer on a communication board at your place of employment? Please let us know!

Peek-At-Perry Tours
Our monthly tours will resume into the summer, dates TBA. Please start thinking of who you know may be interested in attending our 1-hour tours. Our goal is to get 10-12 guests out at each tour!

Our very own blog!

Yes! We have joined the age of technology and now have a new blog.

What will our blogs be about?

Think of this page as an online parenting newsletter, staff calender, and photo album. We will be posting information on school closings and upcoming events, as well as some funny pictures taken here, anecdotal stories and helpful links.

If you'd like to know more about Perry, this is the place to be! If you just want to see pictures of our cute children, well that's fine too. There is no shortage of them here at Perry :)

This blog will be updated weekly, so be sure to check back every week to see our updates!

What's happening this week?

Construction: Our meeting room is now just that; a meeting room! Our Family Service Coordinator, Mary and our Programming Director, Jan are now located upstairs! The pounding of hammers and the sound of the electric tools has passed, and now we are happy to hear the comforting sounds of children laughing, dancing and singing.

Perry Video: As some of you know, a crew has been filming the school for a bit, and now the video has been sent to be edited. This video will be used for a variety of purposes including our promotional video to be shown at our Legacy Builder's Breakfast.

Legacy Builder's Breakfast: Only 2 weeks away!? As of today the staff of Perry has been hard at work along with volunteers and parents to get everything ready for the fundraising breakfast.

Don't forget the date! May 16th from 8am-9am at the Morris Lawrence Building, WCC.

The breakfast is FREE, and you will learn more about Perry from our director, parents and children! Please invite a friend, there is still time!

The United Way Day of Caring: This Saturday, May 5th is the United Way Day of Caring. There will be volunteers from UW as well as church groups, individual volunteers and staff. Please consider volunteering for a couple of hours, we have lots to do!

Camp Perry: Summer is quickly approaching! Children will of course spend more time outside, which in turn means more crazy fun! Our camp is for ALL children, not just those enrolled at our preschool. Ages 2.5-5 years are welcome! June 11th - Aug. 24th are the dates of the camp. Tell a friend with a child, bring your own child, or donate your time!

What I love about Perry thought for the week.

The teachers! They aren't just teachers, they are the children's friends. It amazes me every time I see them interact with the children. A while back we had Lori Fithian from Drummunity teach the children about music through massive banging, clanging, shaking and jiggling of instruments.

While I myself was taking pictures, the whole room participated including the parents and staff. To my amazement, the teachers joined in the circle and danced just as silly as the kids. They were having a blast and the bond between the teachers and students was very memorable.

Miss Michelle, look how much fun you are having!

This is Miss Michelle from the Gold room. Just after lunch, when the children are rounded up to go to the bathroom (outside my office,) she tells her students to be quieter and wait patiently because her "friend" is in the bathroom now. She refers to all students as her "friends" and it makes me smile every time.