Over the recent holiday season, we had a unique opportunity to exhibit this commitment to education in a very public setting, and we wanted to share a little bit more about what we did and why we did it to ensure that it wasn't lost in the bustle of the holiday season.
In looking for an opportunity for a few of our staff members to spend some social time together during the season while also doing some good, we reached out to the Pinnacle Hills Promenade. These folks enthusiastically agreed to allow us to decorate a natural Christmas tree in a prominent location at the mall on Friday, December 17. Our friends at Bradford Nursery loaned us a lovely tree for the duration of the project. At first glance, this probably doesn't seem like a very big deal - and perhaps it isn't. Here's why this opportunity mattered to us:
We were out in a visible location full of families and children on the busiest shopping weekend of the holiday season. While many people did not stop and talk with us, those who did were predominantly former students who visited ONSC as fifth graders, and they had fond memories of their experience with us.
We were able to quietly do what we do and lead by example - decorating a tree for the birds with all natural (yet beautiful) items such as grapevine wreaths, cranberry and popcorn garlands and orange slices. Are intriguing and beautiful birds prolific at the mall? Of course not, with the exception of some pigeons and starlings. But we did what we do best - planting an idea, inspiring the possibility at one's own home and sharing the seed of knowledge.
Perhaps we're attributing too much meaning to a small and motley group of our team members decorating a small and rather unimpressive (although beautiful) white pine tree in the middle of the mall. However, we like to believe that it accomplished something greater than just a fun time on a cold evening: we like to believe that it made a quiet difference, that it inspired a few and that it changed the thinking of a handful who passed by, saw our work and looked at their own holiday traditions.
Most certainly, a small handful of harried holiday shoppers carrying plastic bags full of purchases and hurrying home to their trees of baubles and lights had a brief pause. We hope that just like us, they realized that they can make simple changes, that they can do better every day and that slowing down and appreciating the outdoors, nature, our relationships with one another, our environment and our special part of the world is a pleasant antidote to frazzled bits of the season.
Just as in everything else we do, we believe these little things matter. The small examples our staff set every day make a world of difference, and they inspire children to consider their choices, appreciate the world and be good stewards of it. That's why the work matters, and that's why a small group tying sticky orange wedges on tree branches and struggling to string popcorn mattered. It's about the examples we set every day for one another and, most importantly, generations to come.
Happy 2011!
P.S. We love to take care of our friends! If you have not visited Bradford Nursery on Highway 12 just outside downtown Rogers, please stop in and say hello. Russell and the rest of the gang are some of the friendliest, most knowledgeable and down to earth people you'll find, and they are genuinely good people as well as gardening experts. They take extra time to answer questions and offer guidance, they support the community to the best of their ability and they have a fantastic shop full of unique gift items, bird feeders, planters and special gardening goodies. Tell them we sent you, and that you love ONSC too!
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