Power UP! for Girls Interested in Construction Careers

Power UP! It's a Mother-Daughter Thing!

     Oh my goodness! When GranFran and I arrived at the Alabama Workforce Training Center in Birmingham on Tuesday evening, we weren't exactly sure what we would find. After all, the Power UP: It's a Mother Daughter Thing event we were attending was the first of its kind for central Alabama.

Note the hands-on bricklaying
being prepared for the girls
in the background -
they loved it!

     But what we found was teams of moms and middle-school/high-school daughters from three counties -- LOTS of them! -- pumped about exploring careers in construction.

A special treat for the girls
was hearing from
 Kayleen McCabe,
host of the popular
"Rescue Renovation"
show on the
DIY Network.
(Note her "Rosie"
lunchbox/purse - how
fun is that!)

Fox 6 anchors Ronda Robinson
and Janice Rogers were
on hand to cheer on
the girls!

    And when I say exploring, I mean having hands-on experiences with bricklaying, virtual welding, driving nails, and more. I mean hearing from and talking with successful executive women in construction from around the country who flew in to share their expertise. I mean interacting with 20 contractors about possibilities, as well as representatives from construction-related businesses and organizations. I mean chatting with reps from several universities about training in construction careers.
     All in a girly-girl atmosphere, complete with hot pink, lime green,and purple balloons, not to mention the pink swirly-top raspberry-filled cupcakes. It was awesome!
     Click here to see CBS Channel 42's coverage of the event.

Girls got to meet successful women in 
construction, like Lucy Thompson Marsh 
from Thompson Tractor and Caterpillar.

     GranFran had a table in the hands-on room, where she explained informally the historical Rosie the Riveter perspective, and encouraged the girls and moms to look for a WW II Rosie in their family tree and (of course!) join the American Rosie the Riveter Assocation. Over and often, we find how women's construction groups have embraced the Rosie legacy, since Rosies opened the door for women to fill roles in the work force that were traditionally filled by men. And judging by the number of girls and moms --  and men! -- who lined up to have their picture made with GranFran, the new generation is catching the point of Rosie's part in the process.
    The event was organized by Mittie Cannon of Robins & Morton construction and engineering company, Antiqua Cleggett of the Central Six Development Council, and the folks at Girl's Inc. of Central Albama.
     GREAT JOB!!! to all who put together this extraordinary event. Thanks for letting us be a part of it!

Rock On, Birmingham Rosies!

   

      Our Birmingham Chapter of the American Rosie the Riveter Association had a great time (as always!) this past Saturday when we met at the historic Irondale Cafe for our quarterly meeting. The gentleman speaking in this picture is Mark Akerman, Director of Education for Vulcan Park and Museum. If you've ever driven through Birmingham, you have probably seen the colossal Vulcan statue high atop Red Mountain, and Mark knew all the great history and fun tidbits to share with us -- we love all kinds of history!

Some of our Birmingham Rosies

    Our Birmngham Chapter has such a great group of Rosies, Rosebuds (female descendants), and Rivets (male descendants) -- they regularly collect toiletry items for Three Hots and a Cot, a local shelter for homeless veterans, and they are preparing to gather and share with visitors on May 21 when the Southern Museum of Flight hosts the "Fifi," the last B-29 airplane still flying, and several other vintage aircraft from the Air Power History Tour.
     And we are gearing up to welcome to the Southeast Rosies from across the country, along with their family members and guests, when the American Rosie the Riveter Association has their national convention in Atlanta, June 10-12, 2016.
     And by the way, you are welcome to join us at any of these gatherings! See convention registration information on the ARRA website here, and join us for our next Birmingham Chapter meeting at Irondale Cafe on June 4, 2016!
     Rock on, Rosies!
   

Reading Across America with Dr. Seuss!

   

     Would you like to read a book?
     Would you help kids take a look?  

     Would you like to read at school?
     Would you think that it is cool?

