Have older kids at home looking for a local volunteer opportunity? The Savannah Cultural Arts Center is looking for Junior Camp Counselors to join them this July!

What are Junior Counselors? Counselors assist with summer art camps in a volunteer capacity. Responsibilities include assisting teachers with projects and staff with logistical tasks such as camper drop off and lunch.

Who? This opportunity is open to ages 14 to 18.

When? Camps run all four weeks in July, daily, 8AM-4PM.

Do I need to be available that whole time? No! Indicate your availability during July on the application form.

Learn more and apply online here. 

All camps will be masked and reduced capacity for social distancing.

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Savannah Cultural Arts Center is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

Treasure Maps pop-up, interactive, outdoor theatre, 7:30PM June 25 2021 @ Old Roberds Dairy Farm, Savannah

Treasure Maps is a pop-up, interactive, outdoor theatre taking place in six cities across Georgia.

The Treasure Maps show will include live-local hosts, film screening, installations, and interactive activities, all under safe social distancing practices. The roadshow feature is the film screening of Treasure Maps on the big screen.

Treasure Maps showcases a collage of ten Georgia storytellers’ experiences with an up-close and personal viewpoint into what it’s like navigating the complex webs of life in our communities as a person with a developmental disability.

Themes include:
starting your own business
friendship
going to college
alienation & acceptance
dealing with the physical aspects of disability
and how transformative living a full inclusion life can be.
This show is proudly presented by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities and L’arche Atlanta. Local partners include the Lowcountry Down Syndrome Society and Savannah-Chatham County Parent Mentors.

NOTE: In the event of inclement weather, this event will be moved to an online format.

Register online for this free event here. 

Location
Old Roberds Dairy Farm
2500 Tennessee Avenue
Savannah, GA 31404

Ignite the Senses Children’s Gym Autism Awareness 5K

You’re invited: Ignite the Senses Children’s Gym AUTISM AWARENESS 5K Bubble Run & Children’s DASH on Sat June 26, 2021 in Bluffton, SC. Register online here.

There will be two children’s dashes at 8AM – one for ages 2-4 & one for ages 5-10.

The 5k race starts and ends at LowCountry Community Church off of Buckwalter Parkway. It is a fast flat course and will be chip timed by Grounded Running. There will be one water station on the course approximately at the halfway point. The race will start promptly at 8AM with the Children’s DASH followed by the 5k run. Parents are welcome to run with their child(ren) if necessary. All participants will be welcomed back to the finish with a shower of bubbles (representative of special needs) and a finisher’s medal. NOTE: Each participant MUST turn in their timing chip to receive a medal.

Register by June 15 to receive T-shirts.

Registrations accepted until 7:45AM on race day.

Packet Pick up is Friday June 25 9AM-6PM at Ignite the Senses Children’s Gym, 163 Bluffton Road, Suite C-1 and race day morning from 7-7:45AM at the race start.

**Proceeds from this event will be used to provide support groups, special events and activities like art, music, yoga and fitness opportunities for our local special needs population.

Register online here.
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Ignite the Senses Children’s Gym, Bluffton, SC 

Ignite the Senses Gym is a gym for ALL kids…

At Ignite the Senses, we ignite each child’s curiosity to explore new activities and new social relationships. Ignite the Senses gym is a fun, clean and safe place for kids to play, learn and party.

As Bluffton’s only children’s sensory gym, we intend to spread community awareness and acceptance for those living with Autism in and around the Lowcountry. We will provide a safe and fun indoor environment where autistic and typical children can grow physically, emotionally, and socially together whether in the open gym setting or in any of the small group classes offered.

Ignite the Senses also has a new half day preschool program where children do active learning.

The gym’s motto: It’s OK to be DIFFERENT!

Check out the difference Ignite the Senses can make in your family’s life.

Learn more about Ignite the Senses Children’s Gym in Bluffton here.

