Dear <<First Name>>:
Last week I visited the birth house of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Auburn Avenue in downtown Atlanta. Our tour group consisted of a family of 11 from rural Mississippi, two older women from a small town in Virginia and me, the New Yorker. Doug, the Park Ranger, started the tour with a contest to see who had traveled the furthest distance, which immediately engaged everyone in an impromptu geography lesson. Ranger Doug is legally blind and knew the house intimately floor board to floor board, and each artifact in every room. There was something so poignant about seeing the dining room table where MLK had Sunday dinner with his family and the room where he was born. As we traveled back in time, Ranger Doug regaled us with stories that informed the group of the triumphs and setbacks that shaped one of the greatest leaders of all time. It is important to celebrate those who have come before us - individuals committed to making the world better place for our children and generations to come.
Sending you strength and Soaringwords,
Lisa
T.646-674-7105, C.917-499-3783, lisa@soaringwords.org
Soaringwords News
Recent cool Soaringwords events.
Google
 
Everyone knows that Google is the acknowledged leader to “search” anything. On June 2 and June 9, Soaringwords led two GoogleServe teams as part of a global GoogleServe initiative. Dozens of "Googlers" (Google employee volunteers) led school children at Chelsea Prep and PS1 in Chinatown. Together, the teams decorated SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows® filled with inspirational messages and artwork to donate to children at Lincoln Medical Center and Metropolitan Hospital Center. At the event, adults and students enjoyed a Zumba® class. Special thanks to Google team leads Shalewa Odusanya, Matthew Thomas and Manuel Neto and our fabulous Zumba instructors, Shira Bordoloi, Iris Ivette and Josephine Gonzalez and Sindi Kaplan. MORE PHOTOS
Volunteers for Good
 
Just another fabulous day at the office! Under the leadership of Nina Deal and Arnyse Black, employees at New York Life created SoaringSuperheroes and crowns based on character strengths for 100 hospitalized children at Lincoln Medical Center. They also created activity kits, so the children in the hospital will not only receive a gift but also have an opportunity to make a superhero for someone else. MORE PHOTOS
Empirical evidence from Soaringwords’ research shows that when patients do something kind for another person it has a positive cascading impact on their health, elevating well-being.
National Alliance of Grieving Children
 
Thanks to our friends at New York Life for inviting Soaringwords to attend a Symposium in Atlanta with 270 childhood bereavement support professionals. These compassionate professionals help grieving children and families walk through the grief journey with healing tools and support. Patti Wood shared a powerful keynote on body language to help grieving children open up. Did you know that boys respond best when you sit side by side whereas girls appreciate face to face communication? Dr. David Schonfeld presented “Current Issues Impacting Children's Bereavement: A Fishbowl Conversation”, a comprehensive initiative to train educators by helping them identify and help grieving children in the classroom as a way to destigmatize grief, and help children cope with the loss of a parent or sibling. One of the emotional highlights of the symposium was a discussion with parents whose daughter had died at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. In order to create a "safe space" and to demonstrate solidarity with these parents, the moderator asked audience members who had lost a grandparent, experienced the death of a spouse, lost a best friend, lost a sibling, or lost a child, to stand up. In a room of more than 400 people, only a couple of people remained seated. It was extremely powerful to spend time with this exceptional group of dedicated professionals.
Johnson & Johnson
 
On June 18, employee volunteers from Johnson & Johnson's Global IT team celebrated the end of a full-year Soaringwords Educational Outreach program mentoring the amazing fourth graders at Franklin Park Elementary School in NJ. Together, the student and employee volunteers created SoaringCrowns to share with patients at the New Jersey Cancer Institute. Each month throughout the school year, Soaringwords led a different hands-on engagement program which was layered into divisional meetings and Town Halls. MORE PHOTOS
IMPACT Day
 
The creative sparks are always flying at the Soaringwords' Deloitte IMPACT Day project and this year was no exception. Fifty employee volunteers braved a spring shower to shower much love and creativity on 75 fourth graders at PS 84. Special thanks to Deloitte team leader Cynthia Tong and Ms. Jessi, an extraordinary teacher. Together the Deloitte employee volunteers and students decorated quilts and pillows and enjoyed a Zumba class led by Thomas Estler. The adorable and elated children elevated everyone's spirits in the closing ceremony. MORE PHOTOS
Zumba® Fitness Master Class in Chicago
 
Join us in Chicago for an amazing Zumba® Fitness Master Class with six of the top instructors from around the world!
Saturday, July 26 from 6 to 8 pm at Northeastern Illinois University.
Families are welcome to participate. Ticket Price is $25 for adults and $5 for children. All proceeds will support the Soaringwords+Zumba Hospital Program Initiative. Click here to purchase tickets.
Soaringwords is working with Zumba® Instructors around the world to bring the love of music, dance and community to hospitalized children, families and hospital professionals who care for them all year long.
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SoaringSpotlight
We haven't had the pleasure of meeting Christina Thorne face-to-face, but we have had the opportunity to spot her strengths. Christina is filled with love, kindness, perseverance, spirituality, hope, leadership and zest.
Not long ago, Christina organized a fund-raiser to support her good friend Bonnie whose 10-year-old daughter Zoey is being treated for leukemia. At the event, Zoey had so much fun up on stage dancing with Christina and the team. Christina shared this story with the Zumba® home office, who recognized Zoey as "the first honorary Zumba® Kids Instructor."
With Christina's support, Team Zoey is going strong and is growing by the day. Zoey is now being treated at a hospital far from home and Christina has been key in helping support her friends from afar. Click here to see Soaringwords Team Zoey!
To acknowledge Christina's accomplishments, Zumba® Fitness has invited her to attend the International Zumba® Instructor Convention in Orlando, FL for four fun-filled days. There, we will finally get to meet Christina in person and she will get licensed in Zumba® Kids so she can bring her compassion and love of dance to children at Bronson Children's Hospital. |
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SoaringHealth & Wellness
Each month teams of compassionate Zumba® instructors visit hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses to spend time with children, families and staff bringing joy and sharing the love of dance and community. By the end of the first routine, you can see and feel the stress and fear of patients and family members melt away. Check out these amazing photos.
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Touch Points
Summer is the perfect time to start planning team-building programs for the Fall. Please contact us if you are interested in launching a team-building employee volunteer program, off-site, inspirational speaker or community event. Kindly contact lisa@soaringwords.org or call us at 646-674-7105.
We are accepting applications for our Fall/Winter internship program. Email heal@soaringwords and request an internship application. College students and adults in transition are all welcome to apply.
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