Making a Difference One Child at a Time

If you were to ask our AmeriCorps members why they give hundreds of hours of their time in service to the community, you might expect to hear:

• to build my resume, and gain experience,
• to earn an AmeriCorps Education Award (a full-time award is $5,300.00), or
• to get student loan forbearance.

And those are good reasons. But when it gets right down to it, the things that keep you going during a rigorous year of service are the moments with children that let you know you've made a difference in the life of a child. Here's what some of this year's AmeriCorps mentors had to say:

One of my second grade tutees was having a lot of trouble saying the word “asked”. So one day we kept repeating it back and forth for a minute or two. She finally got it down, but still felt a little unsure. The next day when she was reading aloud she read the word perfectly without hesitation. Instantly she realized what she’d just done and looked at me with a huge smile on her face. It was very triumphant.

A 4th grader asked me what “puke” meant. I told him it was the same as throwing up. He asked if it was a bad word. I said I didn’t think so. I told him “vomit” was the technical word, so he started saying, “This makes me want to vomit”. “ I am going to vomit”.

I had a very discouraged tutee who usually hates to read. After reading a book together, he told me “I thought this story was goanna be boring. But after we read it, it's good! It’s exciting!”

I have the best tutees!!! They are all great kids and look forward to seeing them everyday. They have all been improving and it makes me feel good to see them trying so hard. My hardest kid to tutor (who really isn’t that hard) has made the most improvement.

One girl I’m tutoring is graduating from the program because she has improved so much. When I told her, she was sad to go and started messing up her words on purpose and said she was doing it so she could stay in tutoring with me. It was nice to hear that she has fun and she’s learned a lot too.

My tutee Jackie has finally come out of her shy shell, and even her teacher has noticed improvement. She told me she reads books at home, and sometimes during tutoring read-aloud, she gets really excited and tells me she knows what’s going to happen next. Then she recalls the entire story in detail. I’m SO proud she’s reading on her own.

What's Cookin? Tuesday - Fruit Salad with Jicama

Kristen Mowers, CalSERVES Nutrition Coordinator

A Slice of Melon History

• Melons were first cultivated in Persia and northern Africa nearly 4,000 years ago, and later by ancient Greeks and Romans.
• Introduced to western and northern Europe during the Middle Ages, melons were harvested by the Spaniards and later the French and British.
• Christopher Columbus brought over the first melon seeds to North America on his second expedition, while watermelons arrived with African slaves.
• In 1683, the melon was introduced to California by Spanish missionaries.
• Melons and watermelons were grown almost exclusively in home gardens until the first half of the 20th century, when more disease- and wilt-resistant cultivars were developed by the USDA.

Fruit Salad with Jicama

Yield: 7 servings

Ingredients:

1 small jicama

2 cups watermelon cut into pieces

1 mango

1 small papaya

1 lime

2 kiwis

1 teaspoon lime or orange juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions:

1. Wash, peel, and cut the jicama into thin slices.

2. Wash, peel, and cut the rest of the fruit into slices or medium sized pieces.

3. On a large plate, arrange the fruit. Sprinkle the lime or orange juice over the fruit.

4. In a small bowl, mix the salt and chili powder. Sprinkle over the fruit and serve.

5. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Calories 80, fat 0g, Sodium 90mg, sugar 12g, protein 1g

What's Cookin? Tuesday - Summer Vegetable Spaghetti

Kristen Mowers, CalSERVES Nutrition Coordinator

Veggie Facts

• Green beans are nitrogen fixers, which means they have the ability to draw nitrogen from the air and return it to the soil. Because of this, farmers often plant beans and legumes in their crop rotations to replenish the soil.
• Fresh beans are classified into two basic categories: edible pod beans and shell beans. Green beans are the most popular edible pod bean, while Lima beans are the most common shell bean sold in the United States.
• Compared to dry or shell beans, green beans provide less starch and protein, and more Vitamin A, Vitamin C and calcium.

Summer Vegetable Spaghetti

Serving Size: 1 cup spaghetti and 3/4 cup sauce with vegetables

Yield: 9 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups small, yellow onions, cut into eighths

2 cups chopped, peeled, fresh, ripe tomatoes (about 1 lb)

2 cups thinly sliced yellow and green squash (about 1 lb)

1 1/2 cups cut fresh green beans (about 1/2 lb)

2/3 cup water

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

to taste black pepper

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

1 pound uncooked spaghetti

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Combine first 10 ingredients in large saucepan. Cook for 10 minutes, then stir in tomato paste. Cover and cook gently, 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender.
2. Cook spaghetti in unsalted water according to package directions.
3. Spoon sauce over drained hot spaghetti and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top.

Calories 260, Fat 2.5g, Sodium 290mg, Sugar 6g, Protein 11g

Another Great AmeriCorps Year

The time is running out for this year's group of AmeriCorps members. Together, they have given thousands of hours in service to the community - tutoring children, running after school programs, teaching nutrition, mentoring, enrichment, and the list goes on and on. They have Made a Difference!

Here are the faces of that service - team pictures from each of seven sites.

Bellevue Elementary

Kawana Elementary

Meadow View Elementary
  

RL Stevens Elementary

Roseland Elementary

Sheppard Elementary/ RAMS

Wright Charter

Good job everyone on this year of service!

