Dear LBC Members,

I would like to thank you guys for a wonderful fall season. We have had a record number of new tribes join the program, attendance at outings, and dollars raised for WeBuildPeople this fall. We could not have reached these record heights without your help. Listed below are some upcoming events and opportunities to volunteer. I will apologize up front, this email is lengthy, but we have quite a bit of information to discuss.

I hope that you all have had a chance to check out the tribal service opportunities that we have listed on the website. We have set up a relationship with five non-profits for tribes to go and help out with this Christmas season and beyond. Bobby and I were fortunate enough to meet the Linda Riggins at Building Together Ministries this morning. If you remember, Linda and her family had their home rebuilt by ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover. Building Together Ministries are looking for tribes to come and help sponsor families for Christmas, help provide and serve food to their preschool kids throughout the year, and provide gently used items (clothing, books, and toys) for their thrift store. Bobby and I were so impressed with their operation, community outreach, and caring spirit towards the less fortunate families of Raleigh. Gentlemen, they are in great need of donations for their Christmas store this year. The Christmas Store is filled with donated brand new clothing and toys for moms and dads to purchase for their kids at Christmas. They do not give these items away for free, but instead mark them at 50-75% off the normal cost. That allows for them to make money to keep the preschool program operating, but it also instills pride in the parents. The parents feel like they have provided for their family instead of just accepting a hand out. Bobby and I want to rally you guys around their cause this Christmas. We are asking for you to spread the word with your tribes to try and get each pair to purchase a $10-$20 gift card to Target/Wal-mart, or buy some children’s underwear/socks. You guys can drop them off by our office before Wednesday, December 19, and we will deliver them to the BTM center. I realize that this comes on the heals of WeBuildPeople, but we are asking you guys to dig a little deeper, and help out some less fortunate families this Christmas. Thank you in advance for all of your help!

We will have our spring Longbow Council Potluck Dinner/Meeting on February 5, 2008 at 6:30. The meeting will be held at the YMCA of the Triangle Association Resource Center (ARC). The ARC is located at 801 Corporate Center Dr. The ARC is located on the 2nd floor of the Arcadis Building. We will provide drinks, napkins, plates, and utensils. We need each of you guys to provide a dish based upon the breakdown below. We will be talking about our needs for the Polar Bear Swims, Park Clean-up Day, and the Spring Outings. We will also, be giving out the LBC hats and patches to the guys that did not receive them at the Fall Outings.

Meat (i.e. Bojangles Chicken): Dads with last names A-G
Vegetable: Dads with last names H-R
Dessert: Dads with last names S-Z


We need help at our Winter Inning Shows. The shows are on Sunday, January 13 at 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., and on Monday, January 14 at 7:00 p.m. We will need 10-15 pairs per show. We will need you at Meymandi Hall 1-hour before show time. We will need help passing out patches, tearing tickets, crowd control, door greeters, and in the Y-Guides store. You guys should wear your vests and hats. Please email me by January 11, 2008 with the date and time that you are willing to help. You can volunteer at the show that you are attending, and/or you can volunteer at the show that you are not attending. I will let you know when you email me if we have hit the 10-15 volunteers mark.

We need help from you guys facilitating the Polar Bear Swims. We need to have 2-4 pairs at each branch to greet the tribes, hand out polar bear claws, and be a liaison between the aquatics staff and the tribes. As a facilitator, you will be in charge of the event. I will have polar bear claws at each branch (Cary, Alexander, Finley, and Kerr) when you arrive. Please call me if you have any questions, and to let me know which PB swim that you can help facilitate. Listed below are the dates and times.

Cary YMCA (Cary):
January 19 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
March 1 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Finley YMCA (N. Raleigh):
January 13 1 p.m.-7 p.m.
February 10 1 p.m.-7 p.m.

Alexander YMCA (Pool is located at the Old YWCA Building on Oberlin Road):
January 27 1 p.m.-6 p.m.

Kerr YMCA (Wakefield & Wake Forest):
February 2 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
February 16 6 p.m.-8 p.m.

The office will be closed on December 24, 25, 31, and January 1. Bobby and I will be on vacation for most of December. If you need anything throughout the month of December please email me, or you can reach Andrew “Salty Dog” Plyler in the office at 919.582.2265. On behalf of everyone in the office, we wish your family and you a Happy Holidays!

Warm Regards,

Matthew Strickland
YMCA Guides and Princesses
(919) 582-2266