Brookwood Elementary Summer Program

                               L.eaders
                               E.xploring
                               A.ll
                               P.ossibilities

L.E.A.P. is Brookwood Elementary's Summer Program, coordinated by Tabitha Trimm Yost.  L.E.A.P. is offered to the students of Brookwood entering grades 1st-5th.  This summer 48 children participated in L.E.A.P.!!!!  The program reinforces academic skills learned in the previous school year through projects and theme-based activities.  It also teaches Life Skills such as organization, study skills and self-esteem.  Enrichment Activities including field trips and guest speakers are also used as different learning methods.  Progress reports are provided to keep the parents involved. Also, breakfast and lunch is provided!

Below are pictures and descriptions of some L.E.A.P. enrichment activities.

Admiring The University of Alabama's trophies and awards in swimming and diving

Checking out The University of Alabama's swimming practice pool

1st grade as they parade into Brookwood's Olympics

Tug of war, Bookwood Olympics

Disk throw, Brookwood Olympics

Brookwood 1st grader with TOP intern

Award ceremony, Brookwood Olympics

TOP's 13th Anniversary

"June 2012 brings us to the 13th anniversary of Tuscaloosa's One Place: A Family Resource Center.  People think of the month of June as the traditional month for weddings.  To me, a wedding signals the formal beginning of a long-term commitment meant to nurture human beings as they grow and develop.  Weddings provide a public forum whereby people promise to take care of each other.  Not only are children nurtured in the relationship, but the partners of a marriage nurture each other.  As such, June seems like the most appropriate month to celebrate another year of TOP's successes!  Like a good marriage, TOP exists to nurture families, children and their caregivers."

- Dr. Debra Nelson-Gardell, Board of Directors President

        Thirteen years ago this month Tuscaloosa's One Place opened it's doors to begin serving this community. Since this time we have grown leaps and bounds!  "Obviously with time has come lots of changes, but what has not changed is our mission: to strengthen families and the community"-Teresa Costanzo.  

        Tuscaloosa's One Place would like to send out a special thank you  to all who have contributed, we could not have accomplished all of our wonderful  achievements without your help.

"Small acts transform the world" - Howard Zinn

"Our positive work at TOP would not be possible without the help of thousands of dedicated volunteers who give of themselves each week.  We are also fortunate to have a host of community partners that help provide a seamless array of services designed to meet families' needs.  Obviously our community, state and nation face many challenges in the days ahead but by working together we can ensure that children's needs are being met and that we are helping prepare them to become our leaders of tomorrow.  TOP remains committed to providing quality services in our area and to continue to reach out to families who need support and encouragement.  On behalf of the staff and Board of Directors, we say THANKS for allowing us the opportunity to serve as

Together We ARE Making a Difference!

- Teresa Costanzo, Executive Director

  

Things to do with your child this summer!

School is out for the summer and the children are at home.  What now?  Here are a few resources with ideas on fun activities to do with your children.

http://www.childhood101.com/

75 Kid Activities

Fun for Children of all ages!

http://cuegly.blogspot.com/2011/09/75-kid-activities.html

And for our little ones!

http://counting-on-me.blogspot.com/2011/05/101-things-to-do-with-your-toddler.html

Painting for a Purpose

Thursday, April 26th at 6:00pm

Uptown Art (formerly known as Sips-n-Strokes) is hosting a fundraising event for Tuscaloosa's One Place, A Family Resource Center. Come enjoy refreshments, socializing, and instructional painting all while giving back to your community.

$40.00 for the evening includes the above painting and refreshments. For every person attending $20.00 will be given to Tuscaloosa's One Place.

Click on the link below to view the flyer!

                                                                   UPTOWN art Flyer!

Spring Fling

We hosted our annual Spring Fling on March 25, 2012 and it was a huge success! First, we would like to thank all of the wonderful businesses, resaurants, agencies, and individual volunteers and donors who made this day possible. Without your help and contributions the Spring Fling would not have been nearly as successful. When it was all said and done, we had a total of 885 attendees and 115 volunteers. We all had a blast!

The hay ride was a favorite all day. There were always kids waiting in line to hop on the next ride.

The maze was so much fun and provided great entertainment for kids of all ages!

This game was a crowd favorite!

Our grill-masters hard at work!

The fishing game was a great way to spend some time in the shade and win a cool prize.

The kids loved showing off their face paint!

Everyone loved practicing their football skills in hopes of winning some candy!

The treasure dig was such a fun way to hunt for prizes.

We had two Easter egg hunts, one for the older children and one for the younger children. They had such a great time hunting and showing off their eggs!

  

We owe a huge thank you to the Tuscaloosa Police Department! The kids couldn't get enough of the car, motorcycle, and helicopter they brought.

Spring Fling was such a wonderful day and we were so thrilled to be able to serve our community in such a fun way.

Love is in the Air!

 We had a great turnout for our 5th Annual Legacy of Love Banquet.

February is traditionally celebrated as Healthy Marriage Month throughout our nation as a way to acknowledge the importance of the commitment that marriage represents in forming the foundation of healthy communities, healthy children, and healthy families.

  On the evening of February 23rd TOP honored seven couples that exemplified healthy marriages.

There were many submissions for this prestigious honor. Nominations by family members or friends consisted of answering questions and a short essay on why that particular couple should be honored.

  The couples that were selected shared their stories of how they met, their hardships, and some of their fondest memories from their journey through marriage.

The way they portray love to each other and the family and friends that surround them speaks for itself of why they were chosen for their display of what healthy marriages should looks like.


 Here are the honored couples for 2012:

Mr. & Mrs. Alexander

Mr. & Mrs. Clements

Mr. & Mrs. Holmes

Mr. & Mrs. Lyles

Mr. & Mrs. Magnen

Mr. & Mrs. Watts

Mr. & Mrs. Williams

A BIG thank you from everyone at Tuscaloosa's One Place to everyone who made this evening a success. We couldn't have done it without you!

Doing What Matters

On January 31, 2012 we hosted the "Doing What Matters for Tuscaloosa's Children" conference. We had a record number of over 300 participants and feel that the conference was a great success! We had a number of speakers who shared with participants about a variety of things ranging from teen issues, bullying and social media, finances, immigration issues, and several others. It was a wonderful day and we are so grateful to all those who participated!

Here are a few pictures from the event:


We would like to give a special thanks to all those who made this event possible including our speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and planning committee. Also, thank you to Central High School ROTC for presenting the colors. This even would not have been possible without all of you!