So its been way too long! We started our fourth and final round working with the Denver Broncos Boys & Girls Club. Since its our final round we 'un-shuffled' and are back with our permanent teams, with a few changes.
Before the round even started we lost Jazz, she went home, but we gained Quin, Francine, Jenee and Lacey. And then when we had just a few weeks left we got Ben.
They were all added to our team due to medical reasons and because our job isn't very physical.
(everyone is in this photo except Ben)
Very early in the round my team leader Todd, Emily, Heather, and I ran in a 5K race called the color run. It is an un-timed race where they throw buckets of colored powder on you!
(Heather in the mosh pit!)
There was a facebook contest that we entered as a team, and ended up winning. They announced it at the end of the race when we were in a mosh pit and so we each got $20 in free color run stuff!
We were COVERED in color!!
It was my first 5k!
We also did a little rock climbing, as it turns out I'm afraid of heights...
So at the boys and girls club we deal with over 200 kids a day from 9am till 5pm. This particular boys and girls club doesn't have much structure, the kids pretty much run around where ever they want to. They are 6-18 years old and the teens get their own room to hang out in.
My favorite room is the art room! All of us had to come up with and run specific programs for the kids, I came up with a sculpture class and an animal coloring class.
We sculped using marshmallows and pretzel sticks. I made a horse. He is grazing because his head wouldn't stay up!
Me and some of the kids sculpting.
The art room is just one of many. There is also a reading room where we work with the kids to improve their reading ability.
The game room (that's Ben) where we play games like pool, bumper pool, bronco bowling, and many different board games!
The Technology room. There are a lot of computers for the kids to use but they also have been working on robotic cars for a competition where they fight other cars from different clubs.
Lots of things happen in the art room, drawing, knitting, painting, paper making just to name a few. It always busy in this room.
There is also a gym. It is really dangerous to go in there though because the kids kind of just chuck basket balls and stuff around and people are always getting hit.
And also an outdoor area, but no one ever goes out there because they usually say its too hot out.
My older brother Sal and his friend Jesus came to visit me from Portland Oregon for a few days!
We hiked Mt. Bierstadt with Todd Emily and Neal from my team!
We made it all the way up to the top!!
(Todd, Neal, Emily, Jesus, Sal, Me)
Of course we took like a million group shots!
We also discovered that Jesus is a Squirrel whisperer. Several squirrels and a duck kept walking right up to him!
So then they left and I decided to take all of the days I could off so that I could go visit my little brother.
He is also in Americorps NCCC but is serving in a different region.
So I had to rented a car for the first time and they gave me this:
A 2013 Ford Taurus Limited, a completely push button car with Sirius radio and almost everything to do with the radio was hands free, I could even text and make phone calls just by talking to my dash board.
Crazy.
So I didn't really take any photos while I visited him, but we did make a photo strip (on the right) when we went to the Oregon Aquarium, and we saw the Movie Moonrise Kingdom which was awesome. I highly Recommend it! We also drove to Portland to visit my older brother Sal and his wife Dez, my older sister Kayla and Jesus.
Lacey had to leave early because she is due to have her baby soon, we threw her a baby shower! I definitely miss her already!
At this point we only have 2 weeks left and then I'll be back home! I leave sometime on the 27th of July for New York.
Also at this point I'm still an alternate for team leader next year, so I might get a chance to come back and lead my own team of corps members!
See you in New York!!
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(color dust)
(up the mountain)
(one of the kids wrote my name!)