Ignite the Senses Children’s Gym
163 Bluffton Road, Suite C1
Bluffton, SC 29910

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Ignite the Senses Children’s Gym is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

Trinity Lutheran Church Hearts of Compassion Helping Hands Ministry in Savannah invites the public to participate in their year-long 2021 drive to help the homeless and families in need.

“Year of Giving Hope.”
Each month during the year, a new needed item will be listed. All you have to do is drop off your item in the bin outside the church’s Clothes Closet @ 12391 Mercy Boulevard, Savannah, GA 31419.

The item for the month of February 2021 is hand wipes. (Please see below list for each month.)
If you have any questions please contact Jennifer Wolfe at (912) 507-4990.

January – Hand lotion or sanitizer
February – Hand wipes
March – Toothpaste and toothbrushes
April – Bar soap and deodorant
May – Sunscreen
June – Shampoo and conditioner
July – Nail clippers and files
August – Band aids, Neosporin, insect repellant
September – Underwear
October – Blankets
November – Backpacks
December – Hats, scarves and gloves

The City of Savannah is inviting houses of worship, businesses and individuals to join in a national memorial for the lives lost to COVID-19 on Tuesday, Jan. 19, at 5:30 p.m.

The City Hall bells will ring once for every 10 deaths in Chatham County at 5:30 p.m., and the building will be illuminated in red. Anyone wishing to participate is invited to ring bells, illuminate homes or businesses, hold a socially distant candlelight vigil and document their remembrance on social media using #SavannahRemembers and #SavannahStrong.

Savannah’s memorial will coincide with ceremonies in Washington, D.C., that will include a lighting ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. To date, more than 10,000 Georgians, including more than 240 Chatham County residents, have died from COVID-19.

The Mountainfilm on Tour – Savannah 2021 Virtual Film Festival – a nonprofit organization working in partnership with Mountainfilm in Telluride, Colo.- is January 22-25 2021.

The 2021 event will feature a virtual screening of a feature film as well as a documentary short films program and a special family program, which consists of 8 inspiring short, kid-friendly films.  Find the film descriptions here.

Family Program tickets as well as tickets for the feature film Public Trust and the Adventure Shorts Program are currently on sale at mountainfilmsav.org. The virtual family program is available beginning at noon on Fri. Jan. 22 and will be available until noon on Mon. Jan. 25 2021.

Public Trust/Adventure Shorts Program tickets are $20 per individual and $35 per family. Family Program tickets are $10 per individual and $15 per family. This event is a fundraiser for Mountainfilm on Tour – Savannah. 

All Mountainfilm on Tour – Savannah 2021 virtual film programs will be available on-demand from January 22-25, 2021.

Learn more here. 

This 28-year-old single mom and her five kids, ages 2 to 10, were forced to move from their Savannah rental home this past spring when Robinet’s hours were cut at her housekeeping job at the Courtyard Marriott and she could no longer afford rent.

Since then, she and her children have lived in roughly 15 Savannah hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her story is heartbreaking and reflects the increase in first-time homelessness in Savannah due to the pandemic.

Read this mom’s story here. 

Help this mom and her kids by donating here. 

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Bethany’s Happy Bags for the Homeless

Savannah’s number of people who are homeless for the first time is increasing. Here’s a way to get your children involved with volunteering to help.

Bethany’s Happy Bags for the Homeless in Savannah – started by Colleen Moultry and her daughter Bethany, a home-schooled first grader-  distributes care packages, which include a variety of supplies and a kind note for people who are homeless, to Savannah shelters and hand out on the street.

To volunteer, visit Bethany’s Happy Bags Facebook page or email Bethanyshappybags@gmail.com

You can change an abused or neglected child’s story.

Savannah/Chatham County’s nonprofit CASA program, part of a national program which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates, is in need of more volunteers to represent the best interests of abused or neglected children in the court system.

