A Valuable Volunteer

Volunteer Christina Strong works with students at Kawana Elementary.

Kawana Elementary has been honored with an exceptionally devout volunteer in Christina Strong. Aspiring to become a teacher one day, Christina brings a steadfast approach to the CalSERVES after-school program. Her experience continues to be an important stepping-stone in moving forward towards her career of teaching. “I am majoring in Liberal Studies to become a K – 12 teacher and this program offers me everything I need as I am searching for teaching and classroom leadership experience.”


Kawana team members have recognized her hard work. Classroom Leader, Emily Walski, praised Christina’s commitment, “she’s very self-motivated; she comes in to help, figures out where she can lend a hand, and starts working.” This kind of relentless work ethic and passion for teaching makes Christina such a unique and valuable member of the after-school team. Cody Cibart, the volunteer coordinator, added further appreciation, “Christina is great; not only do the mentors and children enjoy her, but she also brings value to our program through her willingness to make a difference.”

Since beginning as a volunteer in early October, Christina has made remarkable progress. In fact, she did such an amazing job as a volunteer that CALSERVES recently decided to hire her as a substitute classroom leader. She is confident going into the future, mentioning that this new position will provide good practice for her career goals.

Volunteers like Christina contribute to the improvement of our community with an unselfish zeal. Her dedication, patience, and desire to improve students’ learning capabilities are the perfect mix of support that the CalSERVES after-program is thrilled to have.

by Cody Cibart and Alex Rowan, AmeriCorps VIP Leaders

Martin Luther King Jr. Day On, Not Off 2013

 “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What Are You Doing for Others?’”

-Martin Luther King Jr.

On Monday morning, AmeriCorps members all gathered in the main building of Catholic Charities. Everyone was eager to get to work due to the amount of work that needed to be done. With the sun brightly shining, the members got right to work on a variety of projects that were all physically demanding.

There were a lot of members who worked on cleaning up the community garden, which meant there was lots of pulling of weeds from the garden beds, shoveling up weeds from the ground, and raking out the extra leaves. Other members were hard at work cutting down rose bushes and cleaning up the excess amount of shrubs around the buildings.

Another group of members cleaned out the front area of the drop-in building, which is very busy throughout the week. A few members also helped out inside the buildings by answering phones, cleaning, and making sandwiches for the residents. AmeriCorps member Lavonne Toso said of her experience: "I really enjoyed talking to the different people that were living there or using the resources given by Catholic Charities."

 Other members moved furniture out of rooms so that they could be painted. The work didn’t just stop at Catholic Charities because there was another group who went to Julliard Park to landscape, plant, and cleanup the area. AmeriCorps member Alex Rowan said of the work at Julliard Park: "From weeding to planting ferns around the park, we all felt great getting our hands dirty and giving back to the community."

 During this rewarding time of service, there were smiles, laughter, and joyous conversations happening everywhere. The CalSERVES AmeriCorps team really came together to get things done for America and to follow through with the vision of Martin Luther King Jr. AmeriCorps member Ashley Schalich noted: "I really enjoyed seeing how much our group accomplished in such a short amount of time - everyone worked together to make a noticeable, significant change for our local community."

 Working together for a greater cause is not unusual for this team and after seeing the difference that their services provided on this day, it’s clear that these members continually serve their community straight from their heart.

 Martin Luther King Jr. said it best: “Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” 

by Sandra Hwang, CalSERVES AmeriCorps Leader

A Day On, Not a Day Off for CalSERVES

On January 21,2013, CalSERVES will be partnering with Catholic Charities and the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County to provide service for the community.

“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and
should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”

With Dr. King’s words in mind, AmeriCorps members will be assisting several projects including:

• Painting the dining room, scrubbing and reorganizing the kitchen, creating intake packets, shredding items, and garden maintenance at the family support center; 
• Providing landscaping work for Julliard Park and Catholic Charities’ complex; 
• Clearing bushes, weeds, and cigarette butts at a homeless service center.

For this group of dedicated AmeriCorps members, it will truly be a
Martin Luther King Day On, Not a Day Off.