Holt 1.2.1

"A" in geometry

2009-06-22T20:57:00.001-07:00

We are so proud of Edgar for earning an "A" in geometry. Thanks. I think of seeing him outside his house working on the crate. Not the homework conditions I had when I was working on my high school homework. I know many of our leaders worked diligently to get him through the year. Let's keep an eye out for more Math tutors. And in the meantime, lets celebrate this very BIG victory of Edgar's.

life house, ccve & holt 1.2.1 summer kick off picnic

2009-06-22T20:43:00.001-07:00

huntington gardens

2009-05-18T20:49:00.000-07:00

Just before the kids' spring break, we took some of the younger/elementary school-aged kids to Huntington Gardens as a reward for their continued good job in school.

Gospel Sing

2009-02-19T16:52:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we took many of the kids to a concert at Azusa Pacific University. Here are some good pictures of the day.

Intro

2009-01-24T11:02:00.000-08:00

My hope with this blog is to tell the story of an amazing group of kids I have loved working with for the past year. I regret having not started this blog along the way and recognize playing catch up leaves out so many of the details and memories of our journey. For those of you who have poured your life into this project, first of all THANKS. You are my heroes. And second of all, I know I have left out many, many, many snapshots of our work thus far. I only hope to do a better job this year of celebrating the wonderful work happening in the lives of these amazing kids.

Pragmatically, please keep in mind the empty house next door to our center. The immediate good news is that appears as thought the drug dealers have moved out. The concern is now the kids are hanging there all of the time which presents a different set of dangers. But how cool would it be if we could somehow have access to that property (the field behind it would be amazing!) to use as community center for not only the kids we already work with but the many, many others who live in that neighborhood.

Christmas Party Pictures

2009-01-24T10:41:00.000-08:00

Through some friends at AT&T, we were able to give all of the kids at the center stockings full of gifts. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we also made ornaments for the tree and Santa Hats.

Inside the center...

2009-01-22T13:43:00.001-08:00

Puddingstone Lake '08

2009-01-22T13:24:00.001-08:00

Pool Parties

2009-01-22T12:53:00.001-08:00

Over the summer, we took the kids to the CCV pool a few times a week to join the junior group for swimming and fun. Here are some highlights/pics.

Corona Del Mar Beach Trip

2009-01-22T12:43:00.001-08:00

Community Garden

2009-01-22T12:37:00.000-08:00

Late last spring, the property manager planted a community garden for the families living in the park. Sometimes our kids are involved and sometimes they aren't but here are some pictures of the fun project.

Summary of 2007-2008 School Year/Highlights

2009-01-22T12:33:00.000-08:00

In 2008 we accomplished the following “feats”:

· Three students graduated from 8^th grade excited to succeed in high school

· Eight new mentors committed to investing in the program

· As a community we cleaned an adjacent field for the children to use for sports

· Within the trailer park we created a community garden & basketball court

· Together we have gone on four outings – Dodgers Game, Skate Park, Pool Party and a visit to a local university.

isabella

2009-01-22T12:31:00.000-08:00

Seven-year old B and his six-year old brother F were likeable but at times fairly clingy. They and their three younger siblings lived in a small rundown camper in a humble trailer park in an under resourced area of Pomona that some friends of mine and I have been working at – offering a blend of homework help and mentoring a few days a week. All of us were very upset a few months ago when their family was evicted worrying about what would become of the children. The kind hearted property manager shared the children had already been placed in protective custody once because of their young parents’ dysfunctions. The family moved into a one room residential hotel known for drug use and prostitution across the street from the trailer park which allowed them to still come in the afternoons when we were at the center.

Last week, B and F’s two-year old sister, Isabella died. The cause of the death is yet to be determined but their mother has been charged and their father subsequently deported. The LA times described blunt force to the child’s head and the obvious signs of malnourishment as likely causes. Isabella died in front of all of her siblings who remain in protective custody. The families in the park said the boys put her to bed and that she died of sadness.

They hosted a car wash and sold tamales over the weekend to raise money for the funeral and proper burial. The only picture of the girl was a shot taken from a cell phone by another resident in the park. We helped that woman print out that picture, adding Isabella’s birth and death dates and a cite from Psalm 23 to be used at the funeral.

Dana's Story

2009-01-22T12:27:00.000-08:00

An excerpt from Dana:

This semester I got involved as an intern for SAY Yes! to start an after school program in Pomona. When I said I would do it, I had no idea where it was, how many kids would be there, or really what we would even do there. All I knew was that a trailer park in Pomona had kids and was in need of tutors. So in January I arrived at the trailer park with my boss. I found out that the community is, in fact, made up of trailers, or small little houses. The community is predominately Latino, and it is full of kids!

