Our Garden is Growing!

Since starting the garden project at Meadow View Elementary School last fall, the CalSERVES crew has accomplished a number of projects and are excited with the progress.

We have completed six new 4 ft X 4 ft X 8 ft planter boxes. To fill the beds, we used existing soil with a donation from Sonoma County Compost. We have begun repairing the irrigation system in the garden. New pipe has been laid underground and all beds have a brand-new drip system with a timer. The next step will be to find and repair a leak in one of the pipes.

We have begun work on our habitat garden, a designated space for native trees, plants, and butterfly friendly flowers. We have planted several species of plants that will attract different insects and animals. This project will be continued over summer.

Finally, we have created a new three-part compost system that can be utilized over summer and during the school year. Summer projects include restoring the outdoor classroom and creating new flower beds from existing cinder blocks. In addition, we have recruited eleven families at our school to help build a bench and support the planting and maintenance of our garden over summer.

Who We Are

Our CalSERVES team have created a fabulous video to share with the world what CalSERVES is all about. A Big Thank You to Patrick McGrath, our amazing videographer/editor/director. And a special thanks to all the CalSERVES AmeriCorps members that lent their voice to this project.

You will find this video and many others on the CalSERVES You Tube Channel!

In Celebration of a Fantastic CalSERVES Year!

On May 31, 2012, the CalSERVES staff and mentors gathered to celebrate the end of yet another fantastic CalSERVES year.

In the 2011-2012 School Year, 110 CalSERVES AmeriCorps members:

• Mentored 1,145 students in After School programs at 6 Elementary schools


• Tutored 382 students in reading


• Served (as of May 1, 2012) a total of 128,625 hours in the community!

Efren Carrillo addresses AmeriCorps members.

The celebration included an appearance from Efren Carrillo, Sonoma County Supervisor and long-time champion of our programs. He told the AmeriCorps members of the tremendous impact they had in the lives of the children they served and pointed out that the kids who come for tutoring and after school "want to be like you". 

Chasing down a clue during the treasure hunt.

There were speeches, awards, a treasure hunt, and dinner. And each site presented a video representing the amazing experiences of the past year. Check out the videos from the event on the CalSERVES YouTube channel. You can also view pictures of the proceedings on CalSERVES Flickr.

Hats off to the graduating AmeriCorps crew!

Congratulations, AmeriCorps Class of 2012! 

Go out and SERVE - wherever life leads.

Meadow View Makes a Difference!

 The AmeriCorps mentors of CalSERVES Meadow View recently spent 90 minutes making the biggest difference they could in our community. Many of our members paired off to do creative projects to help make a difference and contribute to the cleanliness, safety, and overall support of our Santa Rosa neighborhood. We then reconvened to share our stories. Mentors were nominated for specific awards for their efforts. Our challenge winners include:

Furthest Traveled Difference: Olivia and Julianna, who baked snacks to honor employees at Chops, the Redwood Empire Food Bank, and the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Rosa.

Most Creative Difference: Nick and Jovanna, who gave burritos out to homeless folks, cleaned up trash at Julliard Park in downtown Santa Rosa, and helped create a display at the Santa Rosa Library.

Most Meaningful Difference: Gualberto, who completed a special slideshow to share with our students and mentors to remember this amazing year.

Above and Beyond Difference: Kim S. and Maritza, who brought paint and offered to cover up graffiti on private property and businesses.

To honor their efforts and continue the spirit of giving back, the Site Supervisor arranged for each mentor to receive a $25 certificate for Kiva, a non-profit internet-based organization dedicated to finding resources to combat poverty. With painting, appreciations, feeding homeless, organizing libraries, making donations, supporting peers, and giving back to the community…it was a successful 90 minutes of making a difference!

More Ways to Serve!

