SuperKids Welcomes Student Volunteers!

Great Shape! Inc. has some exciting news! Since SuperKids began, Great Shape! has aspired to team up with colleges and universities to send students to Jamaica.

Great Shape! is happy to announce that groups from St. Petersburg College and Southern Oregon University will be travelling to rural areas of Jamaica on an inspiring, week-long trip in November!

Southern Oregon University pre-service Special Education Teachers will serve from November 2 to November 10 and St. Petersburg College students will serve from November 10 to November 19.

These passionate students will work with other volunteers to encourage sports, music, and arts for thousands of Jamaican children. They will also lead computer education and programs aimed at improving literacy rates. The current literacy rate in some of these areas is just 40%.

SuperKids volunteers get the chance to work one-on-one with students in classrooms, giving them valuable teaching skills, but more importantly, an experience that they will never forget!

Georgene Crowe, Great Shape! Founder and Board Member said, “It is with overwhelming emotion & joy for G.S. to have [this partnership] with [St Petersburg College and SOU] this year. It has been a dream-come-true!  Very heartfelt One Love thanks and Blessings, we do give thanks and praise.”

Special thanks to the volunteers that work hard to make dreams like this a reality! Students, we look forward to meeting you in Jamaica!

One Love!

Sealant Project Starts Today!

It’s that time of year, again!  Today kicks off the 2012 May Sealant Program which is aimed at cavity prevention and is now in its third year.  Sealant treatments, fluoride, and education programs are provided to children free of charge thanks to strong partnerships between the Jamaican Ministry of Health, Great Shape Inc., and the Sandals Foundation. 

In Jamaica, there is only 1 dentist for every 100,000 people.  The goal of the Sealant Project is to eventually, with proper funding and volunteers, reach every school in Jamaica and reduce the levels of tooth decay across the island. Now THAT will be incredible!

This year, 15 volunteers will be joining our campaign to prevent cavities for our Jamaican brothers and sisters.  The pilot project will continue to focus on Jamaican children attending the Green Island Primary School.  Research is also being done at Riverside, Sandy Bay, and Churchill Primary Schools to help determine the overall effectiveness of these treatments. 

This year is extra special because Larry Clarke from Pulpdent will be joining our efforts.  Pulpdent has donated 3 years worth of sealant materials.  It is really exciting that Larry will be able to go and see his company’s donation being put to use!  Welcome, Larry and Big Up to Pulpdent for donating sealant materials!

We’re excited to get back down and roll up our sleeves for this project once again.

To see for yourself the good that this project brings to the community in Jamaica, keep checking in with our Facebook and Twitter pages.  The smiles we’re helping to protect are from ear to ear.  Now, THAT’S a good reason to get up in the morning.

iCare Donation!

We are so lucky to have such great volunteers on our side!  Here’s another example of how amazing they are:

An artist's depiction  for "visual" effect

2011 iCare volunteer, Tonya Christoffersen, recently ran a half-marathon in Portland, OR.  She was talking to a vendor who offered her a pair of shades with neon green stems.  Tonya, thinking of the iCare project, shared with the vendor that she would be sending them to Jamaica.

Tonya Volunteering in Jamaica

Clearly, Tonya’s enthusiasm for the project was so infectious that the vendor got excited too. He replied “let me fill your bag!”  Turns out Tonya’s bag holds 42 pairs of glasses, which apparently isn’t enough.  400+ shades are now scheduled to leave Tonya’s house to be shipped to Jamaica from Seattle.

Tonya would like to give credit to the Lake Stevens LionsClub, whose members gave her $220 toward the purchase of sunglasses.  The vendor in question at the Portland Rock n Roll half-marathon was 2daysinSeattle.com.  Tonya’s modesty compels her to credit these companies, but we think thanks should be thrown to all three.

Thank you, Tonya, for this amazing gift you have given to Great Shape!  We just couldn’t do it without our beloved volunteers, donors, and everyone who gives to help our family in Jamaica.  Keep up the great work, and we can’t wait to see you in Jamaica again this year.

Ashland Fundraiser

E-vites are out!!  Thanks, Tanya Smith at Tanya Design + Photo, for this beautiful artwork you created.  We’re excited to see you at this year’s Ashland fundraiser to benefit our families in Jamaica.  This year’s headliners:  an auction featuring award-winning auctioneer, Bryon Millard, music by DJ Marcos, stories by Let It Shine Media, and “merry-time” ambiance by iDesign!  

Also, please give HUGE thanks to the Sandal’s Foundation!  On top of the amazing support they consistently provide, this year they have provided YOU with the opportunity to win a trip to Jamaica!   

You don't want to miss this.  Secure YOUR tickets by calling either:

o   Georgene Crowe   (541) 821-6182

o   Teresa Contreras   (541) 840-4919

It’s Shaping up to be a Great time with Great Shape!  We hope to see you there! 

A New Van!

Guess what?! Great Shape! Inc. now owns its very own vehicle. Check out this beauty! This’ll save us a bundle in time, effort, and thousands of dollars in vehicle rental fees.  We decided on a 2007 Nissan Caravan, which should serve our needs marvelously. 

Over the past 20 years we have had to rely on rentals as the primary transportation for our leadership team and smaller supplies.

