Blog

You can grow ideas in the garden of your mind. — from Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood

What a joy to sow seeds of learning, and to see students blossom into new readers! Thanks to the dedicated service of 130 literacy tutors in the 2015-2016 school year, we provided individual reading instruction for 295 students. Of those we saw over the whole school year, 65% improved by two grade levels or more in their reading skills. These students have learned to read, and now they can read to learn, growing their own garden of ideas, exploration and discovery.

Our apologies to those Children Rising volunteers accidentally left out of last month’s Volunteer Appreciation insert!

Stephanie Allen
classroom assistant

Monica Butler
classroom assistant

Lorna Heikkinen
ESL for Adult Learners

Dale Koistinen
classroom assistant

Linda Koistinen
classroom assistant

Sue Lee Young
classroom assistant

Tom Rudderow
classroom assistant

Cameron Wardle
summer school assistant

If you’re a volunteer who
was not recognized,
please let us know at info@children-rising.org.

The title of Max Lucado’s book Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference could be Children Rising’s theme song as we launch into our sixteenth school year. We are in search of farsighted people committed to invest in the next generation. YOU can make a difference by…

• Helping a child become a successful reader and lifelong lover of learning
• Opening up the world of science and the great outdoors to urban kids
• Sharpening students’ math and critical thinking skills
• Bagging food for low-income children and their families
• Mentoring a high school student in preparation for a workplace internship
• Following students forward to higher education and gainful employment
• Assisting students during teacher-guided STEAM and Robotics Labs
• Reaching out to friends, congregations and businesses to advance the goal of obtaining Hope for Children Now!

My last Sunday as a full-time pastor of First Covenant Church, before I left to
focus on Children Rising, was June 24, 2001. My wife Diane and I were greeting
people at the conclusion of the service. A boy approached Diane and presented
her with two quarters, saying, “If Jesus could feed a multitude with a few loaves
and fishes, maybe he could use these two quarters to help with your new
ministry.” Those two quarters are taped on my office file cabinet as a continual
reminder that a little can go a long way when placed in the hands of our Provider.
So the adventure of faith continues as the new school year unfolds and more
opportunities come our way to seek the shalom of the city. Thank you to so
many of you who are upholding Children Rising through your prayer support,
volunteer service and financial gifts.

For the children,
Randy

P.S. To learn more, click here, email info@children-rising.org, or call our office at 510-836-5100.

Burckhalter kids hanging out on the bench purchased by Children Rising and dedicated to Randy Roth. Photo credit goes to Lisa Oler.

(Taken from the CareerBridge summer newsletter edited by CareerBridge intern Mateen Rahimi.)

Shavon is an eighteen-year-old who loves doing her hair, reading, babysitting, and working. She graduated from Ralph Bunche High School this year and will be attending Laney Community College in Oakland in the fall. In the future she plans on attending a four-year university after the completion of two years at Laney. In her free time Shavon likes to hang out with her friends, which is also why she loves interning for the culinary program, because her friends are doing it too! Shavon’s friends describe her as funny and outgoing.

Deshawn is an eighteen-year-old who works at the Ralph Bunche Culinary Program. In his free time he enjoys playing football and basketball for fun. He is a very creative worker and likes solving problems. In the future he plans on running a business of some sort.

Tai’Lynn is a seventeen-year-old who lives in Berkeley. She enjoys hanging out with her cousins. Currently Tai’Lynn is working at the Ralph Bunche Culinary program and specializes in marketing. She enjoys learning about business in the program.

Lakhiyah is eighteen years old and one of her favorite activities is cooking. She works in the preparation and delivery department at Bunches ‘Maican Lunches. She also covers as backup chef for her fellow colleagues when they’re absent. She loves her job because she enjoys cooking for fun. In the future, Lakhiyah plans on attending either Laney or Merritt Community College and then transfer to a university to study pediatrics.

Isiah is seventeen years old. His favorite activities are basketball and videogames. He says that working at Bunches ‘Maican Lunches has taught him several important skills required to operate a business. One specific piece of advice that he mentioned was, “You have to spend half of your time making your product while improving it and the other half of your time in marketing in order to be successful.” His favorite part of working at Ralph Bunche is learning all the important entrepreneurship intel.

Hello everyone. This summer, I’ve been the CareerBridge journalist and editor. I am a seventeen-year-old who was born in San Ramon at John Muir Hospital. I currently live in Walnut Creek and next year I will be attending Northgate High School as a senior. In my spare time I love hanging out with my friends, watching movies, and working out. This is my first summer interning at Children Rising thru CareerBridge and I think it has really helped me become a much more organized person so far. I really enjoy getting to meet a lot of interesting people while conducting interviews and I have improved my writing skills while working here as well. Later on in life I plan on going to California Polytechnic University to study mechanical engineering after completing two years at Diablo Valley College. I am an ambitious, fun-loving student who will always try to make a good difference in the world.

This year, in addition to providing mentors and internships for high school students, CareerBridge decided to take on another project: the Ralph Bunche Culinary Program. Under the tutelage of a local restaurant owner and the guidance of CareerBridge directors Margena Wade-Green and Michelle Hutcherson, participating Ralph Bunche students have been learning how to run a lunch delivery business. If you live in the San Francisco-Oakland area, they might have even contacted you!

The business is called “Bunches ‘Maican Lunches”, a play on words that broadly hints at the type of cuisine they’re providing. Latosha Scott, the owner of Oakland restaurant Soul Food on the Go (formerly La Christa’s Cafe), and her chef Jan Savoy have taken time out of their busy schedules to train our students.