Let me begin by saying that one of the best parts about writing Wildomar Rap is being in a position to meet interesting people. Sometimes they're older and very accomplished, other times they're young and basically just starting out in life.
Mikayla alongside the finished mural
Today meet ten year old Mikayla. She's a 5th grader at Wildomar Elementary and recently completed a Girl Scout Bronze Award project on the campus. The idea stemmed from the theme of a school assembly: Be Your Own Superhero.
During the early stages of the project, drawing the image onto the wall.
It was originally going to be one mural, but then blossomed into more than half a dozen murals throughout the school. Being the current secretary of the Wildomar Rotary Club, I had the chance to chat with Mikayla before she started the project. She was looking for donations and I was the one that heard her presentation.
This meeting was at The Bean in early October when Mikayla discussed the project she had in mind, looking for donations. She was well prepared for the meeting, as she was the day she showed me the finished project.
She's been in the Girl Scouts for a year and a half, in the junior level. (Hint: junior level wears a green vest).
Mikayla poses with the supplies.
Mikayla gave me a tour of the work she oversaw and then answered some questions for this blog. Her inspiration for this project was her own experience with being bullied. As she explained it, she's been bullied and seen others suffer bullying at the hands of others. She wants to bring awareness to her school and the community.
More than thirty people helped Mikayla with this project.
I asked her which part of the project she enjoyed most, her response was, "My favorite part about this project [has been] meeting all the people that have helped me. Without them, none of this would have been possible."
Time for a group shot... say "Cheeeeeese"! ☺
She told me that the most difficult part of the project was "learning how to communicate [...] with people in person and in email" but now feels confident in such situations.
This No Bullying mural can be seen from the blacktop.
In addition to learning how to communicate better during this project, she also listed, "how to manage a project from start to finish, how to express myself [...] through art and painting, the importance of how you treat people, and friendship."
Posing under one of the finished murals.
She received donations from Wildomar Rotary ($100), Lowe's donated much of the supplies, Diversified Landscape and Consultetech also chipped in.
If only people would pay attention to such advice...
I asked her if she had any additional thoughts to add to the blog and she said, "Yes, I want to thank everybody who helped me through this project. My mom and dad, Ms. Connelly my Assistant Principal, Mr. Hoffmann my Principal, Wildomar Student Council, Britney Drysler and the Interacters from Temescal Canyon High School, April Watkins, (I might say your last name wrong) Joseph Morabito and the Wildomar Rotary, Miss Grace, Lisa Cabrera in Lakeland Community Center. For the materials Lowe's, Diversified Landscape and Consultetech."
It's not all that difficult to be nice to people...
Mikayla has been part of THINK Together at Wildomar Elementary for a couple of years now. As it happens, back in Spring of 2017 she was one of the key participants in a promotional video for the Justine Lee Pesicka Memorial 5K at Marna O'Brien Park.
Mikayla is part of a new Girl Scout troop lead by her mom Sonni LeGault, Troop 1929. The girls are in grades 4th through 8th, and go to schools in both Wildomar and Lake Elsinore. They meet once or twice a month on Sundays.
Words to live by.
If you have a daughter that age, and are interested in her possibly joining Troop 1929, be sure to send Sonni an email: slegault1118@yahoo.com
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Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke. – Benjamin Disraeli Wildomar Rapis neither smoke nor fire... if anything, it's closer to steam coming off a demitasse of espresso.
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Thanks to the efforts of Girl Scout Marissa Hill, there is a new drinking fountain at Marna O'Brien park. For those that aren't familiar with what a Gold Award is, it's the Girl Scout equivalent to an Eagle Scout Project.
Marissa Hill readies the oversized scissors as she gets ready to cut the ribbon that symbolizes the dedication of her project for community use.
It's not just your average water fountain. It accommodates people in wheelchairs, has a specially designed basin for dogs, plus a way to fill up water bottles too.
Thanks to Murdock Manufacturing for partnering with Marissa on this project.
Below is one of the first canine customers getting a taste of water from this new fountain.
I know that Marissa has been working on this project for many, MANY months. I wrote a blog about one of her fundraisers that occurred back in January.
She has put more than 80 hours into this project and more than 40 volunteers along the way. Which included family, friends and various community members. She first started thinking about project ideas for her Girl Scout Gold Award last September, and it was approved by the Southwest Gold Committee on October 5th, 2016. She began fundraising in December 2016. She had a table at the yearly Breakfast With Santa event that is held at the fire station.
Marissa and her father Jose manning the craft table.
I asked Marissa for some thoughts about the project.
I would of course like to thank my mom and dad for all there support.
As well as Murdock Mfg., Bridgette Moore, VFW, Elks Lodge, PVM Maintenance, DeJong's Dairy, Wildomar Rotary Club, the City of Wildomar, Brad Evans, George Cambero, Joseph Morabito, and especially my Girl Scout troop 1122. This is honestly a small list, so many people have been so helpful, and I appreciate all their support!
Completing a Gold Award feels amazing because I know that I was able to help my community.
Marissa along with her grandparents.
This has been such an amazing experience. People have been so kind, and I have learned so much. Thank you!
I then asked if she had any words of encouragement to other scouts that are contemplating such a project of their own. My advice to anyone who is thinking about tackling a Gold Award or Eagle Scout [project] would be to pick something you are passionate about. You will have some ups and downs, but if you love your project it will motivate you to keep going. Once the project is done it's great to know that you were able to make a positive impact on your community, and that is the best reward. You got this! Thank you to Marissa Hill for working so hard for our community, and thank you to her parents for raising such a thoughtful young woman.
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Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best. – Theodore Issac Rubin We here at Wildomar Rap always demand the best. Whether a person glows afterward or not, is strictly up to the individual.
This morning at the VFW Girl Scout Marissa Hill, of troop 1122, spearheaded a pancake fundraiser that brought in over $800.
$380 of that came from the breakfasts, with an additional $430 coming from direct donations. Way to go Wildomar! The project is a water fountain for people and dogs at the park (similar to the one in the photo below). Her goal is to raise $5000 for the project and to complete it by Summer.
There are several different versions of fountains out there, this picture is just to give you a basic idea of what she'd like to do. I'm not sure of the particular model she's chosen.
The breakfast was cosponsored in part by the Wildomar Rotary Club and DeJong's Dairy. The eggs and the milk were donated by DeJongs.
Marissa Hill shakes hands with George Cambero as she thanks him for coming to the fundraiser. Something she did with all those that came out.
Breakfast was served from 8:00am to 11:00am with about 80 adults partaking.
Another eager eater waiting patiently to devour some sausage, eggs and pancakes.
If you'd like to donate to Marissa's project, please contact Hortencia Hill at (909) 239-2620. Checks payable to Girl Scout Troop 1122.
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