Smart Start Month: Celebration held to honor proclamation
Published 12:10 am Friday, September 20, 2024
Darby Ellerbee gives Murphy a little pat. — Karen Kistler
Rowan Smart Start Executive Director Amy Brown, second from right, holds up the proclamation. She is pictured with, from left, Mayor Pro Tem Tamara Sheffield, Miss North Carolina’s Teen Kamryn Hollowell, Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander, Past Board Chair Lorie Aldridge and Representative Harry Warren. – Karen Kistler
Ermalyn Jaeck, lead parent educator, posed with, from left, Ellie Garwood, Margaret Hart and Alexander Hidalgo. – Karen Kistler
Denise Heinke, director of outreach and development, takes a minute to visit with Addie Wilder during the event. – Karen Kistler
These furry friends and their owners took time out for a group photo. They are from left, Murphy with Erin Moody, Squid with Jon Palmer, Hope with Nina Dix, Stella with Sharon Hood, Pearl with Pam Fullem and Addie with Marty Wilder. — Karen Kistler
Before the celebration began, from left, Ermalyn Jaeck, lead parent educator; Denise Heinke, director of outreach and development; Tamara Sheffield, mayor pro tem, Harry Warren, representative and Amy Brown, executive director, pose with the proclamation. – Karen Kistler
Miss North Carolina’s Teen Kamryn Hollowell greets therapy canine Murphy. — Karen Kistler
Margaret Hart gives Stella a pat on the head. Pictured with her are past board chair Lorie Aldridge, right and Stella’s owner Sharon Hood. – Karen Kistler
Aida Garwood, right and Ellie Garwood, take a minute to pose with Marty Wilder, center, and Addie. — Karen Kistler
Marleny Sixlo Vazquez and Lisset Sixlo Vazquez, joined by mom Mariana Vazquez Munguia, have fun getting their hands in the playdough. – Karen Kistler
Murphy with Erin Moody of the Terrie Haas Child Advocacy Center, left and Miss Northh Carolina’s Teen Kamryn Hollowell pose for photo as event gets underway. — Karen Kistler
Betty Trujillo, early education program leader with Smart Start, left and Kimberly Cruz, child care health consultant, pose for a photo at the celebration. – Karen Kistler
SALISBURY — September has been a special month for Smart Start as Gov. Roy Cooper proclaimed the month Smart Start Month, and Smart Start Rowan took this opportunity on Sept. 18 to commemorate the occasion.
Amy Brown, executive director of Smart Start Rowan, said they learned months ago that the governor was going to “proclaim September 2024 as the very first ever Smart Start Month, and we’re super excited about that.”
And while it is the first ever, Brown said they are hoping to keep it going year after year.
“We can credit our North Carolina Smart Start state leadership for that collaboration,” she said, “and so what we decided we wanted to do locally was carry that momentum to get out and do everything we could do to promote it through the month,” and therefore they planned this event which was filled with lots of fun for the children and families who are impacted by Smart Start.
The celebration was held at Christ United Methodist Church, 3401 Mooresville Road, Salisbury, beginning at 10 a.m. with multiple areas of activities for the children to enjoy including a tic tac toe game, temporary tattoos, balls, hoola hoops, a small slide and other games, a painting area, origami, window chimes and a playdough station.
Boxed lunches were also available for the children, courtesy of Massimo’s Sandwich Shoppe in Salisbury.
The adults were given the opportunity to participate in a drawing for a free, private luncheon with Brown at Massimo’s, “one on one to just talk about what they need in the community and how Smart Start Rowan can help,” shared Denise Heinke, director of outreach and development.
Special boards were provided for the families to write on telling why they came to celebrate and what Smart Start means to them, Brown said.
One mom, Julie Gragg, said Smart Start had “had a really big impact on us. Being from California, we moved here about a year ago not knowing anybody and getting connected with this group has just been an absolute blessing to me and my family, meeting a lot of amazing women with kids Abigail’s age.”
Several other moms shared about the help their children have received from Smart Start.
Stacey Lynn Dominguez said they had been coming for about three years with Smart Start, “ever since we found out he (their son Roman) is autistic and has speech delay.” Through their time with Smart Start, she said “they’ve helped him a whole lot and he’s gotten better with communication and working with other kids.”
