INNER-CITY ARTS

Inner-City Arts meets the need of a community truly in need – arts education for the children of working class families of inner city Los Angeles. The organization bridges socio-economic gaps by connecting with key influential individuals, such as Mayor Richard Riordan and Michael Maltzan. Their service has been ongoing for more than 12 years and affects a positive impact on the children they serve and their families, as is evident through improved test scores and behavior. Finally, they use truly innovative and cutting-edge techniques to provide the students with the most positive experience possible.

Inspired by the idea that art is an invaluable educational tool, co-founders Bob Bates and Irwin Jaeger established Inner-City Arts in 1989. In response to severe funding cuts for art instruction in Los Angeles area public schools, the founders solicited the support of business leaders and educators in the community to establish a center that would bring the arts back to school curricula. A structured series of innovative bilingual arts courses was carefully developed to meet the specific needs of students at one downtown elementary school.

Since the organization’s inception, Inner-City Arts has grown from working with just one school in temporary facilities to serving 11 schools in a state-of-the-art six-classroom/studio campus. The facility currently accommodates courses in ceramics, dance, music, visual art, animation and drama for 8,000 students each year and affords each child the opportunity to explore the arts through hands-on activities in a real artist’s studio environment.

Programs have also been initiated to serve local children after regular school hours and on weekends. In addition, a series of workshops and events geared toward greater family involvement in the learning process are now provided by Inner-City Arts.

Inner-City Arts’ primary objective is to make a difference in the lives of inner-city children. The mission of Inner-City Arts is to foster the most progressive and effective arts education possible. It is the organization’s goal to maintain a culture that rewards innovative thinking, hired dedicated, visionary staff and enables them to flourish in a unique physical environment. In addition, close ties are maintained with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the educational standards established therein.

The ethnic makeup of Inner-City Arts’ students population is: 4.3% African American, 9.23% Asian, .87% Caucasian, .26% Filipino, 84.96% Latino and .25% Native American. Seventy-eight percent of the children served are classified by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) as English Learners with limited English language proficiency. These children are among the nation’s neediest. More than 90% of Inner-City Arts students are in the free or reduced lunch (Title I) program.

Inner-City Arts, and the 11 schools served by the center, are located in the heart of the Los Angeles Downtown Industrial District. Most of the children live in an environment with violence and crime. Poverty and homelessness exacerbate the challenges students face each day. Students classified by LAUSD as homeless (their permanent address changes every 30 days) attend many of the schools served by Inner-City Arts; at one of the participating schools, 33% of the student body is considered homeless.

RACHAEL OPDYKE

In his prophetic book, The Graying of America, James Jorgensen warned repeatedly that America needs more resources for its aging population. More people are living beyond the traditional retirement age only to find out that the quality of their lives is greatly diminished.

Through her innovative project, Project Hope and Enrichment, Rachael Opdyke is adding quality years to the elderly and at the same time enriching the lives of many youth. She is currently working in three retirement homes. She has developed a monthly dinner/dance for area senior citizens, which is always well attended by young and old alike. In addition, she has started a fishing derby with young high school fisherman pitting their skills against that of an elderly retirement village resident. The activity is one-on-one, with much quality intergenerational bonding. There are frequent intergenerational bus trips that include a picnic and always a great deal of life-sharing.

Through her Adopt-A-Grandparent program, individuals who have long outlived their own family become part of an extended family. Students also gain much from a grandparent because they have either lost or in many cases, never knew their own. Socialization takes many forms: card playing, hymn singing, walks, lunches, letter writing, etc. Many of the retirement residents have discovered computers and its wide variety of uses. Rachael has enlisted the assistance of computer-literate high school students to teach, email, and even repair their computers.

Every other Saturday from 9am to noon, students in large numbers come to the retirement village to do residents’ chores. This can be anything from car washing, moving furniture, cookie sampling or just socializing. Every resident is remembered during the holiday season with a gift and a special holiday program. Twice each year, Rachael produces a talent show for the residents and each time every seat is taken and the elderly eagerly enjoy the talents of the young.

So many of the elderly cannot get to hospitals or pharmacies for medical assistance. To help with this problem, Rachael has enlisted the help of The Visiting Nurses Association. Through a monthly DOLLAR DAY at her high school, thousands of dollars are raised to buy mast ambulance insurance, which enables these needy people to get the medical help they desperately need by using the ambulance for a year, free of charge. Lives are saved, strengthened and enriched through this program.

