"Be The Change" Reaching Out To Your Community

I enjoy local festivals, always have. I love watching a hometown girl get crowned Watermelon Queen, buying homespun Cotton Candy from the local "candy lady" and bumping into my neighbors as I move from booth to booth looking at the wares of the local artisans in my area. But I have to fit all of that into short breaks in between my volunteer time at booths that support local organizations like Communities in Schools, Keep Moore County Beautiful and Sandhills Kids. The volunteering is the fun part...letting kids see you making a difference by utilizing your time to help a worthy cause is a great way to encourage THEM to volunteer. Recently at our Fallfest in Southern Pines (where the weather made it seem more like Springfest), Sandhills Kids and Communities in Schools partnered to promote a book I helpd write for families enjoying our area: "The Sandhills Family Fun Guide". Hundreds of families stopped by our booth to purchase the book (the money benefits Communities In Schools Mentoring Program, my platform). We had so much fun, and we were able to get across a truly important point: The family the plays together stays together, and the best mentor a child can have is mom and dad!