Be The Change club continues to reach out and support members of the TJ community as well as working on new projects.
Artwork by Mia Nogueira
The CSAP, or Colorado State Assessment Program, came and went and a festival was held on March 4, 2011 to celebrate this event. This get together was a chance for the clubs and other groups at TJ to raise money and to get their club’s name out there. The Be The Change Club set up a booth at the carnival where people could receive food and compliments. “We held a booth where we passed out free compliments. If someone was in the need for something nice to be said to them, they could come to our booth and get a compliment,” said the club’s advisor, Samanda Davis.
The club also held a bake sale at the event so the hard working students could enjoy some tasty treats. “I made my chocolate cake for the sale. Many parents, community members, teachers, and students helped and some made donations,” said Davis. The baked goods were very affordable, ranging from twenty-five cents to one dollar.
Besides contributing to the CSAP carnival, Be The Change will be popping up in elementary schools, as well. In March the club will visit Samuels Elementary and Bradley Elementary, where the club will put on peace presentations to the fourth grade classes. “The classes will be split up into little groups and members of the club will be with them. The club members will put on the presentations that are about anti-bullying and peace,” said Social Worker Intern and Be The Change helper, Brittany Anderson-Martinez. The fourth grade classes are the focus of the project because the kids are at the transitioning point between elementary and high school. “We also feel like the fourth grade classes are old enough to be able to take this seriously and grasp what we are saying,” said Anderson-Martinez.
So far the club is going strong with about twenty members and they try to meet as much as possible. “It is really hard for us to get together and meet because I am a part time worker. We have members that come and go but some members that always show up,” said Davis.
The club is brainstorming and getting ready for projects for next year. Davis also wishes that the club will some day be turned into something bigger. “I wish it could be a class. I think it would be easier if I had a captive audience. Maybe someday it will happen.”