Amanda Hart said her daughter Margaret is part of the Kaleidoscope Play and Learn Group with Ermalyn Jaeck, who is lead parent educator, and they came to support her, see friends and celebrate early literacy.
“My daughter’s received so much from Ermalyn just learning how to do different sensory activities and make new friends and really develop a love for reading,” said Hart.
The parents spent a lot of time watching the children play and joining in the fun.
Betty Trujillo, early education program leader with Smart Start, who was manning the tic tac toe game, said several parents had told her that their children had “never played tic tac toe. I’ve tried to explain it. It’s really neat to play with them and watch what they’re learning.”
Trujillo herself said the day was amazing.
“It’s amazing to watch the smiles on their faces and watch them do things for the first time,” she said.
Trujillo, who works with child care centers and deals with classroom management, partners with Kimberly Cruz, child care health consultant, who does health and safety management.
Cruz said that she had seen that Gov. Cooper was proclaiming September as Smart Start Rowan’s Month and said, “this is huge. This is one of the biggest awards that they could get and so I wanted to come and support my peers.”
When asked what they hoped those there would learn from this day and celebration, Brown said they are always happy to have their families all together.
“They really work together well and the parents have that peer support and networking, and we are hoping they learn a lot more about what we do and take the momentum out of here to help the community celebrate and spread the word.”
In addition to all of the activities that were available, a big hit with all ages were the four-legged volunteers who came with their owners to share some love and give and receive lots of attention.
These included Murphy with Erin Moody of the Terrie Haas Child Advocacy Center; Hope with Nina Dix of Canine Caregivers Therapy Dogs; Pearl with Pam Fullem; Squid with Jon Palmer; Addie with Marty Wilder; and Stella with Sharon Hood.
Whenever children walked over to visit one of the dogs, they would often get down on the small child’s level and gladly and patiently receive the little pats on the head and many adults got down on the floor to spend some time with these special volunteers as well.
Special guests were on hand for the event including Miss North Carolina’s Teen Kamryn Hollowell and several local officials.
Hollowell, of Wendell, which is near Raleigh, was crowned as Miss North Carolina’s Teen in June. She said she was very excited to be at the celebration.
Accompanied by her mom, Karen, she shared that she is “very, very passionate about community service and helping the local communities that got me where I am today and so taking every opportunity as a state titleholder has been a blessing.”
Hollowell chatted with children and adults alike throughout the day, noting that “being able to be here with all these children and spend time and see their faces light up at my crown and sash and me getting to give them that once in a lifetime experience is really, really special.”
A junior at Corinth Holders High School in Wendell, she is also enrolled at Johnston Community College and is scheduled to graduate with a high school diploma and an associates in science degree.
Hollowell ran on a very personal platform called Project Purple, which advocates for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, because she “saw the struggles that my mom went through being an ulcerative colitis patient” and has raised more than $5,000 for their foundation.
Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander and Mayor Pro Tem Tamara Sheffield read the proclamation to the gathered crowd. Alexander shared it in Spanish, and Sheffield read the English version.
These proclamations, Brown noted, had been made more localized as they had been given permission to tweak the governor’s proclamation.
Representative Harry Warren shared a few comments with the group thanking them for the invitation to come and thanking those who were there for their “participation in and support of the program.”
Noting the growth that has taken place in the county, Warren said that the great potential was right there in the room, those children sitting with them and running around the room.
“There is nothing in this county that is more precious to us and has more potential for our future than these children,” he said, as he stressed the importance of participating in these programs that are supported by county and state governments.
Warren also shared that he has a real interest in programs offered for preschoolers as he mentioned multiple that are offered in the county, and said he likes to “step in and see how they’re doing and how the kids are doing. So I just wanted to stop in and be a part of it.”
Senator Carl Ford and his wife Angela paid a visit as well to the celebration and each expressed their thanks for the invitation and to Smart Start “for all that we do to support children, families and community,” said Brown.
Heinke likewise expressed thanks for those who provide support to them.
“We are very pleased to share this month of September celebration proclaimed by Governor Cooper with those we serve,” Heinke said. “We are thankful for everyone who supports us so we can continue to give and share resources for families. We hope this will continue for many years to come.”
