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