DEEP Service Newsletter: March/April 2011
The DEEP Service Newsletter is a bi-monthly publication that features articles and stories about community service and poverty fighting initiatives held within the Siena College Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy Office of Academic Community Engagement.
Content
DEEPSERVICE
March/April 2011
A Bi-Monthly Newsletter of the Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy Office of Academic Community Engagement
In This Issue •Winter Highlights and Spring Activities •VISTA and Bonner Activities •New ASL Courses •Upcoming Events and more! 1
DEEPSERVICE March 2011
Contents
ACE Winter Highlights and Spring Happenings
Page 3
Message from the Editor
VISTA Leader Nefisah Sallim Activities and Victoria and VISTA Fellow Malaney during Recruitment in a VISTA recruitment tabling event at Full Swing Skidmore College.
VISTA Service
Pages 4 - 7
The March/April 2011 DEEP Service Newsletter has a new and improved look! In our ongoing efforts to provide our community with an engaging and appealing newsletter, you will notice a few formatting changes but the same great content. Also, there is a new icon that will appear at the bottom of select featured stories. This icon indicates that you can find more information online:
Bonner Service Activities and Mid Year Retreat
Pages 8 - 10
Photos - 200 plus flickr photos of program participants, service activities, and events
I hope you enjoy reading the great stories featured in this newsletter. All of the columns are written by our program participants who are change makers in our communities. If there is something you would like to see added to the DEEP Service Newsletter, e-mail us with your ideas at [email protected]. Thanks for reading, Jennifer Simek, VISTA Leader and Coordinator of ACE Public Relations
New ASL Coordinator and Spring ASL Partnerships
Pages 11 - 13
Stay in Touch with ACE Online! www.siena.edu/ace
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
VISTA Leader Nefisah Sallim and VISTA Fellow Victoria Malaney during a VISTA recruitment tabling event at Skidmore College.
ACE Winter Highlights and Spring Happenings
By Jennifer Simek, VISTA Leader
pool is growing and we are excited to begin the interview process in April and May. We are also recruiting for participants for our Summer Service Associates Program. We are excited to organize and coordinate another great summer of service for local students and community members who wish to volunteer. We are excited to welcome new staff member Ruth Scipione, who will be coordinating our Academic Service Learning (ASL) program. She is a welcome addition to our growing program and we are thrilled to have her join our team. She is stepping into a variety of compelling ASL projects that our VISTA Members have helped to initiate this Spring. Our community partners Music Mobile, Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany, and the Sr. Thea Bowman Center for Women are working with faculty and students on a variety of exciting projects that are fulfilling course objectives and helping the community. Lastly, we have officially launched our “Change Makers” half-hour radio show on Sienaʼs radio station, WVCR 88.3 The Saint. Each week we feature a change maker in our community. Hosted by the Director of ACE, Dr. Mathew Johnson and Assistant Directors Yalitza Negron and Gretchen Mielke, our show airs every Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Please tune in and be inspired by the amazing work of our community members who are tackling local, national, an international issues.
This winter has been snowy and cold but that has not hindered the service activities happening within the Office of Academic Community Engagement. In fact, our staff and program participants have been busier than ever. Since our last issue, we hosted our first ACE Mid Year Retreat. Organized by our Administrative Staff and VISTA Leaders, the Bonner Service Leaders and VISTA Fellows engaged in stimulating workshops that touched on topics like volunteer recruitment and management, networking tips and strategies, strategic planning, managing difficult conversations and conflict resolution, as well as much more. We also incorporated social activities and team building exercises that everyone enjoyed. At the start of February, the VISTA Program began recruiting for new VISTA Fellows for the Summer 2011-2012 service year. Recruitment will end at the March 30th Siena Career Fair where VISTA Leaders and Fellows will be on hand to inform interested Siena students and young professionals about our campuscommunity engagement opportunities. Before the end of recruitment, the VISTA Program will have visited six local colleges, including Skidmore College, College of St. Rose, Union College and SUNY Albany. Our applicant
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
VISTAFELLOWS
“I will get things done for America - to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier. I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities.” - Excerpt of The AmeriCorps
Pledge
ReStore Renovations
By Ricky Ryan ’10, VISTA Fellow
The Capital District Habitat for Humanity ReStore is currently undergoing a considerable transformation thanks to a grant received from the New York State Department of Economic Development. The Environmental Service Unit has awarded our store the ability for expansion, renovation, and reorganization. Presently we will be searching for a new full time staff member to join our ranks, helping to run the store during our upcoming expanded hours. Our hours will be increased from our current 21-hour shopping week to 40 hours per week. We are excited for some physical renovations to the ReStore as well. To increase accessibility to our store, we are repaving our driveway and putting in a much-needed new ramp. Lighting and shelving are also changing, as part of a whole new floor plan that will provide a more customer-friendly atmosphere. Want to take the guesswork out of buying an appliance? Soon you will be able to, with the impending addition of an appliance testing area.
New lighting aside, we are also increasing our visibility by working with a communications agency called Zone 5. Zone 5 is helping us recreate our marketing materials to help expand our outreach even further into the community and raise awareness of our ReStore. It is an exciting new partnership that will make all of these changes even more worthwhile. One of our most important upcoming additions is the search for a new and more reliable Habitat ReStore truck to make pickups. A generous grant from the Wright Family Foundation has made this acquisition possible. The Capital District Habitat for Humanity ReStore is located at 454 N. Pearl Street in Albany. NY. We are open Thursdays 2pm-7pm and Fridays and Saturday 9am-5pm. For more information, check out our website as www.CapitalDistrictHabitat.org and click on the ReStore link.
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
We Are the Change
By Natasha Grant, VISTA Fellow
So, Iʼve been living in Albany, as a Siena College AmeriCorps*VISTA Fellow, for about 35 days. Iʼve been at my service site (Green Tech Charter High School) for 16 days. And amidst all the excitement and goodwill, I canʼt help but notice the abandoned buildings in the area adjacent to Green Tech. In just a one block span on Clinton Avenue, between Lark and Henry Johnson, there are, at least, twelve abandoned buildings, and two empty lots. This is Arbor Hill. In my first week here, I was told that people drive around Arbor Hill to get downtown, even though driving through Arbor Hill is quicker and a more direct route to the downtown area. A cab driver told me not to go down “that street” after dark, pointing in the direction of Clinton Avenue. Apparently this area is known for making news. Bad news. And, two weeks ago, this area made even more news. The students at Green Tech (with behind-the-scenes efforts of Amanda Wilson, the Academic Service Learning VISTA Fellow at Green Tech, and Brother Yusuf Burgess, the Family Intervention Specialist/Guerrilla Gardener) made the local news for beginning the process of planting a raised-bed garden in one of the empty lots on Clinton Avenue. The empty lot was donated by a church, and
“We are the change. We often wait around for or think that it’s never gonna come. We are the change.” the students were out measuring the lot, in preparation for the Spring planting season. The idea behind this service project? “Being stewards of your community” said Amanda, VISTA at Green Tech Charter High. “They [the students] have the power to change their communities and create change in their communities. The idea of taking back these abandoned spaces and creating beauty is whatʼs needed. We are the change. We often wait around for or think that itʼs never gonna come. We are the change.”
