Donation of $500 from RVOS Local Lodge #3 Santa Fe, Texas

Dana Huoni, President, presents Helen and Jim Kilroy on December 9th to the Mark Kilroy Foundation.

Thank you, RVOS Farm Mutual Insurance Company!

CITY OF SANTA FE Toys for Tots

 FILL THE BOX FOR THE TOTS!!!

(Official drop off location)

 WHAT: “TOYS FOR TOTS” Program

WHERE: LOCATED IN THE LOBBY AT SANTA FE CITY HALL.

WHEN: NOW – DECEMBER 15, 2011

WHY: TO PUT SMILES ON LITTLE FACES! and it makes your heart feel good too!

(Toys will be distributed to the Children in the Santa Fe Community.)

S.A.F.E. Summer 2011 Flights of Fancy Week

S.A.F.E. Summer Program - Get Your Groove On Week with Sugar Hill

Congratulations to The Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children! They won a new Toyota. Toyota is giving away 100 cars for good on Facebook, to 100 different charities. LRC deserves it!

S.A.F.E. Summer Program begins Monday, June 6th!

We're looking forward to another great S.A.F.E. Summer Program. Sign up at 12026 16th Street, Santa Fe, Texas. This year, we're adding Hitchcock I.S.D. to our program. It starts on July 11th.

In Santa Fe, the program will be held at Runge Park, 4605 Peck Avenue in Santa Fe.
In Hitchcock, the program will be held at the Hitchcock Primary Cafeteria.

We'll post pictures at a later date!

Thanks for your support.

MKF/Safe Communities Coalition

The 2011 S.A.F.E. Summer Program is just weeks away! First session will begin on June 6, at Runge Park in Santa Fe. We will have three fun weeks packed with fieldtrips, guest speakers, games, art, and all sorts of excitement. We are limiting each week to a maximum of 60 students for grades 1-5 (must have completed 1st grade). Your child may attend only one of the weeks in order to serve more youth.

Youth 6th-12th grades will have the opportunity to go on fieldtrips three fridays in June, beginning June 10. Teens will also be offered free archery, golf and tennis lessons throughout the summer.

Space is limited, so fill out your applications immediately and return them (with $5.00 committment fee attached) to the Mark Kilroy Foundation drop box as per instructions. Watch for the applications at your child's (SFISD) school. They should be bringing them home by the second week in May. For your convenience, forms will also be available at the Mark Kilroy Foundation S.A.F.E. Center, 12026 16th Street. A drop box is located right above the forms.

We would like to add a big thank you to our sponsors and members of the Safe Communities Coalition, The Mark Kilroy Foundation, the City of Santa Fe, and Santa Fe Independent School District.

NEWSFLASH!! We are adding a new FREE Hitchcock Summer Program this year. Dates will be from July 11-22nd. Your child may only attend one free week, so that more students may be able to attend. Forms for this new program will be out by the 4th week of May and will be delivered to Hitchcock ISD (as well as having them here at the Mark Kilroy Foundation). The format for this program will be the same as Santa Fe's...four days each week for 1-5th grades and two free fieldtrips for Hitchcock 6-12th grades, on July 15 and July 22.

Mark Kilroy Foundation
16th Annual Dinner-Dance Fund Raiser
Benefit for S.A.F.E. Youth Activities
Saturday, February 19, 2011
6:30 pm - 10:30 pm (Doors open at 6:00 pm)

Our Lady of Lourdes Madonna Hall
10114 Highway 6 - Hitchcock
Music, Prizes, Auction & Much More

Ticket prices:
Corporate Table for 10 - $ 250
Reserved Table for 8 - $ 140
Couple - $35
Single - $20

Sponsorships:
(includes table for 10)
Platinum $5,000
Gold $2,500
Silver $1,000
Bronze $ 500

ADVANCE TICKETS ONLY
Tickets available from:
S.A.F.E. Center 409-925-7771
Jim & Helen Kilroy 409-925-3819
Santa Fe City Hall 409-925-6412
Amegy Bank, SF 281-337-9552
Amoco FCU, SF 409-925-9150
BBVA Compass Bank, SF 409-925-2557
Gardner State Farm Ins, SF 409-925-2511
Texas First Bank, Santa Fe 409-925-2582
Texas First Bank, Hitchcock 409-986-5541

The S.A.F.E. Program, along with the Mark Kilroy Foundation, wants to wish you a very happy and healthy New Year!

We have many questions from parents on how to deal with their children. Rather than telling them what to do, or barking a command, Dr. Jim Fay says this method might work to your advantage. Here's an excerpt from Dr. Jim Fay's Christmas letter:

I last wrote about the power of questions: how questions can actually divert the brain's focus. A person who is thinking in one direction can suddenly find himself/herself thinking in a totally different direction when hit with a question.

