Climbing the Mountains of Life

From the streets of Buffalo to the shores of Lake Placid to the top of Whiteface Mountain, YWAP helps young people Climb the Mountains of Life.

There were 5 young people stuffed into the back of a mini van with all of their high adventure gear. The 2  fearless leaders (who had never tipped a canoe before) sat in the front seats. Behind our van was a trailer with 3 canoes. In front of us lay approximately 350 miles of driving, 3.5 miles of paddling and 3 miles of climbing (and a few miles of looking for firewood!) Excitement was in the air (along with a few other smells.)

Some of the young guys were born in America and some were born in Africa. All of them were about to be reborn into a new experience. None of them had ever been in a canoe before much less trekked up a mountain. They were all folks from the flatland of Buffalo eager for some adventure. When we arrived at the dock, they said they had to change clothes. When I told them that all you needed were shorts and life jackets, they said "No! We need our survivor gear!" They went into the restroom and came out looking like they were ready for some eccentric TV show about survivors in the badlands!
 

The Survivor Crew on the Lake Placid Dock
getting ready to cast off.

Whiteface Mountain from Lake Placid.

After a pretty easy canoe ride accompanied by beautiful weather, our survivor flotilla arrived at Whiteface Landing. Here we pitched tents and went over safety procedures. We did not need Bear Canisters for this section of the Adirondacks so we could easily store our food in tubs. Campfires were allowed and we looked forward to dancing flames under the stars. After a team meeting we gathered firewood.

Daryl Boss from Xertion Youth leads the young Survivor Crew in a lesson about how to climb the mountains of life.

Daryl and I slept under the stars while the survivor crew snored unceasingly in the safety of their tent. In the morning after breakfast and prayer, we headed up the mountain. The trail was a relatively easy walk in the woods for the first several miles until we started to climb up onto the rock face. The views of Lake Placid and the surrounding areas were gorgeous. The top of Whiteface was crowded as there is a tourist road for non survivor type folks.

Buffalo doesn't look like this!

Almost on the summit.                

The happy Survivor Crew are now official Peak Baggers!

Daryl and I went out fishing while the guys stayed in shore to explore. We did not catch anything and somehow manged to capsize our canoe. I did take a picture of my fishing pole in front of the canoe and I told the Survivor Crew that it was a UFO! When we got back to shore they told us that they had seen a bear. I saw a UFO and they saw a bear and that made for some very entertaining campfire stories.

A UFO flying in front of our canoe!

 The guys asked about God. We talked about creation, evolution and execution. We talked about the Roman form of execution called crucifixion. They wanted to know about the end of the world. Nobody knows when that will happen but we should be ready every minute. The deep woods is a great place for deep conversations.

 The trip back across Lake Placid was not easy. We met a rain storm head on and one of the canoes capsized. A boat came over to lend a hand and one of the guys said a lady thought he was a dolphin. Yeah, that's what a Survivor Crew member would think. He wasn't listening when we told him that there were no dolphins in Lake Placid. The Survivor Crew agreed that they had had enough of canoes but they do want to climb another mountain. They will climb many mountains n their lives.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

"Find new ways, 

  in as many ways, 

    in more excellent ways, 

      on all of your days, 

        to show love." 

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted" 

http://www.facebook.com/bob.kuebler

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
A Scholarship for a young person to attend a 3 day Wilderness Adventure in the Adirondack Mountains is valued at $185. We are a 501c3 and your donations are tax deductible. You may give online at:
http://www.gofundme.com/73te4
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.  

The Stanley G. Falk School - Changing the World One Child at a Time

I don't know what the Mission Statement for the Stanley G, Falk School says. I will not try to to look it up until I'm done writing this story. Please read this story and then go find their Mission Statement and see if they match. I'm willing to wager a tree's worth of falling leaves that they will match up. I know it's not much of a bet but I'm not a betting man anyway. The Mission Statement of an organization should be apparent in the actions of all of the people within the organization.

The Falk School sits at a crossroads in a child's life.

My first interaction with someone from the Falk School was a phone call. Lori Hammond called me while waiting to have her car serviced by a mechanic. Lori is one of the Principal's at Falk. She had read some of my comments in the Buffalo News and felt a connection regarding students. After she told me all of the good things that were happening at Falk, I was amazed that she thought that I had anything to offer. I only say that because our organization at Youth With A Purpose teaches Relationship Mentoring and Lori's description of her school sounded like a fertile relationship garden. We agreed to meet and tour her schools. That was in June and the summer flew by until I received my next phone call.

