Be honest. Be kind. Speak up.

October 2017

Volume 1 Issue 1

New van is hippest ride in Hutto

Teens can spend a fun after-

noon studying with friends or

just hanging out at The Sand-

box at Madeline’s Place.

A new van provides a fun and

easy way for teens to head

over to the rec center in the

little blue house just off High-

way 79. The Sandbox hosts

activities to help area teens build study skills and to enhance

their experience with others. Mentors help with homework

and lend an ear on a tough day.

The van picks up at Hutto’s two middle schools once a week.

Middle schoolers can catch the van on Tuesdays and hangout

for Grades & Grub at The Sandbox from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

High schoolers can attend (although with no van transporta-

tion at this time) on Thursdays and do the same — games,

sports activities, study with friends, and enjoy a hot, home-

cooked meal.

The Sandbox organizers recognize the challenges teens face

as they navigate their way to adulthood. Their goal is to help

teens develop a strong sense of self by offering a place where

they can hang out, play sports, get to know others and get to

know themselves. The Sandbox is designed as a place for

teens to connect with and get to know others.

Mentors offer guidance on homework and on personal issues

teens may not feel comfortable bringing up with friends or

family. Building trust in adults is a goal that Billie Logiudice,

who manages the center, says is an important goal.

“Sometimes it’s easier for kids to talk to an adult they know

and trust rather than talk to their parents or teachers be-

cause of the rules and boundaries that naturally come with

those relationships,” she says. “We don’t want this to be a

place where you can’t do something, our goal is to help.”

And breaking down barriers comes naturally at The Sandbox.

“There’s nothing I love more than seeing these kids outside,”

she says. “It’s so good to see them playing basketball, kickball,

volleyball, or any sport.” That interaction leads to a better

understanding of others and strengthens social skills.

Teens can join the fun at 6655 Highway 79, behind The Fel-

lowship Church Hutto, by contacting The Sandbox at Made-

line’s Place. For a ride, parents need to sign a waiver, which is

available at www.thesandboxatmadelinesplace.org/, and ar-

range for a ride via email by noon on the day their teen wants

to attend. For more information, call 512-642-6342.

New Sandbox ride.

Rec center offers afternoon spot

for teens to hangout with friends

Dominique, Nate, Noah and Daniel enjoy playing around after

school at The Sandbox. Middle schoolers connect on Tuesdays.

Little blue house fosters mission to reach teens Welcome to our first Sandbox

Newsletter! We hope you will

enjoy our new quarterly news-

letters as a way to keep updated

on the goings on at The Sandbox

at Madeline’s Place and know

how your generous donations

are being used.

When we lost our sweet Made-

line, the words Be Honest Be

Kind Speak Up kept coming to

me as a message that could have

saved our girl and a message

that could help out in so many circumstances in which teens

find themselves, from relationships and bullying all the way

to suicidal ideations. John and I along with our friends on the

board felt that a teen center would be the place for this mes-

sage to be imparted both explicitly and by example.

That idea still drives us. Everything we do is done with atten-

tion to our mission of empowering teens to navigate their

adolescence safely, happily, and with a healthy sense of self.

We initially had the vision of a large teen center with indoor

and outdoor sand volleyball and basketball facilities. We still

look to that goal but are aware that baby steps will be the

path by which we get there. As we continue to save for capital

investment in a permanent location, we are grateful to have

the use of our little blue house. We now have a sand volley-

ball court on the church property and are excited about final-

ly being able to host tournaments there. We have been fortu-

nate to work with Hutto ISD for the use of their facilities for

our Summer League Volleyball each year for middle school

girls, as well as for our Hippo Wrestling Club. Our after school

Grades & Grub programs continues to provide free dinners,

homework help and hangout time for middle and high school

students each week. With the addition of our van providing

transportation, we hope to bring even more teens out. Our

teen committee is morphing into something bigger by work-

ing with the Leo club at Hutto High school. And we will con-

tinue to spread the training of our Teens 4 Teens suicide

awareness and prevention program to area teens. And with

the success of our Night at the Races fundraiser, we will be

able to provide scholarships to more teens next year.

We have a long way to go to bring the full vision to fruition.

On days when we feel frustrated with the time it’s taking, we

need only spend a little time with the teens to feel so much

better. Nothing feels so good as watching kids smiling, having

fun, and making new friends.