An example of this happened when Jill said to her teacher, "Well, I wasn't the only one throwing food." Her teacher responded with empathy and a question, "Oh, this is sad. Where are you going to eat now that you can't eat in the cafeteria any more?"

"Huh?" Jill's brain, driven by nature to answer questions, had to switch gears and go off in a totally different direction.

Most things we say can be turned into a question, putting us in charge of the conversation. Here are some examples of changing orders or statements into questions:

Order: "You aren't going to talk like that in this house."
Question: "Is this the right place for that language? Thank you."

Order: "If you don't do your homework, you're going to get a bad grade."
Question: "What kind of grade do you think you'll get without doing your homework?"

Order: "You are not going to drive if you drink."
Question: "What do you think will happen to your driving privileges if I start worrying about you drinking?"

Order: "You guys better quit fighting over that remote control."
Question: "Have you guys thought about what might happen to the remote if you keep fighting over it?"

Order: "Quit that bickering!"
Question: "Hey, guys, what do you think is going to happen if that doesn't stop?"

Another example of using a question to change a situation happened when Dr. Charles Fay witnessed three young boys on the school bus becoming rowdy. A teacher told them to settle down. They didn't. Dr. Fay went over to sit with them and asked, "Hey guys. Which one of those Pokemon figures spits fire?"

As you can guess, the entire scenario changed as these kids started answering and talking. No discipline was needed. A simple question made a huge change.

If you find these articles helpful, find over a hundred more in our Love and Logic Powder Room Reader and forward this article to a friend.

Jim Fay

The following came in my email today. I think it's worth passing on. It's written by Dr. Charles Fay, a genius when it comes to parenting. His words of wisdom can be found at http://www.loveandlogic.com/

The Mark Kilroy Foundation wishes you the happiest of Holidays!

The Most Beautiful Gift:Love and Logic Institute, Inc.

"Have you noticed how much effort some folks put into finding just the right Christmas gifts for their child? I bet you know someone who doesn't think twice about spending endless hours - or even days - scouring store shelves for that awesome action figure, digital doodad, or doll their child has been wanting.

Let's think about it. Is there anything wrong with this? What's the problem with spending lots of time and energy looking for neat and nifty Christmas gifts for our kids?

Nothing. But…

What happens when we exert more energy on finding these gifts than showing our youngsters what a gift they are to us?

Ouch! I've done this. Yes, I've fallen into this trap! I've worn-out myself trying to make things perfect that I've forgotten the most perfect gift of all: the expression of never-ending, unconditional love.

We're all wired to need it. All of us yearn for a relationship with someone who will love us forever, regardless of how stinky we behave. Isn't this the greatest gift we can give our loved ones? Isn't this what Christmas is really about?

During this Christmas season, my hope is that you'll…
spend more time playing with your kids than you spend shopping for them;

remember that the gift they really yearn for is you;

hug them and smile into their eyes as often as possible; and
show them through your never-ending love what a precious gift they are.
Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help as many families as possible. If this is a benefit, forward it to a friend.

Dr. Charles Fay"

H.I.S. Ministries

West Galveston County

Interfaith Caring Ministries

H.I.S. is getting ready for their big Holiday feasts. Each year, they offer clients a Thanksgiving turkey feast as well as a Christmas ham dinner. Turkeys and hams are generously donated by the Gates family for literally hundreds of local families.

Their generosity compells others to do the same for unfortunate people in the area. Please donate!

H.I.S. needs toys, books, games, food, or anything you want and are able to give.

Please contact H.I.S. at hisministries@yahoo.com

Mailing address: PO Box 1426

Santa Fe, TX 77510

A hungry family will Thank you!

Dolphin watching in Galveston Bay

Having fun at the S.A.F.E. Summer Program!

S.A.F.E. Summer Program 2010

The 2010 S.A.F.E. Summer Program is just weeks away! First session will begin on June 7, at Runge Park in Santa Fe. We will have four fun weeks packed with fieldtrips, guest speakers, games, art, and all sorts of excitement. We are limiting each week to a maximum of 60 students for grades 1-5 (must have completed 1st grade). Your child may attend only one of the weeks.

Youth 6th-12th grades will have the opportunity to go on fieldtrips every friday, beginning on June 11. TEEN FRIDAY fieldtrips this year are Cavalier Bay Fishing, Space City Ice Rink, Alpha Bowl, and Galveston Schlitterbahn. Teens will also be offered free archery, golf and tennis lessons throughout the summer.