Jen and I recruited some people from Azusa Pacific University and her church, Christ Church of the Valley. We started off going only on Wednesdays. We would show up, do homework with whoever was willing, and hang out with the kids, building relationships. The ages of the students range from kindergarten through tenth grade. There are about 20-25 kids who come and they are definitely a family. Many of them have grown up together their whole lives.

Once we started to build relationships and get to know their situation, we decided to start brainstorming about how we wanted to organize and implement an after school program. With the amount of volunteers, we decided to extend the program and come every Monday and Wednesday. We also saw the need for them to do homework. There is such a high drop out rate in high school, one of our main goals is to encourage the kids and let them know that they are smart enough and able to succeed in school work. We also saw the huge need for the kids to “get away” from their everyday environment and experience new things. Another thing we saw was the huge need to emphasize the importance of respect. Not just respect to us, but first to themselves, and than to others.

With the desire to implement the importance of respect, we put our heads together and decided to come up with a point system. We started off saying that each day they could earn up to 9 points. They get three points just for showing up, three points for doing homework, and three points for respecting themselves, each other, and us. After a while we found that it was too complicated to keep track of so many points, so we reduced it down to three a day- 1 for showing up, 1 for doing homework, and 1 for respect. Then, each time we would plan a field trip, we would only let them go if they had enough points.

Throughout this semester we have taken them to a couple of different places. Our first field trip we took them to was Gospel Sing at APU. I went and got some pizza and opened up my Mod for us to have a pizza party, than we all went over to west campus and watched Gospel Sing. The field trip was a success. They all loved seeing my place and hanging out, we have a tree swing in our court and that was a big hit with them. They also enjoyed Gospel Sing. I think over all they really enjoyed being on a college campus. One of the 8^th grade girls told her mom afterwards that she wants to go to college so she can have her own place like I do (I don’t know if that should be her main motivation to go to college, but at least it’s a start!). Some of these kids have never had relationships with college students, nonetheless been on a college campus. It was a good experience for them.

The next trip, Stewart Joslyn (a very dedicated volunteer from APU) and I decided to take three of the boys to our friends soccer game. We told the three guys in advance, but reminded them that they had to get enough points in order to go. When the time came, we found out the Jose, one of the boys, did not have enough points. He was a pretty rowdy boy who picked on the little kids a lot and did not listen to us very much. So reluctantly we had to tell him that he could not go. It was our first time to do this and it was really hard and emotional for me. Jose immediately started crying and ran away from us. I was really praying that not allowing him to come would motivate him to step it up and start respecting others more. Although, I was worried that it would have the opposite effect and just drive him away. The next time we came Jose was there, and we have seen almost a 100% improvement in him. He really has worked at building relationships with the volunteers and has been very respectful and responsible. It was neat to actually see positive results.

Since then, we have done other trips as well. We took them to a SAY Yes! game day. Also, during their spring break, since they did not have homework, we just played fun, random, “youth group” games with them. We also took them to a skate park and spent the whole day with them, making fun crafts with the girls and watching the boys skate around. We also took them to a dodger game. One of the volunteers from CCV made lunch and we all sat in the parking lot, ate lunch, and than went and watched the game. This past weekend we took them to a man’s house, from CCV. They have a pool, a hot tub, a nice game room with tons of games, and a trampoline. The kids loved it. We have received such positive responses from the kids. It has been really fun to take them places and hang out with them.

This whole semester has been an amazing time to build relationships with them. God has really been in the midst of this program. He cares about this community and loves these kids so much. It has been an amazing opportunity for God to use us as instruments for his love. It has not only been us giving love to the kids, but also the kids showing us Gods love. I guarantee every volunteer that is in our program has been greatly impacted by these kids and their community. As Shane Claiborne writes on page 46, “I became quite disenchanted with the church, though I was still fascinated by Jesus.” That is exactly how I have felt this semester. I have had a really hard time feeling connected to a church community. This semester, the church has not been the one that has drawn me closer to Jesus. This community, the love of these kids, has made me fall more and more in love with Jesus. I definitely look at each and every kid, no matter what their situation and see the face of God in them. Just as it says in Listening to the Heartbeat of God, by J. Philip Newell, “…God’s image is to be found in every person, both male and female” (13).

My title for this program is Pomona intern. I have a boss that I work under, but I have still had a lot of flexibility and creative room. It has really been more of a team effort in the creation of this program. Everyday, we go we have group time with the kids where we all sit together in a circle and talk about our next field trip, the point system, respect, what is going on, and more. We also have one of us and/or one of the kids share about them selves and have others ask them questions. One of our main goals was for our program to really feel like a community or family. I’ve been able to help lead group time. I also am the one to keep track of points. The kids see me as one of the leaders. But honestly, it is such a group effort. All of us put our two cents in and share our ideas with each other.

