Last Call for Year-end Donations!

Please consider making a tax-deductible gift.

Every bit of your monetary support, no matter how large or small,
enables us to tutor and attend to more children in Oakland.

Donate here.

We will continue to accept online year-end gifts until December 31, 2015.

Happy 2016 from Faith Network!

Wishing you a new year full of hope,

joy, and abundant blessings!

Faith Network staff from left to right: Chelsea Boniak, Rebecca Buckley, Michelle Hutcherson, Margena Wade-Green, Madalyn Wang, Carolyn Piraino, Gwen Stephens, Kim Farnham-Flom, Deborah Davis, Ashley Verinsky, Charlotte Martinez, Jan Zovickian, Pearl Wang, Randy Roth

December 2015 newsletter

It's Never Too Soon to Think about College

College graduates are 2 times more likely to be employed and to be productive participating members of society. And yet today, 80.5% of children from low-income families do not graduate from college.

For the last few years, Faith Network, in partnership with the First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, has created the opportunity for middle school students from Longfellow, King, and Willard Middle Schools in Berkeley to visit the University of California, Berkeley campus. The intention is to expose these students to resources that will help in their pursuit of higher education. Funding for transportation, t-shirts, and meals is provided through the Max Martinez Memorial Fund.

In the 2014-2015 school year, campus visits occurred during the month of April. Participants had the opportunity to visit the Cal campus where they engaged with UC Berkeley Incentive Awards Program (IAP) Scholars and talked to them about multiple topics: experiences as low-income and first-generation college-bound students, transition to high school from middle school, emotional and academic support in high school, and college prep.

Middle school students appreciated the IAP Scholar small circle discussions where further engagement into academic motivation, family support, and study habits/skill building were among the most appreciated topics. Students especially enjoyed their lunch at the Crossroads Dining Commons, experiencing what it’s like to have meals in a college dining hall with Cal students, professors and staff.

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President's Corner: Counting Our Blessings

While it’s true that there is a great deal of suffering, injustice and conflict in our
world – both far away and close to home – we still have so much to be grateful for. As we gather with family and friends on Thanksgiving, let us pause before feasting to count our blessings.

Faith Network is profoundly grateful for…

• over 300 Good Samaritans who volunteer their time and talents to give hope to vulnerable children and help them reach their full potential, while at the same time creating a positive working environment for school personnel;
• our 50+ collaborative partners, the pillars of our network, for their sustained commitment to invest in the next generation and pool resources for the common good;
• the many individuals, families and institutions for their financial support during the year. It is through your generosity that Faith Network is empowered to carry out our mission.

Our staff team joins me in wishing you and your family a joyous Christmas filled
with peace, hope and love. May God grant us grace to be attentive to the persons
He puts in our pathways, to rejoice when a child’s life is touched and transformed, to embrace the mystery of the mustard seed – the transformation of entire communities, one life at a time.

With gratitude,
Randy

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Last Chance to DOUBLE Your Impact!

Our Champions for Children Matching Challenge is about to end.

Gifts received online by November 30 will be matched dollar for dollar,

meaning your donation will go twice as far.

Click here to donate now!

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FN Mentors Awarded for Public Service

In the July edition of our newsletter, we spotlighted Oakland students who won third place in a robotics competition at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). Now it’s their mentors’ turn.

Mark and Joanne Perra, retired scientists and Faith Network volunteers, were recently presented with the Jefferson Award* for Public Service by KPIX, the Bay Area CBS television station. The Perras were nominated for their work in launching the first-ever programming and robotics course at Roosevelt Middle School in Oakland.

It all started when, a few years ago, Mark and Joanne attended an innovative C-STEM (Computer-Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) education conference at UC Davis. They wondered if Oakland schools could tap into the curriculum, which cultivates logical thinking using coding and programming. Faith Network and the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) worked with the Perras to launch the C-STEM course at Roosevelt last year. It was a success and will be taught again this year. Among other things, the students learn to program small robots to dance in sync!

