Books, Books, and more Books!

Katie O'Looney, Supervising Teacher at Wright Elementary

This month, CalSERVES was fortunate enough to receive over 1,600 books from BORDERS Bookstore customers.




One of the managers at BORDERS heard about our programs and decided to set up a book drive all throughout the month of December. He had his employees ask each customer if they wanted to donate books to CalSERVES and made an announcement every 30 minutes asking customers to donate books. Since then, we've received so many books, we divided them all up amongst our 6 other school sites in Southwest Santa Rosa.




Our children are extremely fortunate to have so many NEW books to choose from on our bookshelves, rather than having some books held together by masking tape and staples. THANK YOU BORDERS! We're extremely thankful for all of the generous people who donated books during the holiday season!

Life as a Literacy Team Leader

Bethany D'Andrade, AmeriCorps Team Leader at Wright Elementary



Ahhh, the sweet life of a CalSERVES Leadership Team member. Team Leaders have it made. The work is light and the hours few. All things go according to plan. There is just enough time to finish everything on your "to-do" list and then sit back with your hands folded casually behind your head and your feet resting upon your desk to survey all that you have accomplished. All things are in there place. Life is good - nay - grande.

Of course, I'm being sarcastic.

In reality, life as a Literacy Team Leader is...varied. Nothing quite stays the same. The beginning days are hectic and involve rather large amounts of paperwork, but eventually (December) things settle into a routine.

As a Literacy Team Leader, I am a data collector, communicator, listener, scheduler, tutor, and, above all, a helper. I help teachers by accommodating their class schedules. I help mentors by answering questions, recommending literacy resources, and tutoring extra students when I am needed.

My position brings me into contact with a lot of paperwork and a lot of people. The people make this job amazing. The adults (teachers, aides, mentors, staff, supervisors) are supportive, creative, and hard working. The kids are even better. They are the most important people in the world. They bring a smile to my face EVERY, SINGLE day and there is nothing - nothing! - better than seeing a student enjoy tutoring. When I see the relationships that form between mentors and their students, I see how important our program is and I realize that all of the hours I work are worthwhile. We provide a steadiness and consistency to children who experience turmoil in their academic and daily lives. Despite any negative messages they may receive, we are there to tell them they are important. They are important to us; they are important to the world. They can succeed.

So...my life as a Leader is as scattered as this entry. I run around doing paperwork and meeting deadlines, but the kids bring me home, in a sense. They keep me grounded. They remind me why I signed on for a second year. They are absolutely, without a doubt, what this is all about. They are the stars of the show.