We welcome you to ARK's August Newsletter. Glenn, Jan, Omega, Quintina, and I wish you peace,and happiness and appreciate your commitment to kids in this month which has us, hopefully, beginning to cool down from a summer that has been hot, hot, hot....

We trust your summer has celebrated many family moments. We are renewed as we see the neighborhood kids passing our home on the way to an exciting new school year.

For our teachers, we are especially thankful for your energy, commitment and love of teaching. Each parent has a special place in our heart for you and all that you will make possible for our children this new school year. A big Thank You from all of us as you launch this new venture in the lives and future of our children.

Our research continues to show that all of our children need adult support and encouragement--especially in their elementary-age years--to provide the model and the mentoring on how to learn and accomplish the simple tasks that will be building blocks for continuing education..

One of the most important lessons an adult can share is explaining the ways we "find satisfaction" experiencing the learning opportunities that life continually extends to us. This new school year will provide marvelous opportunities for us to help our children "find satisfaction" through the exercise of their creativity and imagination. You teachers and parents are making a tremendous difference, and we at the ARKGroup are eager to help.

Bill

William R. Duffy
National Executive Director
Lone Star College University Park, Houston, Texas.

Did You Know?

High School graduation can be predicted by a child's reading ability at the end of the 3rd grade.

In Houston, nearly one million adults are functionally illiterate.

The City of Houston is listed at 49th in overall literacy out of America's 64 largest cities.


The ARKGroup is committed making life better for one child, one family, one classroom, one school, and one community at a time.

If you have ideas regarding where we need to be placing our ARK programming, please contact us.
Houston: Bill Duffy (National Executive Director) at wduffyark@sbcglobal.net
Dallas/Fort Worth: Jan Nelson (DFW Executive Director) at jnelsonark@sbcglobal.net

You may not possess all of the talents you desire, but you do have the ability to make a significant difference in the life of a child.

Making a difference doesn't require wealth, talent, or a huge investment of time. Right now, you, with your current limitations and abilities, have tremendous power to impact the children.

Think about it! Have you ever had a day in which everything you touched went wrong? When you were at the end of your rope, did someone speak a kind word or bless you with a smile? Do you remember how it warmed your heart and perked up your spirit? Small, loving acts make a profound difference. Everyone longs to feel noticed and appreciated! That's why it means so much when someone surprises us with a simple act of caring. It assures us that we matter.

Discouraged students are everywhere. They need you. Don't overlook opportunities to make a difference in a child's life. A smile, a note on a returned paper, or a pat on the back won't take much effort, but they can make someone's day. Not only will your kindness be appreciated by the recipient but it will enrich your own life, too.

You might think, "But I'm just one person. I can't make a difference." If you've ever been on the receiving end of a hug, a smile or an encouraging word just when it's needed, then you know one person's concern is powerful. Do you compare your contribution to a tiny drop of water in the huge ocean? Mother Theresa's view was that the ocean would be less without that one drop.

There could be no mountains, if not for the tiny grains of sand from which the mountains are made. Little things pack a big punch. Encouragement takes only a moment to give but it delivers an important message of love, concern, and care, and it could last a lifetime. Your empathy and time can lessen a child's load and make their life journey easier.

Open your heart. Show you care. Share a little love.

Taken from: Making a Difference/Little Acts of Love, by Marsha Jordan

In the event you missed it last month, click here to see the video of Warren Buffet's wonderful comments on Unconditional Love.

This month we have had a number of requests from the churches and other organizations who conduct the ARK for Parents programs at our State and County Jails. If you are interested, particularly for volunteering at the Henley, Plane State and Kegan Units in Houston and Dayton, please contact us. We will get you in communications with those organizations who are eager to add new volunteers to their programs.
• We are also continuing to solicit sponsors for Spring ISD and their 26 elementary schools that are opening up new parent centers this coming fall. The ARK for Parents Program cost is $3,800 per campus. Funds are being solicited through the schools and Houston-area individuals and foundations. An additional $1,000 per campus is needed.
• Additionally, the Alliance of Community Ministries (ACAM) which is composed of eleven assistance ministries across Houston is seeking support. One of them, the Houston Northwest Assistance Ministry (NAM) has been employing the ARK for Parents Program for the past two years with great success. The other ten assistance ministries would like to follow suit. The cost is $3,800 per site.