CalSERVES announces Service Scholars, a service learning and internship opportunity for students who want to make a difference 

 

Martin Luther King once said “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.” That powerful sentiment is central to the vision of our programs as we work to connect the time, energy and talents of those who wish to serve with unmet and pressing community needs. Through a range of service opportunities, from full-time AmeriCorps leadership positions to one-time volunteer experiences, we are able to offer hundreds of people each year the chance to give back to their communities. 

We’re excited to be adding one more opportunity to the mix with the launch of Service Scholars, which places college student interns in our after school programs. Scholars serve as role models and bring focused, inspiring instruction to youth in one of four areas of specialty: Art, STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), PE/Nutrition or Literacy.

Scholars will serve 10 hours a week and earn university credit in the Fall semester, then continue as paid interns for Spring semester and earn a $1500 stipend. A gas stipend will also be provided.

Interested in finding out more? Visit our website or contact us at (888) 560-SERV (7378).

Kindergarten Superstars

For kindergarteners, their first school experience is a time of intense learning, and there are some that need a little extra help to master the curriculum. Kindergarten is a huge foundation and starting point for every student going into the academic K-12 institution and it’s crucial that a student is successful. The skills learned, confidence gained, and the love of learning that is created are necessary so that the rest of their schooling can continue in a positive upwards progression.

At Wright Charter, we bring Kindergarteners into the CalSERVES program in January and even though they are only tutored for half a year, the leaps of academic progress that they can make are comparable to any of our other tutored students. Most of the kindergarteners who come for tutoring are having difficulty mastering the kindergarten skills. And no matter their skill level, all students benefit from a positive relationship that instills the confidence they need to succeed.

This was the case with two specific kindergarteners. They both entered our program as two shy little girls who did not yet know their ABCs. They scored low on their initial assessments and their tutors, Ms. Moran and Ms. Hammer, knew their work was cut out for them. Before any academic progress had even been made, the tutors started creating a strong bond with their students. Soon tutoring became happy, fun, and most importantly a place where they knew they could succeed. With their new motivation, these girls were able to build confidence within themselves, score incredibly well on their final assessments, and start reading their first books. 

I also tutor a couple kindergarteners, and the knowledge that I am able to set this little person on a pathway to success that can hopefully carry them for the rest of their lives, is one of the most rewarding feelings I have ever felt. Ms. Hammer and Ms. Moran agree.

Melissa Boni

Literacy Team Leader

Meadow View Volunteer Spotlight

This month Meadow View would like to shine the spotlight on siblings Alifonzo and Karina Sanchez. Both siblings have been dedicated volunteers since the beginning of the year and now have a solid fan base of mentors and students in after-school. Karina, who is a Kinder volunteer, likes working with the kids especially because “the kids come up and hug you and are so sweet and adorable.”  

Kim Sylvester, Kinder mentor describes Karina as, “amazing; she never lets us down and she is natural with the kids. She’s not afraid to go out there and just play with them.” Maritza Garcia, another Kinder mentor says, “Karina is a dedicated volunteer and you can always rely on her to come through.” Karina helps in all aspects of the Kinder program and often leads reading circles with the kids. Her most recent project is painting a planter box with the kids in front of Room 27. Meadow View is truly lucky to have a volunteer with such natural talent for working with kids. 

Her brother, Alifonzo, is a first grade volunteer and is also a natural at working with kids. The first graders love Thursdays because they know he’ll be there to help with homework and read to them. He fits in well in this tight-knit classroom and is like a second mentor to the kids. Olivia, first grade mentor says, “Alifonzo is the ideal volunteer-he’s reliable and I have complete confidence in him. I hope he continues to volunteer until he’s old and gray.”

            

Both Karina and Alifonzo have been with us since the beginning of the year and have grown considerably in their confidence and skills while working with the students. It’s evident that they truly care about the students of Meadow View and will undoubtedly succeed in any future endeavors they should take on because of their dedication. We wish Karina and Alifonzo the best of luck and hope they come back and volunteer with us again next year!