One of my main points this semester was to make sure that we worked at empowering the community. I have been really conscious about not just being rich white people that come in and want to implement our own ideas and change their community to how we think it should be changed. That has definitely been a big struggle for me. It is hard to find that balance, and I feel like we have definitely crossed the line at times. For group time I really stress the point that we are there for the kids and we want to do what they want to do. One time, we got an idea to clean up a near by field that was full of trash and overgrown in weeds, in order to make a soccer field for them. We started planning it, but than I realized that we hadn’t even asked the kids yet if that was something they wanted to do! During group time we ended up asking them, and all of them wanted to do it. We made sure that it would not be just us doing all of it. It ended up going really well, all of the kids showed up early Saturday morning and ended up helping us all day and working really hard. That was really encouraging.

I still am constantly thinking about and striving toward the idea of empowering the community and the kids opposed to the idea of just being a charity. One day I was really wresting with that idea and decided to write an e-mail to my boss about it. Here is some of what I said to her:

I have some different questions running through my mind. With my global studies classes, we have really been taught the importance of empowering communities and helping them help themselves, and how much more beneficial that is than just being charity for them. So lately I’ve been just thinking and questioning ways in which we can empower the community. For instance, Pastor Jose’s idea of TESOL classes for the parents is GREAT! That is a perfect way to help them help themselves and give them a sense of empowerment. I really feel like our after school program has been doing a good job of seeking to empower the kids. I definitely believe that coming along side of them and helping and encouraging them to do their homework is a way of empowering them. Also teaching them the value of respect. And then of course loving on them and giving them fun opportunities to get away, be kids, and have fun is a nice bonus- and helps with relationship building.

But I still want to see more. I am really searching and striving to find ways where we can really come along side the community and empower them. I really do think that TESOL programs are a perfect example. Many of the parents could get better jobs and be more involved in the children’s lives if they knew better English. It will be interesting to see how the classes go once they get started up. I would love it if we could find some ways to get the older kids jobs, or something. I still do not know, but I know that I want our program to continue to move forward. I recognize that we can do none of it without the Lord. Honestly the Lord has really brought this whole thing together, and I trust that he will continue to guide us and the community in the direction that he wants if we continue to seek him.

As I mentioned earlier, I did not have very many expectations for this program. But if I did have any expectations, I feel like I would have exceeded them. I have absolutely fallen in love with the kids. They have really stolen my heart from me. I love each and every one of them. It has been so amazing to get to know them and see their situation and background. Through learning more about their lives I have been able to see what makes them behave the way they do. For example, there are two brothers, one is in second grade, one is in third grade. They are extremely clingy. They hang all over us and constantly demand our attention. Sometimes I get frustrated and tell them to stop, but usually I tickle them and love on them. One day I found out their family was evicted from the trailer community. I asked why and found out that their dad is a major drug addict and does not pay rent very much. I also found out that they have three younger siblings; one of them is only a couple months old. No wonder they are starving for attention! There are many other situations similar to this. It has been really interesting to understand their backgrounds and thus find ways in which we can deal with and help their behavior “issues.”

As mentioned earlier, poverty severely affects children’s lives in many different ways. Many youth who live in poverty have hard/broken families. Many of them are subjected to gangs and pushed into the life of crime and violence. Many of them do not have anyone to encourage them or care about them so they give up and drop out of school. Many of them do not have the love and encouragement even to believe that they are worth something, that they are precious children who have great potential. The problem is not only in Pomona, or Skid Row. It is throughout this world. There are a HUGE number of street children and children living in extreme poverty throughout the world. There are so many children that do not know what it feels liked to be loved and cared for. There are many children who are forced to become adults at such a young age. It is heart breaking. It is something that needs to be addressed and changed. Our program at Pomona is amazing. I really feel like God’s love is impacting these children greatly. But in the scheme of things, it is just reaching these 20 + youth in Pomona. What about the millions of youth throughout the world? I believe that empowering one child at a time is in its own way “changing the world.” I just pray that there are more people in this world that will hear Gods voice speak to their hearts- calling them to reach the youth of this world. They are the future, they are God’s children and he cares about them so much.

Spring Break Fun...

2009-01-22T12:20:00.000-08:00

Last spring break we did a bunch of fun stuff with the kids. I am only sorry we don't have pictures from the Dodger Game.

Field Clean Up Project -- Part II

2009-01-22T12:13:00.000-08:00

Last March, some of us gathered to clean a field...

the previous pictures were the before pics

the picture above is just after the clean up.

here is my description of the day:

I am not sorry that on this drizzly Saturday morning I got out of bed to help clean up a field that belongs to a drug dealer. I am not sorry that my back hurt most of the day and that part of the clean up included picking up a clearly used syringe. I am not sorry that just a week earlier in the same location some friends of mine witnessed a shooting. I am not sorry that by the day’s end I was “nailed” by a soccer ball as I stood a little too close to the newly cleaned field’s christening. And I am least of all not sorry that my twelve dollar tennis shoes from Big5 were ruined by the entire endeavor.