Helping the Schuyler Inn Children
By Keri O’Brien ’10, VISTA Fellow
Here at Peter Young Housing, Industries & Treatment, we are creating and developing multiple programs that will help us foster community at the Schuyler Inn. By engaging the residents at the Inn, we hope to help make their experience comfortable as well as stress free. The Schuyler Inn is hosting a Winter Camp for school-aged children residing at the Schuyler Inn, located in Menands, NY. The camp is designed to provide the children will activities to keep them busy during the school
break and will provide the parents with an opportunity to search for housing and employment without bringing their children. As part of our camp activities, we will be taking a trip to the New York State Museum to participate in their Winter Fest. In addition, we will be playing low budget educational games to engage the children at the Inn. Kicking off in March, we will be providing childcare services to the residents of the Schuyler Inn. This program will provide parents with an opportunity to go search for employment or housing without the hassle of bringing their young children. The facility will be staffed by volunteers from both Siena College and the surrounding community. If you would like to help us get our childcare services up and running we are always looking for more volunteers to interact with the children. We also accept donations such as art supplies, diapers, strollers, movies, books, or anything you believe can be put to good use at our facility. Please contact Keri OʼBrien at (518) 463-1121 ext. 260 with any questions.
“We are creating and developing multiple programs that will help us foster community at the Schuyler Inn.”
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
Ryan Rose recruiting at the Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy Volunteer Fair in the Fall of 2010.
Family Homeless Prevention at HATAS
By Ryan Rose ’10, VISTA Fellow
Come into the Homeless and Travelers Aid Society (HATAS) any day of the week and youʼll find a very busy and hard working team. As Executive Director Liz Hitt says, “Weʼre a small shop but our team has a big heart.” You would need a big heart to tackle the crisis our community is currently facing. At the start of this year we took a look at just how many people came through our doors. The findings were frightening. The number of homeless families has TRIPLED in Albany county over the last ten years. In the year 2000 HATAS recorded helping 206 families. Last year in 2010 762 families walked through our front door on Central Avenue. 762 families! We took some time to let these figures sink in and then began to consider the members of these homeless families. Within these families in 2010 were 224 infants, 365 toddlers, and 1102 school aged children. Weʼre facing an upward trend and something needs to be
done. These are not just numbers; these are real people in our community. The children that develop in these conditions are going to have major cracks in the foundation they build their lives off of. Like any significant cultural challenge we need both short term and long term solutions. It is our responsibility to take the time to examine our culture and society to find the fundamental causes of these outcomes. At HATAS, prevention is the key. “It costs our community four times as much to shelter a family than to prevent their homelessness” says Hitt. To fund family homeless prevention HATAS has launched the Change for Change program. It asks for $10 a month (.30) a day and our goal is to recruit 2,500 people who believe that prevention is preferable to shelter. Itʼs easy to support. Go to www.hatas.org and click on the Homeless Children window. You can also add HATAS to your online banking transaction group. It is not going to just take money to solve these problems so please help to promote awareness and if you have ideas youʼd like to share please feel free to contact us!
Change Makers on WVCR 88.3 The Saint Every Saturday at 5:30 PM
Ryan Rose was recently featured as a guest on our new Office of Academic Community Engagement radio show, Change Makers, where we invite change makers in our community, across the nation, and around the world to speak to the Capital Region community about the actions they take to be change makers in our communities. Listen to WVCR 88.3 The Saint every Saturday at 5:30 PM! Also, coming soon, look for archived episodes on our website, www.siena.edu/ace.
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
The Beauty of Cross Pollination
By Tanya Henderson, VISTA Fellow
Upcoming Partner Events
Music Mobile’s 33rd Anniversary Benefit Celebration
Featuring Capital District Celebrity Guest Singers in a Special Performance of “The Beat of the Street... Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow.” Thursday, March 24 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM The Linda - WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio
It is a beautiful thing when you are able to help a friend. This past month I addressed my Siena VISTA Fellow family about my dilemma. I expressed how I am attempting to transform the Schuyler Inn from being just a transitional shelter for Homeless and Travelers Aid Society families and veterans. Many of the clients here are deprived of resources and services that could truly help them. I speak with the families everyday and ask them, “What is it that you need and how can I help you?” Most of the women respond by saying they need housing and employment. The children respond by saying they are bored and there is nothing to do there. I sympathize with children because it is not their home and it is not built to be “kid friendly.” In addition, the mothers explain they are not able to look for housing and employment if their children are not enrolled in school or in child care services. However, the children may not be enrolled in school or child care for various reasons such as relocation, lack of transportation, no address, and more. The VISTA staff shared their resources to assist in the “Beautification of the Schuyler Inn” project. Ryan Rose and Liz Hitt of Homeless and Travelers Aid Society (HATAS) have donated pajamas, toys and books. Some of the contributions are being used to start the Schuyler Innʼs Camp Winter and Child Care services. Kathryn Ramsey of the Siena Office of Enrollment Management volunteered her services to assist the mothers in an art project. Green Tech High volunteered to assist in a fundraising event. Interfaith Partnership has donated a stroller and is assisting in recruitment for the Mentoring Program. Trinity Alliance has contributed to our resource manual with their services. Yalitza Negron, Assistant Director of Academic Community Engagement, has shared ideas to develop Camp Winter. Carly Smith of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany shared her volunteer recruitment resources. Clearly, when people work together and cross-pollinate their ideas and resources, something beautiful is created.
Boys and Girls Club of Albany Dodgeball
Dodgeball Tournament Fundraiser to Benefit Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany Sunday, April 3 9:30 AM - 7:00 PM Siena College MAC Gym $500/team of 9 www.bgcalbany.com/settle-the-score/
A Taste of Albany
A Culinary Showcase and Benefit for Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless Thursday, May 12 5:00 PM (Sponsorship and Honorary Committee Reception), 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM - Culinary Showcase New York State Museum Terrace Gallery www.atasteofalbany.com
Keep up with our community partner events by visiting our website, www.siena.edu/ace or staying in touch with us via our social media!
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
BONNERLEADERS
Access to education, opportunity to serve.
