When Violence Rocks A School

The John Marshall School is located in the Bowdoin-Geneva section of Dorchester. The community suffers from the pangs of poverty: low employment, high drug use, related gang violence, and a severe lack of community resources. Hundreds of families struggle to make it through the day. Many send their children to the John Marshall School.

Last week, a young man was shot inside the school's gym at 6:30 PM. He was chased outside where he was shot two more times. The victim survived. The shooter got away.

A week earlier, within a stone's throw of the school, a man was killed execution-style at noontime. Last spring, teachers found a man shot to death in the school's parking lot.

The Superintendent, members of the School Committee, police officials, and others visited the school last week, meeting with families and teachers, offering comfort and a commitment of resources. The John Marshall School needs more help because children cannot learn and teachers cannot teach when a school resembles a war zone. There is too much trauma.

The City is working hard to address these problems and some days it must seem like the hill is very, very steep.

While the officials were walking through the school, they came upon a large group of senior citizens, quietly working with individual students who struggle with reading. These are Experience Corps members, 25 in number, and trained as literacy tutors. Last year, they volunteered more than 7,500 hours to the Marshall School. These seniors are real heavy lifters.

They have been coming to the John Marshall School for seven years, day after day. The principal, Theresa Harvey-Jackson, knows each by name and by his or her own personal story. There's Manny and Hertisene, Ricki, and George, and 20 others who are of the community, ranging in age from 50 to 90. Many walk to the school, some take a bus or use the RIDE. A few need a cane to get around, and they have ailments that would slow down most people half their age.

But they show up, ready to move the proficiency needle forward. They show up when it's cold, in the rain, when there is ice on the sidewalk. They show up when violence erupts, which for most people would be a legitimate reason to stay home. But it would never, ever occur to them to stay home. They love the school, the teachers, the principal, and mostly, the kids. They live in the community and are examples of the hope that resides in every neighborhood. They want the children to succeed and believe that they can. Nothing keeps them away.

This is very good news at a time when we could all use some.

Thank you, Manny, Ricki, Hertisene and George, and all of your teammates: You make the very steep hill in our city a little easier to climb.

Happy Thanksgiving.



To learn more, please visit www.generationsinc.org.

A Year of Service in Honor of Ted Kennedy

Last week I watched, with thousands of others, as the funeral procession for Ted Kennedy passed in front of the State House. The sense of loss and sadness overwhelmed me, and I could see in the faces in the crowd that everyone felt the same. In the days that followed his death, the crowds grew larger, the lines longer, everyone wanting to say good-bye and thank you to our great Senator one final time. It seemed appropriate that the Senator's public wake took place in Dorchester at the JFK Library and that his funeral took place in the glorious Mission Church in Roxbury. That was so Ted-like, returning to the people who elected him, in the very communities where his policies, laws, and actions helped those most in need.

The Kennedy family's commitment to service over the past 50 years is a legacy unmatched by anyone. Ted was a huge proponent of national service, and one of his final acts was to author a bill that would greatly increase the size of the AmeriCorps Program, a bill that carries his name, and was signed by the President in April 2009. Like his brothers before him, Ted believed in the idealism of America. I will miss him.

Generations Incorporated begins a new year of service in October, and we will dedicate it to Ted Kennedy. Over 300 Experience Corps members and 65 AmeriCorps members will begin working with hundreds of children who need help with reading, writing, and other literacy skills. By the end of the year, we will have amassed more than 140,000 hours of volunteer service. The impact will be huge. And we will do this in honor of Ted Kennedy, and in the hopes that many more Americans will extend themselves to others in service.

Thank you, Ted. May you rest in peace.

Experience Corps Works! Results from Washington University Study

The recently released final report from Washington University in St. Louis states conclusively that Experience Corps works. We have always known this, and now there is a rigorous scientific study that backs up our own evaluation.

The study took place between 2006-2008 in three cities where Experience Corps operates. These were Boston, New York City, and Port Arthur, TX.

Results show that students who participate in our program make over 60% more progress than similar students not served by our program.

The greatest areas of improvement were in two key areas:
Sounding out new words
Reading Comprehension

The study also shows that teachers overwhelmingly welcome the program.

Finally, Experience Corps members also benefit from the program. Working with children improves the health and well-being of older adults.