This week’s SouthernMamas.com newspaper article spotlights how a Savannah CASA volunteer helped save a teen who ran away with a man she met online. Read it here. 

You, too, can become a CASA volunteer. Online CASA volunteer info sessions are held regularly.

Virtual informational sessions for volunteers
Thurs. Nov. 19 2020, 5:30pm
Thurs. Dec. 10 2020, 5:30pm

Register for the online info sessions on how to be a CASA volunteer here. 

CASA trains volunteers to serve as the eyes and ears of judges in child abuse and neglect cases. A newly trained volunteer is appointed one case at first to research in depth. This involves talking to the children, relatives, teachers and others, attending court hearings, completing court reports and more. The volunteer then reports back to the judge with information gathered about what would be in the best interest of the child.

Abused or neglected children in the court system who have a CASA volunteer are more likely to find a safe, permanent home, more likely to get more help while in the system, and more likely to do better in school.

You’re invited to an Outdoor Family Movie Night fundraiser for Family Promise of the Coastal Empire, 7PM Sun. Nov. 15 2020 @ in Savannah.

While theaters have reopened, many people may not yet feel comfortable patronizing enclosed spaces in close proximity to others due to COVID-19. But you can enjoy a showing of ‘The Addams Family’ on Sun. Nov. 15 in Savannah.

The movie starts at 7 p.m. 6502 Seawright Dr., Savannah. The event is free to attend, but donations are greatly appreciated. Attendees can bring chairs, blankets, and snacks or picnics to enjoy while watching an outdoor screening of the “The Addams Family” on a large inflatable movie screen.

Stage Front Production Services donated their services and equipment for the evening, providing the audio-visual needs for the event, which will guarantee a high-quality show for all in attendance.

Proceeds from the Outdoor Family Movie Night will support Family Promise’s mission of assisting homeless families with children in Chatham, Bryan and Effingham counties.

For more information about Family Promise, visit www.familypromisece.org, email familypromise@familypromisece.org or call 912-790-9446.

First annual Fall Fair for Humane Society for Greater Savannah
located @ Humane Society for Greater Savannah adoption center
7215 Sallie Mood Dr Savannah, 31406
Sun. Oct. 18 2020, 10AM-4PM
Local vendors, food trucks, petting zoo, pumpkins, costume contest, adoptable animals and more

To participate in the costume contest for dogs or people, stop by Costume Contest Booth. Enter in one or more of the following Categories.
1. Best Pet Costume
2. People+pet theme costume
3. Best DIY costume people
4. Best DIY Costume Pet
5. Best people costume

$5 to enter.

Proceeds benefit Humane Society. Prizes donated from the community.

Please practice social distancing and wear masks. There will also be markers on the ground to remain six feet a part all all times while shopping. A limited number of guests will be allowed in the yards to pet the animals.

Our SouthernMamas.com newspaper column this week spotlights how the local community helped this COVID-stricken Savannah family (pictured above) after they experienced a major theft.

Read it here. 

Help this Rincon 7-year-old raise money, awareness for Down syndrome during Savannah’s Buddy Walk 2020

This week’s SouthernMamas.com Savannah newspaper article spotlights 7-year-old Paisley Metz of Rincon, who has participated in every Savannah Buddy Walk since she was born. She’ll partake in the year’s virtual Buddy Walk on Oct. 3. Read the article here.

Virtual Buddy Walk, Oct. 3 2020, Savannah

The Lowcountry Down Syndrome Society 15th annual Buddy Walk will be Sat. Oct. 3, 2020.

Due to COVID-19 they had to create a virtual Buddy walk this year. You can continue this tradition of walking to help raise awareness and making change. Individual registration is $10.

Register online here.

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About LowCountry Down Syndrome Society

Since 2006, LDSS has grown from a group of a few families to an organization serving Savannah and the surrounding counties through events such as The Buddy Walk, The Night of Champions and Camp Buddy.

