Texas HIPPY*VISTA

EOY Artshow Competition

2010-07-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, hope all of you are enjoying summer so far! At the end of May, Dallas HIPPY held three different End of Year Celebrations for our families. We had around 600 attendees at each of the EOY's, which was very exciting! During the EOY Celebrations, every HIPPY parent and child were honored for finishing their current program year by walking the stage to receive a certificate and other goodies provided by National Council for Jewish Women (NCJW) and HIPPY. Afterwards, the families celebrated their achievement over cake and lemonade. Something new this year that we tried out at Dallas HIPPY was hosting an Artshow Competition. We awarded prizes for the winners at the End of Year Celebrations and featured their artwork on HIPPY merchandise that was available for sale to HIPPY families and staffmembers. We asked all of the families to have their children draw a picture of their "HIPPY school at home" and we ended up with some really great artwork from the kids. We selected three winning drawings, they belonged to Benny Cornejo, Daanae Subias, and Estephanie Carillo. To see the winning drawings and our new HIPPY merchandise, visit http://www.cafepress.com/texashippy. Hope everyone has a good summer!

Springtime is Here!

2010-04-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

Springtime is in full swing here at Dallas - flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, and it's time for field trips! This past Friday I accompanied a group of HIPPY families and home instructors on a field trip to the Dallas Public Library for a preschool bilingual storytime. The library staff read to the kids about the sounds that different animals make and how flowers grow in springtime. The staff then led everyone in the Hokey Pokey and another song in dance in Spanish. Afterwards the library staff brought out an empty plastic pot for each child, two big tubs of dirt, and a bunch of carnation stems. The children, with the help of their parents, filled their pots with dirt and "planted" a couple of carnations in each of their pots to create their own flower pots. The kids seemed to really enjoy hearing the story about planting flowers and then getting to take home their very own flower pots - it was very cute!

Some of the other field trips that we have coming up is one to the Flight Museum, one to the Trinity River Audobon Center, one to the Dallas Zoo, and one to the Dallas Arboretum. Should be a great experience for our HIPPY Families!

Recruiting Burmese Refugee Families

2010-01-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I hope everyone's winter breaks went well and that you all got some good R&R. Currently, I'm working with a coordinator and home instructor here at Dallas to try to reach out to some of the Burmese refugee families that have settled in the Vickery Meadows area- a super culturally diverse area. Because of the oppresive military regime now in power in Burma and the lack of human rights, thousands of Burmese people have fled to America. In meetings with the International Rescue Committee and Heart House in Dallas, I've learned that the Burmese are very open to learning and that they would really benefit from a program like HIPPY. The problem with this is that there are 3 different languages spoken in Burma and trying to find interpretors is proving a difficult task. Thankfully we believe the IRC will be able to provide us with a translator for the first month or so but after that we will have to enlist the help of volunteers in the community that are able to translate. We've been told that the Burmese are a very community- oriented culture so maybe we'll be able to find someone that would be willing to help us out on this. So, we're trying to move forward with this so that we can hopefully start these families doing the HIPPY program pretty soon! If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

Barnes & Noble Fundraiser

2009-12-15T08:53:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday was Dallas HIPPY's Barnes and Noble Fundraiser. We disseminated a lot of our flyers and vouchers around to our different networks so that when people used the vouchers to buy anything at Barnes and Noble stores, we got a percentage of that sale. We got a special rate for an ad in the Dallas Observer, put up flyers around town, and posted the event on the Dallas Kids webpage of the Dallas City Hall site. Activities during the event included arts & crafts (the kids made winter crowns, paper plate reindeers, and paper plate snowmen), a raffle, a storytime with children's author Janie Bynum, and a music teacher who sang and danced with the kids. We also got a big cookie tray donated from Panera which helped bring people up to the tables so we could explain the fundraiser and the HIPPY program. The turnout of kids from our HIPPY schools was unfortunately a lot less than I hoped it would be but I think we accomplished our goal of spreading the word about the program- we talked to multiple people throughout the day about the HIPPY program and were also able to hand out some of Luis' brochures. I haven't heard the final tallies on how much money we raised during the fundraiser but hopefully we made at least enough to buy some new books/materials for the program here in Dallas. Thanks again to Luis and Cherri for helping me out!! Above is a picture of the music teacher and kids doing some crafts during the event. Merry Christmas everyone!

Lights On Afterschool

2009-12-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

As part of their Lights on Afterschool Program, Big Thought Thriving Minds recently invited me to speak to their community of parents on the value of community service. I was the first act up in a night that included others such as clown complete with balloon animals, one act play and gallery walk.

As the first act up I did my best to set the tone for the evenings events. I did not have the balloon animals, amazing artwork, free pizza, or books and toys that the other had acts to give away that evening. Still, I remain hopeful that parents and children in attendance that night walked away with something more important, a renewed enthusiasm for community service and understanding of the important role it plays in their neighborhoods and lives. Stayed tuned to our blog for dates on future community info sessions in the works at Burnet Elementary. Thanks again to Big Thought and Burnet for having me.

The Great Pumpkin and New People

2009-11-18T10:27:00.000-08:00

Well this is Emi again, and here in South Texas a flurry of things have been going on… mostly grant writing! With the excitement of finally being notified that we received the ENCORE grant, we set to work writing and rewriting a grant for RIF… Until the middle of November we’ll just kind of be sweating it out and hoping that our writing prowess was at its best.
On the 30th my daughter (pictured above) participated in the Literary Parade at school where they dressed as a book character and then had a parade in the halls all morning. She did such a good job that as a reward for both our efforts (I sewed her costume until 3 am) our family went to the Festival of the Great Pumpkin at the University of Texas Pan American. We had a really good time and I was able to buy some wares being sold by the Golden Key Honour Society which I belong to.
Between the writing, rewriting, and final rewrites and visiting the great pumpkin we transformed maybes into yes and I can now proudly say that Tony Forina who is a board member for South Texas Academic Rising Scholars and Heather Margain from The Shell Corporation is on our Advisory Board! These are two great people who have a history of giving back to the community and Liz and I are both excited and eager to see the great work we will be able to accomplish with them on board!

Lights, Camera, Action

2009-11-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

Quiet on the set… And Action. Several Dallas HIPPY families were recently featured in a promotional video for the Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas Program. The event, sponsored by the Dallas Public Library and Big Thought /Thriving Minds, featured an interactive workshop for HIPPY parents and storytime for the HIPPY kids.

As part of the Ready to Read @ Dallas program, enthusiastic library staff and trained facilitators provide free, fun early literacy workshops in neighborhood locations such as libraries, recreation centers, schools, day care centers, churches and nonprofit agencies. Parents, caregivers and childcare providers attend these free workshops focusing on three age levels: Early Talkers (birth to age 2), Talkers (ages 2 and 3) and Pre-Readers (ages 4 and 5). The Dallas program is unique from other national programs in that it places an emphasis on arts education as well. Please visit http://dallaslibrary.org/ecrr/index.php for more info on the Ready to Read @ Dallas Program and be sure to our Texas HIPPY website www.unt.edu/hippy where a link to the promotional video may be posted soon. Cut. That’s a wrap.

Being a Grandparent is Grand!