Faith Network is grateful for Mark and Joanne’s work with Oakland children and congratulates them on this well-deserved recognition.

To watch the news clip and read the KPIX article,
visit http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/category/jefferson-awards/.

*The Jefferson Awards Foundation is a national nonprofit that strives to build a culture of service in the United States. Their media partners, KPIX among them, celebrate local heroes nominated from the community.

Championing Our Children Matching Challenge

Don't forget that every dollar you give in the month of November will be matched to double its impact!

Help us reach our goal to match $35,000 pledged by generous donors.

All funds raised will go toward invigorating Faith Network's academic and enrichment programs: Succeeding by Reading, Health4Kids, Science Horizons and CareerBridge.

Give to the Matching Challenge here!

http://www.faith-network.com/donate_new/

President's Corner: Urgent Need for Reading Tutors

Way too many Oakland kids from low-income families are slipping through the cracks because they lack reading skills. When Faith Network first launched in 2001, 70% of Oakland’s third-graders were reading below grade level. Now in 2015, 60% are reading below grade level. Oakland has made progress, but the percentage is still intolerable.

Basic literacy skills will go a long way towards interrupting generational poverty while potentially creating new legacies for generations to come. Our 20 Excel Reading Clinics currently serve about 200 students. We have the capacity to reach an additional 100 students if we recruit 50 more volunteer tutors.

Please consider joining me and our growing team of reading tutors. And recruit a friend to join you. As a reading tutor, your task is to inspire a child to become a successful reader. The time commitment is two or more hours per week during school hours. We provide training and on-site support and guidance.


For me personally, tutoring second-graders one-on-one at Prescott Elementary is the highlight of my week. Today I asked my tutee Jennifer how she felt about our reading clinic experience. She replied, “Learning is fun!”

Some next steps
• Contact Rebecca Buckley, rebecca@faith-network.com.
• Complete the registration process, which includes a TB assessment and
live scan background check.
• Attend a November training session at the Faith Network office:

    Saturday, November 7
    9:00-11:30 am

    Tuesday, November 17
    3:30-6:00 pm

Thank you for considering my appeal. I’m emboldened by this scriptural injunction: “You have not because you ask not” (James 4:3).

Shalom, Oakland!
Randy

The Need for Library Services

by Kim Farnham-Flom, Director of Library Services

Courtesy of Babuljak Photography

Years ago, I walked into a school to be a
literacy tutor. In Oakland public schools, only one-third of third-grade students were reading at grade level and at this particular school, the percentage was even less. Peering through the window of a locked door, I saw dusty books with old publishing dates, discarded technical equipment, and other signs of a room used for storage. The door was labeled "Library.”

At our Excel Reading clinics, students look forward to working with their caring tutors on improving their reading ability. However, they go home to communities where books are not readily available. Visits to public libraries require busy parents to escort students through a community challenged by violence. The school library is supposed to be the safety net for access to books. Unfortunately, due to limited funding, a school with a closed library is not uncommon in the Oakland Unified School District.

Courtesy of Babuljak Photography

For ten years, Faith Network has provided equity for students in schools with limited resources by opening school libraries for weekly class visits. Serving in over fifteen schools, our volunteers check out 3,500 books to students every week. Recently released data shows that reading scores among Oakland third-graders have improved, but are still unacceptably low. Our goal is that all our students develop adequate reading skills and have consistent access to quality books.

If you would like to volunteer at a school library, email info@faith-network.com.

Volunteer Spotlight: Elaine Chan and Marian McGaw

Celebrating Faith Network volunteers Elaine Chan and Marian McGaw who are starting their tenth academic year of service.

Elaine Chan

I started volunteering at Laurel because a message at our Women’s Bible Study challenged me to step outside my comfort zone at about the same time that there was a church announcement about volunteer opportunities at Laurel. I like to think that the time I spend shelving books at Laurel helps maintain an environment where kids will be able to find the books they want to or need to read and hopefully grow to love reading.

