Hello! I hope you all and your families are well!  I know we are all enjoying these beautiful spring days we are having:)  I wanted to send out a quick update to keep you guys up to date on a few things.  First, Claire is really having a hard time, and hospice is now coming to her home to help make her more comfortable.  We will be taking her a collection of artwork, cards and perennials tomorrow from the students to hopefully cheer her up and let her know that she is loved more than ever!

Claire Mangum is having a hard time.  She has been in alot of pain these last couple of weeks.  Yesterday, they did an MRI, and her cancer has rebounded aggressively.  They are doing what they can to manage her pain, and she is going to be meeting with her oncologist tomorrow to talk about treatment options.  Because of this development, Tori, Carol, and I have decided to move the garage sale up to next Saturday, February 18th from 8 am to 2 pm at Tori's home:  253 North Mulberry St. Statesville, NC 28677.  Tori especially felt like this was the best thing to do in an effort to help Claire in a more timely manner.  

Robin Munguia had her lung transplant surgery Saturday Dec 31, and her kidney transplant on Sunday Jan 1. She is doing well, and is breathing on her own. Please keep Robin’s family and her caregivers in your thoughts and prayers as they walk through this monumental step in her journey.

We still have accounts set up for Robin Munguia and Claire Mangum at www.takethemameal.com. You can go to the website, enter their last name and password. Claire Mangum’s password is 9038; Robin Munguia’s password is 7824. Thank you so much to everyone that has signed up and taken meals to these families. They are so appreciative of the meals, and any of you who have ever been in a situation to receive meals know how wonderful ...

An ARS student and her family had a fire in their apartment over the holiday break. The student’s room was destroyed in the fire and she lost all of her clothes and Christmas gifts. The student is a female and wears a girl’s size 14-16 clothes. The school has given her some ARS shirts from the clothes closet, but they did not have any school pants or an ARS downtown white t-shirt. If you have some items you would like to give, you could take them to Sandy Durham, and she will get them to the right family.

The Sunshine Club is a new effort by RAP to encourage ARS community building for 2011-12 and beyond. It will organize holiday gift money for staff, decide and execute the spring staff appreciation, send staff birthday cards, organize card delivery to students with long term absences, and suggest ways to support staff with long term illness. The funds for the Sunshine Club will come from parent donations, through RAP membership or other activities specifically noted as Sunshine Club fundraisers.

If you like to volunteer for the Sunshine Club, but could not attend the meeting, please contact Lindsay Phillips. There will be plenty of opportunity throughout the year to get involved and help as needs arise.