Friday, January 27, 2012

Senior Volunteers in Israel

I recently had the privilege to travel to Israel through the Boston-Haifa Learning Exchange, sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston.  Several other non-profit leaders also made the trip and we spent 8 days together exploring some of the  complex layers of Israeli society.

My time in Haifa, a port city in the North, was the main reason for this journey.  It was there that I spent four days meeting with Israeli non-profit leaders and social activists, walking through busy neighborhoods, visiting small businesses, eating and smelling wonderful foods. The Haifayim (group from Haifa) will visit us in  Boston in May.

Of course, I wanted to observe senior volunteers in action! I met Michal, a retired social worker who now volunteers twice a week at a kindergarten school.  On the  day of my visit,  Michal was eagerly engaged with the children on a lesson about street safety.  While I didn’t understand the language, it was clear what was being said.  The kids created red and green traffic lights, and with Michal’s help, rolled out a striped 4 foot wide, 12 foot long “sidewalk”.  They practiced holding hands, waiting for the signal to turn green, looking both ways, and crossing the street. For the second part of the lesson, she explained the importance of wearing seat belts in the car. One youngster burst out, “My mommy doesn’t wear a seat belt!”  So Michal went through a wonderful explanation that sometimes little kids can teach adults a lot, and that if the child tells her Mom why it’s so important to wear her seat belt, she probably would buckle up. I can guess what the discussion might have been between the 5 year old and Mom on the way home that day.

After class, I asked Michal why she volunteers. “My grown children and my grandchildren live in the US. I miss being near them. I volunteer so I can have a connection to children.”

That afternoon, a Boston colleague (Michael Weekes) and I visited a public school for children with Muscular Dystrophy and Cerebral Palsy. These kids are very disabled. There are 80 students in the school, and they represent a true cross section of Israel:  Jewish, Muslim, Christian children. There are 60 professional staff and 20 volunteers so on any given day there are nearly as many adults as students. The school boasts incredible therapies for the children, including garden therapy and aqua therapy.   The  volunteers are highly trained and many that I saw were assisting children with their meals.  Eating is not easy when you have no ability to control your hands.   Galit, the school principal, and Debby, the school’s social worker, showed us around.  They said that volunteers are needed to compliment  the very best care and education for the children.   When we were about to leave, Mike and I observed an 7 year old boy, trying to put one foot forward in front of the other with the help of a walker and leg braces. He was very tentative, perhaps because we were present. We both  gave him our best thumbs up and big smiles and a  lot of encouragement. In seconds, his confidence was restored and he was walking through the room, laughing with joy.  That’s  when I teared up. This little guy has such a hard climb ahead. But he  knows joy.

Civic engagement is a huge part of Israeli life. It starts early when teens are encouraged to volunteer in community and when most young adults serve in the Army. It is clear that the presence of volunteers in the two settings that I visited make a huge difference, for the very same reasons that it makes a difference here. People feel connected to others when they serve. And the kids who are served know that others  care about them and want to help. A price tag cannot be placed on this mutual benefit.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Saving Service: Don’t Forget the Older Adults

(L-R) Dorothy Dottin, Mal Coles, Betty Smith, Caroline Trowbridge, Patrick Corvington, Mary Gunn, Akemi Minami, and Bill Wolff

The threats to national service are very serious.  Congress wants to eliminate or greatly reduce funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that oversees AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, AmeriCorps VISTA, and other programs.

Thankfully there have been many debates about this, thousands of phone calls to legislators, newspaper editorials, and an active web presence to Save Service.  In most arguments, the discussion settles on the thousands of young adults in service to America and the millions of people they serve.

My organization benefits hugely from these young Americans, and every year we welcome about 40 new AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps  VISTA members who dedicate a  year of service, sometimes two, to our mission.

AND they are joined, day in and day out, by over 300 older adults, all Experience Corps members, who tutor young children in literacy.  They range in age from 55-90. They serve between 5-20 hours every week, year after year.  They are black, white, hispanic, and asian.  They are retired teachers, secretaries, and advertising executives.  They serve to seek meaning and they make an impact. For many this service is their “encore career”.

Their impact  was clearly on display yesterday when CNCS CEO Patrick Corvington and Atlantic Regional Director Mal Coles visited the Blackstone School in Boston.  The Blackstone is one of Boston’s 13 “turn-around schools”, a designation given by the state when a school fails to meet Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) for several consecutive years.

