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Service “I
now realize the simplest act of kindness can mean so much to a person.
Princess Party for some very special friends There is a power and value in service. Service does as much for teens giving the service as it does to the people receiving it. Regardless of the diverse backgrounds of our participants, the outcome for volunteering is the same: increased self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-respect. Each year we have a major ongoing service project the girls can participate in after they leave camp. During the 2006 Camp, the girls became members of The Bee There Girls Angel Network, pledging to “change the world one person at a time.” They raised over $10,000 in their communities through the Africa “Jars of Hope” project inspired by the book entitled Christmas Jars. During a month-long public speaking trip to South Africa, Be The Best You Director Barbara Barrington Jones was introduced to a nursery school project in the South African township of Knysna. She met Gladys, the loving principal and founder of the school who has dedicated 15 years of her life to providing the best care she could for children dropped off for the day by hard-working mothers – all with very little money and very few resources. They have a small bowl of cornmeal mush each day for lunch, no running water or plumbing facilities and no other amenities to help take care of them. Barbara fell in love with Gladys and the children and wanted to help!! She pledged matching funds from her private, non-profit HBJ Foundation, which sponsors Be The Best You Camp, to the money raised by The Bee There Girls Angel Network. The girls worked creatively and diligently in their communities with their schools, neighborhoods, church groups, and friends to collect change in their Jars of Hope, which will be used for improvements to the facilities and to provide materials and care for these needy children. Together, The Bee There Girls Angel Network and the HBJ Foundation will be donating $20,000 to these special children.
During the 2005 Camp, the girls went into their communities to “Celebrate” being a Bee There Girl that wanted to make a difference in the lives of others. They were involved in wonderful service activities including volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club and the Red Cross, making pillowcases for cancer patients and blankets for a crisis center and victims of hurricane Katrina, helping as mentors in school classrooms, visiting elderly care centers. One girl volunteered many hours at a Deseret Industries store helping sort and display items nicely and even used her Spanish-speaking skills to help many customers. Collectively they gave countless hours making a difference in the lives of others. During the 2004 Camp, each girl became an Earth Angel, pledging to make a difference in their communities when they went home. Two sisters in St. George, UT organized an entire Christmas Carnival for 46 underprivileged children complete with games, story telling, face painting, crafts and a visit from Santa! Other Earth Angels made special blankets for cancer center patients, participated in Relay for Life, volunteered in school classrooms, and helped in abused women’s shelters and humanitarian centers in their areas. The variety of service given and the commitment the Earth Angels demonstrates a true understanding of how each girl can make a difference in the world around them. During the 2003 Camp, each girl received a personal profile and photograph of a special underprivileged child from another country to adopt for the year. The girls corresponded with their new special friends, learned about their families and cultural backgrounds and sent them helpful and fun items to brighten their lives. The girls sent holiday cards, birthday or Christmas gifts, little goody bags and other special items shown on their profiles. It was a very personal way for the girls to feel they have been able to make a difference in someone else’s life. During the 2002 Camp, two firefighters from New York City told the girls of their personal experiences during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack. Following camp, the girls sold commemorative Twin Tower pins raising over $14,000. The two girls who sold the most pins won a trip to New York City to personally donate the money directly to the victims’ families from fire Stations 230 and 235 in Brooklyn.
A special
visit from a 9/11 New York Firefighter During the week of camp, there will also be many fun service activities including:
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