2009-10-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

Cherri Dehart here…..and school is back in full swing in Maypearl, Texas! Hard to believe the first six-weeks have already gone by! The buzz these days is about what Halloween costumes are going to be worn in a couple of weeks. Our small community is already being decorated for this highly anticipated day, for children both young and old.

Speaking of young and old…..Grandparent’s Day was last week here at Lorene Smith Kirkpatrick Elementary School. The squeal of children’s voices as they spotted their Grandparents was so sweet.

Grandparents can play such a wonderful role in a child’s life…even if the child is not from their own family. Sharing time together benefits everyone: children learn from someone with experience and grandparents get to share family stories that will be passed down to future generations. I am a Grammy myself….and nothing makes me feel quite as young as reading a book with our two-year old grandson or laughing with our teenage granddaughters while talking about the hippy days of my youth. We all benefit!

Here are some fun ways to be together (remember, activities should be pleasant for both grandchild and grandparent):

•Read a book or work a puzzle. Let the child turn the pages or gently guide him to turn the shape several different ways. Make sure the book or puzzle is age-appropriate.
•Make portraits of each other. Even if she colors your face green…be positive with your words and praise. This is a fun time to talk about family and history.
•Cook or bake together. Children love to be in the kitchen cooking and this is a fun way to teach math (count 2 eggs, how many 1/4c. of milk make 1c. of milk, etc.)
•Share a special hobby. Whether it’s knitting or fishing, these times together can present opportunities for learning….and not just for the child!

Talk to you later……..I’m off to call my Grandchildren!!!

Hello Everyone

2009-10-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! My name is Gabrielle Decoster and I'm the new HIPPY VISTA in Dallas. I'm originally from Fort Worth and recently graduated from Austin College in Sherman. Thank goodness for the college because there was NOTHING else going on in Sherman, TX... I'm living in North Dallas with two friends from college and my roommate's very territorial and yappy pug. Right now I'm working at the central office but should soon be starting work at the Dallas ISD HIPPY office once all of the paperwork is sorted out. So far I've really been enjoying the HIPPY program and in the past couple of weeks have been able to dive right in on a couple of projects. One that I just finished is a Wikipedia article entitled "Using the Americorps Education Award" that gives some information about the education award and presents a forum for HIPPY and other AmeriCorps alumni to add to and explain their experiences trying to use the award at different schools since the protocol at each school is so different. Another project that I've been working on, which Carla may have mentioned to you all already, is the Barnes & Noble Fundraiser for Texas HIPPY taking place on December 10. We're hoping that we can recruit people to shop at Barnes and Noble stores around the country on that day and just mention HIPPY when they purchase something so then the organization will get a percentage of the profits from that sale-yay! In addition there will be a big event at the Lincoln Park Barnes and Noble in Dallas with some children's arts and crafts activities, a storytime with a children's book author, and maybe other activities like a treasure hunt or book trivia-not sure, still in the planning stages. So hopefully we can raise a lot of awareness and funds for the program. Guess that's all I have for now, hope everyone has a good upcoming weekend!

Grant Writing 101

2009-09-28T08:16:00.001-07:00

So now that we have settled into the rhythm of a new school year, we are ready to tackle our next great hurtle: Grant Writing. One of the reasons I wanted to work with HIPPY was the fact that we would be Grant Writing, which is a valuable technique to have. I was amazed to find out that there are people whose entire job is to sit, find, and apply for grants. So Liz and I have been busy learning how to write grants. Loads of fun huh, well actually it is kind of. I love a challenge and my perfectionist nature when it comes to anything that needs to be turned in is very OCD. The new CEO of the foundation, Gilbert Maldonado, is like the god of grant writing and partnerships. I think with him teaching us we will get so good at grant writing we can do it in our sleep!

I have always been able to write a good story, and wrote daily in my former life as a political consultant. In politics you are selling a person and his or her vision to people. Well in grant writing it is kind of the same thing. You’re trying convincing people that your vision and the good you do should be accomplished with their money while simultaneously proving yourself worthy of their time and money. In my pre research on grant writing I became confused and found the different styles interesting. I was perplexed and over whelmed until Gilbert explained it to me in a way I could understand. Don’t make it more difficult than it really is. Simple and funny even, but true none the less. I was beating myself up on the logistics thinking that it had to be a certain way when in all truth each grant is tailored more or less to the author’s style and perception.

Now that we have our first grant application under our belt, we are waiting for the results and preparing to write another one. Life is good and almost Always sunny in the Rio Grande Valley.

The end of a HIPPY Summer

2009-09-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

When the end of the universe comes there is one thing you can never say about the valley: It wasn’t very hot. This summer has seen some crazy temperatures. At one point a friend from Phoenix called me and said they were laughing at McAllen Texas because we were 109 and they were 103. Go figure. We survived the summer here at the HIPPY RGV outpost in thankfully a nice air conditioned building. It did go out once and everyone bonded as we pretty much cried in the corner with paper fans until the AC man got here, but at least he fixed it fast! It was a horrific combination of Lost and Survivor; those were the most terrible 3 hours of my life, okay not really more like a whole day and a half at the least.

Anyhow, my partner in crime Liz and I braved the heat as we visited different libraries and attended different coalition meetings spreading the word about HIPPY and how wonderful a program it is for our children. We made an awesome trip out to the mother ship in Dallas to see the Team and bonded with our fellow VISTA’s. It was a pretty awesome experience, because even though everyone is like a 12 hour drive away it made us feel connected into the matrix which is HIPPY*Texas.

Of course all good things must come to an end, and the summer of 2009 was a great one. It seems just as we were hitting a stride it became time to say goodbye to the wonderful days of summer. A flurry of excitement began both at work and at home as the new school year kicked off. Both Liz and I have small children and while my daughter was returning to P.SJ.A ISD for kindergarten, Liz’s little girl is starting pre-k at Edinburg CISD. As hectic as it was, it got worse as new guidelines for vaccinations surfaced, mandatory school uniforms, and we were pretty frazzled. The heat turned up for a bit hitting about 103-104 a day. I honestly had to tell my daughter to take her crayons out of the car because they melted into a blob in my backseat. I REALLY wish I had gotten them scotch guarded. Finally relief came this past weekend as the clouds rolled over us and chilled us out to a much needed and wonderful 82 degrees. We are back up into the high 90’s today but it’s all part of living in the Rio Grande Valley.

So now that we have settled into the rhythm of a new school year, we are ready to tackle our next great hurtle: Grant Writing. But that's for next time my grasshoppers :)

What’s Going On?

2009-07-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

While it is true that the HIPPY program year has come to end for summer break, here at the Texas HIPPY Center things have been busy. The Texas HIPPY VISTAS have developed a free three part parent workshop series that communicates the crucial role parent involvement plays in a child’s academic and professional success. Summer grant writing is moving along slowly but surely and development of a new Texas HIPPY website and brochure is near completion. Looks like summer vacation will have to wait.

For more information on our Free Parent Involvement Summer Workshop Series please contact the Texas HIPPY Center at 214.442.1631 ext. 631 or email us at hippy@unt.edu. Also be sure to keep an eye out for the new look of Texas HIPPY on the web in late August (Pictured Right: Sneak Peek of the new HIPPY brochure).

