Send Van to Washington D.C. for JrNYLC!

Savannah has been nominated to attend the Junior National Young Leaders Conference in Washington D.C. of Summer 2024! (Her tuition is due January 1st of 2024.) This will be an amazing opportunity for her, I can't imagine anyone who deserves it more. Savannah is always striving to go above and beyond in every thing, constantly excelling. This program will be something she can reference for the rest of her life, as they give experiences adults will never have an opportunity to have. "Washington D.C. will serve as a living classroom for students while they develop important leadership skills and enjoy the educational experience of a lifetime... Students at JrNYLC learn to work together as they develop action plans that they can put into practice in their homes and communities..."

Savannah has accomplished so much at such a young age. Setting goals for herself and always reaching them. She is brilliant, and she works incredibly hard to be. Upon opening what I believed could only be a wedding invitation with three stamps and tons of heft I imagined what a fantastic fit for her to be categorized as, a leader, something that never really crossed my mind on a scale that large. Sure I've said she's the leader in our house but to know her current teacher nominated her for the leadership program made me silently nod in admiration, yes ma'am, you're right.

Last year Savannah's fourth grade class had been assigned a project to write what the American flag means to them. This was assigned during a short break from school. Savannah spent the entirety of her four day break asking her Alexa, Grandparents, Dave and me about the flag, it's history and what it means. She reflected on the time she spent with the Girl Scouts learning about respecting the flag and how to properly raise, lower and when and how to burn a flag. She went on to be American Legion Post 31 girls winner for the flag essay.

Savannah's intelligence and thirst for knowledge isn't her only leadership quality. After running out of fridge room her Nana bought her a binder to keep all of her certificates in. She has just as many educational accomplishments as she does have ones commending her "helping hands". Whether she is helping someone learn how to excel in cheer or helping her classmates understand the classwork, she radiates positivity and kindness.

The awards she is constantly receiving from cheer and school illuminate this perfectly. In Champion Force Athletics (CFA) cheer she received the spirit award for never giving up, always having a positive attitude and helping the other cheerleaders do the same. When she went into the YMCA cheerleading program she went in with more experience than some of the other students. She took every opportunity to help the first year students to learn and be successful. Whenever I would go in to pick her up she was at the front of the class helping the coaches teach the other girls.

Savannah is on student council for the second year in a row and has learned a great deal about leadership. She sacrifices play time at recess to attend meetings and assists with small fundraisers, like the most recent candy cane grams.

Savannah is constantly coming home with new awards and certificates for all kinds of achievements, ranging from being kind, respectful, and helpful to being one of the few in her school on the all "A" honor roll list.

One of Savannahs favorite certificates is the one she received in 2nd grade from the Kiwanis Club of 101 Lakes Angola for Citizenship. In the letter she got along with it listed she was someone who cares about the feelings and rights of others, shows concern for the safety and well-being of others, she stays informed about issues, voices her opinion, and gets involved, she also conserves resources, and uses her skills to make a better community.

About 6 months ago, Savannah took the Shrinky Dink left over paper from our Father's Day project and started crafting bookmarks, keychains and signs. She had premade a few with set prices and began to sell them. She then went on to take customized orders. We laughed and admired her entrepreneurship. She surprised us with a business that kept us busy everyday, cooking down the paper and attaching beads and hardware to her creations. Her drive and determination constantly reminding us anything can be a success story.

We all would appreciate any help in enabling Savannah to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity to help secure her future. Savannah will repay this investment by creating a better future for her classmates with the skills she acquires on this trip. Savannah would appreciate any help she can to make it to Washington D.C. for the Junior National Young Leaders Conference. She needs to pay tuition, travel, and spending money for her trip.