Show us how you're Better for Kids!

We know that you’re Better for Kids!  Here’s your chance to share your story and let all of us know what you’re doing in your community to make a difference in the lives of children and families.  Your story will be featured in our Community Section and Better for Kids blog. There will also be "You're Better For Kids" giveaways!

Please send us:

• Stories
• Photos
• Events
• Web sites

Click here to submit your story!

Movement - Alliance for a Healthier Generation

www.healthiergeneration.org
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation works to address one of the nation’s leading public health threats—childhood obesity. The goal of the Alliance is to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015, and to empower kids nationwide to make healthy lifestyle choices. Founded in 2005 by the American Heart Association and William J. Clinton Foundation, the Alliance works to positively affect the places that can make a difference in a child’s health: homes, schools, doctor’s offices, and communities. 

Stick Your Neck Out - A Street-Smart Guide to Creating Change in Your Community and Beyond

Stick Your Neck Out is a comprehensive and practical guide to the skills, qualities, and strategies you need to make a difference, covering every aspect of working for change-from choosing an issue to mapping out a plan, creating a vision of success, organizing a team, building trust, resolving conflicts, working with the media, moving through bureaucracies, setting legal strategies and more. Filled with practical tips and inspiring examples of real people, this book provides the missing link between ideas and ideals on one hand, and effective action on the other.

Find it here.

Partner - South Atlanta Bike Shop

South Atlanta Bike Shop is a non-profit youth development program in the Historic South Atlanta. Youth in our neighborhood, ages 11-18, can earn “shop bucks” by working in the bike shop and spend these to purchase bicycles, bicycle accessories, replacement parts and pay for bike trip registration fees.

In the process of earning a bicycles they acquire job readiness and leadership/management skills.

The donated bicycles we repair are placed for sale at affordable prices in our neighborhood thrift store: The South Atlanta Marketplace.

southatlantabikeshop.org

ATL Area Event - Alphabet Soup

Alphabet Soup
June 23 - 10:30 to 11:15
Ages 2 to 6 yodel, crow, sing and wiggle in this fun-filled music program. Reservations begin June 16th.
Roswell Library - 115 Norcross Street, Roswell, GA 30075

An Event for Families with Autism

TACA Georgia Family Picnic
An Event for Families with Autism

Saturday, May 21, 2011
11-3 p.m.

Roger's Bridge Park
4000 Rogers Bridge Road
Duluth, GA 30097

Lunch provided by Shane's Rib Shack
Fun bounce houses, train rides, family fun games, music, and vendor fair.

Register today!
All participants must register by May 19th.
Scholarships are available.

Click here to donate

Operation Soldier Support

In the article, Dacula Group Reaches Out to Soldiers, one of PureFUN!'s very own, Sandie Crawford, focuses on her mission. The mission is called Operation Solider Support.


Operation Soldier Support is based out of Hamilton Mill United Methodist Church in Dacula and is in its fifth year of existence. The group’s objective is to send care packages to military members overseas, provide support and assistance to service members’ families, and to help out veteran's organizations back in the States.


At first, the group focused on the one church member who had been sent overseas, but, as the group grew, Crawford and the other members decided the cause was an important one to the community and they continued seeking out other soldiers to support.


In the Article, Sandie states that back home in America, people tend to forget about the soldiers who are risking their lives away from their families. Operation Soldier Support helps support soldiers and their families back home.


To get involved with Operation Soldier Support, visit Hamilton Mill United Methodist Church’s website at www.hmumc.org.


Click here to read the entire article. 

Better in Action! - April Review

During the month of April the PureFUN! Better in Action team packed food for starving children, raised money for homeless and refugees, raced a bed for Family Promise, cared for special needs kids, and so much more!

• Many PureFUN! employees and their families volunteered for the organization "Feed My Starving Children." They packed meals that will be sent to countries with high childhood hunger rates all over the world. Click here for more information about "Feed My Starving Children."
• Amy helped staff the Family Promise Day Center! Family Promise is a nonprofit organization committed to helping low income families achieve lasting independence. Click here for more information on Family Promise.  
• Many PureFUN! employees and their families raced a bed for the annual Family Promise Bed Race. Family Promise is a nonprofit organization committed to helping low income families achieve lasting independence. Click here for more information on Family Promise.  
• Teresa helped coordinate a Community Outreach block party and Relay for Life fundraiser cookout!
• PureFUN! hosted a Bake Sale and Cook Out fundraiser for the families of the Refugee Sewing Society. The Refugee Sewing Society serves refugee women who have fled genocide by providing an atmosphere for healing, an opportunity to express creativity, a means for building self-esteem, and a source of income. Click here for more information.
• Many PureFUN! employees and their families volunteered for Respite Care at a local church serving special needs children. 

What a wonderful month!