The Long Awaited Proposal

2009-06-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

I bet that caught your attention! What I am referring to however, is the fact that the Carrollton HIPPY camp has submitted a grant proposal! Just as exciting!!

For the last couple months, I have been working with Foundation Communities on developing a project plan for implementing a 20 family pilot HIPPY program there at their communities. Then just a couple weeks ago, we submitted the proposal! What a load off :)

Here's a little background on their organization:

"Foundation Communities is a nonprofit organization that empowers low-income families and individuals with the tools they need to succeed. Founded in 1990, Foundation Communities provides affordable apartments and duplexes to more than 2,000 families. We own 14 affordable housing communities‚ 11 in Austin and three in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. We have also developed a model of service-enriched housing that enables families with low incomes to permanently improve their educational and financial standing.

It takes more than a roof over your head to make your dreams come true. We help families end the cycle of poverty through on-site programs that increase literacy and financial stability. Our Community Learning Centers, located right in the center of the community, are open daytime and evenings providing free services like a computer lab, pre-school class, after-school programs, teen clubs and ESL classes."

To find out more, visit their website! http://www.foundcom.org/

Fingers crossed everyone!

It's A Celebration by Luis

2009-06-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the Dallas HIPPY End of the Year Program at Skyline High School. The event celebrated the completion of the 30 Week curriculum for HIPPY families by honoring parents and children for their hard work, recognizing the home visitors for keeping families in the program for the full cycle and providing parents with the opportunity to revel in their child's educational accomplishments.

The other members of our Texas HIPPY Center office were hard at work attending to HIPPY business out of town and I had the pleasure of congratulating Dallas HIPPY on their behalf. The event also afforded me the chance to don a tie and practice more on my Spanish, as the event was a bilingual presentation. The past month we have been busy here at the state office with grant writing and it was nice to see some HIPPY faces as a reminder of why we do what we do.

Like Carla Weir, our State Director, I too am humbled and honored to be a part of HIPPY and will do everything I can to help bring it to more families and communities in Texas. Thank You Dallas HIPPY for sharing your day with me.

Hello to everyone from South Texas!

2009-05-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

My name is Esmeralda Zuniga but I respond to Emi, Esmi, or genius extraordinaire. I, like my VISTA partner in crime Liz, am at the Edinburg Texas office. This is my first year in either AmeriCorps or VISTA, and it is pretty exciting. I got to meet a great group of interesting people on my PSO in New Mexico. It was beautiful and very educational, though the Juniper was out to get me; I returned intact (barely) lol.

I am, let's just say 30ish, and am raising a beautiful little girl who is the apple of my eye. She is 5 and quite precocious. If you hang around her long enough she will school you in Art, Politics, and -thanks to Google- can describe the difference between starving and famished.
A brief history, I graduated from college in 2002 from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, GO ISLANDERS!!! I am about a semester short of my Masters from the University of Texas-Pan American. I swear the thesis will be my undoing!

I taught kindergarten for a year and decided that I didn't know how or in what way, but I wanted to make a difference in not only the children's lives, but the parents as well. I wasn't quite sure how I would do it, but trusted that if I took a giant leap of faith, somehow some way, I would find my way.

With my first summer off I began volunteering at the local political party office. I was hired to be a volunteer coordinator and before I knew it, I was the executive director. I was simultaneously heading up an Alternative Certification Program (ACP) for teaching certification. On top of public relations, marketing, and negotiations, I learned some very important things through this experience:

You can survive off 4 hours of sleep a night, though it is not recommended.
15-hour workdays are a walk in the park, if you don't need things like clean laundry, showers, or time with your kids.
If you serve food, they will come, no matter the crowd.
If the person traveling is important enough, people will lend you an airplane.
Political campaigns-though no one tells you in the beginning- are war and you can expect casualties. If you escape with your reputation intact, it's been a good day.
Non-profits rock my socks off- seriously- these are people who fight the good fight and expect very little in return, which is good because they will get little more than the satisfaction of a job well done.

Through the political, I found non-profits. I begin volunteering for Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley and La Union del Pueblo Entero (L.U.P.E.). One of my proudest moments was being asked to design the shirts for the Cesar Chavez march 2 years in a row. I will happily volunteer to do them every year. I would have to say that the experience that impacted me the most was volunteering with the local arm of the 2008 Equal Voice for America's Families Campaign by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. I truly learned a lot about capacity building through them.
Around Christmas time my best friend told me that there was an opening for someone with an Education background and who possessed some of my talents. I looked into the job and wanted on board very badly. When I saw it was a VISTA position I realized I would have to take a significant pay cut to work for them, but the ultimate rewards would be more than monetary. I would be able to look back and know I made a difference in my community. I realized this was the leap of faith I had been searching for. This was the opportunity I had been looking for to make a difference in not only the children's lives but the parents as well. I had somehow, some way, come full circle and found my way.

Was it hard to make this decision? I would like to lie and say ‘Not at all, I'm magnanimous that way' but alas I would be lying. It was a tough decision to make as a single parent, but it also was sort of easy. I wanted to do something that allowed me to be a role model for my daughter. To show her that if you care about people and you put out that vibe into the universe, it eventually comes back to you.

I am proud to be an AmeriCorps VISTA, and glad that it’s with the Texas HIPPY Program.

- Esmeralda ‘Emí’ Zuñiga

The Stew Thickens

2009-05-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

We have a few big things brewing over here in Carrollton-Farmers Branch in the HIPPY pot. Last week Carla and I met with the Head Start folks at Brookhaven College to discuss implementing the HIPPY curriculum as part of their center-based pre-K set-up. AND we had Amber Brown from UT Arlington on our side, offering to apply for a federal grant to pay for the start-up and implementation. That definitely sweetened the deal! UT Arlington apparently is interested in doing research on the effects of a child completing the HIPPY program with the Head Start program, versus a child completing Head Start alone. We already know what the results will be! We just need the data to prove it ;) They were very interested in moving forward with this initiative, so keep your fingers crossed that we secure the grant!

I've also made some progress through the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Rotary Club. It's kind of a long story how that all came about... so get comfortable :) Since January I've been volunteering at Farmers Branch Elementary through Communities in Schools. The way that works is, once a week I go and have lunch with my Kindergarten "buddy" Martin, and we work on spelling or reading or we play games, really whatever Victoria, the campus manager, plans out for us based on Martin's performance in the classroom. Meanwhile, some time in February, I sent a giant packet of HIPPY info to the Rotary Club, and when I didn't hear back right away I assumed they weren't interested. But then one day when I went to have lunch with Martin, Victoria sat down with me and said, "Hey, another of our volunteers is a Rotarian, Mr. Cross, and he called me to see what I knew about HIPPY! Would you be interested in meeting with him?" Of course I was! So we had a meeting, Mr. Cross and I, and I told him all about the HIPPY program and what it would mean for Carrollton Farmers Branch. He admitted that he had some issues with the program, but invited me to speak to the Rotary Club and make my case for a HIPPY program here. So I did! It went very well, and apparently the idea of supporting our program financially will be brought up at their next board meeting. Exciting!

So that's what I've been doing lately :) What have you been up to?

Me in my little nook, plugging away at Special Care & Career Services! Thanks to Helen for taking this picture :)

Time for Some Action by Luis

2009-05-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hello World. I am Luis Rocha and I am the AmeriCorps VISTA member working with the Texas HIPPY Center in Dallas, TX.

