Week 4: Monday, October 13, 2008

Last Monday, we had a record breaking 17 kids, which we were excited about! We were also blessed with five volunteers, and a visitor!!

This afternoon we had at least 16 kids, and two volunteers, including me. We were still excited to see so many smiling, and hungry, faces; but we were not able to give them as much individual time and attention, as they needed, and deserved.

Out of desperation, I asked if two of the older girls who had finished their homework, could set up games and stay with the kids upstairs; while Rachel and I worked with a couple of children downstairs.

We have kids as young as Kindergarten, and as old as 7th grade coming to the Edison Gardens After School Study Center. They are all great kids. It is so fun to see the young ones so excited about having homework! Our Kindergarten and 1st grade kids have been bringing handwriting worksheets for homework. Ana brings her homework in a Disney Princess folder, and gets so excited when she can finish her handwriting all by herself! Today she needed help with the number 8. I seem to remember having trouble with that when I was her age. We tried it several times the traditional way, and then by making two circles, one on top of the other. That worked!

I then helped a 7th grade boy with a worksheet. He brings one every Monday. It usually has a picture on it, and some sort of clue. He is supposed to identify the picture, and then write a sentence or two about it. I really wished I had brought the laptop with me this afternoon, but then remembered I could use my Motorola Q! It turns out it was a picture of Stephen Hawking! You can read more about him here http://www.hawking.org.uk/about/aindex.html.

I then attempted to help a 4th grader understand his Math homework. I quickly found out that it is one thing to show him how to do it, and to walk him through it; but it is another thing for him to truly understand it and be able to do it on his own. I asked him if he ever asks his teacher to explain it better to him. He said the other kids laugh at him if he asks questions. I thought this was so sad. Kids can be so mean. I told him that the kids that are laughing probably don't know how to do it either, and that he should ask for help anyway.

Rachel spent most of her time with one young lady, who needed both homework help, and encouragement. She seems to be hurting; so please pray for this young lady to open up and reach out to Rachel.

We were so thankful that the two young ladies who helped with the games upstairs, also helped us put things away and clean up! Just before leaving, one of them asked if we had any journals that they could have. I told them I would be happy to bring a journal for them next week! I'm not sure where that request came from, but I'm hoping they use it to continue to bring up there, down here!

Despite all the hurt that some of the Edison Gardens' residents have endured recently; God is doing great things here!

Qualyn & Melissa's Birthday!

Monday was Qualyn's 10th, and Melissa's 9th, birthdays! We surprised them by singing "Happy Birthday" to them as they were getting ready to leave the After School Study Center!!

Jared & Basketball!

One of Edison Gardens monthly volunteers stopped at the After School Study Center on his way home from work. The boys were happy to see him! Maybe Jared's name should be Mr. Basketball!!!

This is Kristy. Kristy is one of our older guests at the Community Center. She is a freshman in high school this year. I recruited her into helping one of the younger children with her homework.

This is Blessing and Danae. Danae is hiding behind her Sudoku puzzle in the South Bend Tribune!

This is Leonel. He was happily drawing a picture until I asked him to smile for the camera. Then his magnanimous personality took over!

Week 3: Monday, October 6, 2008

This is Malik. This is his first visit to the Community Center. Malik is a classmate of one of our regular guests.

This is De'Shawn. De'Shawn is quite a talented artist! He is currently working on a portrait of Sponge Bob!!

Three of the boys are hamming it up for the camera!

Week Two!

This week I was blessed with two additional volunteers, Rachel and Shelby, for a total of four of us! Rachel is a beautiful, young woman, who recently graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Psychology. She has a heart that beats strong for God, and for children. Shelby is my friend Kathy's (our first volunteer at the Study Center) daughter. Shelby is an amazing young woman that I've had the pleasure of getting to know better. She also has a heart that beats strong for God, and for others. The Edison Gardens kids warmed up to both of them immediately, as you can see from the pictures!

We had ten Edison Gardens kids attend the After School Study Center this week, plus one young man who helped carry in a box of supplies. We were also blessed with a visit from Mattie, from the Housing Authority of South Bend.

This week, we were prepared and ready for the kids! Rachel set up games upstairs, while I set up snacks for the kids downstairs. I also printed some fall coloring sheets, a word search puzzle, a poem by Robert Frost, and a maze for the kids to color and work on when they finished their homework. The kids loved the print outs, and worked on them at the Study Center. One young lady also took one of each home with her so she could work on them at home!

The kids seemed to have less homework this week; but we were able to help one young lady with her multiplication problems! We set up the program this week so that the kids would have a snack, work on homework, reading, and work sheets for the first 45 minutes. They could spend more time doing homework, if they needed to; but for the second 45 minutes, they could go upstairs and play games. The new games that we purchased for the Study Center are not only fun, but educational! As long as the kids don't figure this out, we're all set!!

In less than two weeks, we will have our monthly Son City Kids Event. We will be taking the kids to Crooked Creek Ranch, in Wakarusa. This is one of the kids favorite places to go! The kids shared with our new volunteers about the visit to the Ranch. I think our Study Center volunteers may also join us!!

Seeing the Edison Gardens Kids weekly has been such a blessing to me. Once a month is good, but weekly is amazing! There is so much we can learn from them, as well as what they can learn from us. I want to show them Jesus' love during these weekly Study Centers. Plus I sense the level of mutual respect and trust is growing week by week! The kids still want us to come every day. They ask each week why we can't. I know from personal experience that persistence pays off!!

Week three ... bring it on!!!

Roni & Kathy