Bonner Summer Leadership Institute Planning
By Jennifer Simek, VISTA Leader
The Siena Bonner Service Leaders got right to work in the new year planning for this yearʼs Bonner Summer Leadership Institute (SLI). To be held May 31 through June 3rd at Siena College, SLI will be attended by administrator, student, faculty, and partner representatives from roughly 80 colleges and universities in the Bonner Network. SLI will provide participants with learning and professional development opportunities connected to strengthening the work of Bonner Programs. There will be an emphasis on themes such as deepening community partnerships, supporting students to engage in direct service opportunities and making connections to public policy and politics, and building sustainable infrastructures for campus-community engagement. There will be a variety of tracks that will highlight Bonner Network initiatives. The Siena Bonners will play a large role in helping to plan this yearʼs SLI. They launched the planning process at our first annual ACE Mid Year Retreat that was held February
18th through the 20th. Planning was broken up into sessions with Ariane Hoy who joined us from the Bonner Foundation. She has been with the Bonner Foundation since the fall of 2004 and is currently serving as the Senior Program Officer. She did a great job of facilitating the planning with the Bonners and after the weekend they had already developed a structure and theme for SLI. Aside from SLI planning, the Siena Bonners participated in some workshops including one with Elaine Williams, master-trainer for the Corporation for National and Community Service and one with Siena Faculty member Dr. Paul Thurston. Overall the weekend was a great success in laying a solid foundation for an incredible event coming up this Spring. Stay tuned for more information about SLI in the coming months.
Check out flickr photos of our ACE Mid Year Retreat www.flick.com/sienacollegeace
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
The Torch Club
By Claudia Congemi ’14, Bonner Service Leader
Honor Court
By Kevin Schafer ’15, Bonner Service Leader
When I found out that I was going to be placed as the Albany Boys and Girls Club I did not realize how much my life was going to change. My first day at the club seems like a blur, all the children running around: I did not know where to start. However, now that a few months have flown by, I really have adapted to my site. I not only work at the Boys and Girls Club, I influence and give kids confidence to believe in themselves. I am currently working on re-opening the Torch Club for Kids 11-13 years old. The Torch Club is a leadership building opportunity where students will learn about actively participating in the community and learn to build relationships with others. Also, the students hope to have many fun and educational trips to lectures where they may hear about their dream job or a place they may want to volunteer. In order for children to feel confident, they need people in their lives who will remain mentors for them even at their lowest points. I hope by opening the torch club students will find the confidence they need to succeed. My job is to not only open the club, but be the adult supervisor for it. I will plan all of the guest speakers, schedule events, and most of all I wish to be a mentor for the children. Being an active role model is my number one goal while being at the Boys and Girls Club.
My site is Honor Court, which is a part of Peter Young Housing, Industries and Treatment (PYHIT). At Honor Court, I work with four different CASACS (substance abuse counselors) who work with the people who have been arrested and assure that they receive the proper treatment for their addictions rather then send them to jail. In jail, the root of their problem, in most cases the addiction to the substances, is not addressed and when released, their addictions can cause them to end up in court again. An average day for myself involves going to the Honor Court offices and Albany Police Court where I obtain the docket for the three judges. I check which of the cases are Honor Court clients, or potential clients. Lawyers often refer their clients to Honor Court to help avoid long jail sentences and to better ease the pain of their addictions. At court, I work with the Public Defenders (the lawyers appointed by the court for those who cannot afford to pay for a private attorney - a vast majority of the Honor Court clients), the District Attorneys (the people who represent the interests of the state), and the judges. I receive hands-on knowledge of how the justice system works. Treating one of the root causes of criminal behavior (addiction) is much more effective than just trying to punish the addict for the whims of their sickness.
Foreground: Claudia Congemi ’14 and Kevin Schafer ’15. In between sessions at the ACE Mid Year Retreat, the Bonners participated in fun ice breaker activities.
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
Souper Sandwich Club
By Tim Golden ’13, Bonner Service Leader
My service site is working with the Office of Academic Community Engagement (ACE) at Siena College. At the ACE Office, I primarily do Policy Options research for other Bonners and the various community partners of the ACE Office. There have been many new developments in my service site over the past few weeks, on the variety of projects that I work on. One of them has to do with the Souper Sandwich Club which I created in partnership with John DeCirce, a Bonner, and Kaitlyn Calaluca, the VISTA at FOCUS Churches. The goal of this club is to provide lunches for their winter lunch program, using the food that would normally be thrown out by the Siena College Dining Services. I am happy to say that the club has made over 600 meals. In addition to this, I will also find out soon whether or not we will become a recognized club on campus. This will allow us to be able to apply for funding for the club, and give us much more flexibility on campus. Another one of the projects that I am working on is the Siena Research Institute project for Catholic Charities. The goal of this project is to develop a survey that helps Catholic Charities figure out their name recognition and serve recognition in the Albany Diocese. So far, I and several other Bonners, have assisted in the development of the survey and the first draft has been sent to Catholic Charities for them to look over. Recently we have started to draft the actual report, and we are preparing to get the survey ready to be implemented. I will be excited to see this survey run to completion and to see my work payoff.
“Even after two years of seeing me every day for library class, their faces still light up and their enthusiastic greetings never fail.”
North Albany Academy
By Stephanie Belmont ’12, Bonner Service Leader
My passion for service continues to grow each year that I return to my community partner site. I have been placed at North Albany Academy for over two years now, and this site continues to challenge me and force me to grow as a person, and a volunteer. I work with the librarian Ms. Curry during her class time hours. I have been able to develop strong relationships with all my students which have enabled me to watch them progress over the years. Even after two years of seeing me every day for library class, their faces still light up and their enthusiastic greetings never fail. These children have influenced my life and I have learned more from these children than I ever could have thought imaginable. I hope have impacted them as much as they have impacted me. One of the projects I am currently a part of is working with a select group of girls that wanted to perform a play. Every lunch period they are permitted to bring their food to the library where we rehearse the different scenes that they will be performing in front of the younger studentsʼ library classes. It is the small things that these girls do, like their ability to laugh at themselves when they forget their lines, or simply their ability to have fun doing whatever it is they are doing, that remind me why I am in this program.
The Souper Sandwich Club was recently featured on the front page of the Siena newspaper, The Promethean.
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
SERVICELEARNING
Combining academic study and hands-on service.