Among our new Initiatives in DALLAS are the following:

• We are installing ARK for Parents in four Dallas Housing Authority sites and four Dallas Head Start sites.
• We have launched ARK for Parents in two AVANCE centers.
• We are continuing our second year of the West Dallas Project. Ark for Parents will be offered in three community centers and six churches. And ARK for Parents and ARK for Teachers will be shared in nine West Dallas elementary schools.

Since the ARKGroup is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization, all gifts are tax-deductible. Checks can be made out to "The ARKGroup" and sent to our Houston office (20515 SH 249, LoneStar College University Park CB-122, Houston, Texas 77070) or our Dallas office (2215 Canada Dr., Dallas, TX 75212).

Click here to check out the ARK piece on youtube.com -- "Children's Self-Esteem: Kids need unconditional love!" (Kirbyjon Caldwell talks about the ARK Program.)

The Academy is hoping to capture kids early and instill an appreciation of science and math so that by the time they enter the 8th grade they will be more inclined to focus on the basics that will allow them to go to college with a solid preparation in math, science, English and history.

This year about 2600 teachers will complete the Science and Math camp sponsored by Phil which had its first class in 2005. Our thanks to all those teachers who have taken advantage of this program.

If you have an interest, please e-mail Bill your comments and questions on this camp at wduffyark@sbcglobal.net.

1. Spanish materials: We have updated our ARK for Parents videos in Spanish. All ten Lessons, plus the Introductory Meeting video, offer fresh, new learning vistas and exude quality. The new ARK for Parents Manual in Spanish has just rolled off the presses, with workbook pages at the end of each of the Lessons.
2. New DVD sets: Our ARK for Parents (regular and faith-based) and ARK for Teachers DVDs (the Introductory Meeting and the Lessons) have all been reformatted with new menus.
3. ARK for Kids: The Facilitator Guide and the Student Workbook have been updated and are wonderful tools for helping 2nd-5th graders deal with issues such as bullying, cliques, anger management, and decision-making.
4. ARK for Divorcing Parents: This highly-acclaimed, easy-to-do course is designed to compassionately help guide a family through what can be a difficult time of adjustment for both parents and children. The four-hour course meets state requirements and is especially helpful when court dates are fast approaching.

Take a look at the ARK website for full details on programs at www.thearkgroup.org

• Respect your elders.
• Two ears, one mouth: Listen twice as much as you talk.
• When you give your word, keep it. Always.
• Look people in the eye when you talk to them.
• Stand up for yourself.
• Be kind to animals.
• Smile, it's a freebee.
• If you don't have the time to do it right, how will you find the time to do it over?
• Spend less than you earn. Save, save, and save.
• Always say "please" and "thank you", "yes sir" and "no ma'am".
• Understand that the workplace is a hierarchy, not a democracy.
• If you borrow something, return it in better condition than you got it.
• Learn to think for yourself.
• If you don't know something, look it up.
• Cigarettes and drugs don't make you look cool, and they deliver lifelong lows.
• When you need help, ask for it. When others need help, give it.
• Doing the right things always has its rewards.
• Doing your best is the only way.
• Caring for the other person makes life worthwhile.
• If you mess up, apologize.
• Anything worth having is worth working for.
• Do what you love for a living, and your life will be authentic and rich with happiness.
• You don't need someone else to complete you. Complete yourself.
• Successful people make a habit of doing the things unsuccessful people don't want to do.
• Hold the door for people, men and women alike.
• If you face difficult decisions, ask, how will my actions make me and others feel?

Eighteen years has been held out as the amount of time it takes to become an adult. However, it seems to me that, as we practice living these Core Values that we seek to share with our children, we ourselves will become more and more "adult-like" every day.

My thanks to Al Sanders and Carpe Diem, for these thoughts.

Just musing...
Bill

We are so fortunate to be working in West Dallas and want to call attention to our wonderful partnership with ServeWestDallas.
Visit servewestdallas.org to learn more about volunteer opportunities in the West Dallas community.

Check out this link to our Partner in West Dallas