Calistoga Afterschool Programs Honor Community Volunteers: Americorps Promise Fellows in Action

Cherri Alcantara & Sonia Ayala, AmeriCorps PROMISE Fellows in Calistoga, CA

Community volunteers are essential to our after school programs at Calistoga Elementary and Calistoga Junior Senior High Schools. Volunteers play various roles in order to support our students—they provide one-on-one tutoring, lead sports activities, lead a variety of clubs, and mentor our youth. In order to show gratitude and appreciation to our volunteers, the Americorps Promise Fellows at Calistoga schools—Sonia Ayala and Cherri Alcantara—coordinated a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on Friday, May 14. 

 Volunteer receives certificate from PF Sonia Ayala

The Volunteer Appreciation was incorporated in the Calistoga After School Programs’ Think Tank and 8th Period & Beyond Annual Pot Luck Dinner. Families, staff, school administration, teachers, students, and volunteers were invited to the dinner. Families brought in delicious main course dishes such as tamales, enchiladas, pasta, salad, and pozole. The event started with a slide show of Calistoga After School activities this year. Sonia and Cherri gave a short welcome telling about their pleasure and enjoyment working with the volunteers. After the speeches, the volunteers received certificates of gratitude. Each volunteer also received a gift bag that included a personalized mug and a constructed wooden sculpture both made and decorated by the After School students. The Pot Luck Volunteer Appreciation Dinner culminated with desserts, raffles and door prizes. Children’s raffle prizes included a goody bag of books, games and various activities for summer activities.

A Volunteer shows an appreciation she received.

The event was truly a community collaboration. Sonia and other community members donated raffle items that helped fundraise money for the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. Local businesses donated items from their stores as door prizes to our families. In addition, two local restaurants provided us discounts on the food purchased for the dinner. The Family and Volunteer Appreciation Dinner not only demonstrated the importance of community involvement and volunteerism for our after school programs, but also our ability to come together as a group. This shows our commitment to our community and brings together a vast representation of the cultures of Calistoga–Latino families, worldly retired intellectuals, leadership of both our schools, and our town.

PF Cherri Alcantera and a Calistoga Volunteer

What's Cookin? Tuesday - Mexican Rice

Kristen Mowers, CalSERVES Nutrition Coordinator

Some Pea History

• Peas were a dietary winter staple of both peasants and royalty in medieval Europe.
• In 1492, Christopher Columbus planted peas in Santo Domingo, where they were quickly adopted by indigenous peoples.
• Easy to grow, peas were commonly planted by early American colonists and later by pioneers traveling west.

Mexican Rice

Serving Size: 1 cup

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup rice

1 medium chopped yellow onion

1 chopped garlic clove

2 hot water

2 chicken bouillon cubes, low sodium

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

3 1/3 cups frozen vegetables (peas and carrots)

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

1. Lightly spray a large saucepan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Add rice to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Stir in onion and garlic. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add hot water, bouillon cubes and tomato sauce, stirring until bouillon cubes are dissolved. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add frozen vegetables. Cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until all moisture is absorbed.
4. Sprinkle cilantro on top of cooked rice. Serve.

Calories 180, Fat 1g, Sugar 3g, Protein 6g

The Best of Summer -Melons!

Kristen Mowers, CalSERVES Nutrition Coordinator

Just the Facts

• On average, it takes about 10 to 15 bee visits for proper pollination to grow melons.
• By weight, the watermelon is the most common melon consumed in America, followed by the cantaloupe and honeydew melon.
• There are many varieties of the “western shipping type” cantaloupe, but since consumers cannot differentiate between them, they are marketed under the general name as “cantaloupe.”
• There are four main varieties of watermelon: allsweet, ice-box, seedless, and yellow flesh. 

Melon Salsa

Serving Size: 1/4 cup Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups seeded and chopped fresh melon, honeydew, cantaloupe or watermelon, (use one kind or a combination)

1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped cucumber

1/4 cup chopped onion, red or white

2 Tablespoons fresh, chopped cilantro or mint (optional)

1/2 - 1 seeded and finely chopped jalapeño or hot sauce to taste

1/4 cup lime juice or lemon juice

1 Tablespoon sugar, white or brown

Instructions:

1. In a medium size bowl, stir together all ingredients.
2. Taste and season with more lemon or lime juice, sugar if needed.
3. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes. Serve with grilled or broiled fish or chicken.

Caution: When handling hot peppers, the oils can cause burning and skin irritation. You can wear clean kitchen gloves or wash hands thoroughly after preparing. KEEP HANDS AWAY FROM EYES.

Calories 15, Fat 0g, Sodium 0g, Sugar 3g, Protein 0g

Roseland Nutition Olympics Carnival

Leah Everett, AmeriCorps Promise Fellow at Roseland Elementary

During TV Turn Off Week this year, Roseland had our Nutrition Olympics Carnival. Once postponed due to bad weather, we kept our fingers crossed on the big day for sunshine. The day arrived, and it was time to celebrate our nutrition education efforts over the year in a fun way!

We had a variety of different centers for kids to take part in, almost all of which were reflected in the TV Turn Off binder or the ever-dependable Power Play curriculum. All of the students were encouraged to try each and every station at least once, then pick their favorites to revisit. This way they were exposed to various types of nutrition and physical education activities, but still had the freedom to revisit the stations they wanted to go to the most. There was no system of rotation; we trusted our kids to visit the centers at their own pace, in their own order.

This was such a great way for us to celebrate TV turn off week, in addition to teaching students about rethinking their drinks and reviewing fruit and vegetable information. We had so much fun on that sunny afternoon and it was a great bonding experience for our students.

 Our kids had such a wonderful time and it helped them relax after weeks of STAR testing. We were happy to comply with this necessary use of curriculum in honor of a way to celebrate the weather, give our kids a fun range of activities, and promote healthy living.