Welcome Everyone!
September 19, 2008, 7:18 pm
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Staff
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Staff
Project Transformation now has a blog for interns! We want this blog to be a place where interns can share their experiences with PT supporters and those who want to learn more about our programs. Stay tuned to learn more about the amazing young adults who are serving children and families in the Dallas area.
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From Participant to Intern!
Sarai Gonzalez with children at the Oak Cliff UMC program
Sarai Gonzalez with children at the Oak Cliff UMC program
Being an only child is not very easy, especially when your parents own a business. I was seven years old when my parents put me in Project Transformation back in 1998. The program had just opened, and I did not know what to expect. I learned many things throughout the years, and had so much fun.
At the summer day camp at Oak Cliff, we would go swimming, play games, and watch movies. We also went to Urban Camp each summer. At camp, we had a campfire, a talent show, played a variety of sports, went horseback riding, and a lot more.
Now I am a freshman in college and am currently serving as an intern. I decided to come back to Project Transformation because I wanted to help make a difference in the lives of children, just as the program made such a difference in mine.
Sarai Gonzalez
El Centro Community College
A Community Festival!
October 30, 2009, 8:35 pm
Filed under: 2009-2010 Year Round Interns, Family Fun Nights, Wesley Rankin Community Center
Filed under: 2009-2010 Year Round Interns, Family Fun Nights, Wesley Rankin Community Center
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Last night was my first experience with Family Fun Night. At Wesley Rankin, there is so much going on, so it was not just PT’s family fun night, but it was the community’s Fall Festival. What an experience! Every time I am involved in event-planning I get nervous that nobody will show up. So I encouraged my kids, sent home newsletters and flyers and endlessly reminded them—the hard work paid off and we had a great turnout! We had about 100 people! Andrea, the youth coordinator, and I were feeling a little overwhelmed beforehand. But with the entire Wesley Rankin staff collaborating, and the amazing volunteers from Casa Linda, we were able to pull off the night without a hitch. And most importantly, my kids looked like they had an amazing time. I can’t wait to hear what they have to say about it when I see them today. I guess it’s time to start planning for our December Family Fun Night…
Abby Seibel
Fun and Games at the Mound!
Family Fun Nights happen twice a semester, and they are a neat opportunity for us interns to share some fun and fellowship with the families who lend us their kids four days out of the week. A lot of work and worry went into my preparation for the Family Fun Night at Pleasant Mound, because I didn’t want to let my kids down. But I had no need to worry, everything turned out better than I could have imagined. We had a Fall Festival, with a bean bag toss, a pin the tail on a Halloween cat game, face painting, and a cake walk. Some of the kids wore their Halloween costumes, and they were all precious. The kiddos even learned part of the Thriller dance to show to their parents, which of course was a big hit! The whole night was just such an awesome reminder that we need to celebrate the relationships that Project Transformation allows us to form with our kids and their families.
Emily Mares
Fall Fun at Oak Cliff UMC!
This past Thursday we had our first Family Fun Night at Oak Cliff! A lot of the kids came with their families. We had a hot dog supper provided by the site church, followed by a fall festival. The kids enjoyed carnival games like pin the tail on the cat, a jack-o-lantern bean bag toss, a cookie walk, and face painting. All of the children also each got to vote once for which intern they wanted to see get pied in the face. It was close, but in the end intern Antwan Habersham got pied by costume contest winner, Sarah Perez. It was a great night seeing the children, their families, the church staff, interns, and volunteers all enjoy the fall festival together.
Mary Kate Ferguson
The Joy of Helping
I am really enjoying myself at Casa Linda even through the midst of rainy days, cold days, muggy days. Last week I missed a few days because of school conflicts. This week it was a joy to be back. The one thing I missed most was Carla calling my name every time she comes in from school to help her with her homework. “Miss JaSonda I need help!! Come sit right here.” Everyday I help her with her math, and we always use these blocks to help her add and subtract to figure out the sum of the problems. I really enjoy helping her and others. This has been a blessing to me to be able to do something I love and come from working during the summer to the after school program. I couldn’t have asked for a better job this year!!!
