Funseekers USA for Tweens and Teens

BACKGROUND: We are so proud of our family. Our oldest kids attended public schools. However, our youngest switched to full-time homeschooling in 2010 and we had concerns about keeping him socialized. So, we wanted to find options for events and activities where he could meet others doing homeschooling for social events and activities. Unfortunately, we had trouble finding anything that focused on positive peer and family support that builds self-esteem, teaches positive social behaviors and increases awareness of the positive contributions choices Tweens/Teens can learn about and choose from. So, we launched FunseekersUSA and decided, as a family, to start in our own backyard with FunseekersPBC to fill this void for our youngest child. ABOUT THE GROUP YOU ARE HELPING: FunseekersPBC originally started with events and activities where 11 to 17 year olds that homeschool could meet peers and build healthy foundations for new friendships, as well as share and learn together. However, we found that many families want options for their tweens and teens that are smarter, safer and healthier that also supports family bonding, in addition to making new friends, whether they homeschooled or attended public, charter or private schools. MISSION STATEMENT: The mission of FunseekersPBC is to provide creative, safe, and healthy events and activities where Tweens and Teens receive positive peer and family support that will help to build their self-esteem, teach positive social behaviors and increase awareness of the positive contributions and choices that they have and can make throughout their lives, with both confidence and pride. WHAT YOUR GRANT, CONTRIBUTION AND/OR SPONSORSHIP MEANS: The grants, contributions and/or sponsorships we receive, no matter how what amount that is, will help FunseekersPBC provide quality events and activities at little to no cost to these kids and their families. Many of these kids and families have lost homes and jobs due to past hurricanes, as well as the economic and real estate challenges – ourselves included. HOW GRANT, CONTRIBUTION AND/OR SPONSORSHIP FUNDS WILL BE USED: The funds raised through contributions like yours will go to pay toward the cost of venues, entrance fees, food, transportation, equipment, games and similar support costs. Member families that can afford to contribute, do so. However, it is not enough for us to meet our goal to keep costs down or free for events and activities. So, we definitely need your support and contributions to do that. EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES: The types of events and activities you will help us schedule include (but aren't limited to): • Aerobics • Amusement Parks & Arcades • Aquariums • Barbeques • Bicycling • Billy Swamp Safari & Everglades Tours • Bird Watching • BMX • Board Games • Book Nook Reading & Readers • Boomers • Bowling • Busch Wildlife Sanctuary • Butterfly World • Camping • Celebrations & Holidays • Chinese Lion Dance & Lion Dance Classes • Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu & Kung Fu Classes • Communication Skills Workshops • Concerts • Contests • Cooking Classes • County Fairs • Cultural, City & County Festivals & Fairs • Crafts • Dance Classes • Dances • Drift Boat Fishing • Exercise & Work Outs • Field Trips • Fishing • FLVS Study Groups • Fourth of July Fireworks • Fright Night • Fun Depot • Gardening • Goal Setting Workshops • Guest Authors • Guest Speakers • Hiking & Wall Climbs • Hoffman's Chocolate • Ice Skating & Lessons • Jogging/Running • Kayaking/Canoeing • Lake Worth Street Painting Festival • Lion Country Safari • Movie Matinees • Museums • Nature Walks & Preserves • Norton Museum • Other Homeschool Study Groups • Out of County Road Trips • Palm Beach County Fair • Palm Beach Zoo • Parades • Parks & Recreation • Personal Skills Workshops • Photography & Photography Classes • Picnics • Pool Parties • Roller Skating & Lessons • Rook Nook Chess • Science Museum • Self-Empowerment Workshops • Shelling • Skateboarding • Snorkeling • Specific Grade Study Groups • Specific School Study Groups • Swimming • Tai Chi & Tai Chi Classes • Taiko & Taiko Classes • Theater • Video Games • Volleyball • Volunteer/Community Service • Walking • Weight Lifting • Writing for Fun • Yoga/Meditation Classes • Zumba Workouts • Zoos • And lots of more with the great ideas and suggestions from others that get added to this list! OUR FUTURE: We hope to keep growing the group through word of mouth and social media, as well as with the support of grants, contributions and sponsorships. We would like to be scheduling 2 to 4 events and/or activities each month for all members to enjoy. We will be promoting and listing events and activities on Facebook, posting them on Twitter and coordinating everything through MeetUp for a smooth flow that makes it easier to keep the group’s announcements and calendar current. Once we build this chapter successfully, we would like to explore ways to take this throughout the USA with other chapters. ADDITIONAL EFFORTS: We’re also working to secure discounts at various venues, as well as other fundraising efforts like this and possible sponsorships from local businesses. Finally, we are working on getting discounts from local businesses that could help the group's member families with their cost of living and recovery. OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP: Spread the world. If you have a venue that you can help us with, offer it up or at a discount. If you have products and services through your business and can offer a discount, please do so. Our abilities and success starts with and depends on you. Every bit, little or large, helps and is greatly appreciated by all our member families and their Tweens and Teens. THANK YOU! FunseekersUSA and FunseekersPBC Group Administrators Jeff, Keikilani and Carson Weigle WHO WE ARE: We’re the Weigle Family, a normal family with normal challenges and a love for each other that can never be shaken. We range in ages from 12 through 56. Jeff, Dad, works full-time and crazy hours for not-so-great hourly rate. Mom, Keikilani, battles Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus and Sjogren’s Syndrome, but still works part-time when she can and helps with homeschooling of the family’s youngest, Carson, who is in 7th grade doing full-time homeschooling with Florida Virtual School. Maggie and Kent, 22 and 21, are our two adult kids who live away from home and are finding their own way in life through college and work. They've always been supportive of their little brother. We are grateful that they believe in and support our efforts with FunseekersUSA and FunseekersPBC. EMAIL: FunseekersPBC@gmail.com PHONE: 561 336 1490 Website: http://www.funseekerspbc.com Facebook Profiles: http://www.facebook.com/funseekers http://www.facebook.com/zriddleweigle http://www.facebook.com/keikistacyweigle http://www.facebook.com/jeffweigle Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FunseekersPBC Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/funseekerspbc Twitter: https://twitter.com/FunseekersPBC MeetUp: http://www.meetup.com/FunseekersPBC Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/people/funseekerspbc Tags/Keywords: Palm Beach County, Teens, Tweens, Events and Activities for Tweens and Teens, Activities for Teens, Activities for Tweens Activities for Preteens, Dads of Tweens and Teens, Parents of Tweens, Parenting Tweens and Teens, Moms of Tweens, Teens and Preteens, Homeschooling Tweens, Fun and Learning for Tweens and Teens, Parents with tweens and teens, Tweens and Teens Education and Career, Activities for youth groups, Parents of Teens, Dads of Teens, Moms of Teens