Through the Y Guides program, tribes become closer and more connected to each other and the community. During the first two years, tribes are focused on growing and creating a bond that can last a lifetime. During the Third Year, the year of service, tribes are encouraged to go out into the community and give back to others.
JANUARY TRIBE OF THE MONTH: Fierce Butterflies
When you hear the word “fierce” your thoughts may go to an immediate feeling of intensity. If your tribe name is Fierce Butterflies, that powerful and heartfelt intensity is accurate. This group is a testimony that a tribe of passionate eight and nine year olds can truly make a difference in the community! The Fierce Butterflies have been busy fluttering around the local community helping, while learning that not only do they feel good when they help others, but as one princess reflected, “I learned that I love doing kind things.”
- They recruited friends and family to beautify and clean up Honeycutt Park and North Wake Landfill District Park.
Neighborhood Street Sign Clean Up
- As a group, they determined there was a need to make the neighborhood street signs readable again, so they scrubbed and cleaned all of their neighborhood signs.
- Their concern for their friends in Eastern North Carolina encouraged the tribe to collect and donate 107 pounds of food the weekend after Hurricane Matthew!
Yard Sale Fundraiser
- The tribe gathered miscellaneous items and prepared doughnuts and hot cocoa to raise money for charity. The princesses were dedicated to the mission and woke up starting at 5:00 a.m. to organize and prepare for the yard sale. Fierce Butterflied successfully raised $2,000! They donated $1,000 to the Y Guides Annual Campaign and $1,000 to the Food Bank of Eastern & Central North Carolina.
Lemonade Stand Fundraiser
- The fathers and daughters raised $148 and donated all proceeds to Duke University Hospital and University North Carolina Hospital.
- The girls made puppy toys with Sea Puppy at their tribe meeting in November and visited the Wake County Animal Shelter to deliver the puppies their new toys.
Atria Oakridge Retirement Village
- Looking to brighten the spirits of the residents at Atria Oakridge during the holidays, the tribe attended an Ice Cream Social. They served ice cream, sang Christmas carols and gave out Christmas cards.
- Along with other Third Years tribes, the Fierce Butterflies contributed to packaging 22,680 meals during the Stop Hunger Now event. Meals were received by in-country partner Salesian Missions in Zambia.
During the last two and a half years, the dads and princesses have become closer as a tribe; “Our tribe is closer because we do a lot of things which shows us how to respect each other. We help each other and it has made us work as a team.” There is a lot to be learned from these Fierce Butterflies as they exemplify the true meaning of teamwork.
Not only are they working on earning their Third Year totem pole patches, each of the princesses is also focused on earning their Fierce Butterfly patch. As a final project for their Third Year, the dads helped come up with a list of service tasks that the girls could complete on their own to earn the tribe’s very own Fierce Butterfly patch. When Sea Puppy attended their Tribe Meeting, she was so impressed to hear the princesses read off a list of the kind deeds they had accomplished. Her favorite was the list of twenty people to whom the girls said thank you. Sea Puppy said, “I was so impressed with the intentionality of such young girls and their gratitude for the littlest of things.” With only a few more months left in their Third Year, the Fierce Butterflies will continue to make an impact in their community and show their gratitude towards others.