Corvington and Coles met with members from Experience Corps to see how service programs are affecting the turn-around effort in public schools.  Joining us was a team of City Year members who also serve at the Blackstone.

Lisa Lineweaver, the school’s  Director of Accelerated Improvement had this to say: “Experience Corps  members, by working with students in grades K-2, are helping to turn this school around.  The progress that students are making  is significant, and it is due in part to the work of Experience Corps.  We need this extra help, and we can’t accomplish our goals without them and without other partners like City Year.”

Our guests were impressed.  “Tell your story”,  Mr. Corvington advised.  “We are in a fight. Most people don’t know the impact that service organizations are making, especially in education.”

So let’s not forget the powerful contributions that older adults are making all across the nation as we talk about “saving service”.  It’s not just for young adults.  It’s for everyone.  And we need everyone’s help not only to turn around under-performing schools, but to turn around communities in need.

Friday, March 11, 2011

No Alternative But to Close Some Boston Schools

RE “BIAS complaint shouldn’t slow wise plan to fix Boston schools’’ (Editorial, March 2)

Our literacy volunteers serve every day in Boston public elementary schools. The bias complaint by the Black Educators’ Alliance of Massachusetts asks for a reversal of the decision to close nine schools because it adversely affects students of color. Boston Public Schools students are largely students of color, and nearly any school that is closed would adversely affect this population. If the alliance is successful, it would force another long round of painful decisions and community process that would impede progress. There is no alternative but to close schools. There is a deficit of more than $60 million, and there are too many empty seats and schools that have performance issues.

Mary Gunn

Friday, March 4, 2011

Non-Profits Taking Hits

This week the  Boston Globe had another stinging article about excessive non-profit CEO pay at one of our largest health insurance companies.

Our sector is getting some bad press these days because of this, as well as outrageous golden parachutes, double dipping, and outright fraud. Thankfully the Attorney General is looking into this because these excesses are hurting the rest of us.

Most not- for-profit organizations (NPOs) struggle to raise the dollars needed to accomplish our missions. Our board members are not paid and instead make voluntary contributions of time, money and  expertise. Most personnel including the CEO receive modest pay, some even live at poverty level while providing critical support.

The large NPO circle in which I walk takes pride in our integrity to mission, ethics beyond compare, and highly talented staff who care about the people we serve. Boston is crowded with non-profits, some say there are too many.

And we  either help YOU or someone YOU know. Often, our sector is seen as one which helps the poor. Thankfully this is true.

But here’s the rub. Families across all income levels have someone struggling with addiction,  mental illness, or disability. Middle class families, like the poor,  have children in day care or after school programs. If environmental, peace, and human rights advocates were to abandon their work, the consequences would be frightening. Community orchestras and Little Leagues  bring us great joy. Places of worship provide spiritual nourishment. We all benefit from this sector either directly or indirectly.

If you are reading this, I am preaching to the converted. But please post this on FB or Twitter. Most NPOs do great good, do it well, and do it ethically.

Yours in service,

Mary

(I’ve always disliked the word “non profit”. Doesn’t “Social Profit” have a nicer ring?)

Friday, February 4, 2011

Jody Acford 1955-2011

On January 31, Experience Corps Member Joanne Acford, “Jody”,  passed away at age 55.  She served at the Emerson Elementary School in Roxbury, volunteering in Ms. Cartwright’s third grade classroom.  Her funeral was attended by a huge crowd, standing room only, a wonderful tribute to a very accomplished person who gave of herself over and over again.   The epitaph below, written by Ms. Cartwright and read at the funeral, speaks volumes as to the impact Jody made on the children and on Ms. Cartwright.

“My 3rd grade class and I only knew Jody from the beginning of this school year but we all feel that Jody made a difference in our classroom experience. Jody volunteered two days a week in my classroom and from the first day connected with the children in a very emotional and physical way. The children were very upset when they were told the news of Jody’s passing today and shared these remembrances with each other.
She made us feel better when we were sad.
She patted me on the back and said that things would get better.
She always tried to make things easier for us when we were reading with her.
When I wasn’t feeling good she cheered me up by letting me sit closer to her and letting me snuggle up in her jacket.
She brought treats in for us to eat.
By the way she smiled at us we could tell she liked working with children.
She helped us learn.
She would speak privately with us about our problems.
She helped us understand words we didn’t know.
When Ms. Cartwright was out she helped the substitute without being asked to.