Why AmeriCorps?

Though many people who grow up in El Paso, TX cannot wait to leave, I cannot wait to get back. It’s a unique often unappreciated place. Despite the absurdly hot summers, and howling winds in the spring, there is nothing quite as awesome as a desert sunrise, a full moon over the Franklin mountains, or the yellow poppies in the spring. And who could ever forget Chico’s Tacos.

Growing up along the US-Mexico Border, as the son of a maquiladora (Mexican-twin plant) manager and a bilingual ed teacher the struggles of those in poverty where never far from our home. I remember going to the Sun Bowl every year and looking across the Rio Grande at shanty houses less than a football field away, made of tires, cardboard, and scrap wood, while I sat in my $60 seat and munched on an overpriced nachos and soda. Maquila employees in Mexico could not afford to buy my nachos and soda with a day’s salary. It seemed wrong to me, but it would take a few years for this to move me to take action. Enter AmeriCorps.

Why Texas HIPPY?

How do you rise up out of poverty? Education. I learned quickly from my mom that without a solid foundation and parental support students are destined for failure. In her second grade classes she could already tell which students would go on to graduate and those that would struggle and fall by the wayside. HIPPY serves as a catalyst for change at all levels; family, school, and community and I want to be a part of that change. Here at Texas HIPPY we believe that “Home is Where the start Is”. It my hope I can play a small part in helping other families have a similar start to the one my home afforded me.

A Little About Me...

2009-04-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

Hola! My name is Lizbeth Rivera and I am a VISTA with Texas HIPPY in Edinburg.

A little about me:

I am 26 year old Libra born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley. I am married with two little explorers (ages 2 & 4) that require of all my energy and time. I am currently serving my 2nd year as a VISTA and my 3rd as an Americorps member. You can say that I am very patient and understanding. Oh! and I am also pretty shy.

I am really looking forward to this new journey and I know that I will be learning alot of new things. I think HIPPY is an awesome program and a great opportunity to help families bring out the fullest potential in their children in order to help them succeed. I sure wish this could have been available to me as I was growing up. As well, I am looking forward to getting to know everybody.

Buen Dia,
Liz

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

2009-04-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

I'm in the Dallas Morning News! Read below:

Obama signs legislation tripling AmeriCorps national service program
11:03 PM CDT on Tuesday, April 21, 2009
By LAURA ISENSEE / The Dallas Morning News lisensee@dallasnews.com
WASHINGTON – Twenty-two-year-old Sarah Thorne skipped the job-and-résumé route when she graduated from college last August. Instead, the self-described bright-eyed idealist moved from Florida to North Texas to promote early childhood education.
Thorne, a volunteer with AmeriCorps VISTA, lives on the edge of Carrollton on $900 a month – near the poverty line like the families her program targets – and leads a Brownie troop in her free time. That kind of volunteerism will get a major boost from a bill that President Barack Obama signed into law Tuesday in Washington. The $5.7 billion measure triples the size of the AmeriCorps service program over the next eight years and expands the ways people, from middle-schoolers to baby boomers, can earn money for college through volunteer work.
At the bill signing, Obama, who worked as a community organizer in Chicago, called on more Americans to serve. "We need your service right now, at this moment in history. I'm not going to tell you what your role should be; that's for you to discover. But I'm asking you to stand up and play your part. I'm asking you to help change history's course, put your shoulder up against the wheel," Obama said.
Obama stressed service during his campaign and asked for the bill in his first address to Congress. It sailed through the House and Senate in a little over three weeks with largely bipartisan support. The measure builds on a spirit of service already percolating across the country, said Alan Solomont, who chairs the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service that oversees AmeriCorps. Applications have flooded the agency: Online applications in the last five months have jumped 234 percent from the same period last year. Part of that can be credited to the recession. But the leading edge of the new wave of volunteers, Solomont believes, are millennials who are coming of age – like Thorne.
She's working – and blogging about her efforts – to establish a program to help involve low-income parents in their children's early education in Carrollton. On the volunteer job since August, Thorne had her first sit-down last week with the assistant superintendent of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district. The program, called Texas Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, or HIPPY, hopes to double its number of volunteers like Thorne with the AmeriCorps VISTA. Other ways AmeriCorps involves volunteers: mentoring, repairing homes for seniors and promoting financial literacy.
The expansion "has great potential," said Elizabeth Seale, who directs One Star Foundation, which administers the AmeriCorps grant program in Texas. Seale said it is too early to know how many new volunteers will come to Texas, where there are more than 94,000 volunteers.
Texas ranks 33rd in the country in the rate of volunteering, according to census data. Dallas is 19th among large cities; Austin is fifth. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, hopes more volunteers will come to the border and work in colonias, which lack running water and sewer systems.
"The communities that most need volunteer service are the ones that can least afford to pay for it," said Cuellar, who added a provision that eliminates the costs requirements for colonias.
The expansion does have its challenges, said Peter Frumkin, head of the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at the University of Texas at Austin. "The real challenge is going to be maintaining quality and getting what you want," said Frumkin, who has studied the AmeriCorps program. "It's hard to do fine-tuning in massive expansion mode."

Pick up a copy! I wish they'd included the picture of me on the rock wall with a caption like "Thorne Reaches New Heights in AmeriCorps" or something... maybe next time ;)

Bona fide HIPPY by Cherri

2009-03-24T02:55:00.000-07:00

Hi! My name is Cherri and I am the HIPPY*VISTA in Maypearl, Texas.

I was a teen in the '60s when the word "hippie" had a completely different meaning. Hippies were all about living for themselves and convincing others they didn't have to go along with the "establishment". Growing up in the Texas Panhandle, those we saw on the news who embraced the countercultural movement and lived by the code: "Do your own thing," seemed to be from another planet. For my friends and me, our greatest concern was passing the algebra test and if our football team would win on Friday night. We didn't consider ourselves volunteers but took action when our neighbors needed help, because that was the right thing to do. But there was a greater need in our country.

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy launched the Peace Corps, which sent volunteers overseas with the task of fighting poverty. The next year, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a "war on poverty" at home and signed the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. The Act created Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA)

Then, in 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the National and Community Service Trust Act, which established the Corporation for National and Community Service and brought the full range of domestic community service programs under the umbrella of one central organization. This legislation built on the first National Service Act signed by President H.W. Bush in 1990. It also formally launched AmeriCorps, a network of national service programs that engage Americans in intensive service to meet the nation’s critical needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment. Thus, AmeriCorps*VISTA.

VISTA is the only one of the AmeriCorps programs that focuses exclusively on fighting poverty, based upon these three guiding principles: 1) AmeriCorps*VISTA is dedicated to this proposition: that no one should go hungry in America, no one should be without a home, good education, and a livable income; 2) AmeriCorps*VISTA members help create or expand community-based programs, services and systems that help individuals in poor communities improve their lives for the long term; and 3) AmeriCorps*VISTA members live and work with the poor to help them develop their own solutions to poverty.

Please read Sarah and Amanda's entries below for our HIPPY definition. These women are both great examples of today's youth……..of today's volunteer. It might have taken 40 years for this Baby Boomer to become a HIPPY, but VISTA has provided me an opportunity, also, to be an example of today's volunteer. For more information, go to http://www.americorps.org/. Maybe there is a VISTA opportunity waiting for you.

