JULY 2020 THE
COMMUNITY CONSCIENCE
RAISING KIDS IN GUN COUNTRY Safety and Education First
Raising kids can be a challenging endeavor. When Heather and I were married in 2013, Heather agreed to take on not only a husband but also two boys, Andrew and Chandler, who at the time were 11 and 12. The boys are now 18 and 19 years old and face growing up in a world very different than the one Heather and I knew when we were teenagers. We are far from perfect parents, but we do our best. Our newsletter chronicles some of our successes and some of our less than stellar moments. We hope you can learn from some of our failures and find some entertainment in the moments we share. Raising Kids in Gun Country Heather and I grew up in homes where guns were just part of the environment. My father was a federal agent with the United States Border Patrol and had to carry a gun for work. From my father’s service revolver to his Mini-14, several .22-caliber guns, and even a musket, guns were ubiquitous in the Foust home. Heather’s father is an avid hunter, and like any self-respecting Montana girl, she grew up killing gophers and learning how to fire handguns, shotguns, and all sizes of rifles. Guns are part of our culture, and we expect it to be that way for generations of Fousts to come. With this background, it might surprise you to learn that Heather and I do not have a single firearm in our home. We have decided not to have a gun in our home as the chance of using a gun in self-defense is astronomically slim. According to a 2015 HuffPost report, in the entire U.S., a nation with over 300 million firearms, there were only 258 justifiable homicides involving civilians using firearms. This is in stark contrast to the 22,000 people who die annually from either an accidental discharge or use the firearm to commit suicide. Although we have made the decision not to have a firearm in our home, we are keenly aware of the need to educate our two Montana boys about firearms. I attended each and every hunter safety course my boys attended. Let me explain why. Nearly 58% of households in Montana own at least one gun. Under Montana law, it is legal to carry a loaded handgun in public at the age of 14. If you live in Montana, your kids will encounter firearms, and we believe burying your head in the sand is not an option.
Hunter safety courses are available to children in Montana as young as 10 years old. However, sending your kids to the program and “hoping things will go well” is not enough. We believe it is critical that you attend the program with your child. Whether you believe in possessing firearms or not, if you live in Montana, your kids will encounter firearms. It is just a fact. We believe your attendance at hunter safety courses should not be optional (although it is). It is critical that you know what your kid knows about firearms and, more importantly, what they do not know. Ignorance is not an option when it comes to this issue in this state. If you are a transplant from another state and your family does not own a firearm, these classes are a good opportunity to educate yourself on firearm safety.
Here is a list of links to just some of the many opportunities you have to educate your children on proper firearm use and safety:
TacticMT.com
Level1Firearms.com/mt
MTFI.org
ConcealedCarryOnline.com/montana
HandgunSafetyCourse.com/montana
- Lucas Foust
406-587-3720 • 1
FIND YOUR FAMILY’S NEXT CRAFTING PROJECT DIYs From Across the Entertainment Sphere
Nickelodeon-Themed Crafts
Whether you’re a DIY enthusiast or brand-new to crafting, there are lots of ways to get your kids creating. For example, why buy merchandise from their favorite video game or TV show if they canmake it themselves? Check out these resources for free crafting ideas to keep your kids connected to their favorite characters when they’re not looking at a screen. Disney-Themed Crafts From “Star Wars” to all things Mickey Mouse, entire fictional universes can come to life inside your home and make your family time feel a little more magical. Family. Disney.com offers projects for every difficulty level. Many require glue guns and adult supervision, but that’s what makes them fun and interactive for both you and your children. Who knows, you might just find inspiration for other decorations in your home after a few Disney-inspired crafting sessions.
Whether it’s “Blue’s Clues,”“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” or “SpongeBob SquarePants,” there’s no doubt that your little one is familiar with some of Nickelodeon’s most iconic children’s shows. NickelodeonParents. com offers DIY crafts that’ll encourage your kids to get busy and creative while decorating their play areas and beyond. The site also filters crafts by categories like Big Kids, Educational, and Noggin, so you even have options if you want your child to learn something while they play. Geeky Crafts If your kids are huge gamers, GeekCrafts. com is a great website for finding DIYs that they can get invested in. Not everything is designed for small kids, but there’s a large archive to choose from, and it’s not difficult at all to recognize what crafts will be best for
your family. From Minecraft-themed building blocks to Pokemon felt hats, you’ll find lots of fun projects that’ll get your kids excited and asking, “What’s the next step?” We hope these free resources help you and your family spend a little more creative time together! Have fun!
WHAT DOES THE CONSTITUTIONMEANTOYOU? Debating the Document That’s Shaped Our Country
according to the Legion’s website. In the process of writing the speeches they’ll debate, students under 20 learn the history of U.S. laws and develop a better understanding of the rights and privileges of American citizenship. The legion offers up over $188,000 annually in scholarship money to debate winners. For one of those winners, in addition to helping pay her way through college, the debate experience also provided fodder for a Broadway play. In“What the Constitution Means to Me,”playwright and actor Heidi Schreck recounts her experience of debating the Constitution in American Legion halls all over the U.S. In the largely autobiographical play, theatergoers get to see the experience through the eyes of 15-year- old Heidi (played by Schreck in the original production) as she gives her speech and talks about the Constitution. At other times, viewers see the grown-up Schreck reflect on the evolution of the Constitution’s meaning over the years and how her debate experiences shaped her understanding of what it means to live under the rules of this governing document. For Heidi Schreck, as well as for hundreds of other debaters, developing a close relationship with the Constitution helped pay her way through college and gave her a better understanding of the principles our country was built on. This month is a great time to take a look at the document that shaped our country’s past and continues to shape its future.