JaSonda Millsaps
Grand Opening
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This week we focused on germs! We talked about how to prevent sickness, proper hand washing, and how germs spread. Tuesday, we made Cleaning Machines with just craft supplies and imagination. We have some very creative minds at Elmwood!
Wednesday, during our bible lesson with Pastor Sandra, we prayed for those of us who were sick. We also learned how important it is pray for sick people and talked about our Bible Verse of the Week, James 5:14-15.
Since the beginning of the semester, our Elmwood kids have been earning points. They earn points for good behavior, for completing Fun Ed sheets after their homework is finished, and for helping to clean up. On Thursday, they got to cash in their points for prizes at the grand opening of our very own store! After voting on a name, Super Store USA, we had a ribbon cutting ceremony. The kids got to preview all of the goodies before buying. They were excited to find books, sunglasses, necklaces, erasers, pencils, and much more! They were also surprised to find out that the only currency accepted at Super Store USA is points, no cash or credit cards! We have some really great kids that truly deserved a prize for their hard work and good behavior. Super Store USA will be open again before Thanksgiving and then again for Christmas.
Jamie Foster
The Mysteries of Language
Since taking some college linguistics classes I have always been interested in how people learn new languages. I was always jealous of the kids who were brought up bilingual, giving them an instant advantage in the world. Working with my Project Transformation kids on their Spanish homework has given me some unexpected insight into the world of being raised in one language and going to school in another.
Two second graders, in particular, usually need some help with their Spanish homework. It always baffled me how these students, whose parents are monolingual in Spanish, claimed they did not speak Spanish. Of course, this wasn’t true because I heard them speak in Spanish to their families every day. Then it dawned on me that they do not really realize that they are speaking Spanish. Sure, on a surface level they know, but when challenged to think in Spanish in an unnatural situation, like doing homework, they are almost incapable of coming up with the words.
I have realized that young bilingual children just know “language”– but not one over another; they simply speak whatever language they are being spoken to, without distinguishing between the two. This is fascinating to me. Yesterday in particular, this realization of mine was solidified. A Spanish-speaking volunteer was helping one of the second graders with his Spanish homework. He too, had figured out that despite the child’s clear fluency in Spanish, the student truly believed he was incapable of conjuring the words to complete his homework. So our volunteer switched over to speaking in Spanish and started having a conversation. After a few minutes of conversing in fluent Spanish with the youngster, he stopped and said “Hey Mr. Mark, where’d you learn your English?”
It’s just another piece of insight into the different methods of learning and the intricacies of a developing young mind.
Abby Seibel
All in the Family
Several of my kids are related to each other. I have at least 7 sets of siblings, and a few of those sets are cousins. So, family is something we talk about fairly often at site. Sometimes it negatively affects the dynamics at site, but mostly it has worked in our favor. My wonderful cook, Ms. Tina, is the grandmother of one of my darling second graders. She also happens to be related to two of my other girls, so the three of them all call her “Granny” just for the sake of removing confusion.
So imagine my surprise last Thursday when little Victoria, who is not at all related to any of them, said “Thank you, Granny,” as she got her plate for dinner. I gently teased her that she wasn’t her granny, but thanked her for being so polite. She didn’t say anything back, but she didn’t seem to like me correcting her. Well at the end of dinner, when I felt a little tap on my shoulder, I turned to see Victoria’s big brown eyes looking up at me. She said, “Ms. Emily, I can call her Granny because God made us ALL family.” I immediately knew that she was absolutely correct. We are all part of God’s family, so every child in the program is my brother and sister and granny. Being family means that God has made us all his precious children, so we should treat and love each other accordingly. Victoria, helped remind me that everyday is an occasion to celebrate the fact that we are all related!
Emily Mares
We Go Together…
These two little children are so loving and funny. Jose and Fabiola are second graders at Casa Linda and are in the same classroom. They come everyday and get right on their homework. It is so sweet because they work really hard together to make sure that they get every question correct on their homework. On Thursday I asked them why they enjoy working together and Fabiola yelled, “Because we are best buds” and Jose replied, “NO!! We are cousins.” It was adorable.
Sheena Logan
Go Bananas!
October 9, 2009, 8:44 pm
Filed under: 2009-2010 Year Round Interns
Filed under: 2009-2010 Year Round Interns
