Show Your Support on Super Bowl Sunday

For football fans everywhere, this Sunday is THE Sunday. The game of games. The Super Bowl. Friends, families and fans will gather in front of big screens across the country, dressed to the nines in team colors and team jerseys. And they will watch every moment…the pre-game, the actual game, the commercials, and the half-time show. And if they take their eyes off of the big screens for even a second, chances are it will be to fill their plates with all of the game-day goodies have become a staple of Super Bowl parties…chili, wings, pizza, chips and dips. In fact, it seems like the second question asked when discussing the game (immediately following, “who are you cheering for”) is “what are you serving at your Super Bowl party.”

This year, as fans are preparing for their festivities and celebrations, groups of young people will be taking a different approach to gathering food by participating in the “Souper Bowl of Caring.” Armed with large soup pots, youth across the country stand in their churches and collect canned goods and cash to be donated to local food banks. The Souper Bowl of Caring administrative offices work with the groups to mobilize them in their efforts to reduce hunger and poverty, and all of the food and monies collected by the youth organizations are donated to the charities of their choice. According to the Souper Bowl of Caring website, the following Summit youth groups will be participating in 2012 drive: St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Central Presbyterian Church, and Calvary Episcopal Church.

So, whether you are cheering on the New England Patriots or our local, hometown heroes, the New York Giants, please consider sharing your game day bounty with another group of heroes…the youth of our communities that are working hard to help those less fortunate. Contact any of the local participants listed above with donations to support our community food pantries, or donate directly to www.souperbowl.org. And if you are a participating youth group that we have failed to mention, please let us know. We will share a link to your page as well.

Thank you…and GO TEAM!!!

Thank You Vancouver

A very special thank you to the people of Vancouver, British Columbia for being such gracious hosts to Olympic athletes and fans from all over the world. Between the opening ceremonies on February 12th and the closing ceremonies on the 28th, people from every corner of the world tuned in to watch the XXI Winter Olympic Games, sharing in the highs and lows, victories and disappointments, and heartaches and celebrations of the participants. Bleary-eyed from staying up until midnight or after, fans in the United States would spend the mornings talking about Apolo Ohno’s personal medal count, the four-man American bobsled team winning their first gold medal since the 1940s, and Evan Lysacek beautifully skating to gold without the help of  “a quad.” We collectively mourned after the tragic accident that claimed the life of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili.  We watched in awe as Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette bravely skated to bronze following the sudden passing of her mother. We were amazed by the thrilling performances of the snowboarders, skiers, and speed skaters.  And oh that hockey game! The final minutes of the final event could not have been any more exciting if it had been scripted for the movies!

The dedication and commitment displayed by the Olympic athletes, coaches and families is a valuable lesson to take away from these games. The Olympic spotlight is bright, but the Olympic spirit comes from early morning practices, perfecting a skill, getting up after a fall, and being humble when you win and gracious when you don’t. It really is about how you play the game, and these Olympic games were a memorable example of that spirit. 

Did you watch the Olympics?  What was the most memorable moment for you? Feel free to post a comment and let us know.