Rachael’s efforts have now become a permanent part of her school and it has spread to several others. This year 400 students joined the volunteer program at Northwest High School, insuring this activity will not only continue, but increase in scope. A yearly prom is a highlight in which students and the elderly enjoy an evening of dancing, food and socialization.

Her work has caught the eye of the Kansas governor, who gave his coveted SPIRIT OF GIVING award for Rachael’s efforts. These efforts are certainly innovative, unique and effective. One 90-year old resident has adopted Rachael and they have mutually discovered the power of individuals. Project Hope hits the heart with enriching activities. Many elderly residents discover that they have a lot of living yet to do. Rachael will go on to college where she will specialize in social work.

EMY LOU BALDRIDGE

Emy Lou Baldridge has been an ardent volunteer throughout her adult life. Her contributions during the past year exemplify the distinct difference she has made within her community and entire state over many years of service. Throughout the past seven years alone, her passionate conviction that everyone can make a difference in the life of a child has led to over 50,000 abused or neglected children in Dallas being cared for in a more dignified manner.

To understand Baldridge’s efforts towards the past year, you must first understand her efforts this past decade. As an active volunteer with the Chance Center for Abused and Neglected Children from 1987 – 1995, Baldridge became acquainted first hand with the plights of many children in Dallas. In addition to this, she observed the great challenge Child Protective Service (CPS) caseworkers face in administering care to the children in need.

Because of her concern, Baldridge was one of the people CPS turned to for help to create a private/public partnership aimed at easing the caseworker’s caseload sot they could provide better care to the children. Baldridge, as part of a team of volunteers, established the Dallas Community Partners in 1989. The goal of this volunteer program, modeled after a Corpus Christi program, was to rally community support for CPS.

The first program established by the Community Partners was the Adopt-a-Caseworker program, which linked caseworkers with religious groups, local businesses, and civic organizations willing to provide financial and emotional support. As a chairperson and one of the most active volunteers with Dallas Community Partners, Baldridge adopted caseworkers, petitioned community members and organizations to adopt caseworkers, rode with caseworkers to assist in training parents, led the training committee, and contributed in countless other ways. Today, as a result of her efforts, 75 caseworkers have been adopted in Dallas.

With the Adopt-a-Caseworker program successfully underway, in 1992, Baldridge and the Dallas Community Partners sought to increase their support by asking caseworkers for their suggestions about what other items they could improve on. They requested a resource room be established to provide aid to families, and after much planning and petitioning for assistance from various groups, the Rainbow Room was opened in 1993 to meet the caseworker’s needs. In addition to that, needed supplies like cribs, diapers, shampoo, clothing and other miscellaneous items were provided. The original stock of 29 items has grown to 29,000.

Baldridge’s work has garnered the attention of Laura Bush who requested her to replicate the success of Dallas Community Partners statewide. Because of this, in 1996, the Greater Texas Community Partners was formed.

Though Baldridge is busy taking the program statewide, she remains very active in service to other organizations: The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, The Child Advocacy Center, The Junior League of Dallas, The Mental Health Association, Suicide Crisis Center, St. Michael & All Angels Volunteer Round Table, and the Bob Beavers Family Center Task Force.

OPERATION: LEADERSHIP BOOTCAMP

Samuel Jones, a Staff Sergeant (USAF) stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB), started Operation Leadership Bootcamp (LBC) in Tucson, AZ in January 1998. In 1997, serving as a tutor in middle school, SSgt Jones noticed something that troubled him. Many of the kids were there for two very alarming reasons: 1) they had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, and 2) their poor grades were a direct result of low self-esteem and a sense of not feeling that what they were doing in school and in their life was important. This led him to begin Operation LBC.

LBC is an after-school program that operates Monday through Friday, two hours daily. An LBC session lasts for six weeks and concludes with a class graduation attended by civic leaders, school board members, military officials, parents, and schoolmates. Each session enrolls 20-30 children, with five instructors. Instructors are volunteers from Davis-Monthan AFB and the students are enrolled by various means, from volunteering, school referrals, or parent recommendations.

