RF Service with Blue Skies for Children 12-6-15

On this unusual indoor service day, we take a rest from exploring outside and instead explore the connections between us and some of the younger members of the community; this day our service was located at the Blue Skies for Children’s office. After a quick check-in and briefing about the project, the Red Foxes seemed ready for a day of service and action!

During service days, we take the time to remember how our needs are being met and how we can help meet the needs of other people. We reflected on our motto, Our Cups Overflow and decided we definitely had more than enough spilling over our own cups. This is our EC philosophy of service: those whose cups spill over have the joy and responsibility of sharing with others whose cups aren't quite full. Then we learned all about Blue Skies For Children's mission, and how they help "fill the cups" of hundreds of children in Whatcom County. It was just great to see how well the girls understood that mission, and to witness their emerging commitment to do what they could to contribute to it.

The commitment on this day was to stamp, label and stuff thousands of envelopes. As we talked about direct service vs. indirect service, the Red Fox girls saw how this indirect contribution of labeling envelopes to potential donors could allow many children to be assisted by BSFC.

All service projects require some degree of persistence – it is work, after all. But somehow Red Foxes successfully made work into play on Sunday. This time was a great way to catch up with some of the girls on their lives, something we often don't have time for on outings. We shared our interests, upcoming events, and lots of goofiness!

In Explorers Club, we aim to create a culture that expresses the attitude of writer Rabindranath Tagore: "I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy." Our project involved a different kind of tenacity than usual: there was no inclement weather to work with, no hard-to-pull weeds, but rather, lots of repetitive tasks. But Red Foxes never seemed to tire of it; they took a short lunch break, but we were determined to finish the job we had come to do. This is integrity in action, following our EC motto Walk Your Talk.

Even amidst all the silliness and fun we had, this group put their best self-management skills to work. With great focus, they sticker-ed, stamped and stuffed a huge number of envelopes and donated 75 hours of time (3 hrs x 2 groups of girls)! Filled with a sense of determination and resolve to have the biggest impact possible in a finite amount of time, they even filled an additional round of envelopes up until the very last minute! They really left an impression, and received sound gratitude from Julie, Blue Skies' Executive Director. 

Our closing circle began with a discussion of our season. We remembered our earlier outings, shared funny memories from the season, and talked about the plants, animals, and concepts we connected with. Reflecting on the season past, we ended our day by creating a Web of Life. Each girl became something from nature she had connected to this fall: Medicine club, water, wind, leaves, cottonwood…Through this web, we underline our EC motto All Things Are Connected, and understand that whenever one thing in the web is altered, it affects all the other aspects. 

The laws of physics mean that when one's cup is emptied to fill others' cups, that cup becomes more empty. But the Red Foxes' experience defied physics: they all could easily state that their cups were more full by helping to fill those of the BSFC kids. 

Our words of the day: "Love and giving, being connected through envelopes"

EC Mottos especially alive today:
Our Cups Overflow
Walk Your Talk
Collaborate and Compromise
All Things Are Connected
LIBK (Let It Be Known)
Widen The Circle
Everyone Helps

-Laurel

Find our photo album from the day here!