Happy St. Patrick’s Day #gogreen

On March 17, 2015March 17, 2015 By cmanneringIn 3B Outreach1 Comment

Hi everyone, Brae’s Mom here with some updates and thank yous!

First of all, Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Braeden and I have decided we’re going to do our part to “go green” with his Brae’s Brown Bags by adding a line to the letter he inserts in every bag which encourages the recipient to recycle the brown bag and the water bottle when they are done using them. This line will go on each inserted letter from this point forward once we have used all the inserts which are already printed in our 3B warehouse… also known as our basement.

Before I dive into some fun updates I would like to say thank you to the Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity UD Chapter for your continued support in helping Brae to continue reaching more and more people. Thanks to your help during our last snow storm two weeks ago we were able to get 100 more bags packed and have 25 of those bags delivered to an emergency sanctuary in Newark when we were unable to get out and be there. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Brae with a group from Fusion Fitness in Newark, DE

The Newark Fusion Fitness Center finished up their fitness challenge fundraiser and Braeden received a check for over $1,000 from their efforts on March 2. This is incredibly generous and I would like to share with you that Fusion Fitness does fundraising fitness challenges regularly to help fund small projects and non-profits who are aiding the local community. They not only promote healthy living but they also promote being a good citizen which we think is fantastic!

Braeden was invited to speak at the Delaware FFA State Convention in Dover on March 10. He was their speaker during their dinner ceremony. In addition the middle schoolers packed over 300 brown bags which were then delivered to shelters in Kent County. We are thankful Brae was invited to both learn more about FFA and also to share his insight on hunger relief, food insecurity and service. We are also grateful for the hundreds of bags packed and delivered on behalf of 3B to allow us to extend our reach further south in Delaware.

Talking with 3rd graders at Townsend Elementary School

Over the last month Braeden has had the opportunity to give school assemblies at both Carrie Downie Elementary School in the Colonial School District and Townsend Elementary School in the Appoquinimink School District. During these assemblies Braeden told his story about how Brae’s Brown Bags got started, why he feels it is important to get food to homeless and low-income populations and he also talked about being young leaders in their communities. Braeden encouraged the groups to think big and dream bigger. He told all the students that if they have a gift or have a talent they need to share it with the world. Braeden asked the kids to think about how they can help people around them and explained that sometimes the smallest gestures and ideas can have the biggest impacts.

Braeden with a group of students at Carrie Downie Elementary

I have to say as his Mom I’m always very proud to hear him talk to other young people. But I want to explain I’m not just proud because of Braeden, I am proud of all the young people he talks with, too. We have met great kids who have their own ideas on how they can reach out and help in their communities. As a Mom I find it very rewarding and exciting to see so many young faces looking inspired and excited. It’s not just Braeden who is out there being a change maker, there are many other kids who are making differences in the world, too.

I am excited to let you know that Braeden has received another Global Youth Service Day grant from Youth Services of America in part from the Sodexo Foundation. This $400 grant will go towards the hunger conference he is co-hosting in May along with the Food Bank of Delaware and the Food Research Action Center.

One more thing. There is still more time for Delaware students 1st through 12th grade to enter the Multimedia Design Challenge for the Coming Together: Community Response to End Hunger conference. The deadline to enter is April 3, 2015.

Brae has some big news to share with you later this week or early next week so stay tuned!

– Christy

Voting, delivering and working out

On May 13, 2014May 13, 2014 By BraedenIn 3B Outreach, Announcements1 Comment

youth-fitness-bear-ymca When I have a chance to go to the YMCA in Bear I like to go in the youth wellness center. They give you blue cards and show you different exercises. I like to play the activities with other kids, too. I know it has been hot out and so it’s not as fun running around outside, but it’s still important.

On Mother’s Day my Mom said she wanted to delivery some Brae’s Brown Bags to the Emmanuel Dining Room. Really I thought she would want to take a break, but it was important to her.