New ASL Coordinator and Exciting Spring ASL Courses
By Jennifer Simek, VISTA Leader
We are very excited to welcome a new team member, Ruth Scipione, to the Office of Academic Community Engagement. Ruth is joining us as the Assistant Director and Coordinator of Academic Service Learning (ASL) and will be helping ACE take ASL the next level. Ruth graduated from SUNY Brockport in International Studies with an emphasis in Latin American studies. Before attending college, Ruth lived in Spain for a year and during college she studied abroad in Chile. In Chile, Ruth worked at a non-profit that accepted donations for people in need. She played a pivotal role in researching the history of the organization and created a handbook of her research. After Ruth received her undergraduate degree she moved to Albany to attend SUNY Albany and pursue teaching Spanish as a career. While at SUNY Albany,
she was recruited to join the Spanish and Linguistics PhD program where she has been studying and working with a group of Mexican indigenous speakers who speak the Triqui language. Ruth will be defending her PhD in May. Throughout her educational and study abroad experiences, Ruthʼs desire to be engaged with the community has always been a major influence. In May 2009, Ruth attended the Office of Academic Community Engagement Problem-Based Service Learning Training and was inspired by Sienaʼs commitment to connect academic rigor with student learning activities. Ruth is excited to take ASL at Siena College to the next level and will assist faculty members in course development, advancing service learning techniques, supporting community connections, and much more. Ruth can be contacted at (518) 782-6951 or [email protected]. Please join us in welcoming Ruth to our team!
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
Siena College School of Business and Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless
By Samantha Tymchyn ’09, VISTA Fellow
Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless (IPH) is enjoying partnerships with Siena College. A connection made with Paul Thurston has opened many doors. This semester we are working with two classes: The Honors section of the Business Strategy and Policy course (BUDV 450) and one team in the Leading Organizational Change course (MKMG 425). Working with the students gives us the opportunity to share knowledge and at the same time learn through their experiences. Being engaged with Siena students makes us look closely at how we are running our nonprofit and allows us to focus on finding new, innovative ways to improve our services and the way we do business. In the Business Strategy and Policy Course, the students will prepare a strategic plan proposal for Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless. In that proposal they will identify factors that are critical to success, then use those factors to identify and provide compelling evidence for strategic issues facing IPH. For each strategic issue, the teams will develop specific action plans to implement the recommended alternatives. The management team and board of directors are looking forward to the end of the semester when the students will be making their presentations. Students in the Leading Organizational Change course are learning about the many aspects of Planned Giving. The students are reaching out to professionals in the field (including Sienaʼs very own Planned Giving team). They will be breaking down the information and giving IPH recommendations and steps to take so that we can be more involved with planning giving. Having planned giving options available to our donors will give IPH more opportunity for long term growth and planning. Members of IPHʼs management team are working with Suzanne OʼConner during workshops that involve building interview skills and creating resumes.
St. Rose Counseling Graduate Program and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany
Carly Smith ’09 is in her second year of AmeriCorps VISTA service at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany. She plays a pivotal role in supporting an ASL connection with the College of St. Rose. We had a chance to ask her a few questions about the partnership and here is what she shared with us: Q: How did the partnership initiate? A: The partnership has been an on-going one initiated through a previous VISTA (Nefisah Sallim). Q: Who is the faculty member teaching the ASL course? A: Professor Claudia Lingertat-Putnam of the St. Rose School Counseling Graduate Program. Q: What are the projects the students are working on? A: The students are working with Club REACH (Ready for Employment, Academic achievement, Character development, and Hope for the future) doing college preparation, career development and life-skill training in collaboration with their class at St. Rose. Each week they create a theme and reinforce the theme through team-building activities, games, public speakers, assignments, etc. Q: What need is the ASL class helping with at your site? A: This class is bringing necessary and crucial information to our teens about college preparation and career development techniques along with life-skills training, all of which our teens do not get enough of. The small ratio and enthusiasm in this program encourage our members to be engaged in the activities there and learn about the many themes.
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
Music Mobile and Computer Science
By Jennifer Simek, VISTA Leader
Music Mobile, an organization located in Albany, is dedicated to building peaceful communities through music. Over the course of the ‘09/’10 and ‘10/’11 academic years, Music Mobile and the Siena Computer Science department have forged an exciting and innovative approach to learning classroom objectives. Professors Mary Anne Egan and Johanna Horowitz have welcomed Music Mobile into their classrooms and allowed Music Mobile to share the organization’s need for visual accompaniment to original songs written by Ruth Pelham (Executive Director). During the week of March 7, 2011 Ruth Pelham and current Siena VISTA Hilary Rainey did a presentation for Professor Horowitz’s class. Hilary provided a brief synopsis of Music Mobile’s mission and vision for the community and Ruth led the students in song. By engaging the students and performing some of the songs, the students gained a better understanding of the positive impact the songs have on children in our communities. The students will be utilizing the program Alice this semester to animate the songs, which will then be viewed by the children in the Capital District community. Pictured to the right is Ruth Pelham during the presentation to the class.
Siena College Sr. Thea Bowman Center for Women and Body Politics Course
Ariel Palter joined the VISTA Fellows Program in the summer of 2010. Her VISTA position is with the Sr. Thea Bowmen Center for Women at Siena and she has focused on building student connections with girls in the community. We had a chance to ask her a few questions about her ASL partnership and here is what she had to share with us: Q: How did the partnership initiate? A: My site supervisor told me about Rachel Stein and her body politics class. I knew I wanted to work with a class on something since I am on campus and she seemed like a great choice. We connected and discussed potential opportunities and projects her class could work on and created a project involving a conference I am planning, Hannahʼs [Siena VISTA Fellow placed at North Albany Academy] Girl Scout Troops and her class.
Q: Who is the faculty member teaching the ASL course? A: I am working with Rachel Stein and her Body Politics class. Q: What are the projects the students are working on? A: The students are working on two projects. Half the class is working on developing a workshop on body image which will be part of the girls day conference I am developing for April. They will practice the workshop with Hannahʼs girl scouts and then implement it at the conference. The other half of the class is working on Siena monologues... similar to Vagina Monologues but Siena style. This will raise money for Domestic Violence organizations in the community. Q: What need is the ASL class helping with at your site? A: They are helping us connect with the community through issue based learning and connecting with young girls.
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Our Mission
The Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy AmeriCorps*VISTA Fellows Program provides help to build, sustain, and promote civic engagement by fostering reciprocal DEEP relationships between students, faculty, administration and our local community in need. Our program focuses on assisting faculty, students, and community partners to work with all walks of life. Our actions commit to our core values of St. Francis and allow our students, faculty and administration to seek direct actions towards academic excellence through their civic engagement and participation in programs that help to increase capacity in areas of our community that need it most through DEEP Partnerships.
Our Partners
Peter Young Housing, Industries and Treatment/Schuyler Inn Homeless and Travelers Aid Society FOCUS Churches Boys and Girls Club of Albany Unity House of Troy Catholic Charities/Roarke Center Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants North Albany Academy/SNAP Grand Street Community Arts Trinity Alliance Music Mobile Capital District YMCA Green Tech Charter High School Siena Office of Enrollment Management Sr. Thea Bowman Center for Women
Siena College Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy Office of Academic Community Engagement
515 Loudon Road | Loudonville, NY 12211 P: (518) 783-6886 | F: (518) 786-5080 E: [email protected] | W: www.siena.edu/ace
Siena Research Institute Compassion in Action/Koinonia Capital District Habitat for Humanity Albany Housing Authority
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March/April 2011
A Bi-Monthly Newsletter of the Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy Office of Academic Community Engagement
In This Issue •Winter Highlights and Spring Activities •VISTA and Bonner Activities •New ASL Courses •Upcoming Events and more! 1
DEEPSERVICE March 2011
Contents
ACE Winter Highlights and Spring Happenings
Page 3
Message from the Editor
VISTA Leader Nefisah Sallim Activities and Victoria and VISTA Fellow Malaney during Recruitment in a VISTA recruitment tabling event at Full Swing Skidmore College.
