Thanksgiving

There is a crisp breeze coming through my windows today, and the last ofleaves are slowing drifting off the trees……autumn is most certainly here. This is most definitely my favorite time of the year! Harvest season, and especially Thanksgiving, holds special childhood memories for me. Growing up as the daughter of an Arkansas farmer, I learned a greater appreciation for this time of the year. On many a Thanksgiving holidays, my father left the table to return to the field—there were soybeans yet to harvest.  At our Thanksgiving table, we gave thanks not only for our family, but also for a bountiful harvest.

During the next few days, as you reflect on your many blessings, I have a question for you to consider. Are we thankful for our beloved association, for PTA? Our families are what we are most thankful for, of course, but in our everyday lives, we each volunteer a good deal of time and energy to the causes of education, our communities’ schools, and PTA.

Are we thankful for PTA?

Are we thankful for the dream of a few to make a significant difference in the welfare of this nation’s children in a time when women did not even have the right to vote? The National Congress of Mothers put into motion an organization that 115 years later is recognized as the largest volunteer child advocacy association in the United States. We have a rich heritage of advocacy and more importantly, a history of success.

Today, our voice is 5 million strong. We are active in the halls in Congress and in state houses across this country. We can be found at school board and community meetings raising our voices on behalf of those who have no voice. But are we thankful?

There is a quote that perfectly sums up how I feel about this incredible association. It is one that most of you are very familiar with: “A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove….but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” Making a difference for our children—all children—deeply matters to me, and PTA has given me the training, support, and opportunities to fulfill my passion. Am I thankful for PTA? Most definitely!

Over the next few days and weeks as we are busy with holiday preparations, let us give real thought to why we believe in this association. Please take a few moments out of your busy schedule and put those thoughts into words. It is important that as we count our many blessings, we remember to think about the intangible things in our lives that make a difference.  PTA makes a difference each and every day, and you drive the possibility of that difference!

May you and your families enjoy a bountiful Thanksgiving! You are a blessing to the millions of children across this nation and around the world.

Never forget—you are their voice.

Healthy Lifestyles Month Helps Our Nation Get Active and Eat Healthier One PTA at a Time

Healthy Lifestyles Month Helps Our Nation Get Active and Eat Healthier One PTA at a Time
By Betsy Landers

It is November… Happy PTA Healthy Lifestyles Month! November signifies a special time of year for PTAs across the country as tens of thousands of students and families participate in the launch year-round efforts to promote good nutrition and physical activity.

Why is this important? Statistics show that childhood obesity continues to grow and one in three children is overweight. Also, research shows that a child’s physical well-being has a significant effect on their learning. So we are proud of all the PTAs and school communities that are making child health and wellness a priority.

With the help of Malt-O-Meal, a Proud National Sponsor of National PTA and the sole sponsor of National PTA’s Healthy Lifestyles Program, we presented 10 PTAs with grants of up to $1,000 in funding to engage families, teachers, administrators and students in creative programs that encourage the school community to be active and eat healthier. Don’t worry, if you didn’t have a chance to submit an application for a grant this year, all PTAs will have a chance to apply for a grant next year but don’t wait until then to get your PTA active and eating healthy.

Is your PTA doing anything to help promote physical activity and healthy eating? Share photos, videos and messages with us on our Facebook page or Tweet us on Twitter. Let’s show the country that we are building healthy communities one PTA at a time!

Help us keep families moving and healthy. Keep up the great work!