Amidst the rabble-rousing and commands to repent, the Elliott Avenue crosswalk occasionally offers an actual opportunity to make a positive impact for yourself and someone else. CalSERVES, a branch of AmeriCorps, the domestic Peace Corps, sets up a tent for a few weeks at Elliott Avenue. every semester, registering SRJC students to volunteer at local elementary schools.
AmeriCorps volunteers come from all over the country, but according to Kim Copperberg, site supervisor at Meadow View Elementary, two-thirds of the Sonoma County branch of CalSERVES is comprised of SRJC and Sonoma State students.
CalSERVES mentors work with students providing literacy and one-on-one tutoring, along with an after-school program offering homework help as well as specialties such as physical education, hygiene, and nutrition at eight schools, mostly in southwest Santa Rosa.
Taylor Ford, local VIP coordinator,* heard about CalSERVES during an in-class presentation at SRJC.
“I thought it sounded like a lot of fun, and something different…I joined, and they haven’t been able to kick me out since,” Ford said.
A Chico State transfer hopeful, Ford changed her major to early childhood education. “I had no idea I wanted to work with kids, and loved it so much, and was actually really good at it, until I did CalSERVES,” she said.
As part of the nutrition program, CalSERVES helps to set up a garden at each school, teaching the children about organically grown produce and sending them home with the fruits of their labor after harvest.
At Roseland Elementary they grow corn, tomatoes, and raspberries; at Sheppard Elementary, Ford said. “The really big one they get is greens, collard greens for days.” However, the garden at Meadow View has fallen on tough times. A fire on the first day of school left it, as Copperberg said, “It’s crispy, it’s burned, and it needs some love.”
Though it will not take place on the official holiday, on March 12, 2011 at Roseland, CalSERVES will have its annual Cesar Chavez day farmer’s market and health clinic. Families unable to afford health insurance can bring their children to receive dental cleanings, eye exams, and general health check-ups, all for free.
After school, between homework tutoring and silent reading time, CalSERVES mentors lead the children through various projects. One such project involved the kids reading “Judy Moody Saves the World,” a children’s book explaining the importance of recycling and environmental responsibility, in a group. After finishing the book they split up into project groups, researching and creating a poster on one of California’s endangered species, such as the California condor.
An exercise to help create an atmosphere of positive reinforcement, the children pass around a sheet of paper with their names on it for the rest of the group to write something nice about them on. For fun, they vote for a game to play, deciding on telephone. Fortunately the game was just to give the kids a break from work, because what started as “Sandy sells seashells by the seashore,” ended up as “Candycans, candycans, candycans.”
While teaching the kids basketball, mentor Caroline Miazgowicz said of her experience with CalSERVES, “It’s long days, but I think it’s really rewarding. At the end of the day you’re exhausted, but definitely feel like you’ve done something, you’ve helped someone out.” To register for CalSERVES, visit their booth on Elliott Avenue next semester, or go to http://www.calserves.org.
*Correction: The article originally referred to Taylor Ford as manager of Roseland programs.