Atlanta Area Community Event

April 16 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
6th Annual Kids Helping Kids Spring Carnival
Johns Creek United Methodist Church - Duluth, GA
This event was able to raise $20,000 last year for Camp Sparrowwood, Emory Johns Creek Hostpital's pediatric patients, and local preschools. Benefits from this year's carnival will benefit the same charities.
Click here for more information.

Packing Meals for "Feed My Starving Children"

Above are some pictures of a few PureFUN! families volunteering for the organization "Feed My Starving Children."

These packed meals will be sent to countries with high childhood hunger rates all over the world.


Click here to learn more about Feed My Starving Children. 

Local Community Event

April 2 - 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
Happy Birthday Hans! - International Children’s Book Day
Perry Homes Branch Library - Atlanta, GA Kids will enjoy hearing variations of Hans Christian Andersen’s tales “The Ugly Duckling” and “The Little Match Girl.” Ages 2-8. Click here for more information.

Family Promise of Gwinnett County Bed Race!

Come race your bed to benefit Family Promise - helping homeless children and their families in Gwinnett for six years.


When: Saturday, April 16th 2011
Time: 10am-3pm; Bed Race begins at 11:30am!

What: A competitive Bed Race around Gwinnett's Historic Courthouse. Family fun includes inflatables, face painting, food and more!

Where: Gwinnett's Historic Courthouse in downtown Lawrenceville. 

Admission: Free for spectators! Entry fee for Bed Race Teams is $100 per team (Deadline to Enter the Race is March 31st). Pay Entry Fee Now or mail your check to: Family Promise of Gwinnett County, P.O. Box 1250, Snellville, GA 30078. Can't attend, but would like to support their efforts? For more information on becoming an event sponsor contact Kurt Witter @ 404-372-5304.

Bed Race Information: Contact Brent Bohanan @ 678-376-8950 or visit the website here.

Reminder: "Make Your Mark" Service Opportunity

Service Opportunity!

When: March 25-27

What: Packing lunches for Feed My Starving Children
Where: Gwinnett County Fairgrounds

A PureFUN! employee's church will be helping Feed My Starving Children by packing 300,000 meals at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds. These packed meals will be sent to countries with high childhood hunger rates all over the world.

Click here to register for a 2 hour shift on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday!

Click here to learn more about Feed My Starving Children.

Local Community Event - Kid's Book Club

When: March 14 - 4:30 p.m.

What: Kid's Book Club

Where: Sandy Springs United Methodist Church - Atlanta, GA

The book this month is Spiderwick Chronicles Book 3, "Lucinda's Secret." We will have discussions and trivia in the story time room.

Click here for more information.

Local Community Event

March 10 - 10:30 a.m.
Preschool Story Time in Nature
Autrey Mill Nature Preserve - Alpharetta, GA
This fun preschool program features a story about nature and a related craft.
Click here for more information.

Helping "grow kids" better!

Grow Kids, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Atlanta, GA.

Grow Kids, Inc.'s mission is to enhance the developmental environments of infants and young children by building collaborations and providing services that promote safe spaces, green places, and happy faces where children learn and grow.

• Safe Spaces - Provide prevention and intervention services to increase protective factors that prevent violence exposure to young children. Build skills that improve the safety of child care centers.
• Green Places - Promote environmentally “green” and healthy living to help improve the social-emotional development of young children.
• Happy Faces - Provide programs and services that aim to improve the social and emotional development of young children and help strengthen the emotional well-being of the adults that provide the children with care.

How you can help:

• Click here to donate.
• Click here for information on volunteering.
• Click here to follow and support us on Facebook.

Visit www.growkidsinc.org to find out more about their services!

Local Community Event

February 26 - 11:00 a.m.
Children's Storytime
Borders - Suwanee, GA
Every Saturday, join Miss Nancy for a storytime adventure. A new irresistible tale will be featured every week, plus Seattle's Best Cafe will be serving up treats.
Click here for more info. 678-417-1425

Local Community Event

February 26 - 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Recycle Day!
Rock Springs Park - Lawrenceville, GA
Join us for paper shredding and free electronic recycling with Atlanta Recycling Solutions. Mom and Dad can shred papers with Shred Green while the kids make crafts out of recycled materials.
770-418-2331

Community Event - Healthy Eating for Children

February 12 - 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Healthy Eating for Children, Junior League of Atlanta

Southwest Regional Library - Atlanta, GA

Children will have fun learning about healthy eating in this interactive workshop sponsored by The Junior League of Atlanta. Ages 3-8. This event is free!

comments@co.fulton.ga.us - 404-699-6363

Community Event - Journey to Literacy

February 5 - 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Journey to Literacy

Fairburn Branch Library - Fairburn, GA

Join for an interactive reading of The Very Hungry Caterpillar with related crafts and activities. We will also discuss how to work effectively with your children to develop early reading skills.

comments@co.fulton.ga.us - 770-306-3138