Space is limited, so fill out your applications immediately and return them (with $5.00 committment fee attached) to the Mark Kilroy Foundation drop box as per instructions. Watch for the applications at your child's (SFISD) school. They should be bringing them home by May 11. For your convenience, forms will also be available at the Mark Kilroy Foundation S.A.F.E. Center, 12026 16th Street. A drop box is located right above the forms.

We would like to add a big thank you to our sponsors and members of the Safe Communities Coalition, The Mark Kilroy Foundation, the City of Santa Fe, and our Santa Fe Independent School District.

Mark Kilroy Foundation
15th Annual Dinner-Dance Fund Raiser
Benefit for S.A.F.E. Youth Activities
Saturday, February 27, 2010
6:30 pm - 11:00 pm (Doors open at 6:00 pm)

Our Lady of Lourdes Madonna Hall
10114 Highway 6 - Hitchcock
Music, Prizes, Auction & Much More

Ticket prices:
Corporate Table for 10 - $ 250
Reserved Table for 8 - $ 140
Couple - $35
Single - $20

Sponsorships:
(includes table for 10)
Platinum $5,000
Gold $2,500
Silver $1,000
Bronze $ 500

ADVANCE TICKETS ONLY
Tickets available from:
S.A.F.E. Center 925-7771
Jim & Helen Kilroy 925-3819
Santa Fe City Hall 925-6412
Guaranty Bank, SF 925-2557
Bill Reitmeyer Insurance 925-2511
Texas First Bank, Santa Fe 925-2582
Texas First Bank, Hitchcock 986-5541

City of Santa Fe 10th Annual Holiday in the Park

The City of Santa Fe Parks and Recreation Board will have their 10th Annual Holiday in the Park at 6 pm Thursday December 3 at the gazebo in Mae S. Bruce Park at Santa Fe City Hall, 12002 state Highway 6, in Santa Fe. Punch and popcorn with Santa Claus will be provided. The Boys and Girls Scout troops and Universal Dance Studio will perform.

All are invited!

Listening Lessons with Elementary Students

The S.A.F.E. Program offers support groups for elementary students at Cowan and R. J. Wollam in Santa Fe, as well as Stewart and Crosby Jr. High in Hitchcock I.S.D. These counseling services include life skills lessons and student support groups. In these groups, students learn to be mindful and accountable for their actions. In the photo above, children are listening carefully for the diminishing guitar chords to stop ringing. They are instructed to close their eyes, and raise their hands when they no longer hear the vibrating chord. This exercise helps them to be more patient and "mindful" in listening to others, and to be more aware of their surroundings. These are useful skills to have in life.

H.I.S. Ministries serves families in need in the areas of Hitchcock and Santa Fe. It is located at 4205 Jackson Street in Santa Fe, Texas. Every year, the wonderful people at H.I.S. Ministries care for many families during the Holiday season. Please let your friends know about these important events!

 

October 19 -- Sign up for Thanksgiving/Christmas Dinners/Toys began.

 

November 4 -- Sign up for Thanksgiving Dinners ends.

 

November 23 -- Distribution of Thanksgiving dinners at H.I.S. Ministries (9:00 am - noon)

 

December 5 -- Sign up for Christmas Dinners and Toys ends.

 

December 14 -- Set up at Aldersgate Methodist Church for Toy Distribution (8:00 am until ?)

 

December 15 -- Toy Distribution at Aldersgate Methodist Church (9:00 am - 11:00 am)

 

December 21 -- Distribution of Christmas Dinners at H.I.S. Ministries (9:00 am - noon)

 

If you would like to donate any food items or money to purchase them, it would be appreciated.  Below is the menu:

THANKSGIVING DINNERS:  Turkeys (donated)

green beans, corn, dressing, cranberry sauce

 

CHRISTMAS DINNERS:  Hams (donated)

sweet potatoes, mac & cheese, applesauce

 

Also, if you or someone you know would like to donate toys it will be helpful.  Many of the toys are from the Marines "Toys for Tots" but still many more are needed.  And "ELVES" are needed to help with the set-up and distribution.  Please consider helping this year.  Dates and times are listed above. 

 

For more information, call H.I.S. Ministries at 925-4697 (Open Mon, Wed, Sat -- 9 am - 1 pm).  Email is hisministries@yahoo.com.

 

Please share this information with those who might need help and those who might be able to help.

 

Helen Kilroy, Mark Kilroy Foundation

Chairperson, Safe Communities Coalition

~A few Summer Program photos from S.A.F.E. Summer Camp 2009~

Grades 1-5 Sessions