Ethan Pio Cape Kid of the month for March 2019

Ethan Pio Cape Kid of the Month for April 2019

March 29, 2019March 29, 2019 twhimsLeave a comment

It is an honor to present Ethan Pio as our Cape Kid of the month for March. Ethan graduated West Morris Mendham High School this past June and really showed his peers that it is cool to be kind.

For the past three years, Ethan has been a part of a club called Friends and Buddies at Mendham. This club works with special needs students at his school. Ethan has become good friends with all of the special needs students, however, he says “Casey has probably been the closest to me and has caught my eye the most.”

As Ethan’s senior prom was approaching, he knew he wanted to make a memorable prom for himself and his date. When he was thinking about who to ask, Ethan instantly thought of Casey for a couple of reasons. First of all, Casey made it a point to tell everyone in their school that Ethan and her were “boyfriend and girlfriend.” Another reason for him wanting to take Casey to prom was because he says, “she is honestly one of the most perfect people at Mendham. Despite her special needs, every girl should strive to be more like Casey.” Last but certainly not least, Ethan wanted to give Casey a memorable day to make her as happy as she makes others every day. She was certainly the most deserving girl he could have asked.

When it came to the promposal, Ethan went all out. On Casey’s birthday everyone sang to her in the lunchroom, but behind her a huge present was waiting for her. When Casey opened the gift, out popped Ethan with a sign asking her to prom. She said yes and they both had huge smiles on their faces. The promposal was elaborate, to say the least, because Ethan wanted to make every part of Casey’s prom so special.

The day of prom, Ethan recalls seeing the excitement on Casey’s face in school. At pre-prom pictures, Ethan says, “Casey smiled so big when we took pictures and she excitedly introduced me to her family. It was honestly the cutest thing ever for her to introduce me the way she did even though I had met her family countless times.”

On the way to prom, Casey, Ethan and their friends had a blast on the party bus. Once at prom, they danced the night away. The highlight of the night was when Ethan got a bunch of his friends to form a circle around Casey and she danced with a huge smile on her face. Ethan made sure Casey had the best night and one she can remember forever. Ethan admits, “the whole weekend Casey’s mom was spamming my phone because Casey was talking about prom so much. This prom was far better than last year and far better than anything I could have done that day.”

When asked how he would describe his relationship with Casey, Ethan says “she is always so positive, happy and unbelievably caring. She looks out for the well-being of her other classmates helping them to be safe and get them through their days. She is also hilarious and tries to make people laugh and be happy when there not having a good day. That is not something you see from the majority of high school students.”

On a daily basis, Ethan tries to BETTER THAN THAT™by not caring about the people who try to bring him down. He tries to be himself and help others whenever he can just like Casey does. Ethan believes it is important for people to reject drama and not get caught up in problems that come along with being a teen. Ethan admits, “I do not consider myself as kind, but I know I have done kind things.” He thinks kind actions are the right thing to do because everyone deserves to have a good day every day.

Through working with special needs students, Ethan lives his life by focusing on the good over the bad. He tries to be like Casey in the sense that he is always friendly and selflessly makes other people’s lives better. Ethan is a humble hero who continues to WEAR THE CAPE™ proudly. It is an honor for us to share his kindness story. Good Luck next year following your dreams of becoming a mechanical engineer at Purdue University.

Cape Kid of the Month – Michael Ricciardi: Volunteering from the Heart

November 29, 2018November 29, 2018 twhimsLeave a comment

It is a pleasure to introduce to you Michael Ricciardi as our Cape Kid of the Month for the month of November. Michael has grown up with many great role-models, including his parents and three older siblings. He watched his older sister and brothers volunteer and help others throughout his childhood. Observing the sense of pride and accomplishment that his siblings received from volunteering, gave Michael the desire to volunteer himself.

Like most 11th graders, Michael is very busy. Every summer, he travels between Virginia and Massachusetts for his summer travel team’s lacrosse tournaments. During the school year, in addition to his school studies at Mendham High School, in New Jersey, he plays on the varsity Lacrosse team. This is something he has done since his Freshman year. He also plays intramural basketball with his friends noting that, “It is competitive along with being a fun time.”

