The plans that have been proposed as of 10 January 2008 for the community service group Pug Marks can be found here. It was this that Laura McConnell took before the School Board that night. The School Board agreed to allow us to work with and through the schools. Now we just need to get organized and plan that first community service project!

If you would like to help with this endeavor, please attend the Leadership Development Action Team Meeting, Bridge Builders Action Team Meeting, or the Live News Letter. Dates, times and places can be found at “Activity Quick Check” under Pages on this site.

PRELIMINARY PLANS:

Pug Marks

(Community Service Club)
Paw prints of a tiger are called pug marks.

“Live and let live is not enough; live and help live is not too much.”Orison Swett Marden

Our calling card will be the pug mark.

If you see a pug mark, you can be sure
someone was doing something good!

Pug Marks is a community based club ideal for 6th grade students, junior high and high school students, families, and adults. They will do service projects on their own and be available to assist other service clubs in the community. Pug Marks will also perform random acts of kindness.

Projects will be decided on by a ten member executive board and be supported in the beginning by the Horizons Program. The executive board will meet once a month over dinner for brainstorming, deciding which projects to do, and schedule projects.

Each project will have a project chair. The project chair with a committee (size depends on size of project) will create a project time-line, arrange for all needed supplies, recruit volunteers, be the contact for any partnering groups, and thank volunteers. A thank you may be as simple as a “good work”, a cookie, etc. or could be a bbq, video night, gym night, etc.

There will be weekly meetings at the school for junior high and high school students. Attendance at meetings and activities will be kept as a record of their service hours.

There will be places and ways to share ideas for future projects, to sign up for upcoming projects, and to contact the club for immediate or emergency help needs.

Once a person has signed up to help with a service project they are responsible to let the project chair know if they will be unable to help. Some projects may have a limited number of participants needed or a minimum needed to be successful.

Pug Marks realizes not all people are meant to be leaders; some are more comfortable just being a doer. Both types of people are valuable to the club.

Goal of Pug Marks
The goal of Pug Marks is to give the teens of our community a chance to show the community that teens are great people. Some are always ready to step up and help, some will help if asked, and there are many who would be glad to help if they understand the need and how they can have a positive impact.

As they become involved in service, teens that may not necessarily be part of a bigger circle at school or in their community take an essential step toward being responsible adults who can contribute equally.

Benefits of a Service Club
A service club provides teens with an opportunity to:
· develop new relationships based on mutual respect
· develop a stronger sense of self-worth
· learn the value of helping others
· develop leadership, communication, organizational skills and a sense of empowerment
· learn how to cooperate with one another and work as a team with diverse groups of people including adults, peers and others with different backgrounds and experiences.
· succeed in an area different from academics, athletics, or popularity
· build self-esteem from the positive results of their service
· develop problem-solving and decision-making skills by applying their knowledge to real-world situations
· develop a sense of being responsible for their community and a sense that citizenship requires them to actively participate in their community
· receive recognition for their efforts and possibly college scholarships
· experience the world of work
· show the community how youth can be resources
· show the community how they can get things done

Benefits of Belonging to a Service Club
Volunteering can help anyone, young or old:
o make important networking contacts
o learn or develop skills
o gain work experience
o build self-esteem and self-confidence
o help to meet new people
o feel needed and valued
o make a difference in someone’s life

Families that volunteer together will benefit because:
o It’s fun!
o It strengthens families!
o It makes family time valuable to both families and communities!
o It connects and strengthens communities!
o It improves family communication!
o It helps create a new generation of dedicated volunteers!
o It teaches kids values like kindness, empathy, respect, friendliness, and tolerance!
o It changes lives!

Teen volunteers can expect to:
o Have fun.
o Help others.
o Learn more about an activity or organization that interests them.
o Make new friends.
o Make a difference in their world and learn about the needs of their community.
o Expand their resume for college, scholarships and future employers.
o Learn new skills and explore possible careers.
o Demonstrate their skills and talents.
o Beat boredom – meet new and interesting people while filling their free time.
o Gain perspective on life. There is not better way to appreciate own blessings than to help people in need.
o Be a voice for teens in their community.

Other important bits of info:

Safety will be a first priority with every project Pug Marks undertakes.

Reflection after projects will be an important component of Pug Marks. It helps us to plan future projects when we know what went right, what could have been better, and how we feel about what we did. (And….,there are grants available for service learning.)

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Pug Marks

Youth Application

If you see a pug mark, you can be sure
someone was doing something good!

Pug Marks is a community based club ideal for 6th grade students, junior high students, high school students, families, and adults who want to get involved. By joining this club you will be busy helping your community, meeting new people and having fun. Pug Marks is also great on scholarship applications and resumes.

The guidelines for joining this club are as follows:

1. Attend as many meetings as possible.

2. Be involved in at least two projects every year.

3. Be able to work as a team member.

I, ____________, understand what Pug Marks is about and the commitment it requires. I promise to follow the three guidelines posted above and make my membership in Pug Marks as enjoyable as possible.

SIGNED:  X __________________  Date: _________

           full name                contact info                         age

__________________________________________

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Pug Marks

Adult Application

If you see a pug mark, you can be sure
someone was doing something good!

Pug Marks is a community based club ideal for 6th grade students, junior high students, high school students, families, and adults who want to get involved. By joining this club you will be busy helping your community, meeting new people and having fun. Pug Marks is also great on scholarship applications and resumes.

The guidelines for joining this club are as follows:

1. Attend as many meetings as possible.

2. Be involved in at least two projects every year.

3. Be able to work as a team member.

4. Pay $10.00 annual fee for adult/s to help defray insurance coverage.

I, ____________, understand what Pug Marks is about and the commitment it requires. I promise to follow the four guidelines posted above and make my membership in Pug Marks as enjoyable as possible.

SIGNED:  X __________________  Date: _________

           full name                contact info                         __________________________________________

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Pug Marks

Family Application

If you see a pug mark, you can be sure
someone was doing something good!

Pug Marks is a community based club ideal for 6th grade students, junior high students, high school students, families, and adults who want to get involved. By joining this club you will be busy helping your community, meeting new people and having fun. Pug Marks is also great on scholarship applications and resumes.

The guidelines for joining this club are as follows:

1. Attend as many meetings as possible.

2. Be involved in at least two projects every year.

3. Be able to work as a team member.

4. Pay $10.00 annual fee for adult/s to help defray insurance coverage.

We understand what Pug Marks is about and the commitment it requires. We promise to follow the four guidelines posted above and make my membership in Pug Marks as enjoyable as possible.

Parent/Guardian signature: X _________________

                                       Date: _________

List family members:  name     contacto info     youth’s age

__________________________________________

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

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Pug Marks Executive Board Application

Name: ____________________________________________
First                                                       Last

Grade(circle one): 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th college N/A

· The executive board of Pug Marks brainstorms ideas, decides which projects to do, and when to do them.

1. What is your most memorable service project and why? __
___________________________________________
___________________________________________

2. In your own words, give a brief definition of an executive board and how it should work. ___________________________________________
___________________________________________

3. List 2 or 3 things that you would add to the executive board in years to come.
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

4. Are you willing to show up for meetings? (day and time yet to be determined)
__________________________________________

5. What is one thing you are good at that will benefit Pug Marks? (i.e., computer skills, speaking skills, publications, can-do attitude, etc.) _________________________________________
_________________________________________

Signature: ___________________________________

Date: _______________

contact info                   

__________________________________________

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