Please read the great stories printed recently in the Boston Globe and the Christian Science Monitor. Click the links below.


http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/mcas/articles/2009/04/08/older_hands_plant_seeds_of_literacy/

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p90s01-usgn.html

The worst of times, the best in people

I have attended a couple "survival" meetings recently, focusing on how the non-profit sector can weather the economic storm. Some advice is helpful, such as sharing "back room" administrative expenses with another non-profit. And some advice...well, not so good. "Get rid of the fat." What fat?

My organization is not immune from the recession. Our budget is relatively small, just under $2 million. But giving is way down this year and we expect that 15% of projected revenues will not materialize. So we have had to make painful adjustments affecting people.

The plan is to "bite the bullet" in February, slashing salaries for staff and stipends for 120 volunteers for one month. We will keep programs going and will ask great sacrifices of everyone. By taking this preventative action, everyone feels relief knowing the "downsize" will only last a month.

The response to this decision is creating some amazing stories of human kindness. A 75-year old Experience Corps member serving 8 hours/week will not receive her meager stipend in February. When we told her that we didn't expect her to serve for the month, she was insistant. "Who will read with my students? What will I do with my time? I will serve." Another Experience Corps member when informed of the situation declared it time to make a cash donation and also insisted she would continue to serve. Staff offered to reduce their pay. Our AmeriCorps members and VISTA volunteers are waiting to hear how they can help fill some of the gaps.

On March 1, everything will return to some semblance of normal and the recession will most likely continue. We will need to be realistic, practical and creative as we go forward.

But for now, while going through a down-size of the checkbook, we are realizing a rebirth of spirit, energy, and commitment to service and to our mission. Times are very tough, yet its amazing what a team of caring and committed people spanning 3 generations can do when everyone at every level agrees to sacrifice.

Happy New (Mentoring) Year!

We all know January to be a time for fresh starts, new resolutions, and… mentoring? A National Mentoring Month? Well mentoring is important year round but this January marks the eighth time an entire month has been dedicated to it.

This month of awareness-raising mentoring gives what we do here at Generations Incorporated a national platform, and I love that. To celebrate the month last year we hosted Irene Smalls and our mentors had a wonderful time.

This year we’re putting a different spin on how we observe the month. We’ll be making a special effort on January 22^nd to get all our staff and AmeriCorps members to participate in Thank Your Mentor Day™ (and I encourage you to join us). For those interested in participating there are “Four Ways to Honor Your Mentor”:

1) contact your mentor directly to express your appreciation
2) pass on what you received by becoming a mentor to a young person in your community
3) make a financial contribution to a local mentoring program
4) write a tribute to your mentor for posting on www.WhoMentoredYou.org.

For more information visit: www.nationalmentoringmonth.org

Congratulations Ruth!

Congratulations to Ruth Villard, who tonight was honored by Bank of America as a Local Hero. Ruth was one of five adults in the metro Boston area to receive this award this year.

Described as the "Volunteer Queen" by her daughter, Ruth has been an active member within the Dorchester community since her three children were young. Inspired by her goal of a safe community where seniors are actively involved in the lives of Boston youth, Ruth has continued to participate in various community organizations in order to promote positive changes in Boston.

In 2007, Ruth began volunteering through Generations Incorporated as a literacy mentor at the Yawkey Boys and Girls Club. Ruth's patience and constant encouragement for her 5 mentees yielded quick results. “You really see a positive difference in the children. I felt like I was making a big impact on the children and helping them develop.”

Additionally, Ruth connects to her community members through her church as a youth group leader and squad leader for the Archdiocese of Boston Black Catholic Choir. Ruth promotes awareness of health issues that affect her neighbors and friends through her passionate participation in Boston Reach 2010. As a senior, Ruth serves as an advocate for her peers on the Senior and Disabled Council for her senior housing development and the Mayor’s Advisory Council, which assists in developing and coordinating community-based systems of service for Boston seniors.

In recognition of the Local Heroes Award, Bank of America donated $5,000 to the non-profit of the winner's choice. Thank you Ruth, for choosing Generations Incorporated.

And more importantly, thank you, Ruth, for being an inspiration for us all!

It's Intergeneration Week

Yesterday marked the beginning of Intergeneration Week, a national event that occurs the first full week of October every year. The mission of the holiday is to connect generations through communication, celebration, and education.

Read more about it at: www.intergenerationday.org.