Danger: Swingset recall

Dear Birney Families,
Below is a letter from a good friend of mine who's son was killed while playing on an unsafe swing set. Please read and forward to anyone you know who may have one of these sets.
Be safe.
Michelle Livermore


Hi friends! As many of you know, I lost my son three and a half years ago to a senseless backyard swingset accident. Wesley was playing on a swingset that should have been pulled from the market in the mid 1970's when the first injury was reported. Instead, swingset manufacturers (knowing the design was a risk to children) continued to market and perpetuate this design in to backyards all over the country. As a result, scores of children have had horrific injuries--and my son is dead.

I have fought my guts out--along with Wesley's mother and sister and our families--to get this design banned from the U.S. market. And we have prevailed. Never again will the design be made. The fight was horrible. Swingset manufacturers (including the manufacturer who provided the Obama children with their new Whitehouse lawn swingset) fought us with personal attacks and campaigns that were tremendously painful--all for money.

We won. But it cost us much.

But there's another phase in the fight. A crucial phase. And I need you to join with me in helping me.

While we were successful in the ban--the truth remains that TENS OF THOUSANDS OF THE SAME TYPE OF SWINGSETS that killed our Wesley still remain in backyards all over the country.

That means that children are still at risk. And the CONSUMER PRODUCTS SAFETY COMMISSION refuses to issue a nation-wide warning so that parents who have this design in their back yards can make the necessary modifications to protect their children.

THE CPSC IS DROPPING THE BALL and WE MUST DEMAND THEY DO THEIR JOB AND ISSUE AN ALERT. Even when I first called the CPSC days after Wesley's accident, I got a shove-off and a huge reluctance to even look in to this case. I simply will NOT take no for an answer. No grieving parent would or should.

Start here:

http://www.wsvn.com/features/articles/investigations/MI127331

Watch the latest tv report about this and GO VIRAL WITH IT. PLEASE--IN THE NAME OF MY BEAUTIFUL SON WESLEY--FORWARD THIS E MAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW. PLEASE. GO VIRAL in e mails and on your facebook pages. TWITTER the WSVN LINK. IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE TO HELP. ASK EVERYONE TO CONTACT THE CPSC AND ASK THEM TO ISSUE A NATIONWIDE ALERT TO PARENTS.

WHEN YOU CONTACT THE CPSC-- GO TO: INFO@CPSC.GOV

FLOOD THEM. THEY ARE FAILING IN THIS INSTANCE. REMIND THEM THAT IN THEIR VERY OWN BI-LAWS--THEIR VERY EXISTENCE AND PURPOSE IS TO WARN THE PUBLIC. My son has been gone three and a half years. It's HIGH TIME the warning happen.

If they do not do this soon---I will hold a national press conference to say that the CPSC is dropping the ball here. Their credibility is on the line. Remind them to reclaim it.

FRIENDS IN THE MEDIA RECEIVING this e mail: Please forward this story in to your own broadcasts and publications.

Reed Cowan
WESLEY COWAN'S DAD

Our own flower...Mindy

For all of who appreciate the Birney Garden, here is a story worth watching. Our own expert and Victory Garden Creator Mindy in a short clip in the news.

We will really miss you.

.

End of School

Thanks

Tomorrow is the last day of school, time has flown by and this year has be a great success. We accomplished tons and hope to do even more next year.
Below is a list of a few of the things that the PTA has done this year.

• Halloween Playground Parade- distributed free ‘glow sticks’ to each child
• Free Family movie nights (Spring and Fall), including free popcorn and lemonade for kids
• Star party (gave away glow necklaces, lemonade and popcorn)
• Free Family ‘bedtime stories’ night (lemonade and popcorn)
• Student Awards celebration- distributed free ice cream to each child
• Bi-monthly Family Dinner Nights at local restaurants (El Torito, Dimilles, Pick Up Stix, Pizza Gourmet Express)
• Birney’s first annual “Passport to Adventure!” international festival
• educational information, food, performance, and crafts for each of six countries
• book exchange, and pet adoption to raise money for Ghana, raffle
• Rummage Sale and Pancake Breakfast including free breakfast tickets for runner in the race for literacy and for special student performance
• On going Ghana fund raising at some of the Family Fridays and send supplies to them
• 9 Family Fridays
• Fall Fundraiser selling Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies
• Teacher Appreciation Breakfast
• Concessions table for UHArts walk
• Welcome donuts and coffee for the first day of school

I am sure there are other things, but the time and my mind seem to have gone.
I just want to take this opportunity to thank again all of the parents, teachers and friends who gave of the time and resources to make my year as PTA president a success. The kids are very lucky to have all of you. A Special Thanks goes to Samantha Boice, Susie, Villareal, Tom Richardson (my co officers) I could not have had a better group of people to work with. We did a lot and we had fun to. I have made many friendships this year that I truly cherish and I look forward to working with the PTA officers next year to make 2009-2010 an even better year.

Remember you the parents and teachers (and principal and staff) are the backbone of many programs that benefit our kids so please join again next year.

Again, THANK YOU ALL!
Michelle Livermore
Past PTA President.

Thanks To All The Students, Staff and Families

THANKS!
I am constantly amazed by the generosity of our Birney Community.

Parents and teachers dug through the couches, car seats and change boxes, while the kids broke open their piggy banks to fill the tubs with hope. Kids in Ghana are VERY lucky to have our families on their side.

While I was dumping change into the machine at Ralphs, people came up asked what I was doing and added their own stories of Ghana along with the loose change in their pockets to the cause.

Everyone has been touched in a positive way by giving of their change and their hearts. This is a great example of what makes Birney a wonderful school.

Thanks to the week long efforts of our students, headed up by a dedicated staff, we raised about $688.00 dollars for the school and children in Ghana. We will continue to collect in the 2009-10 school year so save your pennies (and other loose change) and we will continue to give with a generous heart until those kids have the same advantages as ours. Loving people in their lives...

Thanks Again.
Michelle

Pennies for Ghana

July 6 -10
Bring your extra pennies, dimes, nickels & quarters
to school to help raise money to build a school for our sister school in Ghana.
Each class will have a collection box.
Let's see who can raise the most for our friends in Africa.

The class that brings in the most change wins an extra five minutes of recess.