Wow!!!

Ashly got some super exciting news in the mail yesterday. Actually, UPS dropped it off at the door. Last fall she was nominated by her math teacher for the "Prudential Spirit of Community Award" honoring outstanding community service by young Americans. Ashly was nominated by her teacher because she went on the mission trip last summer with the church, and she's a great student. There were 2 winners selected in Minnesota and 102 total in the whole nation. Ashly won $1,000 award, engraved medallion and trip to Washington D.C.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Out of the 102 at the awards ceremony they will pick 10 winners to receive the gold medallion, $5,000 award and another $5,000 grant to a charity of their choice. And guess what else...mom gets to go too!!!!!!!! Wow!!!!!!!!!!! There were 6 finalists recognized in Minnesota and nearly 5,000 local (minnesota) applicants that were reviewed by an independent judging panel which selected the state honorees (what Ashly is) and the finalists. They were judged on personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact and personal growth. All public and private middle and high schools, Girl Scouts, 4-H, ARC chapters, YMCAs, and HandsOn Networks were eligible to nominate someone.

It's amazing that Ashly was chosen. She wrote numerous essays about her involvement and experience on the mission trip. The application process was actually so involved there were many times she was frustrated and almost didn't finish. I'm so proud of her for following through with it and now she is going to get to experience the chance of a lifetime.

This is what they published about Ashly:

"Ashly, an eighth grader at Southwest Junior High School, helped plan and raise money for a church mission to an Indian reservation in the state of Wyoming, and then painted houses, provided children's activities, and delivered other services while participating in the week long mission last July. "It was a community where people needed help," she said. "When I saw the houses they were living in and how they lived, I was shocked, because no one should have to live like that." Before the trip began, Ashly conducted research to help plan the arrangements. Then she helped conduct several fundraisers to pay the mission expenses, including a carwash, a spaghetti dinner, a scrapbooking day, and a silent auction. Once her team arrived at the Wind River Reservation, Ashly assisted in forming a "kid's club" where Indian children could come to play games, sing songs, listen to storybooks and do arts and craft projects. When those sessions were over, she helped paint two newly built houses. She and other church members also delivered donated food and spent time with the elderly residents of a reservation nursing home. "We did a good thing by going on this mission trip," said Ashly. "We learned a lot about caring for others."

So...Ashly and I have an all expense paid for trip to Washington D.C. on May 1-4. The whole schedule is preplanned out without a moment to spare including activities for the kids to get to know each other, Award ceremonies, honoree project sharing, touring of Washington D.C. monuments, Smithsonian National Museum and Arlington National Cemetary.

Wow!!!