Michael admits that finding time to volunteer is difficult. However, he finds time in his off season schedule because he also knows the reward is great. “What motivates me as a volunteer is helping people and giving back my time while not seeking anything monetary in return. It makes me feel good and that I am accomplishing something good in the world,” he states.

For the past 4 years Michael has volunteered at Glen Ridge’s Rotary Turkey Drive, where he hauls heavy turkey donations to gathering trucks, where they then go to those in need. This was done, always with a smile, in rain, snow, and cold temperatures.

Taking his passion for lacrosse and turning it into a volunteer experience, Michael assists younger children at Kiddie LAX programs in his town. During the summer months, he volunteers at a children’s reading and writing camp. His director stated that Michael is, “kind, caring, and hard working.” He has also helped to prepare a reception for Confirmation candidates at St. Joseph’s Church, in Mendham, NJ.

Michael’s compassion and generosity have not gone unnoticed. He was chosen by his church administration to be on the SEARCH teen retreat team. His role was to provide a religious weekend for his peers, while making it fun. His biggest challenge was to suspend all cell phone use throughout the weekend. Although this was tough, it was beneficial. It allowed those teens in attendance to form new friendships without the use of technology.

Next June, Michael will be going on a mission trip to Kentucky to help the underprivileged in Appalachia. In this one week he will spend his time helping families better their living conditions, by assisting in rebuilding and restructuring their current homes.

Michael’s mother, Debra Ricciardi shared, “Michael is a very humble and kind young man. He is very caring and a good hearted person. He has a great sense of humor and fits well in any situation. He is confident and demonstrates maturity.”

Thank you Michael for showing others that it’s COOL TO BE KIND through serving others. You are a great rolemodel and we are grateful for what you give back to the world.

To nominate a Cape Kid, please contact Leighann@wearthecapekids.com.

In Kindness,
Leigh Ann Errico

Developing Gratitude In Your Children

November 20, 2018November 20, 2018 twhimsLeave a comment

Thanksgiving is a time when we often count our blessings. We encourage our children to list what they are most grateful to have. On Thanksgiving Day, many families go around the dinner table to state something for which they are thankful. It is a beautiful tradition, which too often starts and ends at the Thanksgiving Table.

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” —Robert Brault

Although feeling thankful is a natural emotion, gratitude is a skill that needs to be developed through repetition, modeling, and positive reinforcement. We must ask ourselves, “Are we appropriately teaching our children how to be grateful and are we modeling gratitude in our daily life?”

In the world we live in today, more than ever, our children need to develop their sense of gratitude. When one is grateful for the blessings in his life, he feels a sense of fulfillment and purpose. With gratitude for the “small things” our children can grow up appreciating all that is given to them. In turn, they will want to give to others, as well.

“Robert Emmons, a leading gratitude researcher, has conducted multiple studies on the link between gratitude and well-being. His research confirms that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression.” States Amy Morin, in her article for Psychology Today: 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude.

Below we have listed several strategies for you to consider for helping develop true gratitude in your child and teen:

Say “Thank you” – this is the first step to teaching children to be grateful. Give your child several opportunities to say, “Thank you” daily.
Give Reminders – Often our children are used to us doing daily, mundane tasks for them, that they forget to be grateful- Remind them to be grateful by allowing them to see what would happen (or not happen) if you did not do these tasks. For example: if you don’t make their lunch for school, they would be hungry.
Be Hands on – Give your children the hands on experience they need to develop gratitude. Let them help you with age appropriate chores, such as raking the leaves, washing the dishes, doing laundry, or vacuuming. This will allow them to better understand the work you do FOR them, helping to build gratitude.
Be a positive role model- When your child wishes for something a friend has, whether it be materialistic or otherwise, remind your child of what he/she has at home. For example, should your child say, “ I want the new video game that my friend has.” You can reply, “That sounds like a great game. You have a lot of games that you barely play anymore. Let’s go find one that you used to love playing, and play it together. Lots of children do not have any video games. Would you like to donate one of yours to someone less fortunate?”
Play “Best/Worst”-Each day I ask my children to identify their best and worst parts of their day. I try to remind them that their best parts almost always outweigh their worst parts, and to be grateful for the blessings in their day.

Wishing you and your loved ones as a blessed holiday season.

With Gratitude,

Leigh Ann Errico