Most teenagers are more interested in hanging out with their friends and listening to the next cool band than diving into the United States Constitution. But that’s exactly how some students have been spending their mornings, afternoons, and evenings: studying and preparing to debate their peers all over the nation about the contents of the 200-year-old document. Their motivation? Prestige, honor, and thousands of dollars of scholarship money. Sponsored by the American Legion, these constitutional debates were started in 1938 with the intent to “develop deeper knowledge and appreciation for the U.S. Constitution among high school students,”
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Nurture Your Creative Passion
WITH THESE 3 ONLINE ART COURSES
All forms of art, like painting, drawing, and even sculpting, can be relaxing hobbies, sources of extra income, or professional careers. And with today’s technology, it’s easier than ever to begin learning a new art form. If you have an eager student at home who wants to try their hand in the arts or perfect their craft, then look into online art courses. There are many different courses available, and you should do some research to see which course is best for your student, but here are three to get you started. Drawing and Sketching for Beginners by Robin Slee This course is available through Udemy, and, at the reasonable price of $29.99, is perfect for anyone wanting to test the waters. Slee takes
students through the key fundamentals of drawing, such as how to hold a pencil correctly and how to make different kinds of marks. His calm voice and simple explanations in each course help students feel encouraged as they work. The course comes with three hours of video content segmented into 25 modules and a Q&A section where students can post questions, ask for feedback, and share their work. Find this course at Udemy.com/course/sketching-for-beginners. Ink Drawing Techniques with Yuko Shimizu A student who prefers ink over pencil can learn drawing techniques throughYuko Shimizu’s class on Skillshare. As a veteran instructor at the School of Visual Arts, Shimizu is ready to help you on your journey to learn the essentials of inking. In the 90-minute course, Shimizu covers a lot of ground, which both novice and experienced ink artists will benefit from. Find this course by searching for ink drawing techniques on Skillshare.com. New Masters Academy Known as one of the best art academies online, New Masters Academy (NMA) offers hundreds of hours of prerecorded video lectures that students can watch and follow along with as they paint, draw, and sketch. The standard fee starts at $35 a month, but with a premium membership at $44 a month, students can access NMA’s 3D reference library and over 20,000 reference images. To learn more and become familiar with the academy’s instructors, visit their website at NMA.art.
Take a Break!
NO-CHURN S’MORES ICE CREAM
Inspired by GrainChanger.com
July is National Ice CreamMonth, so why not cool off with some sweet, homemade s’mores ice cream? You don’t even need an ice cream churn!
INGREDIENTS
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1 chocolate bar, chopped 2 cups whipping cream, chilled
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14 oz sweetened condensed milk 2 tsp vanilla extract
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10 graham crackers, crushed
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, graham crackers, and chocolate. 2. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat whipping cream until peaks form, about 3 minutes. 3. Fold whipping cream into the condensed milk mixture. Transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe container, cover, and freeze for at least 8 hours. 4. Serve and enjoy on a hot summer day. It’s especially delicious in a waffle cone!
SOLUTION ON PAGE 4
406-587-3720 • 3
Foust Law Office
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
www.lucasfoustlaw.com 406-587-3720 Fax: 406-879-4400
3390 South 30th Avenue Bozeman, MT 59718
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Raising Kids in Gun Country PAGE 1 Find Your Family’s Next Crafting Project PAGE 2 What Does the Constitution Mean to You? PAGE 2 Taking Art Classes From Home PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 Homemade S’mores Ice Cream PAGE 3
SOLUTION
How Meals on Wheels Atlanta Stepped Up for Its Community PAGE 4
A MEAL FOR EVERY MEMBER OF THE FAMILY Meals on Wheels Goes the Extra Mile
On top of delivering food to seniors and their pets, Meals on Wheels Atlanta also delivers pet toys and pet beds, and they are happy to take in any pet-related food or items for donation. The organization says this endeavor was done out of love, not only for the people they serve but also for the whole family —wagging tails, fuzzy whiskers, and all.
entire world, making sure the animal is fed and healthy means everything.
Meals on Wheels doesn’t often get the credit it deserves. The international nonprofit ensures those who are unable to buy or make their own meals get the food they need to survive. Of course, for many recipients, the efforts of the organization go far beyond “survival.” For those who receive food daily or weekly, those deliveries may be their only source of social interaction. And during times of social distancing, the program became more important than ever. Meals on Wheels doesn’t just serve meals to the elderly and people with disabilities — it also serves those people’s pets. In 2019, Meals on Wheels Atlanta realized there was a huge need in their community to feed the pets of senior citizens. It stands to reason that if an elderly individual is unable to shop or cook for themselves, their pets may be in a similar predicament. And when someone’s pet is their
In response to this need, Meals onWheels Atlanta began stocking up on cat and dog food, creating their own pantry to serve the local pet community. When volunteers made their rounds delivering meals to seniors, they made sure to bring cat and dog food along too. One volunteer with Meals onWheels Atlanta, Larry Auberbach, had a unique experience delivering meals to Jeffery Jones and his dog, Grizzly. The volunteer told 11Alive News in Atlanta that Jeffery and Grizzly “have their own special relationship.” Larry loved Grizzly long before Meals onWheels Atlanta started the pet pantry because he saw howmuch Grizzly’s companionship meant to Jeffery. Now, Larry enjoys his service that much more since he gets to provide for Jeffery’s beloved pet, as well.
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