In early August while volunteering at Kingdom Bound, my phone jumped (maybe I dropped it) out of my pocket and was missing for a few days. When I finally  retrieved my messages, I found that another Principal from The Falk School had called. Lori had given my name to Martha Sanfilippo and she asked if I would please return her call. Our conversation was filled with positive words regarding children and opportunities.  

Giving children the best opportunities to become responsible, accountable  and contributing members of society seemed to be the hallmark of my conversations with folks from Falk.


Martha and I met in her office on August 22. When I arrived, the secretary smiled and greeted me warmly. That's how all first impressions should start. It was a very emotional morning for me. We had taken a young lady to the train station and tearfully said goodbye. Her family was moving after her Father had been murdered on Memorial Day weekend. She worked in our kitchen and she was like family to the rest of us at YWAP.  She was the third member of our kitchen staff who experienced the murder of a family member. At one point of my conversation with Martha, I teared up as I talked about the stage of the grieving process that we entered that morning. Martha said that we could reschedule our meeting if this morning was not a good time for me personally. That, my friends, is an action that displays empathetic compassion that says;

"What you are feeling is more important than my agenda."

My tears dried up and we talked about the purpose for our meeting. Our common purpose seemed to be to find new ways, in as many ways, on all of our days to create a path for young people to find their own purpose in life. She told me many success stories and just simply enjoyed talking about what her purpose was. It was a great conversation about creating opportunities for children. It seems like the staff at the Falk School are involved in almost every aspect of the child's life. That is Relationship Mentoring at it's finest. We talked about opening day for all of the Falk Teachers. I was asked to address the more than 250 Administrators and Teachers on Opening Day 2011 at The Stanley G. Falk School.

I love being involved with Teachers and Students. We are always one or the other. On some days, the Teachers become the Students as the children teach us new things. The world looks different through their eyes. I have been blessed to meet many Teachers and Students who have many stories to share. When I walked into the Falk School on Cambridge Street, I think everybody was wearing a smile. The energy that seems to be injected by thoughts of a new school year causes ear to ear grins. Martha introduced me to many people and gave me a tour of the building. The opening speaker was Teri Byrne who is the Assistant Superintendent of the Falk Schools. She took the audience on a historical journey that began in 1986 with a fraction of the Teachers that were assembled in the room in front of her. With a great deal of passion, Teri reviewed many of the accomplishments at Falk.  Many academic as well as athletic programs were added. She spoke of the words of a former student who was now in his senior year at Canisius College. He was so grateful to all of his Teachers at Falk for helping him to achieve success. During her power point presentation, I remember something about helping the students to become employable. That is huge in a poor city like Buffalo, NY.

YWAP and The Stanley G. Falk School - an opportunity partnership for children.

My address to all of these World Changers was simply a reflection of who they already are. I did tell stories about children, some sad stuff and some happy stuff. I tried to encourage them to go through the hurricanes of disappointment that accompany the life of a Teacher. I told them about my Grandmother who said: "There's better days ahead." If  I were to sum up the message that I tried to convey, it would be this;

"Being a Teacher is the most important job in the world. Teacher's are being asked to boldly go where no Teacher has ever gone before. Children today face more obstacles to opportunity than in any previous generation. You, as a Teacher, may be a child's final frontier. A Teacher may be the last person who has the ability to display an act of mercy, kindness, tenderness, and compassion. A Teacher may be the last person who can help a child feel valued in a society that continues to devalue our children. 
A Teacher is the most important job in the world." 

It seems like a Mission Statement for the Falk School would say something like the Youth With A Purpose Statement which is: "We believe that all children are gifted. We exist to identify, nurture, protect and empower young people to use their gifts to become the world changers that God meant them to be." 

I'm going to go look up the Falk School Mission Statement and print it here:
To inspire each student to become a life-long learner, capable of achieving personal goals to responsibly contribute to our ever-changing world. Our primary focus is on student learning with a commitment to high expectations for success. 

Yes, the Stanley G. Falk School is living out their mission,

in thought, word and deed, INDEED! Thank you to all of the Teachers and Staff at Falk who are creating Bright Spots for children!

 Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted" 

http://www.facebook.com/bob.kuebler

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.