Today, with the help of some amazing students from APU whose dedication and love for the community inspires me, I helped clean a field adjacent to a rundown trailer park in a rough part of Pomona that by our count more than 30 children call home. I think there were about ten of us who didn’t live in the community and we were greatly outnumbered by the children and youth while many of their parents looked on. Before the day ended, we mowed, weed-whacked and trash picked an area big enough to create a healthy soccer field I am hopeful will be the site of many, many games in the coming weeks and months.

Since January, I have been hanging out in Pomona once a week to try to help some “at-risk children.” This weekly gig has been an absolute blast touching my soul in a way few things ever have. Most days I leave sad it will be another week before I can return. I have thought so much about how to write about this amazing journey I’m scared my words will scarcely be able to reflect the richness I have felt in what on paper seems like such a simple thing.

I found myself at this place because I answered an ad in my church bulletin. As unlikely as that might sound, but there I was at church last fall reading an opportunity humbly described as “tutors needed to help underprivileged kids living in Pomona.” I thought as the director of an afterschool program for homeless children in LA’s skid row I might be uniquely qualified for this. I contacted Pastor Jose who told me the back story of how the woman who served as the care taker for this small community asked if he could help find people to help the resident’s children.

The small trailer park, where many of the units are dilapidated campers, has a permanent building designated as “Pomona Gardens Tutoring Center” adorned with the most basic needs a school aged child would require to complete their homework. My executive director empowered me to spend one day a week on this project in Pomona despite the distance from downtown.

In two months this whole journey has exceeded my expectations. The first day there were just two of us and the children overwhelmed us. Within a week, we had more than doubled our adult ratio and the quality and caliber of those who came has been a complete blessing. Now we have divided to be on site two days a week growing our relational capacity. As well, a few weeks ago we took the children to a concert at a local concert and were overwhelmed by the response.

And in those hours I am there, I do a fair amount of tutoring. But more so, I am hearing these amazing resilient new friends’ stories. They are stories of hope, stories of what might one day be and stories of lives lead in the most harrowing of situations. I believe in this community and have so many dreams for it. I love that I get to call this “work,” and long for the day when I might get to see some of those dreams come to fruition.

Field Clean Up Project -- Part I

2009-01-22T12:07:00.000-08:00

The Need...why Pomona?

2009-01-22T12:04:00.001-08:00

The Need

· 21.6% of Pomona’s population lives below the poverty line including 27.4% of those under age 18.

These impoverished children live amid gang violence, crime, drug use and prostitution making them “at-risk.” “At-risk” of becoming another terrible statistic – a high school dropout, a teenage parent, a victim of gang violence, a drug dealer, a prostitute or living a life of incarceration.

· One in six Latinos boys born 2001 will end up in prison.

Nearly 65% of Pomona’s population is Latino. 100% of those we work with are Latino. Only 17 % of Latino 4^th graders are reading at grade level versus 42 % of their white counterparts. Only 15 % of Latino 8th graders perform at grade level in math versus 41% of their white counterparts.

Risk factors for a child a child’s “success” include:

Poverty, family composition of either single parents, teenage parents, alcohol- or substance-abusing parents, abuse or neglect, poor school quality, and exposure to violence and substance abuse

From Skateboarding to Long Division

2009-01-21T23:17:00.000-08:00

Our work can be encapsulated into from skateboarding to long division...

Our Story

2009-01-21T22:35:00.000-08:00

Purpose…Holt 1.2.1 exists to provide the families living in a southern california mobile home park the tools to break the cycle of poverty. We are growing a neighborhood based learning center on site we envision as becoming a setting for the at-risk children and their families of the community to thrive academically, socially and spiritually.

Vision…Our primary focus is connecting the at-risk children and youth residing in the park with committed adult mentors. We believe the investment of these mentors will help each child develop the tools to be “successful” – in fleshing out help with everything from long division to skateboarding we see ourselves as cultivating each child’s assets enabling each one to thrive.

Our Story… We serve in a trailer park is made up of approximately 35 units where 50 children live. On-site is a room devoted to promoting the children and youth’s educational needs. Without question, ours is a work in-progress standing on the cusp of unlimited potential. Our open door to the community began with an invitation from the property manager to leadership of CCV (Christ’s Church of the Valley, San Dimas) to offer any type of help to the children living in the park. With the support of veteran agency, CCCO (Central City Community Outreach) this endeavor has grown from a few like-minded individuals opening a humble space for the kids of a under resourced community into a team of ten who have transformed that effort into a grass roots mentoring program not bound by CCV or CCCO.