The Butterfly Effect - Making Bird Houses!

February 2012 - The Butterfly Effect

Organizations: Big Brothers Big Sisters, Mattie Rhodes Center and A Simple House

The group at Mattie Rhodes Center showing off their new tree houses :)

In February our Burns and Mac team joined forces with three different non-profit organizations to stimulate creative young minds all across Kansas City.  We organized three separate work days in which volunteers met with kids at A Simple House, BBBS, and Mattie Rhodes to construct and decorate bird houses.  These activities not only showcased each child’s artistic talents, but provided an end product which kids could take home to engage with nature.

The houses lined up drying @ A Simple House

 

John helping a participant @ A Simple House

At each event, children were equipped with a wood birdhouse kit, a hammer, nails, glue, sandpaper, and paint.  We worked with a diverse age range of children so it was great to help younger kids hammer and glue pieces together and also let older kids take initiative in figuring out how all the bird house pieces fit together.  At first the bird house assembly seemed challenging to both kids and volunteers alike, but after a few pieces came together, it was all smooth sailing. 

 

 Painting, painting, painting @ Simple House

A Big paintently helping put the bird house together @ BBBS

Say CCHEESEEEE @ BBBS

@ BBBS

From a volunteer’s point of view, the most rewarding aspect of these activities was seeing kids glow with excitement as they triumphantly showed off their masterpieces upon completion.  One child enjoyed himself so much that he asked for an extra kit to bring home! 

A Big & Little @ BBBS

.

Painting away @ BBBS

FOR MORE PICTURES, PLEASE VISIT OUR SHUTTERFLY WEBSITE @ bmprojectchange.shutterfly.com

Dykes Creek Clean-Up

March 2012 - Dykes Creek Clean-Up

Organization: Blue River Watershed Association

  

When looking at our beautiful earth, it doesn’t get much worse than looking at a polluted stream or waterway. A flowing stream is a symbol of life, and seeing trash all around it destroys that beautiful image. For several years the Burns & McDonnell Project Change Team has been joining forces with groups all over Kansas City to help bring about positive change. This time, all the Team had to do was look right outside their front door. Hundreds of Burns & McDonnell employees, and thousands of others, drive daily along littered Dykes Creek on their way down Ward Parkway. Eventually, the Burns & McDonnell employees had seen enough.

On Saturday March 10th, 2012 the Team gathered together to bush whack through the weeds and trees along the creek and get rid of all the trash. Fifteen volunteers got together on a beautiful Spring day and cleaned up 2 miles of stream bank along the creek, in just a couple of hours! Blue River Watershed Association was kind enough to donate all of the trash bags and gloves, while the Team provided the labor. BRWA also scheduled a trash pickup with the city on Monday so the bags wouldn’t sit around too long. Dozens of bags of trash were collected, and even recyclables were sorted out for pick up. The day was a great success and now Burns & McDonnell can look out their own office windows and see the good they’ve done for the community!

FOR MORE PICTURES, PLEASE VISIT OUR SHUTTERFLY WEBSITE @ bmprojectchange.shutterfly.com

Mission Sleep Tight for Sleepyhead Beds

Mission Sleep Tight
Mission Sleep Tight is an initiative of Sleepyhead Beds, a nonprofit dedicated to the "comfort of beds for little heads." Sleepyhead Beds also arranges on-site pick-up of gently used mattresses and box springs. Go here to learn more about Sleepyhead Beds and here for more details on mattress donation and pick-up.

This December our team will be holding a collection drive benefiting the recipients of beds from Sleepyhead Beds. We will be collecting the following items:

- Sheets* - fitted, flat and pillowcases needed; don’t worry about matching or complete sets.

- Mattress Pads*

- Comforters*

- Pillows – New Please

*New or gently used; all sizes are welcome, but twin and full sizes are needed most.

Drop off your bedding donations in the collection bins located in the BMCD building through Dec. 29^th. Contact your local employee-owner if you'd like to make a donation to our collection!

FOR PICTURES, PLEASE VISIT OUR SHUTTERFLY WEBSITE @ bmprojectchange.shutterfly.com

2012 Project Change Challenge Information

It's that time of the year again, time to start brainstorming creative community projects to meet Project Change's challenges! The event details have been released (see below for the official announcement)!

Official announcement from Project Change:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 2012 Project Change Challenge Event Details

Let's Roll! The 2012 Challenge is all about downsizing...sound familiar?! But in a good way! Understanding busy schedules and multiple commitments, we are scaling back on what is required of our teams in an effort to allow them to truly get the most out of their experience. Each challenge will charge teams to create a community service project to meet a humanitarian or environmental need within their local area. Teams will have the freedom to choose the cause they wish to champion and the ability to work together with their local non‐profit of choice, to plan and carry out their 2 TEAM PROJECTS. We will kick off in November, and at that time, the clock starts ticking!

