Dear Kid,

Yesterday was one of those unexpectedly wonderful days.

It was Crayons to Computers’ Annual Volunteer Appreciation Celebration. (You would have enjoyed the appetizers and little dessert treats in addition to the rest of the program.) I hadn’t been down to C2C before and I was crazy impressed. The sheer quantity of supplies they have available for area teachers is beyond wonderful. But what’s even more impressive is how they’ve created such a warm, welcoming, fun environment for the teachers that “shop” there.

The program recognized the wonderful volunteers who have worked there for 5, 10, and 15 years. And this year they had a special category for Outstanding Youth Volunteers.

Said the program:

The Sycamore High School Crayons to Computers Club grew out of an idea that two students (then high school juniors) Hannah and Pi spearheaded in the fall of 2014. These entrepreneurial students developed a plan for the club, recruited an academic advisor, and then formally created their club at Sycamore High School. The club quickly grew to 52 members, making it larger than many of the more established clubs at the high school. During their first year, they focused on fundraising efforts, including “The Giant Crayon Fundraiser”, student raffles, and shared portions of concession sales from school athletic events. Along with providing financial donations, the club regularly volunteers and also donates school supplies.

The organizers said really nice things about our girls and the whole club. (Kvell, kvell.)

The entertainment was provided by the New Jerusalem Baptist Church Choir and they were outstanding.

Crayons to Computers is in the running for a $5,000 prize from Yelp Foundation. (And since they can turn every dollar donated into $10 worth of supplies, that’s a pretty big chunk of change.) You can vote daily from now through 12/15/15. If you are so moved, click here to vote. Don’t forget to ask your friends to vote too.

And remind your friends to read DearKidLoveMom.com tomorrow. Or sign up for delivery. Think of it as a little present in your email box each day!

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Probably some of your friends would answer “nuthin’” or “I dunno” to that question. (I have no doubt that you have an entire weekend filled with hard core studying and quality time with friends.)

There is nothing wrong with some alone time. Time to relax, send your brain cells on a short vacation, enjoy a football game on TV, or catch up on important cat videos. I happen to think alone time is really important.

Everyone has a different amount of alone time. For some people, 30 seconds of alone time is too much. For others, several hours a week is just a start.

The thing about college is you get to experiment with the right amount of alone time. Which is fabulous.

You also get to experiment with new kinds of activities. Whether it’s going to a college football game, volunteering for a service organization, having coffee with a new friend, taking up an intramural sport, or learning a new activity (paddle boarding anyone??), college campuses offer all sorts of opportunities to get involved.

So enjoy your alone time. But take advantage of the new, interesting, and different activities (and people) you find at college.

Love, Mom