    Apologies to Dr. Seuss, who was the celebrity of the day on his birthday, March 2, but we had a great time on  Read Across America Day! GranFran celebrated by reading Green Eggs and Ham to Mrs. Bethnee Durham's first grade class at Gardendale Elementary - how much fun was THAT! It was especially fun because GranFran's great-grandson, Parker (who is also my grandson, I must say, BTW!) is in the class. And what a great group of listeners they all were!  ( Click here to find a lot more Dr. Seuss fun at Seussville.)
     GranFran also read her Manners For Me book, which she wrote it in 1957 while teaching a Child Development class at Samford University. One of her students, Marie Smith Hogg, illustrated it, then it sat in a drawer for 55 years until it was published in 2013. But the retro feel still connected with Mrs. Durham's class!
     Thanks for a great day, you guys!

   

Super Sixth Graders at Liberty Park Middle School

GranFran as Rosie at Liberty Park Middle School

     GranFran and I so enjoyed meeting the SUPER sixth graders at Liberty Park Middle School  in Vestavia Hills, Alabama this week! Rosie the Riveter arrived just at the moment these guys were studying World War II in the sixth grade curriculum, and it was impressive -- and encouraging! -- to see how much these guys know about our nation's history! Jean Deal, their wonderful Librarian, made our visit so smooth and seamless. What a great school! Keep it up, LPMS, and thanks for a great visit!

We loved visiting LPMS!
Our thanks to Principal Kacy Pierce and
Assistant Principal Roger Dobnikar. . . 

. . . and Librarian Jean Deal for the invite! Note that
Jennifer Isbell, LPMS's sixth grade Social Studies
teacher, is sporting her own Rosie t-shirt!

Feeling At Home at Samford University

   

Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama
is a Christian school that is consistently ranked among
the top universities in the nation by folks like
U. S. News and World Report and Kiplinger's.

       In case you have wondered, you CAN go home again! GranFran and I did just that this week when we spoke at the Samford University Retired Faculty Association's monthly meeting. GranFran of course, taught Elementary and Early Childhood Education at Samford for 28 years, and my late father, Dr. John Carter, was on faculty for 31 years, retiring as Dean of the School of Education. I graduated from Samford, as did my brother, my husband, two of my children, and a daughter-in-law.
     So it was pure pleasure when Dr. Ellen McLaughlin, this year's President of the Retired Faculty Association, asked us to do our Rosie  the Riveter program for this special group of people  -- those who have shaped and influenced so many great kids as they have gone through this remarkable university.
       My dad was the driving force in getting the Retired Faculty Association started many years ago, and he and Mother have been active in it all along. But it was especially fun for me to greet some of these folks that I knew from my childhood, growing up as an FK (Faculty Kid), and reveal that I am now a grandmother of eight!
     Go Bulldogs!!!

Meeting New Friends at Galleria Woods

Chilling with some of our new friends at Galleria Woods!

GranFran and I had such a good time with these ladies (and some other ladies AND men who didn't get into the picture) when we presented our program at the Galleria Woods Senior Living Community in Birmingham. Some of the residents even had their own memories and experiences to share (though most were only children at the time) -- and that makes for a really rich and fun time together!

Quite a task - 1,000 pieces!

In honor of the day, some of the ladies had put together this 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle -- gee, that gal looks familiar!

Many thanks to Activities Director Lesley Stevens for inviting us to spend this wonderful time with our new friends!

R is for Rosie the Riveter won an award!

We are thrilled and honored that R is for Rosie the Riveter won a gold medal in the 

2015 Indie Excellence Awards in the Pre-teen Non-Fiction category! 

Rock on, Rosie -- keep on inspiring the next generation to have the "We Can Do It!" spirit. 

Cross-stitch kit can be
completed with or without
the words.

And here's some more fun -- our friend, Posy Lough of The Posy Collection, has transformed the cover of R is for Rosie into a cross-stitch kit! Sorry, the frame is not included.

Redwork kit -- Posy made it into
a sweet pillow

And the cover is also
available in a redwork kit (red thread outlines on muslin). Again, sorry, the polka dot fabric and other finishing is not included, but many thanks to Posy for working these out.

Posy's motto is "Preserving Our Story in Stitches," and if you check out The Posy Collection, you will be amazed at the historical buildings and scenes she has preserved in those stitches! We are tickled to be part of her collection.

Order cross-stitch kits through the American Rosie the Riveter Association's Rosie Shoppe, or email me at nellbran@yahoo.com for cross-stitch or redwork kits.

Rosie Mania continues!