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Sons of Norway - Viking March 2007
March 2007
     
March Viking Cover

About the Cover: The Discovery Channel's reality TV series "Deadliest Catch" follows crab fishermen at work in the Bering Sea. The fishermen use huge steel cages, called "pots," to catch crab.

Columns & Departments

Velkommen: Adopt A School: a world-class activity
Letters from Readers
Nordic Lites

Your Money: Buying a house is a big purchase--and a wise investment in done right
Member Matters: An exciting new recruitment contest will award a deluxe trip to Norway
Up Close & Personal: Meet financial benefits counselors Ken Agather and Susan Erickson
District Happenings

Q & A: Marianne Forssblad of the Nordic Heritage Museum

   

Ted FosbergAdopt A School: A World-Class Activity
Sons of Norway started the Adopt A School initiative in March 2003 in order to serve local schools and build awareness of our organization in the community. It has met with resounding success, with more than 200 of our lodges now actively involved.

An important feature has been the wide variety of participation the program offers. Our lodges have been involved in activities ranging from clipping coupons for rewards to presenting cultural programs about Norway. Other activities include helping students one-on-one with reading, performing office duties, funding projects and coaching math teams. Each in its own way enriches the educational experience of children in our communities as well as the lives of our volunteers.

Lodge newsletters proudly describe these programs and the successes they have achieved. If your lodge is not yet involved, I encourage you to become so and reap the benefits!

In support of the Adopt A School program, our Sons of Norway Foundation has created the “Helping Hands to Children” grant, which provides up to $500 in matching funds to participating lodges. To date, more than $11,400 has been awarded in support of this community service endeavor.

You can read more about one lodge’s Adopt A School project in this month’s Viking. Turn to page 12 to find out how Synnove-Nordkap 1-008 in Saint Paul, Minn., created a fun and educational Norwegian Cultural Fair Day for a local school.

A common thread of our Adopt A School program is that students, teachers and the community get exposure to Norway and its culture—an important experience for people of the world in gaining an understanding and respect for the culture and heritage of others.

Med vennlig hilsen,
Ted Fosberg
International President

Adopt A School: Et tiltak i verdensklasse
Imars 2003 opprettet Sons of Norway Adopt A School i lokale skoler for å øke bevisstheten om organisasjonen på lokalt nivå. Dette har blitt en stor suksess med over 200 lodger som aktive deltakere.

En viktig del av tiltaket er at det tilbyr store variasjonsmuligheter for deltakelse. Lodgene er involvert i mange forskjellige aktiviteter, alt fra utklipping av premiekuponger til presentasjon av kulturelle programmer om Norge. Av andre aktiviteter kan nevnes individuell leseassistanse til skoleelever, kontorhjelp, bidrag til pengeinnsamlinger, og ledelse av matematikklag. På hver sin måte kan alle deltakerne bidra til å berike skolelivet til de unge i samfunnet og sine egne personlige liv.

Lodgenes aviser beskriver disse programmene og suksesshistoriene med stor stolthet. Hvis lodgen din ennå ikke deltar oppmuntrer jeg dere til å bli med og høste fordelene.

For å støtte Adopt A School has Sons of Norways stiftelse opprettet et stipend som kalles “Helping Hands to Children” som tilfører opp til $500 i matchende beløp til lodgene som deltar. Til dags dato er det utbetalt over $11,400 til støtte for dette samfunnsfremmende tiltaket.

I denne utgaven av Viking kan du lese om et Adopt a School prosjekt i en av lodgene. Slå opp på side 12 for å finne ut hvordan Synnove-Nordkap 1-008 i Saint Paul, Minnesota opprettet en morsom og lærerik norsk kulturdag i en av de lokale skolene.

Et fellesmerke for Adopt A School programmet er at elever, lærere og lokalsamfunn får innblikk i norsk kultur og Norge, og utdyper sine kunnskaper og respekt for andre lands kultur og bakgrunn.

Med vennlig hilsen,
Ted Fosberg
Internasjonal President

Features
Deadliest Catch
A Day of Norsk Fun
American Influences