Jody was a very specal person and I am grateful for the short time that she was able to be in my life and the student’s lives. She thanked us for letting her come in and volunteer! We should have been the ones thanking her. As you can see from the children’s remembrances that she was much more than a reading volunteer – she was a warm and loving person who cared about them. She went above and beyond and we will miss her. Always, Patty Cartwright”

Our hearts go out to Jody’s husband, Steve,  her children Ben and Megan,  and her huge circle of friends.   We were lucky to have Jody as a part of our Experience Corps program.  Rest in Peace, Jody.  Thank you for everything.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Raising the Bar for Excellence

Generations Incorporated is all about high standards–for our people, our programs, and our partners. That’s why we were delighted when Experience Corps, one of our most important partners,  recently issued its “National Growth Strategy”.  This document spells out how  Experience Corps will double in size over the next 5 years and the new service standards that will be required in order for expansion to be successful.

Photograph by Maria Barletta

Growth of this magnitude can only be sustainable with a framework of finely-tuned but innovative systems that ensures excellence, encourages  replicability, has a  multi-year revenue plan,  and solid management.

The new standards will affect all Experience Corps affiliates around the nation.  Generations Incorporated is ahead of the curve with the implementation of many of these changes:

1. A focus  on literacy in Kindergarten through Grade 3 that allows us to devote all of our resources to the youngest children and to make an impact in the earliest grades. It also aligns with Boston Public School priorities for literacy.

2. A requirement of 20 hours of training for all Experience Corps members, doubling our current number of training hours. With the new “Training to Go” program, we make it possible for members to receive training in the exact location where they serve.  We have sharpened our training, focusing on the literacy needs of schools and after school programs.

3.  Doubling the amount of time dedicated to Classroom Literacy. Our volunteers will make an 8 hour per week commitment to serve inside a classroom.  This is welcome news to classroom teachers, giving them another resource for literacy support.  Teacher requests for this program  are at an all-time high and we currently serve 87 classrooms.

4. A goal that each student in the  Reading Coaches Program will receive at least 35 sessions per year. We know from the 2007 Washington University study that students who receive at least 35 sessions show greater increases in basic literacy skills than those who attend fewer sessions. We are working very hard with our school partners and with parents to meet this goal.

5.  All Experience Corps members will serve minimally 5 hours per week. Generations Incorporated is one of the few affiliates that rely very heavily on non-stipended volunteers.  Only 1 in 3 volunteers receive a stipend and they agree to serve at least 8 hours per week.  Asking others to increase their commitment has been met with enthusiasm.  This commitment is one of the highest in the country for any volunteer program.

High standards only work when their implementation works.  The Experience Corps Program at Generations Incorporated is on the cutting edge of this implementation. We look forward to the growth of this important program in the coming months and years.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Starting 2011 with a Bang!

In January, our Experience Corps Program will expand to two new schools in Dorchester. The Holland Elementary School and the Dever-McCormick K-8 School are two of the City’s largest “turn around” schools. Mid-year start-ups are rare for Generations Incorporated, but the timing is actually good.

Both schools have suffered from under-performance issues for several years. Now, with new principals in place, new strategies to address the inadequacies,  and many new teachers, a huge effort is underway to improve academic achievement for the students in these two schools. At the Dever-McCormick School, located adjacent to U. Mass Boston, the need is for literacy support for the students in kindergarten and first grade. At the Holland School, in the Bowdoin-Geneva neighborhood of Dorchester, the need is for literacy support for oral language development  for 7 classrooms of kindergartners (K1 and K2).

We will begin the year at each school with small teams of 5-6 Experience  Corps members. They will be accompanied by a Site Team Leader for each team. Our hope is that by September, 2011, the teams at both schools will double in size, enabling us to serve twice as many children. The mid-year start also gives us the opportunity to really learn the schools, the cultures, the teachers, and the students so that by September, we will easily be ready to scale.

Mass Mentoring Partnership assisted in developing  the partnership with the Holland School.  Generations Incorporated along with Big Brother, Big Sister of Massachusetts and Big Sister of Greater Boston will all move into the Holland School together in January, with a coordinated effort to serve different grades and different students.