So we brought 60 bags to the soup kitchen. 10 of the bags were child bags and we put books and also the bubble fruit flavored toothpaste from the travel size donations my dentist gave us. We ran out of kid bags, there were a lot of kids there on Sunday. There were grown ups who asked for toothpaste also so I need to remember that for next time. Maybe if we have extra we can put them in more of the bags.

The LEAD 360 Challenge with the Jefferson Awards is still going through public voting of the top 27 finalists across the nation. I have been trying to remind people they can vote every 24 hours. So I thought I would say it on here, too. It’s easy to vote. You click the link and click the orange button that says vote, that’s all.

Also you should look at the other finalists, too because all of them are doing really good things for people, animals and the earth.

Coming up I am participating at the University of Delaware’s Day of Service. I will have a table. I got an email from a girl named Amanda who is part of Alpha Phi Omega. She said it would be nice if I could come. I will bring the display I used at Ag Day.

3B Bolt to End Hunger – 5K Walk/Run in Newark, DE

On March 20, 2014March 20, 2014 By BraedenIn 3B Outreach, Announcements2 Comments

Very fun news! I hope I can register to run/walk this event, but even if I can’t I’ll still be there to cheer on everyone and to let people know what Brae’s Brown Bags is all about. Every year I run the Delaware Mud Run, Jr. and it is very fun, but it is not a full 5K so this race might be a little bit harder for me. I think it is really cool that there is a race for 3B. I want to thank all of the students and people involved with helping to get this race put together. Alpha Phi Omega, they are just really the best people ever.

Registration is open now and you can register online, through the mail or in person. All of the information can be found on the Races2Run website.

The race will be April 27, 2014 at the University of Delaware and registration begins at 1pm but the race begins at 2pm.

My Mom made a graphic for me to put on my 3B Facebook page and I thought maybe if you want you can also use it to help get the word out about the race.

[ Download the Bolt to End Hunger Facebook Cover ]

This should be really fun.

I’m hosting a smaller race event at my school on April 11th but it is only open to students there so I’m really happy that Alpha Phi Omega has made this possible for everyone to be able to participate.

I have a table/exhibit at Ag Day on Saturday, April 26th from 10 until 4 also so it’s going to be a very busy weekend. It would be great if you guys could go to one or both of those events to help support 3B.

Thank you!

A weekend trip to Family Promise

On December 9, 2013 By BraedenIn 3B Outreach2 Comments

My brother, sister, Mom and I went to Family Promise of Delaware off St. James Church Road on Saturday. We met with Ms. Cheryl there in July and she let us know a little bit about what Family Promise does and how it offers shelter to whole families instead of just women and children.

Ms. Cheryl said they offer training and education for their patrons to help them get back out into the work force. That is how I came up with the “Workforce 3B Bags.”

So on Saturday I brought 69 of the “Workforce” bags to Family Promise. It was good to see Ms. Cheryl again and she was very happy by all the bags I brought. They included toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, one water bottle, one healthy snack and then some of them also included gloves, soaps and scarves. Most of these items were donated to 3B by the UD Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega and also by the Appleby Family. Ms. Liz works with my Mom.

So thank you to Ms. Cheryl for having me back to Family Promise. Thank you to APO for all your donations and thank you to the Appleby Family for the soap and scarves!

First Alpha Phi Omega Bag Packing Event

On November 19, 2013November 19, 2013 By BraedenIn 3B Outreach1 Comment

Do you see all these cool people in the photo? Those are my new friends, also known as, Alpha Phi Omega at the University of Delaware.

Mr. Kyle said that around 90 people helped out with our first joint 3B bag packing event. Their fraternity collected $1,000 worth of items to put in my Brae’s Brown Bags. We made our first workforce bags which included the toiletry items: toothbrush, toothpaste and travel size deodorants. There were 70 workforce bags made and I hope to give them to the Family Promise organization but I need to get them all together with inserts first.

We also packed 179 regular Brae’s Brown Bags, but I’m going to turn 30 of those into children bags where I will add a book for a school-aged person and I will be giving those bags to my school district, the Christina School District, this coming Friday so they can be handed out for Thanksgiving to some families in need.

