The Friendly Flyer

In this Issue

» Get to Know Our Friends
» Achiever's Corner
» Getting ready for Friend Raiser 2007!
» Helping Our Community
» Circle of Friends Events
» Community Calendar

Friendly Flyer - Spring 2007

At last the signs of spring are here in Boston.  It’s great to feel the warmer sun, enjoy the longer days, and be reminded of open air, outdoor activities, budding flowers, and a general feeling of growth.  As we settle into our new space in Jamaica Plain, we are experiencing our own growth and doing a spring cleaning of sorts, as we make our new and improved space more dynamic, engaging, and safer for children and staff. 

Creating a safe place for children and staff has recently become a priority at Friends-Boston.  This past winter several Achievers were to witness and experience the brutality and tumult that continues to affect our city; gun violence.  A mentor of mine once said that we cannot begin talking about educating, mentoring, and supporting children without first ensuring that they have a safe and nurturing environment.  With sixteen reported homicides this year, averaging roughly one victim per week in 2007, organizations like Friends-Boston have become necessary and critical agents of change for children in Boston.  Your support as a friend of children is incredibly important to ensure that all children can reach their full potential and have that "place" in which they are safe and nurtured.

Friends of the Children is not just an organization; it is an idea, a belief that communities of adults can be bonded together in our common experience of childhood to build a safe and nurturing society for our next generation to grow. As you read our spring newsletter I hope you are inspired by our Achievers stories of hope, growth, and social justice. We invite you to join or re-engage in our friends of children community and help us continue to build momentum and strengthen our ability to make a positive impact in the lives of children.   

As always, we thank you whole heartedly for your support.

-Imari

Get to Know Our Friends

Andrew Mendosa

Many outstanding individuals contribute to the success of our Achievers. Each of these people comes to us with their own history and unique talents and goals. Each quarter, you will learn more about the people who make up the Friends-Boston team.

Friends-Boston is exited to have Andrew Mendosa as our newest Friend, learn more about Andrew, what brought him to Friends-Boston and what he hopes to accomplish as a mentor.

What drew you to the Friend position at Friends of the Children-Boston?
I was drawn to the Friend position at Friends of the Children-Boston because of their innovative and effective approach to mentoring young children. Friends is a unique program in that it offers a long-term commitment to children who desperately need steady and consistent role models.

What has prepared you for this position?
Since graduating from the College of Charleston in South Carolina in 2002, I have worked in public schools throughout South Carolina and Massachusetts, primarily as a Special Education Assistant Teacher. I have also worked as a tutor, camp counselor, and as a basketball coach. I was fortunate enough to have two loving parents who were always there for me while I was growing up. Now it is my turn to give back, to help others who don’t have that support system in place, and who need to feel loved, valued and appreciated.

What do you hope to accomplish as a Friend?
I hope to provide a positive example to each of my Achievers. I hope to instill in each of them a feeling of self-love, self-respect, and self-determination. I want them all to have hope for the future, and thirst for learning and knowledge. My goal is for each of my achievers to stay in school, stay away from drugs, gangs, and teenage pregnancy. I want them to be happy and to strive for success.

Did you have a mentor growing up?
The only mentor figures I had growing up were my parents. While I was in college, I developed close relationships with several of my professors, whom I consider my mentors. I think a good mentor is someone who leads by example, someone who opens doors that you never new existed. A good mentor is like a breath of fresh air. A good mentor is always willing to listen, is respectful, generous, nurturing and attentive.

What was it like to meet your Achievers for the first time?
Meeting some of my Achievers for the first time has been very interesting. Some of them have taken to me immediately, hugging and clinging to me right away. Others have been more reserved and shy. Of course they all want to know right away when we are going to go out to eat, or go to the movies, or go to the playground, or go bowling, or........!!!!

Other interesting facts about you...
When I am not a Friend, I am a reggae DJ for Vibe 105.3 FM in Dorchester, as well as for a group of reggae artists based in Boston. I have played throughout Boston and the New England area. Also, I love to travel and experience other parts of the world. I lived in South America ( Peru and Chile) for six months and I have traveled to three countries in West Africa, as well as the Virgin Islands and Jamaica.

Achiever's Corner

Like many young children, Rivaldo really likes art. He is good at drawing and he will tell you so if you ask him. For Rivaldo, though, art has taken on a new dimension as part of the goals he sets with his Friend, Lucas Orwig.

“I want to become a better artist,” said Rivaldo. “To draw better and paint better.”

These goals are written down in his Goals Journal, a notebook that Rivaldo picked out himself. For this and other goals, he works together with Mr. Lucas to find ways to make his hopes come true. In order to become a better artist, Rivaldo has practiced drawing and painting with Mr. Lucas.

For Rivaldo, the desire to draw better is a part of a larger goal.

“Originally, Rivaldo wanted to get a job to make money,” said Mr. Lucas. “He wants to help his dad out with expenses.”

Because Rivaldo is too young to work, he had to think of other ways to attain his goal.

“I want to make art and sell my art,” said Rivaldo. “Then I can give the money to my dad.”

Rivaldo and Mr. Lucas have visted art and craft stores to see how other artists sell their work, but for now their main focus is on developing drawing and painting skills. The two recently produced a large scale picture using oil pastels. It is the largest drawing Rivaldo has ever done.

“I drew the beach with a double rainbow,” said Rivaldo. “And there’s a big bird.”

He drew word balloons over the people lounging are the beach. “I am having fun!” says one of them, and as Rivaldo smiles at his art hanging in the office it looks like he is having fun too.

Getting Ready for Friend Raiser 2007!