In March we will have a Group Project workday where teams merely show up, no planning, gathering, expectation, etc. other than to get as many people as possible to show up and take part in making a difference for a few hours at a local non‐profit (location and date TBA).

That's all Folks! The end of our season will wrap up with an award ceremony that will be a must and a great time for all!

During this season, we are striving to prove the theory that Less is More, creating memories, connections, and making a difference with attention to the little details that change lives. You won't want to miss this year's challenge event, so contact us today to be part of this amazing, adventure!


Challenge 1: The Butterfly Effect ‐Due by February 20, 2012
Make a small change that may cause larger differences in the big picture. Try to think creatively, not necessarily monetarily, to impact an unknown or seldom discussed cause. This is YOUR chance to bring a voice to a little known need or issue, and put your unique spin on a small but impactful way to address it.

Spread your wings! Work with the local organization of your choice to find your cause and give it a voice! ALL TEAMS WILL WORK WITH A DIFFERENT ORGANIZATION! No doubling up, let's spread the love! (Prior to committing to the organization, your choice needs to be approved by Project Change.) Less is More! This isn't about going big, so try to focus on a simple need and response using your efforts to bring a unique creativity to it to make people take notice!


Challenge 2: GET DIRTY! Due by April 23rd, 2012

Roll up your sleeves and dig in! Remember what it was like to be a kid?! We are giving you permission to GET DIRTY, and create change with this hands‐on project! This challenge is all about making a difference where you can see the result before you leave! It is SO rewarding to see the change that takes place with a little elbow grease and hard work. Projects LARGE or small? Inside or outside? Doesn't make a difference! ALL are welcome and appreciated with much work to do around your community!

Work with the organization you have selected as a partner, (or a nearby site that will benefit them). Include people from the partnering organization in your efforts, planning, etc. Work hand in hand with those who will enjoy your hard work! TEAM effort on this one folks!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No Deer Allowed!!!

From the CGS Facilities Director John Gilbert:

I got a call from Larry Schmidt at 7:00 AM this morning, letting me know that there were four deer at the new garden, but that they were OUTSIDE of the mammoth deer fence.

Jeff Cothern later confirmed the story to me, but corrected Larry’s count, changing it to five. But, Jeff also assured me that they were all OUTSIDE the deer fence that can be seen from the space shuttle.

Great work!!!!
JG

A Garden to Last Many Years to Come!

Tucked away on the outskirts of Kansas City lies an organization that brings hope to countless lives. For over 40 years the Community of the Good Shepherd (CGS) has been serving adults with disabilities. Approximately 50 adults live at CGS, and many more actively participate in the great day programs that CGS provides.

After meeting with the amazing staff and residents at CGS, we realized that this is a special place. We also quickly learned that their greatest wish was to have a garden. They wanted to produce fresh fruit and veggies and also allow the residents to join in on the gardening fun. What a great opportunity to Grow Change -> Create Hope!

Our Burns & McDonnell + Spaces Inc. team became thrilled at this great opportunity. The excitement and desire to help was contagious. We were grateful to have Kansas City Community Gardens on board to help with planting and garden design and Turner Construction to donate their time and materials to build the facility director's dream shed. How cool is that?!?

The first day we assembled a team together to begin creating the raised beds for the garden, and it was snowing! How are we supposed to garden in the snow? Our determined crew worked hard through the weather conditions, ate some pizza, and worked some more to get 14 raised beds constructed. The next work day was our big day, and it turned out to be a beautiful one. We had over 20 people participate to continue building a garden, storage shed, and truly create change! Volunteers were all over the place: digging post holes, shoveling soil, putting up the fence, and most of all, having fun. Of course we could not have done it without residents Jeff and Larry, overseeing the work and manning the water and snacks tent. Before long a garden appeared before our eyes. Now it was time to get dirty and do some planting. It was a fantastic sight to see the plants in the beds, and witness the growth taking place.

CGS will continue to provide their wonderful services for years and years, and residents will come and go, but the bounty of the garden will live on for years to come.

FOR MORE PICTURES, PLEASE VISIT OUR SHUTTERFLY WEBSITE @ bmprojectchange.shutterfly.com

Another Lovely Workday

After a very cold and gloomy start to this Saturday, the sun decided to grace us with it's presence and it turned out to be a great day. Our main tasks for the day were to finish two gates on the fence, and to dig up a path to the main entrance. The path was a strenuous task, but the eager crew got down and dirty and finished it out. They put down a weed mat and mulch will soon be placed to make it match the existing path next to it. After some trial and error(s), the gates came together, and thankfully they work! This will hopefully keep the deer and rabbits out, until they figure out how to work the latch!

The group after finishing up the path!