My brother, my Mom and my Gram and Pop Pop all came to the event. It was in the same room where I gave a speech a couple of weeks ago in Purnell Hall. One of the girls who is in Alpha Phi Omega, I don’t remember her name, but she gave me a fist bump!

The whole afternoon was really great. It was kind of crazy with a lot of people but it was also really good because all of those people came to help.

When we went outside to pack the car with the bags we had to put some of them into my Gram and Pop Pop’s car because Mommy’s Jeep ran out of room.

Next up I will be going to Philadelphia to the Fox News station to be on the Good Day Philadelphia Morning Show on Tuesday, November 26, 2013! Be sure to watch!

Some updates DoSomething.org, Queen Latifah and Alpha Phi Omega

On November 11, 2013November 11, 2013 By BraedenIn 3B Outreach4 Comments

Remember how DoSomething.org gave me a seed grant for Brae’s Brown Bags?

Well they also went a step further and decided to feature me on their blog.

They asked me some questions, like an interview, and included my answers online.

So you should check it out and see what kind of super hero powers I would want if I ever became a super hero.

You can read the post on their website, “How This 10-Year-Old Is Helping The Homeless” I hope you like it.

Also, I don’t think I told you yet but I know I put it on Facebook. An Associate Producer from the Queen Latifah Show called and talked to me last week. She asked me questions about Brae’s Brown Bags. I don’t know if anything will happen from talking to her but it was still super cool that she called. It was funny because she told me she was calling from Los Angeles and she asked me where I was but instead of saying Delaware I said I was in my Gram’s basement! My Mom might tease me about that forever! Did you know Queen Latifah has an entire area called the Michelle Obama Lounge on her talk show. I should send her a copy of my photo with the First Lady!

Hope you all had a great weekend! Oh and on November 17th I’ll be packing bags with Alpha Phi Omega in Purnell Hall on the University of Delaware’s campus. My new friend, Kyle, who is part of the fraternity told my Mom they collected $1,000 of items to put in the bags and I am SO EXCITED!

Presenting to Alpha Phi Omega at UD

On November 3, 2013November 3, 2013 By BraedenIn 3B Outreach4 Comments

Today I visited Purnell hall at the University of Delaware and presented to their Alpha Phi Omega chapter about my 3B project.

I didn’t know what to expect. Last time I was on campus I presented to a group of about 10 people in a small conference room. So I was thinking it might be like that, but I was wrong!

Room 115 in Purnell Hall was an auditorium! Before I walked in there were girls sitting there who already knew who I was and said they love what I am doing!

There were over 100 people there to hear me talk. It was really cool and I thought it was amazing how there were so much people in that auditorium. The guy who coordinated me being there said that there were even more people who wanted to come but they couldn’t.

When I was done talking they all clapped for me and I can still hear them clapping if I think about it. When I was leaving some of the students told me I did a really good job.

They want me to come back on November 17th for a bag packing event which sounds like it will be a lot of fun. I’m going to bring my 3B stickers for the bags.

Even when we drove home I told my Mom I was still nervous, but it was already done.

Can you believe it? They were so proud of me but I was just excited they want to help and that they like what I said!

Round of applause for Alpha Phi Omega at UD

On October 23, 2013October 23, 2013 By BraedenIn 3B OutreachLeave a comment

You might have seen this announcement on Facebook yesterday, but just in case you have not I thought I would also mention this great news on my blog.

A service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega at the University of Delaware, sent my Mom an email yesterday to let us know that 3B will be their philanthropy for this school year. Their fraternity chapter has said they will be collecting food and holding bag packing events for 3B so we can reach even more people!

It is so very cool to know students at the University of Delaware are excited about Brae’s Brown Bags and they want to help my project be even more successful. I’m very happy they like the idea. I can’t wait to have my first meeting with them so I can show them my presentation and meet everyone!

You can find APO at UD on Facebook, too.