The program gained local accolades after two years of existence, graduating more than 300 trainees, with 30 instructors from the Air Force involved. Currently, in 2001, six schools have LBC as an after-school program.

What makes this program so unique and worthwhile? How is it impacting Tucson? LBC is based on five core values: Respect, Discipline, Social Awareness, Physical Conditioning, and Teamwork. Activities range from visiting retirement communities, clothing drives, and participating in the National Christmas in April Program. It has proved beneficial for all involved with Tucson youth, the real winner.

An in-your-face approach is used to deal with the toughness of the streets that many youth possess. In order to prepare the students to face drugs, gangs, sex, or alcohol, the instructors create pressure-filled situations. They “break the kids down” and build them up with pride and self-esteem. They create an “us (instructors) against them (students)” environment to foster their need for each other and spirit of cooperation. The students become a part of a team and have a sense of belonging. By the end of the program there is a sense of accomplishment. The trainees are sent back into the community with a greater respect for themselves, pride, and a sense of giving that stays with them.

The results of LBC are immediate. The parents and teachers take notice because they are able to see the tangible difference in schoolwork, more respect for adults, and a higher respect for authority. The Operation Leadership Bootcamp identifies a need for youth to learn respect, belonging, and self-esteem and creates an environment to meet those needs.

The program is the only one of its kind in Arizona. Operation LBC operated without any military or school financial support; funding comes from donations of local businesses.

DR. CAROL CHRISTOPHER

Dr. Carol Christopher is founder and executive director of Our House, Inc., an agency and safe house dedicated to providing immediate help to teens in crisis and their families.

Dr. Christopher has helped more than 3,000 teens and built the only youth services agency for non-adjudicated youth in northeastern Louisiana. The program serves runaways who have a variety of problems. Our House does not receive per diem reimbursement. All services are provided without cost to those who cannot pay. All funding comes from donations and grants.

“Adults can be sent to agencies, but usually kids can’t. So, it got to be very problematic for me to answer the phone and not have an answer,” she said. Her inspiration came one Sunday afternoon when she received a phone call from a 12-year-old girl who wanted to run away. The girl was 30 miles from Monroe. “There wasn’t a thing I could tell her and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back, “ said Dr. Christopher.

Our House, Inc., hung their first sign in 1990. The signs are publicized at schools and the children can go there and ask for help, at which point a volunteer would talk with them and just discuss the options. If needed, the children can find shelter at the agency. The profile of a typical runaway who seeks shelter at Our House is a child that has been thrown out of the house and doesn’t have any place to go.

Dr. Christopher retired from her position as a professor of music at Northeast Louisiana University to fully devote her efforts to Our House. She works a minimum of 60 hours per week.

Dr. Christopher’s volunteer efforts have awarded her with national recognition as the Safe Place Volunteer of the Year, the Bacos Salutes America’s Volunteers Award, and the J.C. Penney Golden Rule Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service.

THOMAS DUFFY

“With every decision Thomas Duffy makes, he tries to find the quickest and most forceful way to grab people’s attention and direct it toward his cause.” This is how a recent article described Thomas Duffy’s latest effort to raise funds and awareness for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and Families of SMA.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy is the leading genetic killer of children under the age of two. It is a degenerative neuromuscular disease that causes the loss of all voluntary movement in its victims. It is one of the most prevalent disorders, yet one of the least known.

Thomas Duffy learned about SMA when his daughter, Morgan, was diagnosed. He turned to Families of SMA for information and support. He quickly became one of the organization’s strongest supporters, fundraisers and advocates.

Duffy took his commitment to new “heights” this year. On March 28, he climbed atop a billboard in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and sat there for 24 hours. He raised nearly $25,000 and conducted countless interviews, helping to education the public about SMA.

Based on the success of this innovative fundraiser, Duffy convinced Audrey Lewis, executive director of Families of SMA, to join him in an even more ambitious challenge. He and Lewis climbed up under the JVC Globe in Times Square and sat outside, in blowing wind and sleet, for 36 hours. Those 36 hours represent 10 seconds for every child that dies from SMA each year. They were joined by dozens of volunteers on the ground that passed out materials and collected donations. That effort raised more than $40,000.