Peace Cherri

Denton HIPPY, by Amanda

2009-02-23T08:28:00.000-08:00

Hi! My name is Amanda and I'm the VISTA for Texas HIPPY in Denton. :)

My Dad and I

A little about me, I'm a nerd and avid crafter. I sew, knit, crochet, macramé, and more. Books, bad tv, movies, music, and zombies are passions of mine. I am known for going camping, playing games, and dancing. Most importantly, I love my family very much, including my only child Dorris, a 3 year old gray cat.

I'm a bright-eyed college graduate from the University of North Texas. I received my B.A. in History with a minor in German last December and I'm excited to do my first full-time work with Texas HIPPY. When I first applied to be a volunteer with Americorps VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America), I only had a vague idea of what I was getting into. In simple terms, Americorps is like Peacecorps but its here in the states and the VISTA branch focuses solely on poverty and what we can do to create or expand sustainable programs to eliminate it. We apply for assignment to programs and when accepted, are immersed completely in the community so that we may better serve it as a whole.

One of my advantages, is that I'm already involved with the Denton community! I moved from around Austin to Denton in 2004 to start college and have been a Dentonite since. While in school, I volunteered with America Reads, a literacy program that served certain schools in Denton I.S.D. My class was composed of a wonderful group of kindergarten students from Newton Rayzor Elementary, and I miss them dearly. They were my inspiration for applying for the VISTA position here in Denton and I look forward to helping set up a program that will aide more children with realizing their full potential long after I'm gone.

Our program, Texas HIPPY (Home Instruction of Parents of Preschool Youngsters), is growing close to my heart. Sarah has a great description of our program here. For me, it is so interesting to see how our program actually relates back to the original program founded in Israel. Since then, it has evolved into an international community for school readiness. But why care? Mainly because there's so many benefits from letting HIPPY in your community. Its not just about children, its about families becoming self-sufficient together. Parents learn to be teachers and advocates for their children, along with making connections in the community with volunteers and other parents. Children are more confident as they enter school and have the resources at home to continue success.

The HIPPY mission statement is:

HIPPY programs empower parents as primary educators of their children in the home and foster parent involvement in school and community life to maximize the chances of successful early school experiences. HIPPY USA supports the development and operation of programs in communities across the United States through ongoing program development and technical assistance informed by research and public policy.

HIPPY helps parents empower themselves as their children’s first teacher by giving them the tools, skills and confidence they need to work with their children in the home. The program was designed to bring families, organizations and communities together and remove any barriers to participation that may include limited financial resources or lack of education.

I think HIPPY can be a very important asset to every community, and it is my goal to see this happen in Denton.

Quite Inspiring by Sarah

2009-01-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

I recently nominated my boss Carla for the State Farm Service Learning Champion award. While the results are not yet it, I wanted to share my nomination narrative with you all so that you will know what a great boss I have!

As state director of Texas HIPPY, Carla Weir has made a very significant impact on the lives of the people she has come into contact with, as well as the entire communities her program serves. Carla started the first Texas HIPPY program in the Dallas Independent School District in 1988. As the first HIPPY Coordinator in Texas, Carla had a vision; she wanted to break the generational chain of poverty in her community by starting small. Dallas HIPPY started out in two elementary schools, serving only a handful of families, but meaning the world to those children who entered school confidently, and ready to succeed, and to those parents and home instructors who felt empowered to improve their own lives as they watched their children grow. The Dallas HIPPY program was the first US program to focus particularly on low income, Latino families, and the difference that Carla made to those families inspired many others to take up the HIPPY cause. Her dedication to her HIPPY families has changed countless lives, and sparked so many other people’s interest and commitment to the HIPPY model and philosophy. The program has since grown to 7 Texas communities, serving 1,700 families statewide, and is still growing. Carla took on a leadership role in HIPPY at the national and international level, as the first US HIPPY Coordinator serving immigrant families, was selected to be a national trainer the first year this position was opened (1990), and became the Director of Texas HIPPY in 1998. In 2008, we celebrated 20 years of HIPPY in Texas and Carla celebrated her 20th year with HIPPY.
There are a number of benefits of the HIPPY program to the community, impacting four groups of people differently: children, parents, schools, and the home instructors themselves. First and foremost, the children benefit greatly from the home instruction that takes place under the HIPPY model. School-readiness for pre-school youngsters is the most important goal of HIPPY, and the curriculum provides age-appropriate materials for children aged 3-5. When the time comes for children to begin school, they have already been exposed to the learning process, and can more readily adapt to an education-centered environment. There are also positive effects on the child through the growth and development of the family unit. Children become closer to their parents, and start to look up to them as a role model and as their guide. The HIPPY model strengthens the bond between parent and child.
Additionally, children who have gone through the HIPPY program learn a strong sense of volunteerism which continues to grow throughout their lives. There is much data and research to support the claim that children of volunteers become volunteers themselves. They themselves are very likely to be involved in community service projects and participate in service-learning initiatives of their own. Carla’s work with the HIPPY program has undoubtedly inspired countless children to grow into active community members in youth, and grow into prominent community advocates into adulthood.
As many benefits as there are to children through the HIPPY process, there are equally as many benefits for the parents. Being able to mentor and teach their children empowers the parent and makes them feel like someone worthy of their child's admiration. This in turn boosts the parents' confidence level, producing a positive attitude which can easily spill over into other areas of their family and professional lives. The parent group meetings also provide a venue in which parents can share ideas and insights, contributing to their feelings of success and confidence. Additionally, parents have an opportunity to meet other parents like themselves, and friendships are formed, building lasting connections and relationships within the community.
The HIPPY model also positively effects schools in the community. In quantitative terms, the HIPPY program has directly contributed to higher test scores of children who went through the program, and teachers overwhelmingly deemed their students who were in HIPPY "ready for school". The HIPPY program also leads more parents to be involved in their child's education following the conclusion of the program. HIPPY parents are more likely to volunteer at their child's school, join a PTA or other organization, and/or take an interest in their child's education in some other way. HIPPY parents and home instructors are rewarded for volunteering at their child’s school, and simultaneously instill a strong sense of volunteerism in their young children, as previously mentioned.
And as the fourth group positively affected by the HIPPY program, the home instructors themselves receive a number of benefits for their contributions to the HIPPY process. Home instructors receive the Segal Education Award (an AmeriCorps scholarship of $2,363), which encourages them to seek higher education following their service, which in turn will help them become that much more employable. Additionally, the opportunity to be a home instructor is often their first job, and provides excellent job training and the experience needed to transition into the working world. The home instructors not only improve their own future through education and job experience, they become role models for the HIPPY parents and the community at large. Home instructors can stay in their position for a limited term of 3 years, in order to continuously provide this opportunity to the community.
Carla’s current goals are to expand HIPPY services by providing support and technical assistance to interested communities. One strategy is through the implementation of the HIPPY*VISTA partnership, which places an AmeriCorps VISTA member onsite in an interested community through the support of a sponsoring agency. Carla has pushed HIPPY so far over the last 20 years, and is clearly not slowing down! Her dedication to the youth of Texas communities is unmatched, and the impact she has had around the state is immeasurable. Over the past 20 years, more than 25,000 Texas children have participated in HIPPY with their parents. Because HIPPY has a positive effect on the whole family, it is estimated that Texas HIPPY has influenced over 75,000 individuals, leading to increased service to the community, volunteering and greater support for education and community service. All because one woman started small, and ended up making a big difference.

