Challenge Day’s 8th Annual Fundraising event is scheduled for Saturday February 14, 2009! Our event is free of charge and everyone is welcome. This is our annual fundraiser and our hope is to bring in as many gifts/donations as possible. With Challenge Day hosting more programs in more schools across the nation (and Canada) then ever before, we are holding the intention that this abundance will be replicated by the gifts we receive at this event.

At Challenge Day, our goal is serve over 100,000 youth this year! Please join us in reaching our goal!

If you plan to attend and bring guests, please PRE-REGISTER with Natalie. This is a ticketed event. Guests without tickets will not be admitted.

Parker, my son, was dragged by his ear kicking and screaming into Challenge Day. By the end of the day (after really accessing some deep feelings) he was on the mic telling everyone how his mom had been bugging him about coming and how he thought Challenge Day would be dumb. Then he turned to me and said, “Mom, you were right. This was totally worth it. Thanks.” WOO HOO! And, may I say that he has been the most delightful person since that day! Same story I am hearing from all the parents whose children attended Challenge Day. “I sent a grumpy teenager to school and got back an engaged, talkative, loving child. Wow!” Love you all! – Spalding

The Mayor of Trenton, MI attended a Challenge Day and gave it rave reviews – he was incredibly astonished by the way Challenge Day breaks down the barriers between teenagers and adults. Congratulations to Jennifer Wilson and Michael Lawson for impressing the town!

To view, go to http://michiganliveevents.com/streamTrenton.html. When the video begins, go to the 62:20 min. mark and begin watching. This is where the Mayor (the man in the middle of the group) begins to talk about Challenge Day. This is the community channel in Trenton and they meet monthly to discuss community events/issues going on in Trenton.

I was a parent facilitator at Challenge Day. I am writing to tell you what an amazingly moving day this was. I could have never imagined how intense it would be.

I would first like to comment on Devon and Sean - our two leaders. They were OUTSTANDING! They had the perfect mix of being fun, “cool” and crazy with being serious. They were compassionate, loving, and everything a leader should be. The kids felt the same way. To hear their own stories from their childhood really made the kids understand that you never know what is happening behind closed doors. I actually went up to Sean at the end of the day to tell him I wanted to bottle him up and bring him home!!

My daughter is in 7th grade and was chosen to participate in the day as a student who is a leader and who could help others understand how important it is to treat people with respect and kindness. I believe she was shocked to hear some of the stories and see some of her friends cross the line and for what reasons. So I know she also got a lot out of the day. This was a day I will never forget. I hope the students who participated feel the same way. Thank you for creating a program that probably helps thousands of teens.

A Southern California woman decided this year was a year for change. Inspired by her experience of Challenge Day and in remembrance of her mother, she chose to decorate her front yard differently. Instead of reindeer, Santa Clause and snow people, she chose to put up paintings and sayings of some of the world’s great teachers such as Gandhi, Mother Teresa, the Buddha, and the Dalai Lama.

She says, “I’ve attached lights that are the colors of the rainbow to show that these great teachers are all coming from the same place and conveying the same message. While people walk or drive past, they can also enjoy listening to Over the Rainbow and Wonderful World playing if you tune in their car radio. It’s the Ukulele version I’m sure you’ve heard.” Challenge Day is honored to share with you some pictures she has shared with us. Enjoy.

The Maui Hero project Circle of Change has been hard at work. Here are some pictures from a grant award ceremony for $12.5k the mentors scored for after school programming to build their Be the Change group (i.e. the Maui Heroes). They actually received two others grants for $7k. These amazing youth are in the process of writing two new grants totaling $200k to fund Challenge Day follow-up programs at three different schools! The model seems to be spreading. The local “alternative” charter school bought in big and are well positioned due to heavy parent support and a service learning curriculum.

The youth that were selected from the 7th grade Challenge Day will receive a mini-day every other week based on themes they saw emerge in the Challenge Day, such as trust, peer pressure, divorce and family, siblings, dating, etc. These “Manini’s” (Hawaiian for ’small’) replace traditional support groups around the indicated issue. The Manini lasts an hour and is largely guided by the mentors. It is a more “cultural” way of helping kids help one another as they graduate along in life, instead of adults responding to crisis fires all the time. This is just some of all they are doing to create positive Change on the Island of Maui. Great job Loren and the whole Circle Team!