Rachael Haynes

Executive Board

Page 2 Sandbox News

Annual drive funds growing operational costs Individuals constitute about 75% of all philanthropic giving in the United States — foundations and corpora-tions give only 25%. While The Sandbox at Madeline’s Place does not fall into this sort of donation split, it’s somewhere we’d like to be.

Why? Donations raised from the annual letter tend to be funds that can be used for general operations and payroll while foundation and corporate money many times must be for specific programs. As such, it is so helpful for budgeting and planning to have those oper-ational funds at the beginning of the fiscal year.

As The Sandbox grows, the cost of reaching our area teens grows. All the while our “capital savings” must grow so that when that perfect piece of property be-comes available, we can move quickly to purchase it.

Our letter will come out in November. Look out for it! Your donations reach the teens in the form of food, en-tertainment, educational help, sports equipment, transportation, proper staffing numbers, and continu-ing to make The Sandbox an inviting, welcoming, and safe environment in which the teens will want to spend their time with the friends.

You help us spread our values of “Be Honest. Be Kind. Speak Up.”

Executive Board

Rachel Haynes

John Haynes

Leigh Walker

Jane Wrinkle

Terrence Owens

Lynne Smith

Advisory Board

Nancy Krenek

Paulette

Butterworth

Jeff Maurice

Kristy Mantz

Todd Wright

Dr. Rochelle

Hall-Schwarz

Donors build sand court, grants provide van

October 2017 Page 3

Donations and three grants helped further our goal of reach-ing more teens. The sand court heighens our activity and a new van brings more teens to The Sandbox.

The sand court is building more interest among volleyball players and fans. More than 80 people came out in August to celebrate the grand opening, and kids, their families and Sandbox supporters enjoyed the day playing and chowing down on hot dogs and burgers with all the trimmings. The sand court should provide plenty of fun and games for volley-ballers and for anyone else who likes to play in the sand.

David Herrick donated his landscape skills to the project. He dug the hole, added drainage, and Josh Harris filled the court with a few tons of sand. We will be working with The Fellow-ship Church Hutto to install lighting for the court. The Sand-box will use these gifts to draw in income by hosting social leagues and competition teams, which will help the center be self-sufficient.

The rec center added transportation to its list of services and now picks up teens at Hutto schools to spend an afternoon at The Sandbox. Grants from the Greater Round Rock Communi-ty Foundation, Georgetown Behavioral Health Institute, and the Lions Club provided funds to acquire the van, which helps ease the transportation burden on parents. In addition to after-school pickup, the wrestling team uses the van for train-ing and tournament travel.

The Sandbox teens give back to the community by volunteer-ing at local events sponsored by donors. These teens have spent time with kids at Dell Children’s Medical Center to talk, play and cheer them with encouragement. They also have helped the City of Hutto with its Easter Egg Hunt, and partici-pated in a competitive scavenger hunt to benefit the local food pantry. The Sandbox hopes to inspire a charitable na-ture in our teens by providing opportunities to give back to the community and share time with others.

More than 80 friends, fans and supporters came out to celebrate the new sand court at The Sandbox in August .

Be honest. Be kind. Speak up.

Check us out!

www.thesandboxatmadeline

splace.org/

Find us!

We are behind

The Fellowship Church Hutto

6655 US HWY 79

Like us!

On Facebook:

The Sandbox

at Madeline's Places

Follow us!

On twitter: @TheSandbox4

Instagram: _thesandbox4

Call us!

512-642-6342

Email us!

sandboxatmadelines@gmail.

com

Snail mail us!

PO Box 446, Hutto, TX 78634

P.O. Box 446

Hutto, TX 78634

Upcoming Events at The Sandbox

OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

Tuesdays MS Grades & Grub

4:30 - 7:30 PM

Tuesdays MS Grades & Grub

4:30 - 7:30 PM

Tuesdays MS Grades & Grub

4:30 - 7:30 PM

Thursdays HS Grades & Grub

4:30 - 7:30 PM

Thursdays HS Grades & Grub

4:30 - 7:30 PM

Thursdays HS Grades & Grub

4:30 - 7:30 PM

Friday, Oct. 27 HS 5th Quarter Bonfire

After Football Game

Friday, Nov. 16 Thanksgiving Teen

Community Meal

Sunday, Dec. 10 Sandbox Christmas Party

Middle School 3 PM High School 5 pm

Tuesday, Oct. 31 HS/MS Halloween

Costume Party