I hope that 20 years from now I have as much to show for 2 decades of life as Carla does! Doesn't it just make you want to go out and make a difference somehow? Good luck, and God speed!

Oh There's No Place Like Home For the Holidays... by Sarah

2009-01-06T12:03:00.000-08:00

So I've recently resurfaced after a long Christmas break. It was great to be home, watching Humphrey Bogart movies with my dad and eating my mom's amazing cooking every day, but not to worry, I still had HIPPY in the back of my mind! For example, I sat down to write Santa, and my hand just got away from me. And in 15 minutes I had this:

________________________________________________________
Dear Santa,
I have been very good this year. What I want for Christmas is for there to be a HIPPY program in Carrollton and Farmers Branch communities. Here are a few reasons why:

Cost Comparison: Pre-K vs. HIPPY
Average Cost of Pre-K per child in Texas- $2700
Average Cost of HIPPY per child in Texas- $1200
You see, Santa, the benefits of HIPPY are far greater than those of traditional pre-k programs, including positively impacting not only the children, but their parents, the schools, and the home instructors as well. So in essence, HIPPY costs less, but does much more to help low-income families and the community as a whole.

At-risk Students:
The definition of “at-risk” includes “[The child] is in prekindergarten, kindergarten, or grades 1, 2, or 3 and did not perform satisfactorily on a readiness test or assessment instrument administered during the current school year.”
More than 800 kids were deemed “at-risk” to drop out of school in Carrollton Farmers Branch Independent School District in 2007 BEFORE they entered Kindergarten. Only the definition of “at-risk” previously stated can apply to students in pre-kindergarten, denoting that over 800 children this past year did not enter school ready to succeed.
The focus of HIPPY is to increase school-readiness in children, and Kindergarten teachers in other HIPPY locations overwhelmingly deem HIPPY alumni “ready for school” in terms of classroom adaptability and classroom behavior. Those students and their parents should really be on the 'nice' list. Implementing HIPPY could save more than 800 children from becoming at-risk for dropping out of school. Instead, those children would enter school confident and ready to succeed.

Pre-K Enrollment:
If we assume that there are roughly the same number of children aged 0 to 5 of each age (ie: roughly the same number of 1 year olds as 2 year olds) in Carrollton, this means that in 2006, only about 2/5 of preschool aged children were enrolled in a preschool program. Only about 2,000 children were enrolled in a pre-k program of about 5,000 preschool aged children.
Approximately 900 less preschool aged children were enrolled in a pre-kindergarten program in 2007 than in 2006.
For whatever reason, pre-k is not a reality for the majority of children in Carrollton. The implementation of HIPPY would provide a free, in-home service to those families who either can’t afford to have their children in pre-kindergarten, or can’t get their children to a center. HIPPY parent group meetings also provide parent interaction not present through traditional pre-k services.

Family Income:
The number of families in Carrollton making less than $25,000 per year rose from 10.8% of families in 2005 to 13.2% of families in 2007. While less than a 3% raise, that translates to approximately 800 more families living on less than $25,000 per year.
Families making less than $15,000 per year rose from 4.8% to 6.8%.
HIPPY does not only benefit the children of the community, but their parents and the home instructors as well. HIPPY parent alumni are offered the opportunity to become home instructors, often their first job. The home instructors receive an AmeriCorps college scholarship, which they can use to pursue a higher education and begin on their path to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. The home instructors and parents also receive job and self-development training, and build the confidence, self-esteem, and skills necessary to find a job and make lasting positive relationships in the community.

Also I would like a puppy, world peace, and a lifetime supply of mushroom pizzas. Did I mention how good I have been this year?
XOXOXO
Sarah
________________________________________________________

I don't even know how that happened... but I hope he will give it some serious thought for next year (especially the mushroom pizza part... mmm...).

Hope you had a Merry Christmas, and are having a Fabulous New Year!

Baby Steps... by Sarah

2008-11-24T12:02:00.000-08:00

In all honesty, it's been getting a little frustrating the past couple weeks here on the front lines. HIPPY is so fantastic, and would help the community so much, but it's hard to get decision-makers to listen give me the time of day. And I know I could convince them if they would just give me a chance! haha I mean the program really would sell itself if people only knew about it. But anyway, I did get the chance to meet with Heather, the Coordinator over at the Marie Huie Special Education Center in Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD. I told her about the program and how beneficial it would be to the community and also to the special needs population. She agreed! She told me a few people that I should get in contact with over at the ISD, and she said she'd be glad to help out and serve as an advisory member to our cause! Admittedly, it's a baby step, but at least I'm making some progress :) The more people who believe HIPPY is needed in the community, the more likely it is that we can get something real started, and start meeting important needs in the community.
Yayy for progress!

Into the Wild by Sarah

2008-11-15T12:01:00.000-08:00

This past week I attended the Texas HIPPY Kick-Off Retreat in Houston! I had a fabulous time getting to know the HIPPY coordinators, as well as all of our wonderful home instructors. And I learned a lot about each unique Texas HIPPY site and how different they are from one another! It all gave me a lot of ideas on how to market HIPPY and be creative about the different ways it could be implemented. For example, Richardson HIPPY is part of a whole complex, including 4 or 5 other non-profits who serve children aged 0-5. And Richardson Home Instructors not only work for HIPPY, but also for the other organizations (the only one I can remember is Parents as Teachers, but there are others as well) as well. Each program is funded differently (ie: HIPPY through Richardson ISD) but they all share the same employees and work space. Very efficient! And I'm sure it's very convenient for the families served, who can contact one location for all their pre-k/early education needs.

The retreat was also about trying new things. Many of the home instructors had never been camping before, or canoeing, or rock climbing, or any of the other fun things we did. It was a really great bonding experience, and I think we all had an awesome time. I know I did! In our cabins, we had to make a cabin name, and individual camper names. Our cabin was Far Far Away, and we were all Shrek characters (from either of the three movies). I was Snow White... for obvious reasons ;) (because I'm just so darn white... haha) I had some firsts myself: I climbed all the way to the top of the rock wall and rung the bell!! And I also tried archery for the first time, and on my first couple tries I hit the ring around the bull's eye :) Not bad for my first try! I'll get the bull's eye next time ;)

Here are some pictures of me climbing the rock wall!

That's me all the way at the top, ringing the bell! :)

Houston, We Have a Problem... by Sarah

2008-11-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

So last Wednesday, I got back to Dallas at around 11 AM, planning to head in to the office and get some work done before leaving for Houston Thursday, to attend the Governor's Nonprofit Leadership Conference. Before leaving my apartment, I decided I was going to print out my reservation information and conference confirmation, just so it was ready for the next day. But as I searched my inbox, low and behold!, not a reservation was to be found! Where was I staying? What time was I supposed to be there? Panic set in as I perused the GNLC website and discovered that check in for the conference was WEDNESDAY from noon to 5pm! So after two hours of frantic calls and e-mails, I finally pieced together some semblence of an agenda, and hit the road to Houston, not nearly in time to arrive by 5 pm, but resting assured that it would all be ok.