Marian McGaw

I love the opportunity to connect children with books, especially when we have new stories and non-fiction materials to offer. I’m excited when I’ve succeeded in introducing new information into an open mind. And keeping the place organized satisfies my preference for order. In truth I must admit that volunteering in the library meets a lot of my needs even as I help others.

President's Corner: Welcome Aboard, Jonathan!

Jonathan Mayes

With enthusiasm I’m happy to announce that long-time friend and supporter Jonathan Mayes has joined Faith Network’s Board of Directors. He will provide wise counsel and help us continue to network community resources, given his extensive corporate-philanthropic background and keen understanding of the challenges that confront our low-income minority youth.

Currently Jonathan serves as Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, Government Relations, Philanthropy & Corporate Social Responsibility for Albertsons Companies, Inc.. One of America’s largest grocery and pharmacy chains, Albertsons operates over 2,200 stores under 18 different banners in 34 states and D.C. The company employs over 265,000 individuals.

Jonathan received his Juris Doctorate degree in 1987 from Willamette University College of Law, where he received the Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award. Jonathan has been honored by the Bay Area Minority Bar Coalition and the Charles Houston Bar Association for his exemplary service to the legal community. He also has been honored as Warner Pacific College’s Alumnus of the Year, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1978.

While paying him a visit at his corporate office in Pleasanton, I overheard one of his colleagues call Jonathan a “Renaissance Man”. Besides his business-legal-corporate prowess, Jonathan runs ultramarathons, participates in Ironman triathlons, plays piano, bass, violin, guitar, and for many years was worship band leader at his church, Bay Farm Community in Alameda. Jonathan is married to his best friend and wife, Varetta Mayes, former Faith Network Volunteer Director.

Welcome aboard, Jonathan!
Randy Roth, President

Welcome, Ms. Deborah Davis!

Ms. Deborah Davis has joined our staff this school year as an Excel Reading Clinic Coordinator. A native of Ohio, Deborah began her teaching career as an Urban Teacher Corps intern in Washington D.C., simultaneously teaching and earning her credential.

Following a move to the Bay Area, Deborah taught at the elementary as well as the community college level, earning two Master’s Degrees along the way. As a teacher at Piedmont Avenue and Markham, she developed a passion for equipping primary grade students to become enthusiastic readers. Later, she served as principal at Garfield Elementary in San Leandro and Parker Elementary in Oakland.

Deborah and her husband Bruce have one son, who lives in New York, and two grandchildren. Deborah’s hobbies include flower arranging and home decorating; Bruce is an avid fisherman, home repair and landscape expert.

We are delighted that Deborah is on our team and we look forward to a wonderful year!

Blessings,
Rebecca Buckley,
Director of Succeeding by Reading

Tutor Training Dates

MATH TUTOR TRAINING
Monday, October 5
10:30 am - 12:00 pm
at Faith Network Office

To RSVP, contact Margena Wade-Green, margena@faith-network.com.
____________________________________________________________

LITERACY TUTOR TRAINING
Saturday, October 10
9:00-11:30 am
at Faith Network Office

Wednesday, October 21
3:30-6:00 pm
at Faith Network Office

Saturday, November 7
9:00-11:30 am
at Faith Network Office

To RSVP Rebecca Buckley, rebecca@faith-network.com.

CareerBridge: Just the Beginning

By Margena Wade-Green

CareerBridge students, supervisors, mentors, family, and Faith Network staff.

CareerBridge has reached an important milestone. We served twenty students this summer, helping each to get an internship. Ten students also signed up to be paired with an adult mentor. All students received stipends through partnering agencies as well as through Faith Network’s Caroline Yee Future Scientist Fund*.

Building upon relationships and making new ones has proven to be one of CareerBridge’s best assets. Over the course of twelve weeks, mentors walked alongside students before and during their internships. They took time to engage mentees in conversation and various self-help and career path development, all the while giving support and advice as students mapped possible career paths. Meanwhile, dedicated employers trained and coached their interns, providing meaningful hands-on job experience.