LDSS is a non-profit support group to benefit people with Down Syndrome and their families through local leadership in support, outreach, education and advocacy. Meetings are regularly, typically with a guest speaker and social time for families to meet and interact with one another. Members are encouraged to bring their children. The group is an affiliate of the National Down Syndrome Society. http://www.ldssga.org/

Take a walk on the wild side with Oatland Island Wildlife Center’s new animal face masks.

Available in both child and adults sizes for $10 each. Choose from cougar, barred owl, gray wolf, and opossum.
​
​Order online here.

Proceeds from Gift Shop sales support Friends of Oatland Island Wildlife Center’s mission to assist Oatland Island Wildlife Center in the day to day needs of animal care, preservation of the ecosystem, continuation of education programs and maintenance of the animal enclosures and grounds as a community asset.

Friends of Oatland Island Wildlife Center is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser

St. Andrew’s School in Savannah will donate 75 iPads to Horizons Savannah this fall. The iPads will be distributed to students throughout Chatham County who participate in Horizons summer program.

“We believe this donation can really make a difference for students who may not have access to technology especially as many schools are beginning with virtual instruction this year,” said Kelley Waldron, St. Andrew’s Head of School. “We are fortunate to have a strong, supportive campus community and believe we also have a responsiblity in serving the greater Savannah
community.”

“Horizons is very fortunate to partner with St. Andrew’s School. In addition to this gift of technology for our students, St. Andrew’s provides a supportive and welcoming environment for all Horizons students and families each summer. Horizons students will use these devices to access distance learning from public school and also continue to be supported by our Horizons faculty through this transition.”

Recognized as one of America’s best summer learning programs, Horizons Savannah at Savannah Country Day School, Savannah Christian Preparatory School, Bethesda Academy and St. Andrew’s School serves over 300 under resourced students each summer.

Horizons is a transformative experience for young people in Kindergarten through the 12th grade focused on helping students close the achievement gap through academic support and confidence building.

For more information, please contact Horizons Savannah Executive Director Christy Edwards at 912-961-8854 or cedwards@savcds.org.

You can also visit http://horizonssavannah.org/.

St. Andrew’s is an independent International Baccalaureate World School located in Savannah. For more information on the Pre-K 3 through grade 12 school, visit www.saslions.com or call 897.4941.

St. Andrew’s School is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser

Are you ready to GO BANANAS??🍌🍌🍌

Now’s your chance to get tickets to The Savannah Bananas game AND support Friends of Oatland FOO, the nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the staff and animals of Oatland Island Wildlife Center in Savannah.

FOO Night at Grayson Stadium in Savannah is Tues. July 28 2020 and tickets are on sale NOW.

Let’s fill the stadium with FOO Fans and animal lovers – get your tickets 🎟before they sell out.

Attendance for all Bananas games are limited to half capacity for the season so this might be your best (or only!) chance to get tickets.

GO BANANAS WITH FOO. Order tickets online here. 

Oatland Island Wildlife Center is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

Are you ready to GO BANANAS?? 🍌🍌🍌

Now’s your chance to get tickets to The Savannah Bananas game AND support Friends of Oatland FOO, the nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the staff and animals of Oatland Island Wildlife Center in Savannah.

FOO Night at Grayson Stadium in Savannah is Sat. Aug. 15 2020 and tickets are on sale NOW.

Let’s fill the stadium with FOO Fans and animal lovers – get your tickets 🎟 before they sell out.

Attendance for all Bananas games are limited to half capacity for the season so this might be your best (or only!) chance to get tickets.

GO BANANAS WITH FOO. Order tickets online here. 

Oatland Island Wildlife Center is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

Maximus “Max” Robertson of Richmond Hill died this Easter weekend 2020 in an accidental drowning in a relative’s covered pool.

He was two weeks away from turning 2 years old.

This week’s SouthernMamas.com column in Savannah Morning News on Sat. May 16 is about what happened and what his mother, Kaytee Robertson, wants people with home pools to do to prevent drownings. Read it here.

