Today I volunteered at the Denver Go Red Luncheon. This was a fundraiser for Go Red. There was a silent auction, various booths and opportunities to have your numbers checked. I worked a table that had literature about the Go Red campaign. My goal was to sign as many people up as I could. Many of the attendees were already members, but I managed to sign up an additional 83 people. That's 83 more people choosing to make a difference!
With event leader Blanca Lerman.
Sometimes it takes several meetings to complete an achievement. Tonight, we finished our Craftsman achievement. The boys made wind chimes out of bells and lids.
They made bracelets with beads.
The Pinewood Derby car stands required extra care since they were allowed to use a real saw and nail gun. We reviewed safety first. Someday these boys might use these skills to make a difference in their community by helping to build something.
Today I was invited to attend a news conference at the Capital by Leslie Feuerborn of the Safe Kids Denver Metro Coalition. The mission of the Safe Kids Denver Metro Coalition is to identify and prevent injuries in children ages fourteen (14) and younger in the Denver Metro area, by using a combined program of education, research, advocacy, and media. Learn more about Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury, a leading killer of children 14 and under. Safe Kids Denver Metro is led by The Children's Hospital.
An amazing group of passionate people who make up the Safe Kids Denver Metro Coalition. This organization means so much to me. You see, we were in a horrible wreck three years ago. I was told that my son who suffered a skull fracture and bleeding on the brain would have been dead if he had not been wearing a seat belt. More miraculous than that was that my youngest son was in a booster seat in spite of being six years old at the time and walked away without a scratch. I believe booster seats and seat belts save lives!
Representative Sue Ryden spoke about her support of Senate Bill 296 which would make the current seat belt law stronger.
Anita and I are pictured here with Cassie of Go Red for Women. She has also been my contact for the joint venture between Boy Scouts and the AHA. It is always such a joy to work with her.
I introduced a new joint venture between the American Heart Association and Boy Scouts of America at the Scout Show. This was a fun and informative "fair" with a Super Hero theme. There were obstacle courses, fun contests and even a blood drive.
We gave temporary tattoos for the the kids and handed out literature.
I was excited to see there will be an official Boy Scout license plate coming out this July. Darrell Luebbe was doing a great job letting everyone know. What a great way to show support for a great organization!
This week our den focused on the Craftsman pin. Last week the boys assembled wood projects that they took home to paint or stain.
We started the meeting making "shrinkers". It's amazing how small a piece of plastic can shrink.
Then we made neck kerchief slides out of real cow hide.
We finished the meeting making plastic lanyards. I think we parents were more challenged by this one than the boys were.
Today I met with Cassie Bair of the American Heart Association and Nicole Cosme of Boy Scouts of America. We finalized plans to roll out a new joint venture. I will unveil the EmpowerMe2B program for Scouts at the Scout Show on April 25th. For more information about the Scout Show, go to http://http//www.denverboyscouts.org/registration/calendardetail.asp?orgkey=1703&ActivityKey=447138
Wednesday was the Denver Start Walk and Rally. This event was to raise awareness of how a simple exercise like walking could increase your health benifits and extend your life. Did you know that for every hour of walking you do you can potentially extend your life another ten minutes? Get out there and move! I am pictured here with two students. You are never too young to start taking care of your heart. 
You are never too old to start caring for your heart.My mom is an avid walker. See? It even makes you look younger. She's the one on the right. Also pictured is Sheila Kemper Dietrich, the executive Director for the Pacific Mountain Affiliate of the AHA. 
Colorado Rapids mascot Marco was there to root us on. He even has the pageant stance and wave down! What a trooper!
Tuesday night was our Pack Crossover Ceremony. This is a ceremony to acknowledge a boy's moving from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts.
We had the Raven Dancers perform the ceremony. They bring dances from different tribes.
The Raven Dancers presented the boys with their arrows. These arrows are awarded to boys who achieve the Arrow of Light. This is the highest award in Cub Scouts and is carried over to Boy Scouts. 
Our Den was responsible for clean up after the ceremony. Citizenship includes cleaning up after ourselves, weather it is a big oil spill or a small milk spill. Way to go boys!
Today I had the honor of speaking with the Civil Air Patrol and Chaplain Rourk. We spoke at a local elementary school to the children about making good choices and saying no to drugs. It was amazing to see how well even the kindergarten class understood what were good choices about food and exercise. The fifth graders even had a push up contest. 
A big thank you hug from the kindergarten class.
A wonderfully smart group of Kindergartners. They already know about making smart choices, just like my Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts! I am looking forward to working with Chaplain Rourk and the Civil Air Patrol again soon.
Today was the arapahoe District Pinewood Derby. I went to cheer on Henry and Kyle from my Den. Although they didn't place in the top three, I am so proud of their efforts.
Today was the Denver St. Patrick's Day parade. I was honored to ride with my daughter's competitive cheer team- Apex All Stars. Their website is http://apexallstars.com/ .
Vanessa and Colin graciously let me ride in their mom's car.
Rachel and I took a "MySpace" picture. It's one of my favorites!
Tonight was our Packs Pinewood Derby. It is always an exciting night. The boys race home made cars. Many are quite amazing. This year we had an IPOD car that actually played music and another car that looked like a crouching wolf with real glowing eyes.
Joshua, my middle son won first place in the open class division. This is open to all family members of boys in the den. These are usually the most creative cars. Josh's was a simple wedge. Way to go!
Matt won one of the special awards for Most Original. His car had fenders that were added. Good design!
This picture is of Matt, myself and Henry who won first place in our Den.
Here I am with the Pack first place finisher. The top three finishers are invited to go on to the District Pinewood Derby.
My Boys were so cute. When we got home they insisted on a picture of all the trophys. Thanks guys for including me. What a great end to our last Pinewood Derby!