Despite my troubles and the headache that nagged me well into the 4.5 hour drive south, the conference was actually well worth it! The keynote speaker was fantastic: Heather McLeod Grant, co-author of Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits, a book which instantly earned a top slot on my '08 Christmas list. Naturally, the Governor, who was also supposed to speak, became 'unavoidably detained', so we turned our attention instead to a 3 minute generic video clip during his allotted time. The individual sessions were great too- My favorites were the presentation made by Benevon, an organization which teaches nonprofits to create sustainable funding; and one made by a OneStar Foundation rep on creating effective logic models, aptly titled "For Love of Logic Models". Both speakers were very entertaining, and their subject matter very applicable to my mission here with Texas HIPPY. By the end of the conference I was absolutely bursting with enthusiasm and new goals and tactics to take back with me to Home Sweet Carrollton.

Thanks OneStar Foundation for putting on an amazing conference!

Here's a picture of me and Tina at the conference! We were definitely listening to the presenter...

If anyone's interested in learning more about OneStar Foundation, their website is www.onestarfoundation.org. "OneStar Foundation: Texas Center for Social Impact is a statewide nonprofit that improves the lives of every Texan, every day."

Update! by Sarah

2008-10-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty busy being involved with Special Care & Career projects, but I've made some slight HIPPY progress in the past two weeks that I thought I would go ahead and post about.I contacted the National Council of Jewish Women in Dallas, who have been faithful and vehement supporters of HIPPY for many years, to see if they had any tips for starting a program in Carrollton. I talked to Syl Benenson, who is a remarkably helpful lady, and it turns out that she has a friend who is a principal in Carrollton Farmers Branch Independent School District! So she is going to sing our praises to her friend, and hopefully I can set up a meeting to talk with her about the HIPPY program and see if she's interested in getting on board with our cause. Wish me luck!I also attended World Fest in Addison this past weekend and worked at the ECI booth. I made my own flyers about HIPPY and handed them out to people with preschool younguns. The flyers talked about the importance of school readiness and parent involvement, and how crucial the HIPPY program is to the success of young children starting school! I also included some great activities that promote cultural awareness, in keeping with the World Fest theme. Here's that section of it, just in case you have a young child:
________________________________
We hope you enjoy World Fest 2008!!

*Try these nine ways to share cultural traditions with your young child:
Sing traditional lullabies to your baby.
Display objects or pictures that reflect your culture.
Read stories or fold tales from your culture and tell them to your children.
Share stories passed down from generation to generation.
Prepare foods that represent your culture with your child.
Take pictures of your celebrations and make a family album. Look through it often.
Visit other relatives and encourage them to share cultural practices from their childhood.
Invite friends and their families to share your holiday traditions and celebrations, and invite them to talk about theirs.
Tell your child the meaning of his/her name, if it has one in your culture.

*Greeting Games!
There are many different ways to greet people. Some cultures use gestures and do not use words, like bowing or touching noses. Here is a list of words that say “Hello” in different languages.
Hello (English)
Bonjour (French)
Ni Hao (Chinese)
Namaste (Hindi)
Hola (Spanish)
Jambo (Swahili)
Ciao (Italian)
Guten Tag (German)
Shalom (Hebrew)
Konichiwa (Japanese)
________________________________

On a side note, I've just started up a new Junior Girl Scouts troop in Carrollton, so I'm excited to be getting involved in the community! I'm also starting to volunteer in my church, and for other community events (like Nature Fest a few weeks ago), so I'm really starting to feel like a member of the Carrollton community. And I voted early! So dare I say that I'm a Texan now? We'll see!

My First Parent Meeting by Sarah

2008-10-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

On Friday, October 10th, I visited the Carrollton Early Childhood PTA at Holy Covenant Methodist Church. It was an amazing experience, and all of the parents were extremely friendly and helpful. I gave a brief presentation about the HIPPY model and my goal to start a HIPPY program in Carrollton. I passed out a flier I made called “The 1-2-3’s of HIPPY”, which listed the philosophy, goals, model and benefits of HIPPY, and asked that anyone who was interested in the program and in school readiness sign up for my mailing list. School readiness and parent involvement are so important for pre-k children, and I’m excited about the HIPPY model and getting a program in Carrollton started. And that can only happen if parents are interested and want it! And from the number of parents that signed up for my mailing list, parents do want it! Exciting!
They also invited me to their 18th Annual Silent Auction on Friday, November 14th, which will be held to raise money for their amazing organization. The CECPTA then uses 100% of the money raised to promote the welfare of area children and their families through parent education, children’s programs, community outreach and family activities. Sounds like a really fun event!

If anyone would like further information about the Carrollton Early Childhood PTA, their website is http://www.cecpta.org .

And Last But Not Least... by Sarah

2008-10-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

I've given a little information about HIPPY and about Special Care & Career Services, so it's only fitting that I should also mention the third organization I'm affiliated with: AmeriCorps. At the end of August, AmeriCorps sent me to Denver for a pre-service orientation, where they taught me about what it means to be a "VISTA", and explained the overall goal of the AmeriCorps VISTA program.
AmeriCorps VISTA is the national service program of the Corporation for National & Community Service that is specifically geared towards fighting poverty. So every single VISTA's overall goal in the back of their minds is to alleviate poverty, meaning it was important for me to try and understand how my role with HIPPY tied in. Admittedly, at first I didn't really understand how my job at HIPPY was going to fight poverty, but it became clearer as the orientation went on.
So here's yet another way HIPPY can benefit a community!!! Exciting! Many parents don't know how to get their kids ready for school in terms of literacy skills and exposure to learning, resulting in their child failing in school. This can potentially have a domino effect, and dig a hole which the child cannot pull him or herself out of, causing them to get further and further behind in their education. Additionally, the Home Instructors are given an extremely valuable opportunity to obtain job skills, and a college scholarship- a chance to lift themselves out of poverty if they had fallen into it.I also met some great people at the PSO, and it was amazing to be around so many community service oriented young minds! It's amazing to know that so many are dedicated to fighting poverty and helping their community in such unique ways.

Here's a picture of me and some of the wonderful VISTA's I met at the PSO- I know they're all going to do brilliant work in their communities!!!