With these successes most people might quit, but Duffy forges ahead. He has developed a packet for other individuals interested in a billboard fundraiser and has enlisted car dealerships around the country to help support the research and services provided by Families of SMA.

SMA is an orphan disease; it does not receive the attention or funding of other well-known diseases, yet one in every 6,000 live births is affected. One in 40 people carries this disease, yet until it is diagnosed in their family, most individuals are unaware of their status as carriers. Thomas Duffy has helped to inform thousands of people about SMA, helped to connect families living with the disease to Families of SMA – the only group that provides patient and family support, equipment loans, educational seminars and research dollars, and helped to raise critical dollars in the search for a treatment and possible cure.

HEDY MARTIN

In October of 1989, Hedy Martin came to Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County (LVMC) in Phoenix, Arizona to help adults learn to read. Since then she has volunteered more than 3,000 hours as a one-to-one tutor, English as a Second Language (ESOL) teacher, and office assistant and has been with LVMC longer than almost any other volunteer in the organization. In essence, Martin represents the mission of Literacy Volunteers and embodies the true spirit of volunteerism, which has given many a chance for a brighter future.

Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County is a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching adults how to read, write, speak English and prepare for the GED. Each year, more than 1,800 adults come to LVMC who are disenfranchised from society because of their lack of reading skills. Martin initially started with LVMC as a Basic Reading Tutor to help these adults. She tutored 2-3 hours per week, teaching them to read, write and speak English. She then went on to help in the Matching Office, assisting students with their initial appointments, interviewing and testing the students, placing them with a one-to-one tutor and following up to verify the success of the student-tutor-match. She became the Instructional Coordinator for a Tutor Support Group, helping other tutors and servings as a link between the volunteers and the staff of the agency.

In 1997, Martin recognized the need for an English as a Second Language (ESOL) class at the main office, because of the increasing influx of immigrants who could not speak or read English. Martin started LVMC’s first large group ESOL class and has maintained it ever since. Her class has been the prototype for other ESOL classes around the metropolitan area and she has helped students from more than 25 different countries increase their English comprehension, obtain better jobs, and improve their overall economic and social condition.

Martin continues to be a tutor, ESOL teacher, Instructional Coordinator, office assistant and an agent of hope. On average, she devotes at least 15 hours per week to LVMC. Not only has she dedicated almost 12 years of service with LVMC, but she has also helped in almost every facet of the organization with a vitality and zest that cannot be measured. The work that Martin does, not only affects her students, but also, affects generations to come by helping to break the cycle of illiteracy in America.

NEW BIRTH BAPTIST CHURCH

New Birth Baptist Church members have been volunteering at the Dallas County Juvenile Department’s Detention Center for more than 10 years. Karen Bradford, leader, and five other church members have formed a consistent and reliable group that has never canceled in 10 years of services!

New Birth members come to the Center once a month to work with 200 residents. They conduct a Bible study with the youth in a large group setting then they break down into smaller, more personable groups to talk about how the Bible verse or lesson could apply to their lives.

The Detention Center is the Juvenile Department’s short-term, secured facility for children who are charged with delinquency offenses and are pending court action. The average stay for the youth at the Detention Center is 17 to 20 days. Basically, it is a holding place for youth until they go to court. During their stay at the Detention Center, the youth and their family are evaluated. After the evaluation, the Juvenile Department is able to make a plan to recommend to the judge. These planned service recommendations serve to assist in making changes in the child’s life. The mission of the Juvenile Department is to provide services for the youth so they will not reenter the juvenile system or advance into the adult penal system. New Birth Baptist Church has been instrumental in assisting the Juvenile Department with this goal by providing a constant spiritual foundation for the youth.

New Birth Baptist Church is located within the community where many of the Detention Center residents reside. The children in the Center know of the church and their faithful membership, which makes the children feel comfortable with the volunteers who come to the institution. Many of the children are very attentive and interested in the spiritual program when they are in the Center because they are scared, lonely and away from a familiar setting. It is when the young person returns home to their old environment that it becomes difficult to maintain the level of spirituality they had achieved at the Center.

New Birth is excellent in opening not only their hearts, but also their church doors to youth for support after they return home. The members back up their words with actions. This provides the youth with a certain level of consistency, which often is lacking in their lives. The members also provide a safe haven from all the chaos in the youth’s life, which is another attempt to keep the youth from returning to the old negative patterns of behavior.