This grieving family has received a lot of community support including from Kaytee’s fellow members of First Baptist Church Richmond Hill MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), a group Robertson joined three years ago. FBCRH MOPS set up a public online fundraiser for the Robertsons. Donations can be made online here.

The Rotary Club of Savannah needs volunteers to serve as community readers for the third annual Savannah Rotary Read-In on Wed. March 25 9-10:30AM to about 640 Savannah-Chatham public school classes. The event aims to improve literacy by encouraging the desire to read more.

Readers bring a new hardcover book and read it to their assigned class and interact with their students for about one hour. At the completion of your assigned time, you donate your book to the class library. You don’t have to be a rotary member to participate.

Learn more here.

A retired trucking company owner, Frank Moore Jr. of Savannah co-chairs this year’s read-in along with Nina Gompels .

“Savannah Rotary Read-In (SRRI) has been so successful in our community over the last two years due to the over 600 volunteers that invest just a few hours of their time reading to our youngest, most vulnerable students,’’ Moore said.

“By investing only a few hours, a volunteer will be part of the solution to turn the tide on our nationwide problem of declining literacy,” Moore said.

Moore believes improving literacy is an absolute necessity for our students and a cornerstone for their successful education.

“It is a responsibility for all members of our community to promote literacy,’’ Moore said.

St. Andrew’s School on Wilmington Is. in Savannah invites the public to view and participate in a kindness project that is currently on display at the Islands Library, 50 Johnny Mercer Blvd, Savannah.

The collaborative project encourages individuals to pick a “kindness flower” and act on the words written on the leaf. The kindness project began as part of a summer camp at St. Andrew’s taught by parent Lea Lynch and artist Tiffany O’Brien.

“Tiffany created a beautiful display to serve as the backdrop for the project and students created tissue paper flowers with specific acts of kindness written on each stem,” said Lea Lynch. “The project really took off and the St. Andrew’s Lower School wanted to keep the kindness flowers blooming year-round.”

The school’s youngest students create the flowers from colorful tissue paper and the acts of kindness are the last component added before the flowers goes on the display board. Kindness acts range from sharing a smile with someone to taking the time to write and send a thank you note.

“Our students are busy making more flowers to keep up with the demand of people picking the flowers,” said Anne Weisel, Head of the Lower School.

The kindness project board will be at the Islands Library through the month of November. The exhibit travels to the Frank G. Murray Community Center for the month of January.

St. Andrew’s is an independent, International Baccalaureate World School offering the Diploma Program. The school inspires students age three through grade 12.

For more information, visit saslions.com

St. Andrew’s School, 601 Penn Waller Rd, Savannah, 31410. 912.897.4941 ext 452, www.saintschool.com , email hellew@saintschool.com On Facebook here.   On Twitter here. St. Andrew’s is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

You’re invited to bring your teens or tweens to this FREE Teen Dating Violence Awareness Concert in Savannah’s Forsyth Park, on Sat. Nov. 16 2019, 1-4PM.

Enjoy food, fun, and entertainment in the park & special performances by Flau’jae, Royalty Skooboi, DAGirlz, Sharese Janay, Skitzo, Akildabeat, Masaya, AnotherWorld Ent Artist and much more.

This event is free and open to the public.

Horizons Savannah’s seventh annual charity luncheon and purse auction, Grab a Bag for Kids, will take place at 11AM Fri. Oct. 25 2019, at The Plantation Club at The Landings.

The auction will include gently-used, vintage and new designer handbags, bags from local designers, and special new silent auction packages that include trips, tickets to events and other local and regional items. Pop-up shops from vendors Kendra Scott, J. Parker Ltd. and Charleston Shoe Company will also be at the event, with a portion of all sales donated back to Horizons.