At the CareerBridge Wrap-up event on August 1, students presented an oral summation of their experience. Many expressed gratitude to CareerBridge and Faith Network. Some students had never thought they could be successful at a “real job”. Other sentiments were “I learned so much” and “It felt good to get a real paycheck with my name on it.”

A big thanks to the mentors, employers, and the supervisors who stepped up in such a stellar way to create entry points for students to discover their potential. We’d like to thank the following companies for providing CareerBridge students with enriching work experiences:

Caltrans
Jeannie Balderamos, Venecia Connally, Darryl Fountain, Joe Haga, Susan Lindsay, Tom Tong Ly, Debra Nelson, Deborah Smith, Demeke Tsige, Deanna Vilcheck

Catholic Charities
Eric Stekel

BART
Jesse Alcantara, Prem Bajaj, Laura Clark, May Cooper, Phillis Pinkston,

Oakland Unified School District

To find out how you or a student can get involved with CareerBridge, contact Margena Wade-Green at margena@faith-network.com.

*To donate to this fund, please indicate the Caroline Yee Future Scientist Fund on your donation.

President's Corner: Abraham Wordsworth -- Replanted and Flourishing

Abraham was born in 1996 during a series of brutal civil wars in Liberia. His father was killed and his young mother, unable to care for him during the chaos, sent him to live with his aunt, Theresa Lamadine. At age three Abraham and his aunt, along with other family members, made the journey from Liberia to the Ivory Coast, where they lived in a refugee camp for four years. They arrived in East Oakland in 2003, thanks to the International Rescue Committee.

Six years of displacement, fear, violence, and hunger did not stop young Abraham from putting down roots. At Burckhalter Elementary, he seized every opportunity to learn and grow. By his side were his angelic aunt Theresa, Refugee Transitions tutor Rick Marliave, and Faith Network mentors Bill and Nancy Branagh.

In the spring of 2011 Abraham applied to several Oakland public high schools. In addition, Bill and Nancy took Abraham for a site visit at Head-Royce, a college prep private school. It was a longshot, not to mention the financial aid he would need for a $30,000 per year tuition, but wonders never cease. Abraham was indeed accepted and also awarded a 95% scholarship. At Head-Royce, Abraham spread his wings, joining the track team, becoming a thespian and a campus newspaper reporter, all the while excelling academically.

left to right: Bill, Abraham, Theresa, Nancy at graduation

Fastforward four years to August 2015: Abraham has graduated from Head-Royce and is now off to Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. (Bill and Nancy flew out to Boston to help get him replanted.) For the first time in his life, Abraham’s move is not a desperate gamble for survival but a choice to continue thriving and to help others thrive.

Blessings,
Randy

P.S. Your financial support is especially needed as we launch into the new school year.

Volunteer Opportunities

Make a difference in a student’s life, and let that student make a difference in yours!
Let us know your area(s) of interest, and we’ll provide more details.

Reading Tutor -- 1 or more hours per week
Library Assistant -- 1 or more hours per week
Science Classroom Assistant -- 2.5 hours per week
Math Tutor -- 1 or more hours per week
Food Bagging -- every other Wednesday, 9:00 - 11:00 am
Workplace Internship -- provide disadvantaged youth on-the-job work experience
Mentors -- 1 hour per week for 12 weeks in spring and summer

To find out more, check out our website faith-network.com, reach us by phone 510-836-5100, or email info@faith-network.com.

Reading Tutor Training Dates

Faith Network wants to say...

During the 2014-2015 school year, more than 248 volunteers provided support and practical assistance to the East Bay area and its children through Faith Network.

• 121 Reading Tutors at 20 Excel Reading Clinics enabled over 260 primary grade students to improve their reading levels.
• 38 Food Baggers put together nutritious weekend lunch bags for 1550 families in 18 Alameda County public schools.
• 23 Event Volunteers donated their time and talents working our 5K Walk and Gala fundraisers.
• 21 Library Volunteers and 2 community groups supported and staffed 8 under-resourced school libraries. They provided over 4,000 books to eager students every week.
• 17 Newsletter Team Volunteers throughout the year assembled our monthly printed newsletter, which reaches over 1,200 supporters.
• 13 Mentors guided 12 high school students as they navigated their internships. Through our community partners, Faith Network placed a total of 19 high school students in internships.
• 12 Lab Assistants and 12 Math Tutors helped provide over 450 elementary school students with hands-on learning experiences focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

What a year! Thank you for generously giving your time, talents, and resources!

