Mighty, yet Compassionate Springfield,

For those of you who couldn't make it, we had an AWESOME meeting today!

We learned RIDICULOUS amounts about Springfield's three families (Colons, Robertsons, and the Negleys) and how Springfield is a part of their lives. If you have any questions at all about how to get more involved with our wonderful families, please email our Family Relations chairs Laura Karp (lek5084@psu.edu) or Jackie Rohrbeck (jnr5023@psu.edu).

And OMG we signed up for T-shirts! They are going to look simply fabulous! Go Springfield Classic.

NEXT MEETING: THE CANNING EXTRAVAGANZA
THIS IS HUGE!

Bring a friend, or twelve, to learn the lost and ancient canning secrets, passed down from Springfielder to Springfielder since the *Dawn of Time!!! This meeting will serve as a pump up for the weekend of October 10-12, and as forum for exchange for canning tips, tricks, and tactics to raise the most $$ FTK.

See you there!

FTK,
Greg



*The Dawn of Time is considered Fall 2001 for all Springfield House THON related purposes.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Hey Springfield!!

A quick synopsis of Sunday's meeting:
Congrats to Kenzie--it's been 11 total years with no sign of cancer!

CANNING SIGN UPS!!!
If you are interested in CANNING the weekend of the October 10-12, please contact Jon Tidd at jtt5010@psu.edu. If you are unsure of what exactly canning is, feel free to contact Jon or myself at gregplumb@psu.edu.

T-shirt Designs!
If you have a design that you think could be the next face...or...chest of Springfield, send us your design! Designs can be emailed to springfieldthon@gmail.com.
Voting will take place next week. OMG!

That's all for now!
FTK!
Greg

Monday, September 15, 2008

Springfielders today conquered the most dominant physical monument in State College: the epic Mount Nittany.

Our annual pilgrimage was a wonderful bonding experience, and the view of campus from the summit was spectacular. Here is Springfield at the top (click to enlarge):


Erin also told us the Mt. Nittany legend of old. You can re-read it here.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

We just came back from our first Family Visit of the semester. The Negleys were doing GREAT. We played on Renata's swingset and in the playhouse, and figured out what the "new and exciting thing" is!

Celeste (Renata and Abel's mom) told me a couple weeks ago that there was a new "toy" for us to enjoy, turns out it was a rope ladder that required immense skill and balance to climb. After Tim showed us his dexterity, we all tried it out. Then, it started to rain which only added to the dilemma of climbing the ladder. This resulted in multiple falls and possible bruises, but we had a blast!

We brought the kiddos two fake talking cameras, Finding Nemo and Hannah Montana, which they LOVED. They carried them around throughout the house and yard, and "took pictures" of everything. Especially, when Tim (their dad) whipped out our FAVORITE "toy," his potato gun. We all tried it out and shot potatoes all the way across the yard (and beyond!).

Highlight of the visit was when I asked Renata if she was having a good day. "Yes," she replied, "My friends came to visit me!"

As always, leaving was tough. Understandably so, after all the excitement of hiking around with the kids, a home-cooked meal, playing outside, the football game, buck-eyes (peanut-butter covered chocolate deliciousness) and more. But, we'll be seeing them at the Family Carnival, if not sooner!

At the last meeting we introduced ACTION TEAMS!

Action Team are Springfield's version of committees (side note: THON committee applications are now available, and are online here). They provide you with opportunities to take a leadership and decision-making role in Springfield.

We currently have 3 different Action Teams:

1. Fundraising Action Team (FAT) -- Help plan canning trips, organize Letter-a-Thon, solicit corporate donations, and count BAGS of money. Contact Jon Tidd to join, or for more information.
2. Family Relations Action Team (FRAT) -- Help give our lovely families everything we can by keeping in contact with them and planning family visits and other events with our families. Contact Laura Karp to join, or for more information.
3. Social Action Team (SAT) -- Help make our Springfield Family the most fun, close-knit, and supportive group on campus! Plan parties, outings, and events, and design merchandise. Contact Erin Holt to join, or for more information.

Join any or all of the teams to make the most of Springfield. We will be contacting each team shortly to get things off the ground.

Saturday, September 13, 2008