The silent auction will begin at 11AM with lunch and a live auction to follow at noon. Guest speaker Lorna Smith, Horizons National CEO, will share more about Horizons’ national effort to close the opportunity gap for low-income students. Tickets are $40 apiece or $350 to reserve a table of ten.

“This annual event is a wonderful opportunity for guests and supporters to shop for unique items, enjoy the good company of friends and learn more about our work—all while giving back in a big way,” said Christy Edwards, Horizons Savannah executive director, “This is a great way to get together with friends over lunch and be a part of something positive in our community.”

Grab a Bag for Kids offers sponsorship opportunities for businesses as well. The levels include $250, $500, $1,000 and $2,000. Horizons is still accepting donations of new and lightly used designer handbags, as well as gift cards or other experiences for the silent auction.

For more information on the Grab a Bag for Kids charity luncheon and purse auction, or to learn more about sponsorships and donations, visit www.horizonssavannah.org or call 912-961-8854.

ABOUT HORIZONS SAVANNAH

Recognized as one of America’s best summer learning programs, Horizons Savannah at Savannah Country Day School, Savannah Christian Preparatory School, Bethesda Academy and St. Andrew’s School welcomes over 250 low-income students each summer to a six-week summer enrichment program that helps prevent “summer slide”: the loss-of-learning that occurs during the summer.

By providing a safe and nurturing environment, recreational and cultural activities, nutritious meals and snacks, caring professional teachers and creative, challenging instruction, we unlock a student’s potential to achieve. During the program, students gain an average of two months’ growth in reading and three months’ growth in math. For more information, please contact Horizons Savannah Executive Director Christy Edwards at 912-961-8854 or info@horizonssavannah.org .

Save the date for the 6th Annual Pee Wee Rodeo, Nov. 16, 2019 @ The Old Dairy Farm, 2500 Tennessee Ave.
Time: 10AM-1PM
Purchase tickets at www.urbanhopesavannah.org

Grab your cowboy hat, boots, spurs and chaps and come for a fun filled day of cowboy/cowgirl activities.

Your child will enjoy the chance to participate in stick horse rodeo events!

There will be other fun activities, such as pony rides, wagon rides, mechanical bull, face painting, archery, and farm animal petting zoo. Food & beverages available for purchase.

All proceeds from the event will benefit Urban Hope, a free after school program for inner city and at risk children.

You are invited to help a Guyton kindergartner at Sand Hill Elementary who is fighting brain cancer.

Reid Crosby, 6,  has diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), an aggressive, inoperable tumor at the base of the brain.

Read about Reid’s story here. 

Sand Hill Elementary  will host a 5K, kids run and carnival May 4 2019 to help raise money. Rally for Reid is open to the public. Proceeds go to Reid Crosby’s medical fund.

What: Rally for Reid 5K, kids run, carnival

When: May 4 2019

Where: Sand Hill Elementary, 199 Stagecoach Ave., Guyton

Cost: $5 kids run, $15 5K

Registration: bit.ly/2Urcot2, ends May 2 2019

Disc dog show, inflatables, face painting, lunch, petting zoo, tractor ride, games. Proceeds go to Reid Crosby’s medical fund.

The Rotary Club of Savannah is searching for volunteers to serve as community readers for the second annual Savannah Rotary Read-In on Wed. March 13 2019. 9-10:30AM.

The goal of the event is to promote literacy by encouraging the desire to read more.

A report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation indicates children who aren’t reading at grade level by the end of third grade are four times as likely to drop out of high school.

Read about the Read-In co-chair & Savannah public school advocate Frank Moore, Jr. in our Savannah Morning News column here.

Last year’s inaugural event drew 526 volunteer readers who read to students in 566 classrooms. This year, Savannah-Chatham public schools plans to add pre-kindergarten to the list, which means rotarians and volunteers will read to students in 600 pre-k through third-grade classrooms in 32 schools.

You don’t have to be a rotary member to participate.

Register online to volunteer here.