All Aboard the Train to Reading

“Do your best work, follow directions, and show respect.”

Each Excel Reading Clinic student knows this by heart. These three rules keep them from straying off the train tracks on their way to reading. With one-to-one instruction, it’s truly amazing how far struggling readers travel in just one year.

Their train conductors, Excel Reading Clinic Tutors, are people JUST LIKE YOU. All volunteers, whether new or experienced at teaching, receive training so that they are familiar with the learning process and effective methods of teaching remedial reading. Site coordinators like me are here to support tutors. We pre-test students under their teachers’ guidance, set up the materials, and oversee tutors during each two-hour clinic.

Budding readers meet with a dedicated tutor for one hour every week throughout the school year to learn sight words and phonics. Each achievement is another mile marker closer to being able to drive the train themselves. Not only is the student blessed but the tutor also comes away enriched. There’s no greater thrill than when your excited student beats you at Sight Word Bingo!

We need more tutors! If you or someone you know would like to help a student, climb aboard. If you’re retired, but tired of the “same old, same old” every day, a learning journey with a child might be just the thing. If you’re someone who enjoys kids and loves to see them excel, we’re looking for you!


Please contact our program director Rebecca Buckley (rebecca@faith-network.com) for further details and to sign up to start in the fall. You’ll be so glad you did!

Sincerely,
Jan Zovickian
Excel Reading Clinic Coordinator

Upcoming Training Dates

Wednesday, September 2, 3:30-6:00 pm

Saturday, September 26, 9:00-11:30 am

Contact Rebecca for more dates!

Project Peace: Day of Service

August 22, 2015, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

A Day of Service is a volunteer service opportunity coordinated by Project Peace East Bay to bring together local faith-based groups, non-profit organizations, and East Bay social service providers. It is an opportunity for people from very different backgrounds to come together simply to love and serve our shared community.


Project Peace’s hope is that through these partnerships our local East Bay communities will become more environmentally, economically and socially sustainable.

For more information and to sign up,
visit www.projectpeaceeastbay.org/Day-Of-Service
or email DayofService@ProjectPeaceEastBay.org

Volunteer Shoutouts

A thank you letter from Ms. Washington’s second-grade class to FN volunteer Pete Gohler who shared about his experiences as a pilot during a trip to the library.

Oakland Students Win Award at UC Davis

On May 30, Oakland’s Roosevelt Middle School (RMS) sent a team of blossoming robotics experts to the 2015 C-STEM Day RoboPlay Challenge Competition at University of California, Davis (UC Davis). The Roosevelt Bulldog Robotics Team, students from a newly created robotics course at RMS, were mentored by retired scientists and Faith Network volunteers Mark and Joanne Perra. The team won third place out of thirty-six teams in their division, which is composed of Northern California middle schools.

The RoboPlay Challenge is one of three competitions that take place during C-STEM Day, an annual event organized by the UC Davis Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education. C-STEM is an acronym for “Computing, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.” The event encourages middle-school and high-school students to demonstrate real-world problem-solving skills in a competitive environment.

Professor Harry Cheng, director of the C-STEM Center at UC Davis, publicly recognized the RMS team for a strong showing and for the fact that this team was the first ever from Oakland to participate in the competition. Sporting bronze medals around their necks, the students and their classroom teacher Zelda Allison proudly received a trophy in the concluding awards ceremony. When he heard about the win, former OUSD Superintendent Gary Yee said, “Can you believe how far we’ve come since Mark and Joanne Perra brought the UC Davis C-STEM program to the attention of district leaders in 2013? Can’t be more excited.”

