November 25, 2003

Students and their families Connect through National Family Week

The Thanksgiving holiday is as much about connecting with FAMILY as it is about eating great food. Students and their families, along with community leaders, enjoyed both at the Family Connections Count Events at Hairston Middle School in Greensboro and Fairview Elementary School in High Point on November 24.

More than 220 people celebrated National Family Week (Nov. 23-29) by attending Hairston’s Family Connections Count Event, which was sponsored by Family Service of the Piedmont and hosted by the Support Our Students After-school Program at Hairston.

The focus of the event was learning to play the Star Family Connections, a game geared to helping families connect. Developed by Family Service Prevention Education Coordinator Patti Gilbert, the game takes only 10 minutes a day to play and helps families strengthen their bonds. Every day, a different family member—even children as young as 3— takes a turn at being the leader and choosing the activity or topic of discussion.

“Whether you're a community leader or a parent or grandparent, I'm sure you'll agree that children live better lives when their families are strong,” said Julia Nile, president and CEO of Family Service, explaining the reason for distributing the game.

Greensboro Mayor Keith Holliday praised the event and spoke to the audience about how essential strong families were to a vibrant community. “The only way to build a better Greensboro is one family at a time and one connection at a time.”

County Commissioner Mary Rakestraw also attended the event and applauded the family building she witnessed.

Guild Members Leigh Sudbrink and Magz King, with their families, and Hairston parent Lisa Walker and her family demonstrated how to play the game, and then families in the audience were given instructions to try it for themselves. During the game-playing period, noise, smiles and laughter abounded. Families also enjoyed delicious food and drinks, coordinated by Leigh Seager and the Guild of Family & Children’s Service of Greater Greensboro Foundation.

The idea of connecting with family members in a new way struck home with many who attended.

“I think it’s important to be able to sit down and communicate with each other,” said Flora Poole, who played the game with her family. Her child, LaKresha, chimed in, “[The game] helps you learn responsibilities like respecting others.”

Maxine Pippen and her twin boys Jordan and Justin chose “the weirdest thing they’ve ever eaten” as one of their discussion topics. They all giggled when one of the boys recalled a failed new recipe of broccoli and onions Maxine tried. “We all hated that,” she laughed.

Family Fun at Fairview

Family Service also sponsored a Family Connections Count event at Fairview Elementary School in High Point earlier that day; about 35 students, parents, school officials and local residents attended.

Lewis Ferebee, principal of Fairview Elementary School, began the day by encouraging students to consider the importance of their families. “Every day I offer words of wisdom to the children. Today I told them to think about what they have to be thankful for. I directed them to think about what their families mean to them.”

At the event, Family Service’s Gilbert and two student volunteers demonstrated how to play the Star Family Connections Game and then provided time for people to try it out themselves. Guests also enjoyed wonderful munchies and drinks, coordinated by Shannon Flowers, United Way Bridges to Success Coordinator, who works at Fairview.

While playing the game, Fairview student Marly Garcia told her family that the best part of her day was music class, in which they sang holiday songs, including her favorite, “Jingle Bells.”

Another student Kassady Winfrey noted that the person outside her home who has influenced her most is “my neighbor Lisa because she’s nice, she listens to me and she lets me come over and play.”

Several community leaders, including High Point City Council Members Laura Wiley and Latimer Alexander, and United Way of Greater High Point President Bobby Smith, came to celebrate National Family Week and to support strengthening local families.

“The strength of any community is in the relationships that exist with its families,” said High Point Mayor Becky Smothers, who attended the event. “It’s from there that larger networks develop across neighborhoods and ultimately a city…I applaud the efforts of Family Service to bring attention to the value of strengthening family units.”

High Point Police Chief David Taylor said strong families have a direct impact on the fire department and the safety of neighborhoods. “If we have strong families, we have strong neighborhoods. It generally means we have fewer emergency incidents occurring in these neighborhoods. That means a safer environment for families.”

Funding for the events and the games were provided by the Alliance for Children & Families, which has organized National Family Week for more than 30 years on a national level.

Click here to download instructions for the game.