Viva los Ryries! A Fiesta to Care About

View Pictures of the Event

Sombreros and festive music welcomed friends, family and local community members during the Riverbend Head Start & Family Services 2009 Circle of Care award dinner in honor of Ed and Nancy Ryrie May 21.

Their dedication to community service was celebrated during the event.The RHSFS award honors those who have exemplified the spirit of caring in the community through their profession, volunteerism or philanthropy.

The Ryries and the theme, Viva los Ryries! A Fiesta to Care About, which reflected the couples’ outgoing demeanor, brought 270 people to the event. Guests mingled with the honorees before and during the Mexican-style dinner.

The couple was roasted by loved ones who shared stories that unveiled inside jokes and even embarrassing moments. Ed’s sisters revealed some wardrobe choices they forced upon him at a young age while Nancy’s children mocked her fanny pack days.

Riverbend Head Start and Family Services is a non-profit on a mission to enable children and families to discover positive solutions to life’s challenges. Circle of Care, an event in its 16th year, is an annual benefit for the agency. The money raised is used for the agency's programs which teach children, strengthen families and enhance communities.

The Ryries thanked participants who planned the event and made it a success. They were thankful for the community’s involvement and extremely pleased with the outcome, which benefited Riverbend Head Start & Family Services, an agency the couple has devoted countless hours to, over many years.

My Daddy

Is there anything more powerful that a father-figure? Erica, Lord Tyriq, Brandon Jr. and Seth - the Head Start preschoolers in these pictures - don't think so. Their dads came to their preschool today for Men's Day.

Sherman and Erica carefully selected colors with which to draw. Lord Tyriq and Loren pored over a puzzle with a little help from Melissa Morgan, the Teacher Assistant. Brandon was intent on teaching Brandon Jr. how to use his scissors and cut precisely – and safely – along the lines; and Seth and Greg were thrilled to assemble a model race car. The dads pictured here are special people. They took time out for their kids and worked right along-side them to create something – in kid-sized chairs no less!

"Seth wants me to come to school everyday now," said Greg, “I wish I could.” The boys took great care not to get the blue paint everywhere. Fortunately, it was washable paint!

The teachers at the Essic Robinson Head Start center in Alton, Illinois try hard to recognize dads and other father figures who are actively involved in a child's life. They try even harder to make sure that men know what a crucial impact they can have on their child's development into a wonderful person.

Like many others, these dads see a better future through their children. They want what every parent wants, children who can make a positive difference in the world. They also know that education is the way to make that happen. That's why they came to Men's Day and showed their children that they value education. And that's why Erica, Lord Tyriq, Brandon Jr. and Seth were the luckiest kids in the world today.

Head Start is the nation's longest-running school readiness program for qualifying families and is enrolling for fall right now. It emphasizes parent involvement as much as early childhood education and health care in order to prepare little kids to succeed in kindergarten.

Call 618/463-5947 to see if your family qualifies for FREE preschool at Head Start.

Riverbend Head Start & Family Services is one of 2,500 Head Start programs in the country strengthening families and reducing the effects of factors that put children at-risk of starting Kindergarten behind their peers.

http://www.riverbendfamilies.org/headstart.shtm