Faith Network is a major supporter of the C-STEM launch at RMS, supplying volunteers and funding.

In the Land of Reading

by Merle Miller, Excel Reading Clinic coordinator

Every Friday afternoon at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary, seven excited second-graders enlivened Pod B classroom with their eagerness to read. The team of experienced tutors was always up for the challenge, making sure to wrap learning with fun. We progressed through boxes of sight words and learned the difference between the short “e” sound and the short “i” sounds. We discovered that The Funny Baby wasn’t actually funny-looking after all, just different. With every book, we built up our confidence in reading. I can truly say that there is no greater picture than that of a child’s face lit up with a triumphant smile! Thank you, tutors. You have taken former non-readers on a wonderful journey into the land of reading.

Gala Wrap-up

Click here to visit the gala photo gallery.

Thank you to all sponsors, guests, program participants, and volunteers! We loved seeing all of you. Your freely-given prayers, participation, and generosity have overwhelmed us. Thank you. Make sure to check out the photo gallery.

Platinum Sponsors
Branagh Construction
Kathy Drake
Paul and Courtney Ebner
Terry and Mary MacRae
Ken and Stacy Mattson
Mark and Joanne Perra
Union Bank

Gold Sponsors
Pricewaterhouse Coopers, LLC

Silver Sponsors
Alta Vista Solutions
Doug and Lauren Bockmiller
California Bank of Commerce
City National Bank
Kaiser Permanente
Don and Karyn Kintzer
Jonathan and Varetta Mayes
Mick and Lauren Morlan
Randy and Diane Roth

Champion Sponsors
Vicky and Paul Cohune
Convergence Church
Aliza and Noel Gallo
Ken and Eileen Jones
Don and Karyn Kintzer
Manny and Paula Martinez
Mission Springs Conference Center
Oakland Worship Center
Mark and Joanne Perra
Randy and Diane Roth
David Silver and Angela Aquino-Silver

Last Call!

It's not too late to purchase a gala ticket!

Enjoy an evening of flavorful foods, entertainment, and inspiring stories while you learn about how you can invest in our children.

Oakland Unified School District Superintendent, Antwan Wilson, is our special guest speaker!

To purchase tickets or sponsor the event, visit www.faith-network.com/gala or call our office (510-836-5100).

Blazingly Cool Science

by Jocelyne Birren, Interim Director of Volunteers

Last month, fifth-graders from Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary journeyed to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in conjunction with Berkeley Lab Adventure Zone in Elementary Science (BLAZES). Looking ever so professional in white lab coats, gloves, and safety goggles, they participated in hands-on activities to find out what conducts electricity and when do substances change from one state of matter to another. They were very engaged and asked many questions:

“How can a person distinguish one gas from another?”
“Is nitrogen natural or man-made?”
“If nitrogen is a gas, how can it be converted to liquid?”

Dry ice fascinated the students in particular. There was a collective “aha!” moment when they saw an air-filled balloon shrivel up after it was immersed in liquid nitrogen, creating dry ice in the process. They witnessed what happens when a small piece of dry ice is dropped into a flask filled with 150 milliliters of water.

Whenever appropriate, the students’ teacher urged students to picture themselves as scientists. Perhaps the best encouragement came from one of the scientists who mentioned the usefulness of play-doh in the lab. He concluded, “The coolest thing about being a scientist is that you never have to grow up.” That comment seemed to be an inviting proposition to at least one fifth-grader.

BLAZES’s mission is to inspire and prepare the next generation of scientists, engineers, and technicians. Indeed, several students are already contemplating becoming chemists, surgeons, and robotics engineers. Thank you, BLAZES, for demonstrating how science is cool!

President's Corner: Investing In Our Children

I remember saving for a Schwinn bicycle with silver chrome fenders. When I was a kid, my parents opened up my very own savings account into which I would deposit money I made from odd jobs. Small deposits began to add up. Eventually I put in an order from the Sears catalog. Oh happy day when my brand-new bike arrived! Proudly, I rode around my neighborhood on that shimmering Schwinn.