New Birth consistently goes “above and beyond” to make a difference in the lives of the children in the Center. That extra gesture of being there for the children when back in the neighborhood is a quality that has impacted the lives of the youth. If the church cannot help, they always find alternative ways to help youth in need.

SISTER SHARON RAMBIN

Sister Sharon Rambin and the sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows founded the Renzi Education and Art Center more than three years ago when they took an old, dilapidated house in a low-income neighborhood and turned it into a much needed center for after-school programs. The center serves youths in first through 12th grades. The service is free and open to up to 60 students on a first-come, first-served basis.

Sister Sharon led Shreveport Mayor Keith Hightower on a tour of one run-down street, pointing out the homes as they walked past. “These children sleep on a filthy mattress on a floor covered with roaches. The little boy has asthma and none have food to eat. In this house, the mother has a chicken in the freezer to show the child services lady when she comes. They can’t eat the chicken, even though they have nothing else. She has to keep it there to prove they have food so the children won’t be taken away,” says Sister Sharon.

Sister Sharon enthusiastically took on a job few would want and moved into a neighborhood most are trying to escape. Her work in the Caddo Heights area gave rise to her desire for safe havens so children would be able to escape these conditions – if only for a few hours – and have a meal, get academic tutoring, paint, work with computers and be surrounded by positive adult role models. She literally started her campaign with a dream and a prayer. Throughout the months that she worked to get her first safe haven in place – the Renzi Art and Education Center – Sister Sharon begged, borrowed, cajoled, asked and demanded. And piece by piece, the Renzi Center was completed with no monetary help from the government. The $60,000 renovation cost was supported by in-kind donations of time and other resources.

“Our children have so many stories that they bring to the center. Some of them are heartbreaking and some of them will devastate anyone who hears them,” Sister Sharon says. “The stories are something that I think we should all listen to and do as much as we can for them to help them know that they are worth caring about. We are giving people hope that maybe they are not able to find anywhere else.”

At Shreveport’s Loyola College Prep, Sister Sharon has also had the opportunity to refocus the thoughts of middle-to-upper class teenagers from typical teen concerns to concerns about how to help families that are less fortunate. Her students volunteer their time and spend their money to fill and deliver food baskets for the poor, and work with low-income children at the Renzi Center.

Due to Sister Sharon’s efforts, a neighbor donated a vacant lot that sits next to the Renzi Center so that she and her helpers could begin a garden and plant flowers to beautify the neighborhood.

Sister Sharon’s tireless efforts in spearheading this project have transformed a drug-dealing area into a rejuvenated neighborhood filled with hope and peace.

BROWARD COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF STUDENT COUNCILS

The Broward County Association of Student Councils (BCASC) was founded over 26 years ago in Broward County, Florida. They are made up of members from all of the 60 public middle and high schools and five of the private middle and high schools in the county. Their mission is to transform education one student at a time.

The BCASC has a long tradition of community service and specifically sponsors five programs for Broward County in addition to supporting many of the schools functions. Babes in Book land is a program that solicits donations and funds for low-income families. Collections of new books are then distributed over the holidays. During the 1999-2000 school year, over 4000 books were collected.

The BCASC also sponsors Beach Clean-up Broward. This program is a coastal clean up that stretches from the Dade County Line in the South to the Palm Beach County Line in the North. Over 3000 middle and high school students participated in this event during the 1999-2000 school year while also helping the environment.

In addition to this, the Winter Walk and Canned Food Challenge are also special projects for BCASC. The Winter Walk is a 12 K, organized to raise money for the Cancer Research Network. Last year, more than 1000 high school students participated and helped our nation get that much closer to a cure. The Canned Food Challenge is an inter-school competition used to collect non-perishable foods for those in need. Making this event a challenge increases the donations and helps more families. Last year, almost 8,000 pounds of food were collected during the challenge.

The final program sponsored by the BCASC is the Gift of Sight. A used eyeglass collection is organized by the BCASC. They, in turn, donate them to the Lions Club to help those in need receive the gift of sight.

The BCASC is a school, student-based organization that reaches far beyond its school district. The members of the community as well as those afflicted with cancer throughout the nation are touched by their labor of love.