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| Jack and Jill Day - 2009 |
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Programming is what drives our Chapter! Under the direction of our dynamic Program Director, Michelle Armour, our Chapter enjoys a yearly, well-organized program of activities. Our children are first divided into grade & age specific groups as follows:
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Group
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Grades
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1
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Pre-K to Kindergarten
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2
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1, 2, 3
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3
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4, 5
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4
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6, 7, 8
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5
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9, 10, 11, 12
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Each June, mothers attend a meeting to plan activities that provide meaningful experiences in the following categories: 1) Cultural, 2) Educational, 3) Civic, 4) Social, 5) Recreational, 6) Leadership, and 7) Legislative. The Teen Group, under the leadership of Teen Advisors Susan Hairston and Karla Jones Raynor, plan their own activities. Group Mothers and Teen Advisors ensure that activities are carried out as planned. Activities are later evaluated for their effectiveness.
In addition to the scheduled monthly activities, we participate in Chapter activities as mandated by the National Organization. These include Jack and Jill Day celebrated each September, and National Black Family Day which is celebrated the first Saturday in May.
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| The Debonair Dads of GUCC |
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The Dads are an integral part of the Jack and Jill experience for our children! Some attend their children's monthly program activities, and they can always be seen at Chapter events such as Jack and Jill Day, Black Family Day, the Holiday/Kwanzaa celebration, and the Inducation/End-of-Year Celebration. Delrecole Gales serves as the chair of our hard-working and supportive Father's Auxiliary.
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Father's Auxiliary Hosts Teen Workshop!
On March 8, 2008, under the leadership of Chairs Mack Rice and Glenn Riley, the Father’s Auxiliary sponsored an event at the Plainfield Public Library titled “Teen Scene: Are You Honoring Your Past, Making the Most of Your Present, and Preparing for Your Future?” The room was filled to capacity! John Blanton of JGB Ventures spoke first and stressed the importance of making the right decisions. He offered these tips to the children: 1. Make sure your music models your goals; 2. Don’t use the word “nigger”; 3. Appearance is important – boys shouldn’t wear big pants and girls shouldn’t wear clothing that draws attention to them; 4 Marry before having sex; 5. Make a decision to fear God; and 6. Excuses are the tools of the incompetent.
Detective David Tabon of the New Jersey State Police did a presentation on Street Gang Awareness. He explained that a gang is a group of three or more people who have a common name; have identifiers such as clothes, colors or tattoos; and engage in criminal activity. He explored in depth why children join gangs. Reasons included peer pressure, low self esteem, family traditions, protection, lack of education and opportunity, and some members are “born in”.
Alvin Perry, patented inventor and author of The Critical Zone, closed the event with a discussion on relevance and value. He shared his invention, Quiet Feet, at various stages of development and showed the children how his persistence led to the development of a major tool for perfecting one’s golf swing. He added, “The decisions you make today impact your future success.” Our Dads did a remarkable job and we salute them for this wonderful event!
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| John Blanton of JGB Ventures |
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| Detective David Tabon of the NJ State Police |
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| Patented Inventor and Author Alvin Perry |
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| The teen audience was captivated by the presentations! |
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