Very few children instinctively know how to manage their money well and people often do not recognize the value of teaching them credit worthiness and delayed gratification. Not every child gets the opportunity to practice saving and budgeting. Sadly, too many youth in Oakland are becoming adults without learning basic financial management skills.

Enter PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Three years ago, PwC contacted Faith Network about offering their Earn Your Future (EYF) financial literacy program to Oakland elementary students. We arranged for them to meet with staff at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary in West Oakland. The school warmly welcomed the EYF team who soon launched an interactive financial literacy curriculum for 3rd- to 5th-graders. Since then, PwC has offered the program at Prescott Elementary and Hoover Elementary, both also located in West Oakland.

When I looked in on the kick-off EYF session at Hoover in April, I was amazed when the instructors raised the subject of identity theft because I expected to see students’ eyes glaze over. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by the students’ insights and discussion. Hats off to PwC for investing in our Oakland youth!

Summer Volunteer Opportunities

CareerBridge
We’re off to a dynamic start! Mentors and Mentees are working together to unfold mentee hopes and dreams and, meanwhile, having fun at it. To learn more, contact Margena@faith-network.com.

Today’s Youth Matter Summer Camps
Every year, Faith Network partners with Today’s Youth Matter to send 8- to 12-year-old girls and boys from low-income areas to a free summer camp at Tahoe Sierra Mountains near Truckee. For more info, email Marilyn@tymkids.org.

Summer Reading Clinics (June 23 - July 16)
Reader tutors wanted! We are running a four-week summer reading clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-11 am. Students, 14 years and up, are welcome to volunteer. Contact Rebecca@faith-network.com.

Free Summer Lunch Program Locations (June 15 - August 7)
The Alameda County Community Food Bank serves free lunches at various Oakland Public Library locations: Golden Gate, Main, Dimond, Cesar Chavez, Melrose, Elmhurst, Eastmont, 81st Avenue, and MLK branches. To help out, email Summerlunchvolunteering@gmail.com.

Hope For the Children Now Benefit Gala

Click here to buy tickets!

Community Partner: Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church

Through their Creek Watering Oaks initiative, Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church (WCPC) inspires church members to serve vulnerable children in Oakland through partner organizations. On April 19th, the entire Sunday worship service and educational program focused on reaching “at-promise” youth living in Oakland. Faith Network was one of five partner organizations invited to participate, along with Points of Light, Harbor House, CityTeam, and Today’s Youth Matter. Pastor Larry Austin of Oakland City Church and the School of Urban Missions worship band led WCPC in Sunday worship.

After a rousing service, each partner organization spoke before the congregation, presenting opportunities to volunteer and serve. Church members were then free to speak individually with representatives of the organizations and identify ways to be engaged. The importance of community collaboration cannot be stressed enough. As Reverend Austin said in his sermon, “Programs make promises but it’s people who keep promises.”

President's Corner: Jon Blankmeyer

A Fond Farewell to Jon Blankmeyer

With bittersweet feelings, I must announce that one of our founding members is retiring from Faith Network’s Board of Directors. Jon Blankmeyer has served faithfully on the board for fourteen years – twelve years as board chair and two years as treasurer.

Jon and his dear wife Elaine came alongside my wife Diane and me back in May 2001. They provided encouragement and wise counsel as I, a local church pastor, stepped into the uncharted waters of a new calling, the nonprofit sector. Jon helped me recruit a handful of board members to launch a mission to give hope to disadvantaged students. In July of 2001, Faith Network of the East Bay was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) public benefit organization.                                                                                            
Two months later, Norman Brooks (Faith Network’s now-retired Science Horizons director) introduced Jon and me to our first principal, Roberta Teller of Burbank Elementary in East Oakland. This day is forever etched in my memory: September 13, only two days after the 9/11 attacks. Although we were strangers to her, Ms. Teller hugged and welcomed us saying, “I want my school to be a safe place.” In her office, Jon and I listened to Ms. Teller share her hopes for Burbank students and families. Then she began prioritizing needs and listing possible ways to address at least some of those needs. The Burbank maiden voyage would become a template for future school partnerships.

