April Newsball
Playing Catch-Up with Life is Good Playmakers
CHIEF PLAYMAKER'S MESSAGE
Spreading the Power of Optimism to Others
Love & Peace,
Steve Gross, MSW
Chief Playmaker, Life is Good Playmakers
GOOD PROGRESS
Work in the Field
Horizons for Homeless Children
Horizons for Homeless Children strives to improve the lives of our most vulnerable children by providing early education, opportunities for play, and comprehensive family support services. When we reflect on the past year and think of the impacts the pandemic and social distancing have had on us all, it's hard to think of a population more in need of a positive relationship with a Playmaker than homeless children.
In February, a group of their volunteers, called Playspace Activity Leaders (PALs) completed the Playmaker 202: Harnessing the Healing Power of Optimism. As PALs prepare to reenter Playspaces, our training encouraged a renewed sense of possibility for them. The Playmaker 202 course is rooted in the ability to adapt and innovate one's surroundings, making it a perfectly timed course for these PALs who are ready to get back to playing and creating spaces where children can heal, learn, grow, and build resiliency!
I am walking away with a grateful heart and an innumerable amount of tools and skills to carry forth and implement in my daily practice. Thank you LIG for the life-changing work you are doing!
I choose to see the good in myself, others, and the world around me. Thinking positive is my superpower. I am committed to adapting and innovating in the spirit of inclusion. I will give the best of me instead of what’s left of me. I am a Playmaker.
Valley Opportunity Council
Life is Good Playmakers delivered a series of trainings to over 200 members from the largest and most diverse Community Action Agency in the area, Valley Opportunity Council (VOC). VOC offers a wide range of programs to their neighbors in need, including early childhood education, senior and veteran services, fuel assistance, and more to families in the areas of Hampden County, Chicopee, and Holyoke.
Since 2019, we have been partnering with VOC and helping their childcare providers to harness the power of optimism to help at-risk kids heal, grow, and thrive. Continuing on their Playmaker journeys, VOC staff recently completed the Playmaker 101: The Healing Power of Optimism, the Playmaker 202: Harnessing the Power of Optimism, and an advanced training. Here’s a little bit of what they had to say:
This was by far the best training! I loved the 101 and the 202! Ant and Alicia are wonderful leaders, you can tell that they love what they do! I would recommend this training to many, many people!
I appreciate the time and effort that you all put into your classes. Sometimes classes can get stale but with Playmakers, I always come away with a sense of using all that I learned...
Fantastic! Great job fusing fun and learning together.
Anything is possible with a positive mind.
GOOD GROWTH
Raising Support
Flex Your Creativity Superpower!
The Life is Good T-Shirt Design Contest is open to creatives of all ages who are invited to draw their silver linings for the chance to see their art on a Life is Good tee. For each entry received, $1 will be donated to the Life is Good Playmakers!
Nurturing Social & Emotional Superpowers in Schools
We are excited to introduce the Life is Good Superpower Kit, a bundle of online resources, classroom essentials, and activity cards that will help teachers and students activate the Superpowers that make life good in schools.
More Cars Than You Need?
Rather than let that extra car of yours keep slowing you down, donate it to the Life is Good Playmakers! We make it easy with free pick-up and by handling the sale and paperwork.
GOOD PEOPLE
Life is Good Playmakers
We're thrilled to introduce you to Melissa Mason, this month's Playmaker Spotlight. Melissa is a 2nd-grade teacher at Gales Ferry School in Connecticut who has witnessed firsthand just how powerful optimism can be in helping children overcome adversity.
Over the last year, the social and emotional development of children all across the world has been greatly impacted by the pandemic. UNICEF believes that “Children are not the face of this pandemic. But they risk being among its biggest victims, as children’s lives are nonetheless being changed in profound ways. This is a universal crisis and, for some children, the impact will be lifelong.”
Many of Melissa’s students have had limited opportunities to socialize and play with their peers. In addition, the fear and uncertainty brought about by this pandemic haven’t been easy for them to handle. Fortunately, their teacher is an experienced Playmaker who excels at building safe, loving, and joyful learning environments (both in-person and virtual) where children can heal, grow and thrive.
Despite the challenges of the past year – like no hugs, high fives, or games of tag - Melissa and her crew of 7-year-olds have been focusing on the superpowers of love, gratitude, simplicity, and courage. Knowing that optimism is needed most during difficult times, Melissa has worked tirelessly to bring positivity and fun to anxious students who are trying to adapt to the “new normal” of hybrid learning. Covid-19 may have been powerful enough to halt the world’s economy but it wasn’t powerful enough to halt the fun, laughter, and joy in Miss Mason’s 2nd-grade classroom.
Known for her array of uplifting Life is Good tees, Melissa models – both inside and out - what it means to be a practicing optimist and Playmaker. For 26 years she has shined the light of optimism to help guide her students through whatever darkness they’ve encountered. 2021 called upon her – and all educators - to shine that light even brighter. Melissa Mason answered that call on the very first ring!
Melissa, we are thankful for your ongoing contributions to harnessing the power of optimism to help kids heal. To send a note of gratitude to Melissa or nominate a Playmaker in your community for a future Spotlight, click the “Submit” button below.
There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.
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