Friends-Boston is exited to announce “Come Grow with Us!” the second annual Friend Raiser benefit auction on May 31 st at the EpiCenter in Boston. Earlier this month Friends, Achievers and Family Friends gathered in Natick at the Clayroom to create wonderful centerpieces for the event.

For more information on this year’s Friend Raiser and how to purchase tickets please check out Friend Raiser 2007.

Helping Our Community

After hearing that one of our Family Friends, Steve Koppel, planned to run the Boston Marathon on behalf of the Dana Farber Cancer Society, we wanted to support him. Friends-Boston decided this was a great opportunity for Family Friends and Achiever to work together to raise money for all those affected by cancer.

Achievers, Friends, Family Friends and staff came together in the fight against cancer. On February 3rd, Friends of the Children-Boston sponsored a Jump Rope event benefiting the Dana Farber Society held at the Tobin Community Center in Roxbury.

Each child listened intently as they sat on the bleachers eager to do their part as the significance of our contribution was explained at the start of the event by Abby Kussell, a representative from Dana Farber. She spoke about Dana Farber’s mission to provide expert, compassionate care to children and adults with cancer while advancing the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of cancer and related diseases.

A demonstration by SWIRLS: Sisters Working in Real Life Situations, a local non-profit that helps nurture young women into independent leaders, kicked off the event with a Double Dutch performance. This team impressed us with various techniques and tricks with the jump rope, inspiring the children to complete the task at hand. After this mental preparation, it was time for participants to physically warm up with a jog across the gym.

Sheri Linzell, our Caregiver and Activities Coordinator, explained the rules and handed out the grid worksheets where stickers would be placed upon completion of each station. The goal was for all participants to fill up their sheets and Friend-Boston would donate $500 to Dana Farber.

A whistle blow signaled the start of jump roping, as the children hurried to their starting stations. This fast paced jumping included stations that had challenging tasks such as spinning, one legged, criss-cross, and backwards. Volunteers had trouble keeping up with the demand for stickers as each child finished the station and hurried to the next.

The final whistle blew--Sheri collected the worksheets and found that everyone had done their part, most going over and above expectations with stickers running off the page and even filling up their new Friends-Boston T-shirts.

After cooling down, everyone cheered as two Achievers proudly presented the check to Steve Koppel and Dana Farber Cancer Society on behalf of all those that participated in the event. The Friends-Boston Community is proud to support Steve Koppel as he takes on the challenge of running the 26.2 miles on April 16th.

Circle of Friends Events

Circle of Friends-Friendly Hour February 22, 2007

A diverse group of Friends of the Children-Boston supporters braved the rain, on Thursday night, February 22nd, to attend the first ever Circle of Friends-Boston event. Over 150 people made for a lively atmosphere at Aqua on Water Street in downtown Boston after making a fifteen dollar donation to Friends-Boston at the door, everyone enjoyed free Newport Storm Amber Ale courtesy of Coastal extreme Brewing Co. and Aqua. Along with the microbrew and appetizers, guests learned about the Friends-Boston program and how they could be involved through informative materials and Friends-Boston staff mingling throughout the crowd available to answer questions and speak about their experiences with the program. Circle of Friends Co-Chairs, Allen Nunnally and Leah Ricci wrapped up the night by announcing the much anticipated raffle drawing for Red Sox tickets and other fun prizes. This successful event was a perfect kick off for Circle of Friends, not only raising money to support Friends-Boston but also bringing awareness of the organization to a whole new audience.

Circles of Friends are people who join together to raise a combined total of $10,000 in individual gifts. Each Circle sponsors one Achiever’s participation in the program for one year. This includes a portion of staffing costs for a paid mentor, staff development and training, regular activities with Achievers (academic tutoring, arts and science field trips and activities, athletics at community centers) and special activities (dance lessons, academic enrichment tools like Leap Pads, swimming lessons). For more information or to start your own Circle, please call or email Allison Narloch at 617 983-3682 or allison@friendsboston.org

Circle of Friends-Friendship Breakfast March 6, 2007

On March 6 th, non-profit and business professionals gathered for breakfast before work to learn about the power of mentoring at WilmerHale in downtown Boston. The Friendship Breakfast started off with an introduction to Friends of the Children-Boston by Imari K. Paris Jeffries, Friends-Boston Executive Director. Next, Sergeant Arthur McCarthy of the Boston Police Department told the audience about how his experience growing up in Dorchester and working for the Boston Police Department has shown him the importance of adult support and mentoring. Dr. Stuart Ablon from the Collaborative Problem Solving Institute and Friends-Boston board member was the featured speaker.

Dr. Ablon talked passionately about the Friends-Boston program and how its model of long term commitment, professional paid mentors and focus on building strong relationships makes the program stand out as a true long-term solution for helping children experiencing risk factors. Attendees left feeling excited, informed and inspired about how Friends-Boston is improving the lives of children in the Greater Boston community thanks to this second Circle of Friends event.

To attend the next Circle of Friends breakfast or for more information please call or email Allison at 617 983-3682 or allison@friendsboston.org

Community Calendar

Each week, we scour the Boston area to find activities and events for our Achievers. Anyone can participate in these activities, and most of them are free or low cost!

» Click to access our calendars

» Sign up for our weekly Community Calendar Update

Thank you for your support. Please check your email for future updates!

Sincerely,
Allison Narloch
Development and Marketing
Friends of the Children - Boston

email: allison@friendsboston.org
phone: 617.983.3682
web: www.friendsofthechildrenboston.org

Copyright © Friends of the Children - Boston 2007