If you want to learn more about AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Vista, please visit http://www.americorps.org/ Tell them I sent you ;)

Shout Out to Special Care and Career! by Sarah

2008-10-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

I really shouldn't go any further without giving a shout out to Special Care and Career Services, the agency that's sponsoring me and giving me office space and support this year. They're so great! Special Care and Career Services is a non-profit organization that serves people with disabilities. Their Early Childhood Intervention program provides services for children aged 0 to 3 with developmental delays and/or disabilities. Their Supported Employment program helps students with cognitive disabilities transition from high school to the work force, and also helps any other adults with cognitive disabilities find and keep a job. These are such important programs, and they positively affect the lives of hundreds of children and adults in our community every year.Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) serves north Dallas communities including Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Coppell, Irving, Addison, and parts of Dallas and Lewisville. They provide a FREE (absolutely free! Can you believe it?) in-home evaulation to every single child (birth to 3 yrs) in these communities, to try and detect any sign of a developmental delay or disability and to start treatment right away. After the in-depth screening and evaluation process, on-staff experts provide speech, physical and occupational therapy and instruction to the children and their primary caregivers either in the child’s home or daycare facility. Plus, I am especially grateful to Paula Tarver, who really pushed SCCS to help Texas HIPPY by housing me here. Without her work, I wouldn't be here at Special Care and Career! She has taught me so much about ECI and about the community I'm working in. And thanks to Carol Egusquiza, who has also been showing me the ropes around ECI!Supported Employment Services (SES) is another program here at Special Care and Career Services. Employment specialists work with individuals with cognitive disabilities to match them to meaningful jobs in companies needing their skills. Clients of Supported Employment often need help finding a job in the community that fits well with both their own needs and with the needs of employers. With thorough assessment and job development, on-the-job training and continued support, the Supported Employment program assures an optimal placement for both client and employer. What an amazing program! I've been tagging along with some staff members to a few client meetings, and let me tell you first hand that they do an amazing job! Thanks especially to Stephanie Agnew, Roberta Bower, and Helen Robinson for teaching me the ins and outs of SES (mind you, while simultaneously having to get all of their work done!!). All of the staff here at Special Care and Career Services have been so enormously helpful, and the director Cathy Packard asks me all the time if I need anything or if she can do anything to help me with my project. I'm so lucky to be so supported, both from Texas HIPPY and from Special Care and Career!! If you want to learn more about Early Childhood Intervention or Supported Employment Services here at Special Care and Career Services, please go to their website at www.specialcarecareer.org or just ask me!

You're Moving to Texas to be a Hippy? by Sarah

2008-09-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

The title of this post is a direct quote from my mother upon learning that I might be moving to Dallas to take a job with Texas HIPPY. So now that I'm here in Dallas (specifically Carrollton, a suburb north of Dallas) let me explain a little bit about the HIPPY program, a program so awesome that I've volunteered a year of my life to it!
HIPPY is an acronym (phew!) for Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters. It's a mouthful, but when you think about it, it's a great way to explain a complex program in a simple way. It is essentially, as its name suggests, a home-based school readiness program for children aged 3-5 in which home-instructors utilize role-play of curriculum with parents, who in turn teach the curriculum to their children. HIPPY teaches parents to become their child's first teacher, and empowers them to instill a love of learning in their children, strengthening the whole family unit in the process. In short, the process is thus: a HIPPY coordinator trains HIPPYCorps home instructors on developmentally age appropriate curriculum, the home instructors then role-play curriculum with HIPPY parents in their home, and then the parents teach the curriculum to their children.
I want to talk a little bit about just how beneficial this program is to all of the participants. I could go on and on about the logistics of the program, but I think the benefits of HIPPY are really what make the program so unique, and so impressive! The benefits of the HIPPY program to the community are really four-fold. First and foremost, the children benefit greatly from the home instruction that takes place under the HIPPY model. School-readiness for pre-school youngsters is the most important goal of HIPPY, and the curriculum included provides age-appropriate materials for children aged 3-5. When the time comes for children to begin school, they have already been exposed to the learning process, and can more readily adapt to an education-centered environment. The HIPPY model reduces the perception that the classroom and the learning process are foreign entities, and increases the perception that school and home are both venues for learning. Additionally, there are positive effects on the child through the growth and development of the family unit. Children become closer to their parent or parents, and start to look up to them as a role model and as their guide. They recognize that the parent is not just someone who fetches them food and cleans up after them, but as someone with knowledge to impart and with wisdoms to share. The HIPPY model strengthens the bond between parent and child.As many benefits as there are to the children through the HIPPY process, there are equally as many benefits for the parents. As previously mentioned, it strengthens the family unit, which is mutually beneficial to parent and child. Additionally though, being able to mentor and teach their children really empowers the parent and makes them feel like someone worthy of their child's affection, and worthy of being looked up to. This in turn boosts the parents' confidence level, producing a positive attitude which can easily spill over into other areas of their family and professional lives. The group meetings also provide a venue in which parents can share ideas and insights, contributing to their feelings of success and confidence. Additionally, parents have an opportunity to meet other parents like themselves, and friendships are formed, building lasting connections and relationships within the community.
The HIPPY model also positively effects schools in the community (which is a primary reason HIPPY is more often than not situated at a school district or with several individual schools). In quantitative terms, the HIPPY program has directly contributed to higher test scores of children who went through the program, and teachers overwhelmingly deemed their students who were in HIPPY "ready for school". The HIPPY program also leads more parents to be involved in their child's education following the conclusion of the program. HIPPY parents are more likely to volunteer at their child's school, join a PTA or other organization, and/or take an interest in their child's education in some other way.
And as the fourth group positively affected by the HIPPY program, the home-instructors themselves receive a number of benefits for their contributions to the HIPPY process. HIPPYCorps members receive the Segal Education Award (an AmeriCorps scholarship of $2,363), which encourages them to seek higher education following their service, which in turn will help them become that much more employable. Additionally, the opportunity to be a home-instructor is often their first job, and provides excellent job training and the experience needed to transition into the working world. The home-instructors not only improve their own future through education and job experience, they become role models for the HIPPY parents and the community at large. They are also provided with income, and receive all the other benefits that come along with being an AmeriCorps member (such as loan forbearance, health care, etc.). Home-instructors can stay in their position for a limited term of 3 years, in order to continuously provide this opportunity to the community.
By George I think they've got it! They really have thought of everything, which is going to make it so much easier for me to complete my mission here this year. It's always easier to promote something you really care about and believe in, and that's definitely how I feel about HIPPY!
So I told my Mom all of this, and needless to say, she felt a little better about her baby moving off to Texas to work for those HIPPY folks! A happy ending indeed.

If you want to learn more about Texas HIPPY or HIPPY USA, either ask me! Or go to www.unt.edu/hippy for our state program site, or http://www.hippyusa.org/ for our national site.

It's About Time by Sarah

2008-09-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

Well, it's about time I learned how to blog! Let me start out by introducing myself, and explaining what my little self is doing in the giant state of Texas.I'm Sarah, bright-eyed idealist, fresh out of college and ready to tackle the world! I've lived an Army Brat life, so when I finished my undergraduate degree at Florida International University (in International Relations with a Certificate in European Studies), what can I say, I was restless and ready for a change. I thought about my options: go straight to Grad school, find a real job, or take a year off and do community service. I think the key factor in making my decision was what I said earlier: that I was "ready for a change". And I wanted a change not just in my life, but to inspire a change (dare I say I wanted to change the world?) So the choice was clear; community service it is!I learned about AmeriCorps Vista when I was in my "I want to join the Peace Corps" phase. A friend suggested it as a less-likely-to-contract-a-fatal-disease-but-still-serving-in-a-big-way option. So I looked into it and applied for a few VISTA positions, really on a whim. Almost immediately, I got a call from Texas HIPPY, and David told me a little bit about their program and what they were trying to do in North Texas. I went to the website and read about the HIPPY model, and within a few hours I was sold. Here was an important and much needed cause that I could really get into, and meanwhile love what I'm doing (also known as a "win-win" or "jackpot" scenario). So when they offered me the job, I jumped on it! And started counting down the days until I would load up my big orange car (Frau Cow) and head west to the Big D and to a new chapter of my life.