VISTA Service
Pages 4 - 7
The March/April 2011 DEEP Service Newsletter has a new and improved look! In our ongoing efforts to provide our community with an engaging and appealing newsletter, you will notice a few formatting changes but the same great content. Also, there is a new icon that will appear at the bottom of select featured stories. This icon indicates that you can find more information online:
Bonner Service Activities and Mid Year Retreat
Pages 8 - 10
Photos - 200 plus flickr photos of program participants, service activities, and events
I hope you enjoy reading the great stories featured in this newsletter. All of the columns are written by our program participants who are change makers in our communities. If there is something you would like to see added to the DEEP Service Newsletter, e-mail us with your ideas at [email protected]. Thanks for reading, Jennifer Simek, VISTA Leader and Coordinator of ACE Public Relations
New ASL Coordinator and Spring ASL Partnerships
Pages 11 - 13
Stay in Touch with ACE Online! www.siena.edu/ace
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
VISTA Leader Nefisah Sallim and VISTA Fellow Victoria Malaney during a VISTA recruitment tabling event at Skidmore College.
ACE Winter Highlights and Spring Happenings
By Jennifer Simek, VISTA Leader
pool is growing and we are excited to begin the interview process in April and May. We are also recruiting for participants for our Summer Service Associates Program. We are excited to organize and coordinate another great summer of service for local students and community members who wish to volunteer. We are excited to welcome new staff member Ruth Scipione, who will be coordinating our Academic Service Learning (ASL) program. She is a welcome addition to our growing program and we are thrilled to have her join our team. She is stepping into a variety of compelling ASL projects that our VISTA Members have helped to initiate this Spring. Our community partners Music Mobile, Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany, and the Sr. Thea Bowman Center for Women are working with faculty and students on a variety of exciting projects that are fulfilling course objectives and helping the community. Lastly, we have officially launched our “Change Makers” half-hour radio show on Sienaʼs radio station, WVCR 88.3 The Saint. Each week we feature a change maker in our community. Hosted by the Director of ACE, Dr. Mathew Johnson and Assistant Directors Yalitza Negron and Gretchen Mielke, our show airs every Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Please tune in and be inspired by the amazing work of our community members who are tackling local, national, an international issues.
This winter has been snowy and cold but that has not hindered the service activities happening within the Office of Academic Community Engagement. In fact, our staff and program participants have been busier than ever. Since our last issue, we hosted our first ACE Mid Year Retreat. Organized by our Administrative Staff and VISTA Leaders, the Bonner Service Leaders and VISTA Fellows engaged in stimulating workshops that touched on topics like volunteer recruitment and management, networking tips and strategies, strategic planning, managing difficult conversations and conflict resolution, as well as much more. We also incorporated social activities and team building exercises that everyone enjoyed. At the start of February, the VISTA Program began recruiting for new VISTA Fellows for the Summer 2011-2012 service year. Recruitment will end at the March 30th Siena Career Fair where VISTA Leaders and Fellows will be on hand to inform interested Siena students and young professionals about our campuscommunity engagement opportunities. Before the end of recruitment, the VISTA Program will have visited six local colleges, including Skidmore College, College of St. Rose, Union College and SUNY Albany. Our applicant
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
VISTAFELLOWS
“I will get things done for America - to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier. I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities.” - Excerpt of The AmeriCorps
Pledge
ReStore Renovations
By Ricky Ryan ’10, VISTA Fellow
The Capital District Habitat for Humanity ReStore is currently undergoing a considerable transformation thanks to a grant received from the New York State Department of Economic Development. The Environmental Service Unit has awarded our store the ability for expansion, renovation, and reorganization. Presently we will be searching for a new full time staff member to join our ranks, helping to run the store during our upcoming expanded hours. Our hours will be increased from our current 21-hour shopping week to 40 hours per week. We are excited for some physical renovations to the ReStore as well. To increase accessibility to our store, we are repaving our driveway and putting in a much-needed new ramp. Lighting and shelving are also changing, as part of a whole new floor plan that will provide a more customer-friendly atmosphere. Want to take the guesswork out of buying an appliance? Soon you will be able to, with the impending addition of an appliance testing area.
New lighting aside, we are also increasing our visibility by working with a communications agency called Zone 5. Zone 5 is helping us recreate our marketing materials to help expand our outreach even further into the community and raise awareness of our ReStore. It is an exciting new partnership that will make all of these changes even more worthwhile. One of our most important upcoming additions is the search for a new and more reliable Habitat ReStore truck to make pickups. A generous grant from the Wright Family Foundation has made this acquisition possible. The Capital District Habitat for Humanity ReStore is located at 454 N. Pearl Street in Albany. NY. We are open Thursdays 2pm-7pm and Fridays and Saturday 9am-5pm. For more information, check out our website as www.CapitalDistrictHabitat.org and click on the ReStore link.
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
We Are the Change
By Natasha Grant, VISTA Fellow
So, Iʼve been living in Albany, as a Siena College AmeriCorps*VISTA Fellow, for about 35 days. Iʼve been at my service site (Green Tech Charter High School) for 16 days. And amidst all the excitement and goodwill, I canʼt help but notice the abandoned buildings in the area adjacent to Green Tech. In just a one block span on Clinton Avenue, between Lark and Henry Johnson, there are, at least, twelve abandoned buildings, and two empty lots. This is Arbor Hill. In my first week here, I was told that people drive around Arbor Hill to get downtown, even though driving through Arbor Hill is quicker and a more direct route to the downtown area. A cab driver told me not to go down “that street” after dark, pointing in the direction of Clinton Avenue. Apparently this area is known for making news. Bad news. And, two weeks ago, this area made even more news. The students at Green Tech (with behind-the-scenes efforts of Amanda Wilson, the Academic Service Learning VISTA Fellow at Green Tech, and Brother Yusuf Burgess, the Family Intervention Specialist/Guerrilla Gardener) made the local news for beginning the process of planting a raised-bed garden in one of the empty lots on Clinton Avenue. The empty lot was donated by a church, and
“We are the change. We often wait around for or think that it’s never gonna come. We are the change.” the students were out measuring the lot, in preparation for the Spring planting season. The idea behind this service project? “Being stewards of your community” said Amanda, VISTA at Green Tech Charter High. “They [the students] have the power to change their communities and create change in their communities. The idea of taking back these abandoned spaces and creating beauty is whatʼs needed. We are the change. We often wait around for or think that itʼs never gonna come. We are the change.”
