Cesar Chavez Day 2011

Frances Hardie, CalSERVES AmeriCorps VIP Leader 

Community Members receive fresh produce at the Health Fair.

 Spring means just one thing at CalSERVES: Cesar Chavez Day! Our annual health fair at Roseland Elementary is the largest event we hold each year; it requires an enormous amount of effort from all staff, AmeriCorps members, and volunteers. Fortunately, we had tons of great support from our long-term volunteers, former members, and new volunteers!

Brittany and Phil, two previous members, volunteered their services and pick-up truck to help us move an enormous mountain of donated clothing from the office. Our VIPs collected more clothing than we ever could have imagined receiving, and we had no idea how to get it all to Roseland! Fortunately, our great alumni came through in a pinch.

Kids learn bike safety at the Bike Rodeo.

On the day of the fair, we had 15 volunteers helping with everything from the bike rodeo to the farmers market to the clothing drive. Also, our VIPs recruited four stylists to provide free haircuts – over 75 people got their hair cut at Cesar Chavez Day. And, last but not least, Gabby O’Neill from Wright brought a magician to volunteer in the kids’ area and graciously submitted to being hypnotized every hour!

After the fair, everyone was exhausted from a long day of work, but we still had to pack up all of the equipment. Two eighth graders from Wright jumped in and ran around breaking down and moving tables and chairs until everything was packed. Even our students like to volunteer!

Thank you to all of our VIPs and their great recruiting efforts for making Cesar Chavez 2011 such a success.

Students Protest about Snack Choices

Mentors at the Wright Charter After School Program taught their students about work of Cesar Chavez by staging a mock protest. 1st and 2nd grade students made signs and marched around the campus declaring that they deserved the right to choose their own snacks.

"We don't choose your snack!" and  "Let us choose!" were a few of the signs. Everyone who participated had a good time, and learned the value of standing up in defense of human rights.

¡Si se puede!

Pictures of this event were taken by Jena Rufalow, AmeriCorps Team Leader and can be viewed here:
Picasa Album

CalSERVES visits Rep. Lynn Woolsey's office in Santa Rosa, California

Julie McClure, CalSERVES Program Director

 AmeriCorps members, alums, and champions for service came out today to express their support for AmeriCorps and national service.

We came representing CalSERVES and CalSERVES VIP, programs which engages over 250 AmeriCorps members in service in each year both locally and throughout the State. The programs provide vital after school programs, tutoring services, and volunteer development to students and organizations in the highest need communities.

We brought letters from hundreds of people that the program impacts directly. Our service partners are teachers, school administrators, non-profit staff people, and community members who know how vital AmeriCorps is to the community. Direct service recipients, including children and families impacted by the program every day wrote to express what it would mean to them to lose these important services. AmeriCorps alumni wrote eloquently about the important service they engaged in and how it has impacted their lives and the lives of the community for the better.

I have had the privilege of being the director of an AmeriCorps program for over 13 years. In that time I have seen how vital the services of these dedicated individuals are to the community and to the children and families they touch. They have generated and supported over 150,000 volunteers in meaningful service to the community. They have supported the growth and development of over 10,000 students and not in an insignificant way. These AmeriCorps members are mentors and role models to students who desperately need them. They dedicate their lives for a year to our community and in so doing have changed the course for so many students, showing them what is possible and providing them the tools to get there. This program is essential to this community and to who we are as a Country.

It's About Belonging!

Annette Zucconi, CalSERVES Program Manager

 Inclusion is more than the presence of children with disabilities or other special needs in After School Programs; it is about belonging. CalSERVES is proud to administer The After School Inclusion Project where we assist After School programs to better include students with special needs and disabilities while creating this sense of belonging. A focus on belonging benefits all children.


"When inclusive [practice] is fully embraced, we abandon the idea that children have to become ‘normal’ in order to contribute to the world. Instead, we search for and nourish the gifts that are inherent in all people. We begin to look beyond typical ways of becoming valued members of the community, and in doing so, begin to realize the achievable goal of providing all children with an authentic sense of belonging."
—Norman Kunc (1992)

We are working hard to support programs throughout the state of California to acquire the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes to be successful in including all students and with systems at all levels to achieve inclusive after school programs. You can find us at www.californiaafterschool.org, Special Needs tab.

Project Services
Inclusion Project
Strategic Planning Facilitation
Technical Assistance

Inclusion Resources
Resources for Building an Inclusive After School Program
Inclusion Quality Self-Assessment
Kids Included Together
Legal Resources
Library Resources

Professional Development
Inclusion Trainings
National Training Center on Inclusion
Webinar Registration

A Successful School of Rock!

Katie O'Looney-McCormick, CalSERVES Supervising Teacher at Wright Charter

Every year the team leaders of CalSERVES take on the role of facilitator and create a conference for the mentors. The conference provides training for mentors where they need additional support as well as an opportunity for team leader’s to gain experience as workshop facilitators. This year, the conference included topics like: classroom management, improving lessons plans, understanding student standards and more. When the event was over, mentors and team leaders alike were very pleased. The Conference was February 4.

What's Cookin'? Tuesday - Brown Rice Pilaf

The CalSERVES Nutrition Program brings you What's Cookin'? Tuesdays! The theme for February is dried fruit.
 
Reasons to Eat Dried Fruits

One serving of most dried fruits provides:

• A source of dietary fiber (e.g., dates, dried figs, dried plums, raisins).
• Potassium, which the body needs to maintain muscle contractions and a healthy nervous system (e.g., dried plums, raisins).
• Iron, an essential mineral for maintaining the delivery of oxygen throughout the body (e.g., dried figs, raisins).
• A source of calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, B-complex vitamins and magnesium (e.g., dates, dried figs, dried plums, raisins).

Dried Fruit History

• Athenians, including Plato, referred to themselves as “philosykos,” which translates to “friend of the fig.”
• After his failed gold mining venture, Frenchman Louis Pellier introduced Californians to dried plums at his Santa Clara Valley nursery in 1856.
• Raisins are noted in ancient writings as far back as 1490 B.C.E., but it wasn’t until 1876 when Scottish immigrant William Thompson developed a seedless grape variety in the San Joaquin Valley that the raisin industry was launched.
• Early USDA explorer Bernard Johnson became the “father of the California date industry” when he established a research station near the desert town of Mecca in the late 1880s.

For historical timelines, visit: www.harvestofthemonth.com

Brown Rice Pilaf with Sage, Walnuts and Dried Fruit
Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
as needed canola cooking spray
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium stalk celery, ends trimmed and chopped
2 cups brown rice, uncooked
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups fat-free vegetable broth, reduced sodium
1/4 cup dark raisins
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 teaspoon dried sage
2 Tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste


Instructions:

1. Spray the large skillet with canola cooking spray. Heat skillet over medium heat.
2. Sauté onion and celery until tender, about 5 minutes. Add brown rice and sauté for 5 minutes.
3. Add water, broth, raisins, and apricots; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 50 minutes.
4. Stir in walnuts if desired, sage, salt and pepper.
5. Transfer to serving dish. Garnish with fresh sage and serve immediately.

Cost:
Per Recipe: $ 3.03
Per Serving: $ 0.38

Calories 220, fat 1.5g, sodium 130mg, sugar 3g, protein 5g

Happy Valentine's Day from CalSERVES

Just a few hearts from us to you!

Students from Taylor Mountain After School

Artwork from CalSERVES Student 2008