Monday, February 13, 2012

4th Annual Aaron Eilerts Day of Service and Giving—Feb. 24, 2012

The Eagle Grove Community School will commemorate the 4th Annual Aaron Eilerts Day of Service and Giving On February 24, 2012 by hosting screenings of a feature-length documentary film New York Says Thank You. Aaron Eilerts of Eagle Grove, was one of four boy scouts killed when an EF-3 tornado devastated the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in Little Sioux, IA. The Aaron Eilerts Day of Service and Giving was established to engage students across the state of Iowa in hands-on service projects that celebrate Aaron’s commitment to citizenship and volunteerism.

The New York Says Thank You documentary chronicles the restoration of the Little Sioux Scout Ranch by volunteers from the New York Says Thank You Foundation and the spirit of kindness, which heals hearts after devastating events change people’s lives.

The 87-minute movie will be shown at three times during the day in the
Robert Blue Middle School Auditorium. Interested community members may join students during any of the viewings at 8:30am, 10:30am or 12:30pm. There is no charge and no reservations required.

In addition to viewing the New York Says Thank You movie, students will be engaging in a variety of service projects throughout the day. High school students will be sewing a memory quilt, volunteering at the animal shelter, collecting food for the local food pantry, painting at city hall, making cards for a Max Lowe-- a boy who is dying of cancer, walking and raising money for Heifer International and assisting middle school students with their projects.

Middle school students projects include making suet bird feeders and
hanging them in city parks, creating “chili in a box” for Upper Des Moines,
sewing pillowcases for patients, building a carpetball table for Parkview
Park (Aaron’s neighborhood park), making fleece blankets for Rotary Ann,
making holiday items for the Senior Citizen Center and Meals on Wheels,
decorating pet blankets for the animal shelter/hospital, and making
Kaleidoscope’s for Blank Children’s Hospital. Students will be engaging in
two new projects this year. They include creating gifts for Home of
Blessing in Thailand (a home that saves girls from being sold into slavery)
and walking to raise awareness for worldwide hunger and poverty by
collecting donations for Heifer International.

Anyone wishing to make a donation towards any of these projects may send a check to Robert Blue Middle School. Please make checks payable to EGCSD. If you wish to designate which project you would like to donate to, please specify.
Written by Beth Stephas, RBMS Guidance Counselor

"New York Says Thank You" Movie on Aaron Eilerts' Day 2012

The public is welcome and encouraged to view the 90 minute New York Says Thank You documentary movie on Aaron Eilerts' Day of Service and Giving. It will be shown in the Robert Blue Middle School Auditorium on February 24, 2012.
Show times will be at 8:30am, 10:30am, and 12:30pm.

Monday, March 1, 2010

2nd Annual Aaron Eilerts Day of Service & Giving

This second annual event to honor Aaron resulted in many items being made and given to a number of worthy organizations. For more information, see a direct link to the details and pictures, on the Eagle Grove Community School District website.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Character Counts Aaron Eilerts Service Award

The Character Counts organization has established a new award to posthumously honor Aaron for his service to his community. It has been named the Aaron Eilerts Service Award. See the article at Radio Iowa http://www.radioiowa.com/?s=aaron+eilerts

The Radio Iowa site has other related articles about the Aaron Eilerts Day of Service and the Little Sioux Ranch Boy Scout Camp.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

News of Aaron Eilerts Day

The students of Robert Blue Middle School of Eagle Grove celebrated Aaron's life and legacy on Tuesday, February 24th along with community members and Aaron's freshman classmates. An assembly concluded the day's activities. Governor Chet Culver was one of the speakers and awarded a volunteer medal to Aaron posthumously.
The following stations posted videos of the Aaron Eilerts Day commemoration on their web sites.


Des Moines KCCI http://www.kcci.com/video/18787951/index.html

Sioux City KCAU http://www.kcautv.com/

The following news articles were also published:

Cedar Falls KCRG http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/40100982.html

Fort Dodge Messenger http://messengernews.net/page/content.detail/id/513195.html?nav=5010

Omaha WOWT http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/40282512.html

Radio Iowa http://www.radioiowa.com/2009/02/25/aaron-eilerts-remembered-with-day-of-service/

Sioux City and Siouxland KMEG http://www.kmeg.com/Global/story.asp?S=9899684

Monday, February 9, 2009

Aaron Eilerts Day of Service and Giving


February 24, 2009
Robert Blue Middle School
Eagle Grove, Iowa

Goal: To carry on Aaron’s legacy of service to others.

Learn about others who have also lived a life of service:

• Read: The Richest Man by V.J. Smith. www.lifesgreatmoments.com
• Watch: The Ultimate Gift www.theultimategift.com/movie.php
• Reflect: School assembly highlighting volunteerism and service

Participate in these Aaron Eilerts inspired service projects:
• Sew pillowcases (donate to hospitals, group homes, veterans, and other public
servants)
• Scoop snow
• Create tie blankets (donate to shelters)
• Make pet-sized fleece tie blankets (donate to the
Humane Society or animal shelters)
• Create holiday decorations & fold colorful napkins
(donate to your local Senior Citizen Center or
congregate meals program)
• Decorate plain white pillowcases with fabric markers
(send to soldiers or give to hospitals, the Red Cross,
etc.)
• Create “meals in a box” (give to local food pantry or
meals on wheels program)
• Make birdhouses (give to the county conservation
commission)
• Make fleece scarves (give to shelters or as a gift of
gratitude to public servants)
• Pump gas and clean windshields at local service stations
2:15: Assembly open to the public at the Robert Blue Auditorium
7:00 pm: Grades 5-12 Band Concert at Robert Blue Auditorium
Sky Lanterns will be launched after the concert in honor of Aaron

Tuesday, June 24, 2008