Mass 2020 assisted us in the partnership with the Dever McCormick School. As a state and national advocate and leader for longer school days, Mass 2020 is assisting schools who add more time to their day. Trends in education are happening fast and furiously, some as a result of recent reform efforts, and some as innovative change that makes really good sense in the 21st century.

We are honored to be partners with these new schools and with their respective turn-around efforts.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Services for Manny

Services for Manuel Fernandes will be this Saturday from 10am – 12pm at Riley Funeral Home.

171 Humboldt Avenue
Dorchester, MA 02121
(617) 427-5625

There will be a repass following the services in the gathering hall of Catherine Clark Apartments on the 1st floor.

915 Dorchester Ave.
Dorchester, MA 02125
(Close to corner of Columbia Rd and Dot Ave)

Monday, November 15, 2010

A Hill in Dorchester

In Memory of Manny Fernandes, 1944-2010

Dorchester is a neighborhood of hills.  When walking from Fields Corner to the Marshall Elementary School in the Bowdoin-Geneva community,  one must walk up a long hill in a  community that faces too many struggles.

You walked up that hill for 8 years, Manny.  I can see you now, pushing through the wind, the rain, the cold,  using your cane to feel for ice on the sidewalk.   You shrugged off the effort.  Even though your health was declining, you liked to walk, and you even  joined your team members for the weekly strolls through Franklin Park in the warmer summer months.

You would arrive at the Marshall School, greet the ladies (and perhaps flirt with them for a few minutes) and then begin to read with children, coaching as many as 6  students a day.  You tried to be firm, but everyone knew you were a softy at heart, a grandfatherly sort that the children loved and needed.  You were proud and you made your students feel proud.

You told me once that all is lost for the children if they cannot read. You were determined that they would read, and you singularly moved the proficiency needle forward for these kids, while letting them know they had a trusted friend in you.  For many of the kids, you were the first person to believe in them.

Recently I heard a story about the Maasai people of East Africa.  When meeting one another as they travel about, their traditional greeting is not “How are you?”,  but rather, “How are the children?”  That was always your question.

You were called home suddenly.  You were only 66.  You don’t have to climb the hill anymore, Manny.  Together, we will climb it for you.  And we’ll make sure to take good care of the children.

Manny, you did real good.  And you did it really well.  Thank you.

Rest in Peace.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Diploma, With Honors

Experience Corps Members Mary Jo Belmonte and Rose Napolitano have been volunteering with Generations Incorporated for nearly 3 years.

Recently I learned that several of our Experience Corps members in both Boston and Revere never finished high school. They are in their late 70-80s, and  were children during World War II, when men went to war and women went to work. Older kids in a family also worked, either in factories, the family business, or on the family farm. Many  teens  took care of younger siblings so mother could work while father was at war.  It was a time of incredible sacrifice. In fact, between 1940-1945, only about half of the nation’s 17 year olds finished high school.

We learned about this when our volunteers applied to become AmeriCorps members. Even though they had been volunteering with us for several years, AmeriCorps was new to them. AmeriCorps requires its members to have a high school diploma or a GED.

A half dozen of our 300+ volunteers are not qualified to serve as AmeriCorps members because of this requirement.  These same individuals are model citizens who serve their community well in many ways and give at least 10 hours per week tutoring young children.

Dr. Paul Dakin, the  Revere Superintendent of Schools, informed me that occasionally the School Committee grants honorary high school diplomas for extraordinary civic or military duty.  He put me in touch with Carol Tye, Vice President of the School Committee and she agreed that our Revere Experience Corps volunteers exceeded the criteria for such an award.

On October 19, Rose Napolitano and Mary Jo Belmonte received a Revere High School diploma because of their outstanding civic contributions to the City of Revere.  Mayor Thomas Ambrosino, Superintendent Dakin, all school committee members, and Representative Kathi-Anne Reinstein were  present, as well as many friends and colleagues.

A major goal of education is to produce strong citizens who can contribute to a vibrant community. Both Rose and Mary Jo are honor students in this regard.  And both are now very proud AmeriCorps members serving in our Experience Corps program.

Mary Jo Belmonte is all smiles after receiving her high school diploma. She is seen here with Representative Kathi-Anne Reinstein.