Helping the Schuyler Inn Children
By Keri O’Brien ’10, VISTA Fellow
Here at Peter Young Housing, Industries & Treatment, we are creating and developing multiple programs that will help us foster community at the Schuyler Inn. By engaging the residents at the Inn, we hope to help make their experience comfortable as well as stress free. The Schuyler Inn is hosting a Winter Camp for school-aged children residing at the Schuyler Inn, located in Menands, NY. The camp is designed to provide the children will activities to keep them busy during the school
break and will provide the parents with an opportunity to search for housing and employment without bringing their children. As part of our camp activities, we will be taking a trip to the New York State Museum to participate in their Winter Fest. In addition, we will be playing low budget educational games to engage the children at the Inn. Kicking off in March, we will be providing childcare services to the residents of the Schuyler Inn. This program will provide parents with an opportunity to go search for employment or housing without the hassle of bringing their young children. The facility will be staffed by volunteers from both Siena College and the surrounding community. If you would like to help us get our childcare services up and running we are always looking for more volunteers to interact with the children. We also accept donations such as art supplies, diapers, strollers, movies, books, or anything you believe can be put to good use at our facility. Please contact Keri OʼBrien at (518) 463-1121 ext. 260 with any questions.
“We are creating and developing multiple programs that will help us foster community at the Schuyler Inn.”
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
Ryan Rose recruiting at the Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy Volunteer Fair in the Fall of 2010.
Family Homeless Prevention at HATAS
By Ryan Rose ’10, VISTA Fellow
Come into the Homeless and Travelers Aid Society (HATAS) any day of the week and youʼll find a very busy and hard working team. As Executive Director Liz Hitt says, “Weʼre a small shop but our team has a big heart.” You would need a big heart to tackle the crisis our community is currently facing. At the start of this year we took a look at just how many people came through our doors. The findings were frightening. The number of homeless families has TRIPLED in Albany county over the last ten years. In the year 2000 HATAS recorded helping 206 families. Last year in 2010 762 families walked through our front door on Central Avenue. 762 families! We took some time to let these figures sink in and then began to consider the members of these homeless families. Within these families in 2010 were 224 infants, 365 toddlers, and 1102 school aged children. Weʼre facing an upward trend and something needs to be
done. These are not just numbers; these are real people in our community. The children that develop in these conditions are going to have major cracks in the foundation they build their lives off of. Like any significant cultural challenge we need both short term and long term solutions. It is our responsibility to take the time to examine our culture and society to find the fundamental causes of these outcomes. At HATAS, prevention is the key. “It costs our community four times as much to shelter a family than to prevent their homelessness” says Hitt. To fund family homeless prevention HATAS has launched the Change for Change program. It asks for $10 a month (.30) a day and our goal is to recruit 2,500 people who believe that prevention is preferable to shelter. Itʼs easy to support. Go to www.hatas.org and click on the Homeless Children window. You can also add HATAS to your online banking transaction group. It is not going to just take money to solve these problems so please help to promote awareness and if you have ideas youʼd like to share please feel free to contact us!
Change Makers on WVCR 88.3 The Saint Every Saturday at 5:30 PM
Ryan Rose was recently featured as a guest on our new Office of Academic Community Engagement radio show, Change Makers, where we invite change makers in our community, across the nation, and around the world to speak to the Capital Region community about the actions they take to be change makers in our communities. Listen to WVCR 88.3 The Saint every Saturday at 5:30 PM! Also, coming soon, look for archived episodes on our website, www.siena.edu/ace.
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
The Beauty of Cross Pollination
By Tanya Henderson, VISTA Fellow
Upcoming Partner Events
Music Mobile’s 33rd Anniversary Benefit Celebration
Featuring Capital District Celebrity Guest Singers in a Special Performance of “The Beat of the Street... Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow.” Thursday, March 24 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM The Linda - WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio
It is a beautiful thing when you are able to help a friend. This past month I addressed my Siena VISTA Fellow family about my dilemma. I expressed how I am attempting to transform the Schuyler Inn from being just a transitional shelter for Homeless and Travelers Aid Society families and veterans. Many of the clients here are deprived of resources and services that could truly help them. I speak with the families everyday and ask them, “What is it that you need and how can I help you?” Most of the women respond by saying they need housing and employment. The children respond by saying they are bored and there is nothing to do there. I sympathize with children because it is not their home and it is not built to be “kid friendly.” In addition, the mothers explain they are not able to look for housing and employment if their children are not enrolled in school or in child care services. However, the children may not be enrolled in school or child care for various reasons such as relocation, lack of transportation, no address, and more. The VISTA staff shared their resources to assist in the “Beautification of the Schuyler Inn” project. Ryan Rose and Liz Hitt of Homeless and Travelers Aid Society (HATAS) have donated pajamas, toys and books. Some of the contributions are being used to start the Schuyler Innʼs Camp Winter and Child Care services. Kathryn Ramsey of the Siena Office of Enrollment Management volunteered her services to assist the mothers in an art project. Green Tech High volunteered to assist in a fundraising event. Interfaith Partnership has donated a stroller and is assisting in recruitment for the Mentoring Program. Trinity Alliance has contributed to our resource manual with their services. Yalitza Negron, Assistant Director of Academic Community Engagement, has shared ideas to develop Camp Winter. Carly Smith of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany shared her volunteer recruitment resources. Clearly, when people work together and cross-pollinate their ideas and resources, something beautiful is created.
Boys and Girls Club of Albany Dodgeball
Dodgeball Tournament Fundraiser to Benefit Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany Sunday, April 3 9:30 AM - 7:00 PM Siena College MAC Gym $500/team of 9 www.bgcalbany.com/settle-the-score/
A Taste of Albany
A Culinary Showcase and Benefit for Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless Thursday, May 12 5:00 PM (Sponsorship and Honorary Committee Reception), 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM - Culinary Showcase New York State Museum Terrace Gallery www.atasteofalbany.com
Keep up with our community partner events by visiting our website, www.siena.edu/ace or staying in touch with us via our social media!
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
BONNERLEADERS
Access to education, opportunity to serve.