Until now, it was a necessary cost.  It will be a huge relief to have at least one less thing to worry about coordinating for our many projects throughout the year.

Now we’ll be travelin’ in comfort and style.  The van offers a smooth ride and comfortable seating for its passengers. There is even an in-dash television (for passengers only, of course, safety first!).

While JUTA and The Sandals Foundation are generous enough to provide transportation for our many volunteers, we rent vehicles for the many other activities we perform across Jamaica.  This vehicle will traverse the whole island transporting people, supplies and equipment.  It will surely be as hard-working as the people of Great Shape! Inc. that use it.

A special thanks to Executive Director, Papa Joe for all his wheelin’ and dealin’ and maneuvering the Jamaican buying process, and Harvey Arnce, DDS for all the support he has provided throughout this whole deal. Sweet ride!

2012 Oregon Dental Conference

April 12-14, the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon held the 120^th Annual Session of the Oregon Dental Association (ODA) and marked the 15^th year at the Convention Center.  The conference is the concurrent meeting of the ODA, the Oregon Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (OSOMS), the Oregon State Association of Endodontics (OSAE), the Oregon Society of Periodontists (OSP), the Oregon Academy of General Dentistry (OAGD), the Oregon Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (OAPD), the Oregon Dental Assistants Association (ODAA), The Oregon Dental Executives' Association (ODEA), as well as a place for hygienists and laboratory technicians from throughout the northwest to meet.  

The ODC brings together different types of dentists from the area for classes, lectures and networking. There are exhibit hours during the day where people can mingle and   visit an exhibit hall that has corporations, schools, and some dental volunteer programs at different booths and courtesy tables. 

Lois, Bruce, and Jennie were manning a booth at this event to help spread the word about Great Shape! Inc. and specifically the 1000 Smiles dental project.  Lois has been a part of the GS family as an active volunteer for 8 years! This year she will be with the Sealant Project in May and June then looking forward to returning in the fall with either SuperKids or 1000 Smiles. 

"My learning came from going to the paid vendor booths throughout the conference and seeing what kinds of services, supplies, and equipment are available to dentists," stated Lois regarding what she learned at the conference. 

Our booth had banners, rack cards, business cards, and one-sheets with a slideshow playing in the background. Lois, Bruce, and Jennie all talked with potential volunteers.

Jennie, a second year volunteer helped at the booth and stated that she learned, "a lot of people are really interested to hear our stories. It is fun to talk about the projects." This fall Jennie will be volunteering with 1000 Smiles in Montego Bay Week 2 and Week 1 of Whitehouse. 

To find out more about our projects visit our website!

   

Interns Say Goodbye

As we are closing out our final week here at the Great Shape! office in Spokane, we would like to say goodbye to all of those awesome people we have worked with during our time here.  We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to become part of the Great Shape! family.  We hope to stay in touch as well as volunteer with you on one of the three projects. 

First to say goodbye is Stephanie, an intern since September 2011.  She will be graduating in three weeks from Gonzaga University with a public relations degree and a double minor in communications and sport management.  She is hoping to spend the next year as an AmeriCorps member and delve into low income and affordable housing issues in the United States.  “Being with Great Shape! for nine months has been an exceptional experience; the people I’ve met and worked with have been such a blessing.  I love coming into work everyday knowing that the awareness I bring to social media sites and the events volunteers plan are making an amazing difference to thousands of people in Jamaica. This internship has gone above and beyond my expectations.”  Though she is sad to go, she is excited for her next adventure and chapter in life.  Continuing service through AmeriCorps is a dream come true; humanitarian work is such a breath of fresh air.

Second is Lindsey, an intern since February 2012.  She will be working this summer in Portland, OR as a camp counselor for people with physical and intellectual disabilities, then continuing on to her senior year at Gonzaga University in the fall.  She will be earning a degree in public relations with two minors in promotions and broadcast studies in 2013.  Although her time with Great Shape! has been short, it is an experience she will carry with her for the rest of her life.  “I’m so thankful to have participated in the amazing service that Great Shape! offers.  It is such a rewarding feeling knowing that the work I did impacted the lives of people in a different part of the world.”  Lindsey’s favorite experience working with Great Shape! was learning more about the beautiful culture of Jamaica and relaying it through social media and blogs.  Lindsey is appreciative of all she has learned here and she looks forward to experiencing more meaningful and rewarding opportunities like this in the future.

Jill has been an intern since October 2011, she will graduate this June from Eastern Washington University with a degree in technical communication and a minor in visual communication design. This summer she will be working on an organic farm, then leaving for Jamaica this Fall as a volunteer with the SuperKids Green Team. While interning with Great Shape! Inc., Jill finished her first full grant, and is excited to take that experience out into the world to write more. She intends to work as a grant writer and public relations pro with local non-profits. “Working with Great Shape has been an amazing experience. I have loved becoming part of such a dynamic humanitarian community, and look forward to building on this relationship. I am so excited to meet everyone in Jamaica!” Jill feels so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such a fun and supportive team and to have developed powerful and a vast amount of communication skills working with Great Shape! Inc.  She looks forward to taking these skills out into the world.

Thank you again volunteers, co-workers, and readers for such an amazing experience.  We look forward to seeing you in Jamaica!