The Faith Network board and staff colleagues all join me in expressing profound thanks to Jon Blankmeyer for his servant leadership on behalf of vulnerable children and under-resourced schools. May God bless the Blankmeyers as they enter a new season of life and ministry.

Mission Springs

By Lisa Oler, fifth-grade teacher at Burckhalter Elementary

In thirty-two years of teaching in Oakland, certain experiences with my classes have left me with a feeling of accomplishment and possibility. One of those recurring experiences has been to take my students to the Missions Springs Outdoor Education science camp every year. We visit the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains for three days of hiking and climbing, observing and investigating outdoor science. We get to know each other away from the distractions of urban modern life. The deep connections we make during that time usually last longer than anything else we do during the year. Former students who return to tell me what they are doing now, more often than not, ask me to take out the photos I keep tucked away specifically for these special visits. Those are the teaching experiences I treasure. Yes, the science is great. But what I value most are the joyful memories the children and I have built in Mission Springs.

First Missions Springs Camp, 2006

Save the Date: Saturday, June 6, 2015

Hope for Children Now Benefit Gala

Faz Restaurant in Downtown Oakland
1111 Broadway

Enjoy an evening of flavorful foods, entertainment, inspiring stories,
and opportunities to invest in our children.

For questions about tickets, event sponsorship, or volunteering,
contact us at 510.836.5100 or chelsea@faith-network.com.

More details coming soon!

President's Corner: Math Matters

Randy Roth, President of Faith Network

Math matters because kids count! 
Students may ask why math is necessary. Why? Because people must have math skills to perform basic activities like following a recipe, managing a budget, deciding whether a sale item is a good
deal, and so on. Financial Analyst Mike Walker points out that kids must be proficient at math in order to buy a car without getting taken for “the wrong kind of ride.”

Math teaches both life and critical thinking skills such as logic and order. An example of mathematical critical thinking is when students are required to explain how they arrived at a solution to a complex problem or to describe the ideas behind a formula. Mathematical equations have predictable outcomes, and precise steps must be followed in order to attain that result. Discipline of mind is a byproduct, something that companies looking to hire understand and take advantage of. Some businesses will hire math majors based on the presumption that students who are good at math have learned how to think and will be able to learn and perform well on the job.

In mathematics, 68 percent of Oakland’s tenth graders passed the 2013 exit exam compared to an average of 84 percent statewide. That’s why Faith Network is recruiting a growing team of math tutors, to improve Oakland’s percentage so that more students are better equipped to live quality lives.

To learn more, email Margena Wade-Green.

Unlocking the Excitement

Rebecca J. Buckley, Director of Succeeding by Reading

His name is David and he’s in second grade. At the beginning of the year, he was so shy and so scared that he couldn't answer any of the questions on our student diagnostic assessment. What would be the keys to unlock David’s excitement for learning?

On his first day of tutoring, we tried some beginning sounds picture puzzles. When David saw them, he got a little smile on his face, and he said very quietly, “I like puzzles.” One key!

The following week, David came to tutoring wearing a MONSTER TRUCKS T-shirt. It turns out that David likes to go to Monster Truck shows with his dad. Another key! We found a cool Monster Trucks! book, with lots of photographs, to read together. Ever since then, David has been growing in confidence and gaining skills on his way to becoming a reader.

Now David has completed many phonics puzzles, along with practicing sight words and reading books. He enjoys familiar stories like “The Three Little Pigs” and “The Three Bears,” and is proud of his progress.

Finding the keys--
that’s what volunteer tutors do at twenty Excel Reading Clinics in schools all over Oakland and beyond. Every week, over a hundred tutors sit beside students like David, practicing skills and providing support to help unlock students’ excitement for reading.

Join us! Email Rebecca for more information on how to get involved.

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month!

Click here to view all of our volunteer opportunities.

Faith Network wishes you a new year 

full of hope, joy, and abundant blessings!