Bonner Summer Leadership Institute Planning
By Jennifer Simek, VISTA Leader
The Siena Bonner Service Leaders got right to work in the new year planning for this yearʼs Bonner Summer Leadership Institute (SLI). To be held May 31 through June 3rd at Siena College, SLI will be attended by administrator, student, faculty, and partner representatives from roughly 80 colleges and universities in the Bonner Network. SLI will provide participants with learning and professional development opportunities connected to strengthening the work of Bonner Programs. There will be an emphasis on themes such as deepening community partnerships, supporting students to engage in direct service opportunities and making connections to public policy and politics, and building sustainable infrastructures for campus-community engagement. There will be a variety of tracks that will highlight Bonner Network initiatives. The Siena Bonners will play a large role in helping to plan this yearʼs SLI. They launched the planning process at our first annual ACE Mid Year Retreat that was held February
18th through the 20th. Planning was broken up into sessions with Ariane Hoy who joined us from the Bonner Foundation. She has been with the Bonner Foundation since the fall of 2004 and is currently serving as the Senior Program Officer. She did a great job of facilitating the planning with the Bonners and after the weekend they had already developed a structure and theme for SLI. Aside from SLI planning, the Siena Bonners participated in some workshops including one with Elaine Williams, master-trainer for the Corporation for National and Community Service and one with Siena Faculty member Dr. Paul Thurston. Overall the weekend was a great success in laying a solid foundation for an incredible event coming up this Spring. Stay tuned for more information about SLI in the coming months.
Check out flickr photos of our ACE Mid Year Retreat www.flick.com/sienacollegeace
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
The Torch Club
By Claudia Congemi ’14, Bonner Service Leader
Honor Court
By Kevin Schafer ’15, Bonner Service Leader
When I found out that I was going to be placed as the Albany Boys and Girls Club I did not realize how much my life was going to change. My first day at the club seems like a blur, all the children running around: I did not know where to start. However, now that a few months have flown by, I really have adapted to my site. I not only work at the Boys and Girls Club, I influence and give kids confidence to believe in themselves. I am currently working on re-opening the Torch Club for Kids 11-13 years old. The Torch Club is a leadership building opportunity where students will learn about actively participating in the community and learn to build relationships with others. Also, the students hope to have many fun and educational trips to lectures where they may hear about their dream job or a place they may want to volunteer. In order for children to feel confident, they need people in their lives who will remain mentors for them even at their lowest points. I hope by opening the torch club students will find the confidence they need to succeed. My job is to not only open the club, but be the adult supervisor for it. I will plan all of the guest speakers, schedule events, and most of all I wish to be a mentor for the children. Being an active role model is my number one goal while being at the Boys and Girls Club.
My site is Honor Court, which is a part of Peter Young Housing, Industries and Treatment (PYHIT). At Honor Court, I work with four different CASACS (substance abuse counselors) who work with the people who have been arrested and assure that they receive the proper treatment for their addictions rather then send them to jail. In jail, the root of their problem, in most cases the addiction to the substances, is not addressed and when released, their addictions can cause them to end up in court again. An average day for myself involves going to the Honor Court offices and Albany Police Court where I obtain the docket for the three judges. I check which of the cases are Honor Court clients, or potential clients. Lawyers often refer their clients to Honor Court to help avoid long jail sentences and to better ease the pain of their addictions. At court, I work with the Public Defenders (the lawyers appointed by the court for those who cannot afford to pay for a private attorney - a vast majority of the Honor Court clients), the District Attorneys (the people who represent the interests of the state), and the judges. I receive hands-on knowledge of how the justice system works. Treating one of the root causes of criminal behavior (addiction) is much more effective than just trying to punish the addict for the whims of their sickness.
Foreground: Claudia Congemi ’14 and Kevin Schafer ’15. In between sessions at the ACE Mid Year Retreat, the Bonners participated in fun ice breaker activities.
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
Souper Sandwich Club
By Tim Golden ’13, Bonner Service Leader
My service site is working with the Office of Academic Community Engagement (ACE) at Siena College. At the ACE Office, I primarily do Policy Options research for other Bonners and the various community partners of the ACE Office. There have been many new developments in my service site over the past few weeks, on the variety of projects that I work on. One of them has to do with the Souper Sandwich Club which I created in partnership with John DeCirce, a Bonner, and Kaitlyn Calaluca, the VISTA at FOCUS Churches. The goal of this club is to provide lunches for their winter lunch program, using the food that would normally be thrown out by the Siena College Dining Services. I am happy to say that the club has made over 600 meals. In addition to this, I will also find out soon whether or not we will become a recognized club on campus. This will allow us to be able to apply for funding for the club, and give us much more flexibility on campus. Another one of the projects that I am working on is the Siena Research Institute project for Catholic Charities. The goal of this project is to develop a survey that helps Catholic Charities figure out their name recognition and serve recognition in the Albany Diocese. So far, I and several other Bonners, have assisted in the development of the survey and the first draft has been sent to Catholic Charities for them to look over. Recently we have started to draft the actual report, and we are preparing to get the survey ready to be implemented. I will be excited to see this survey run to completion and to see my work payoff.
“Even after two years of seeing me every day for library class, their faces still light up and their enthusiastic greetings never fail.”
North Albany Academy
By Stephanie Belmont ’12, Bonner Service Leader
My passion for service continues to grow each year that I return to my community partner site. I have been placed at North Albany Academy for over two years now, and this site continues to challenge me and force me to grow as a person, and a volunteer. I work with the librarian Ms. Curry during her class time hours. I have been able to develop strong relationships with all my students which have enabled me to watch them progress over the years. Even after two years of seeing me every day for library class, their faces still light up and their enthusiastic greetings never fail. These children have influenced my life and I have learned more from these children than I ever could have thought imaginable. I hope have impacted them as much as they have impacted me. One of the projects I am currently a part of is working with a select group of girls that wanted to perform a play. Every lunch period they are permitted to bring their food to the library where we rehearse the different scenes that they will be performing in front of the younger studentsʼ library classes. It is the small things that these girls do, like their ability to laugh at themselves when they forget their lines, or simply their ability to have fun doing whatever it is they are doing, that remind me why I am in this program.
The Souper Sandwich Club was recently featured on the front page of the Siena newspaper, The Promethean.
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
SERVICELEARNING
Combining academic study and hands-on service.
New ASL Coordinator and Exciting Spring ASL Courses
By Jennifer Simek, VISTA Leader
We are very excited to welcome a new team member, Ruth Scipione, to the Office of Academic Community Engagement. Ruth is joining us as the Assistant Director and Coordinator of Academic Service Learning (ASL) and will be helping ACE take ASL the next level. Ruth graduated from SUNY Brockport in International Studies with an emphasis in Latin American studies. Before attending college, Ruth lived in Spain for a year and during college she studied abroad in Chile. In Chile, Ruth worked at a non-profit that accepted donations for people in need. She played a pivotal role in researching the history of the organization and created a handbook of her research. After Ruth received her undergraduate degree she moved to Albany to attend SUNY Albany and pursue teaching Spanish as a career. While at SUNY Albany,
she was recruited to join the Spanish and Linguistics PhD program where she has been studying and working with a group of Mexican indigenous speakers who speak the Triqui language. Ruth will be defending her PhD in May. Throughout her educational and study abroad experiences, Ruthʼs desire to be engaged with the community has always been a major influence. In May 2009, Ruth attended the Office of Academic Community Engagement Problem-Based Service Learning Training and was inspired by Sienaʼs commitment to connect academic rigor with student learning activities. Ruth is excited to take ASL at Siena College to the next level and will assist faculty members in course development, advancing service learning techniques, supporting community connections, and much more. Ruth can be contacted at (518) 782-6951 or [email protected]. Please join us in welcoming Ruth to our team!
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
Siena College School of Business and Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless
By Samantha Tymchyn ’09, VISTA Fellow
Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless (IPH) is enjoying partnerships with Siena College. A connection made with Paul Thurston has opened many doors. This semester we are working with two classes: The Honors section of the Business Strategy and Policy course (BUDV 450) and one team in the Leading Organizational Change course (MKMG 425). Working with the students gives us the opportunity to share knowledge and at the same time learn through their experiences. Being engaged with Siena students makes us look closely at how we are running our nonprofit and allows us to focus on finding new, innovative ways to improve our services and the way we do business. In the Business Strategy and Policy Course, the students will prepare a strategic plan proposal for Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless. In that proposal they will identify factors that are critical to success, then use those factors to identify and provide compelling evidence for strategic issues facing IPH. For each strategic issue, the teams will develop specific action plans to implement the recommended alternatives. The management team and board of directors are looking forward to the end of the semester when the students will be making their presentations. Students in the Leading Organizational Change course are learning about the many aspects of Planned Giving. The students are reaching out to professionals in the field (including Sienaʼs very own Planned Giving team). They will be breaking down the information and giving IPH recommendations and steps to take so that we can be more involved with planning giving. Having planned giving options available to our donors will give IPH more opportunity for long term growth and planning. Members of IPHʼs management team are working with Suzanne OʼConner during workshops that involve building interview skills and creating resumes.
St. Rose Counseling Graduate Program and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany
Carly Smith ’09 is in her second year of AmeriCorps VISTA service at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany. She plays a pivotal role in supporting an ASL connection with the College of St. Rose. We had a chance to ask her a few questions about the partnership and here is what she shared with us: Q: How did the partnership initiate? A: The partnership has been an on-going one initiated through a previous VISTA (Nefisah Sallim). Q: Who is the faculty member teaching the ASL course? A: Professor Claudia Lingertat-Putnam of the St. Rose School Counseling Graduate Program. Q: What are the projects the students are working on? A: The students are working with Club REACH (Ready for Employment, Academic achievement, Character development, and Hope for the future) doing college preparation, career development and life-skill training in collaboration with their class at St. Rose. Each week they create a theme and reinforce the theme through team-building activities, games, public speakers, assignments, etc. Q: What need is the ASL class helping with at your site? A: This class is bringing necessary and crucial information to our teens about college preparation and career development techniques along with life-skills training, all of which our teens do not get enough of. The small ratio and enthusiasm in this program encourage our members to be engaged in the activities there and learn about the many themes.
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DEEPSERVICE March 2011
Music Mobile and Computer Science
By Jennifer Simek, VISTA Leader
Music Mobile, an organization located in Albany, is dedicated to building peaceful communities through music. Over the course of the ‘09/’10 and ‘10/’11 academic years, Music Mobile and the Siena Computer Science department have forged an exciting and innovative approach to learning classroom objectives. Professors Mary Anne Egan and Johanna Horowitz have welcomed Music Mobile into their classrooms and allowed Music Mobile to share the organization’s need for visual accompaniment to original songs written by Ruth Pelham (Executive Director). During the week of March 7, 2011 Ruth Pelham and current Siena VISTA Hilary Rainey did a presentation for Professor Horowitz’s class. Hilary provided a brief synopsis of Music Mobile’s mission and vision for the community and Ruth led the students in song. By engaging the students and performing some of the songs, the students gained a better understanding of the positive impact the songs have on children in our communities. The students will be utilizing the program Alice this semester to animate the songs, which will then be viewed by the children in the Capital District community. Pictured to the right is Ruth Pelham during the presentation to the class.
Siena College Sr. Thea Bowman Center for Women and Body Politics Course
Ariel Palter joined the VISTA Fellows Program in the summer of 2010. Her VISTA position is with the Sr. Thea Bowmen Center for Women at Siena and she has focused on building student connections with girls in the community. We had a chance to ask her a few questions about her ASL partnership and here is what she had to share with us: Q: How did the partnership initiate? A: My site supervisor told me about Rachel Stein and her body politics class. I knew I wanted to work with a class on something since I am on campus and she seemed like a great choice. We connected and discussed potential opportunities and projects her class could work on and created a project involving a conference I am planning, Hannahʼs [Siena VISTA Fellow placed at North Albany Academy] Girl Scout Troops and her class.
Q: Who is the faculty member teaching the ASL course? A: I am working with Rachel Stein and her Body Politics class. Q: What are the projects the students are working on? A: The students are working on two projects. Half the class is working on developing a workshop on body image which will be part of the girls day conference I am developing for April. They will practice the workshop with Hannahʼs girl scouts and then implement it at the conference. The other half of the class is working on Siena monologues... similar to Vagina Monologues but Siena style. This will raise money for Domestic Violence organizations in the community. Q: What need is the ASL class helping with at your site? A: They are helping us connect with the community through issue based learning and connecting with young girls.
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Our Mission
The Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy AmeriCorps*VISTA Fellows Program provides help to build, sustain, and promote civic engagement by fostering reciprocal DEEP relationships between students, faculty, administration and our local community in need. Our program focuses on assisting faculty, students, and community partners to work with all walks of life. Our actions commit to our core values of St. Francis and allow our students, faculty and administration to seek direct actions towards academic excellence through their civic engagement and participation in programs that help to increase capacity in areas of our community that need it most through DEEP Partnerships.
Our Partners
Peter Young Housing, Industries and Treatment/Schuyler Inn Homeless and Travelers Aid Society FOCUS Churches Boys and Girls Club of Albany Unity House of Troy Catholic Charities/Roarke Center Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants North Albany Academy/SNAP Grand Street Community Arts Trinity Alliance Music Mobile Capital District YMCA Green Tech Charter High School Siena Office of Enrollment Management Sr. Thea Bowman Center for Women
Siena College Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy Office of Academic Community Engagement
515 Loudon Road | Loudonville, NY 12211 P: (518) 783-6886 | F: (518) 786-5080 E: [email protected] | W: www.siena.edu/ace
Siena Research Institute Compassion in Action/Koinonia Capital District Habitat for Humanity Albany Housing Authority
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