Foundation Grants Promote Systemic Change

Leaders of Religious Ministries Explore Challenges at May Conference

"Behold, I Am Doing a New Thing"--Isaiah 43:19

Reflection

Sr. Cathy Vetter, CCVI, offered the following prayer at "Behold, I Am Doing a New Thing: A Conference for Leaders of Religious Ministries."

God of Fire, empower us as we go forth today; bless those who have stirred up the fire in our hearts, who have affirmed our gifts and encouraged us to be passionate in our ministries.

 Response: Bless us, God of Fire.

1. Blessed are we who believe that the spark of the Divine is within us.
2. May we listen to the fire in others and encourage them.
3. May we know when to appreciate the gentleness of soft candlelight and when to light a torch.
4. May we not fear the intense flames of the forest fire that are needed to crack open the seeds that will become the new trees.
5. May we value the heat of the crucible that purifies the precious metals.
6. May we delight in the campfires around which we gather to tell the stories and share the wisdom.

In peace and with enthusiasm, let us go forth from here aflame with the fire and passion of Pentecost people.

We've Moved

The Incarnate Word Foundation has moved to the newly renovated Fair Mercantile Building in the historic Hill neighborhood. Please make a note of our new address and phone numbers:

Incarnate Word Foundation
5257 Shaw Avenue, Suite 3F
St. Louis, MO 63110

Voice: 314-773-5100
Fax: 314-773-5102

Jamison Memorial Human Resource and Development Agency

St. Louis Freedom School Summer Reading Enrichment Program

Children do much more than improve their reading skills at the Freedom School summer reading program. They also learn about personal and community responsibility, conflict resolution, and African-American history and culture. The program's goal, says director Lilllian Curlett, "is to provide children with an enriching summer in a safe environment when schools are not open." The program, she says, "keeps their brains working over the summer while they have fun."

As part of the fun, on Freedom Friday (as each Friday is called), students go on field trips and have a special lunch, which they have chosen in advance. Letting students choose the lunch is a way to empower them and give them a sense that their actions and decisions matter and can make a difference, Curlett explains.

Empowerment is emphasized in all the program's activities such as "Shoe Be Do." During the six weeks of Freedom School, the students are filling shoe boxes with items they would like to have if they were ever in a shelter or a disaster. At the end of the summer program, the students will select an agency that will distribute the boxes to needy children.

The program also seeks to empower parents. As a condition of enrolling their children, parents agree to participate in at least five of six weekly parent empowerment workshops. The seminars, which focus on topics such as child development and family relationships, give them the opportunity to see what their children are learning in the program so they can implement the concepts at home.

College student interns are the backbone of the program. Each intern is assigned 10 students, whom they teach in their own individual classrooms. They receive a stipend for their service.

The Freedom School program is part of "Leave No Child Behind," a national initiative sponsored by the Children's Defense Fund (CDF). At a weeklong CDF training session at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the interns focus on advocacy for children and leadership. They learn the program's curriculum and how to teach it. An additional seven-day training course in child development, classroom management, CPR and first aid, child abuse regulations, and leadership development is provided by the Jamison Memorial Human Resource and Development Agency, which administers the St. Louis Freedom School program.

"We have a rigorous selection process for the college interns," says Curlett. "We hire only those who demonstrate a real commitment to kids." This year, she says, all 28 interns were recruited through referrals from other interns, a tribute to the college students' enthusiasm for the program. "The interns always come back each summer until they graduate," Curlett notes, and many decide to change their major to education as a result of their experience in the program. Two recent interns are now teaching in Wellston and St. Louis City.

The interns structure classroom activities around a daily schedule that includes breakfast and lunch and structured reading and discussion time. During DEAR Time (Drop Everything and Read), students read books of their own choice.  Arts and crafts, music, games, computer instruction, and other enrichment activities provide additional opportunities to strengthen character, self-efficacy, and self-esteem.

The registration fee for the program, which has operated for five years, is $35 per family. An additional fee of $10 a week per family offsets the cost of field trips and other items. The school, for African-American youth aged 5 to 17, is open Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM, with aftercare available for a small charge. Currently more than 200 students are enrolled. They are grouped in four levels--about 80 in Level 1 (for kindergarten through third grade); 60 in Level 2 (fourth and fifth grades); 57 in Level 3 (grades 6 through 8); and 15 in Level 4 (grades 9 through 12).

The CDF supplies the books for the program's curriculum, which is based on a theme. This year's theme is "I can make a difference." Each week students explore a different aspect of the theme with corresponding books. For example, weeks have focused on making a difference in their family, their community, and their country. Students are given four books at the end of the program to take home and create their own library.

Curlett's wish for the future is to expand the program beyond its current sites in four area churches to six sites at other churches in the St. Louis area over the next two years.

"I Feel I Am a Teacher"

When asked if she might become a teacher as a result of her experience as a college intern, Zen Calmese promptly replied, "I feel I am a teacher." Calmese came to the program after seeing a flyer at Forest Park Community College. "I was attracted to Freedom School because it deals with issues African-American children can relate to," she says. She appreciates how the program gives children a sense of their culture through African dance and storytelling and the study of black history. Especially important is Harambee, a daily half hour named for the Swahili word meaning "pull together." Harambee is devoted to energizing and encouraging students and staff through activities such as affirmations, songs, recognition, or visits from guests who tell a story or describe their career.

Explaining how Freedom School has affected her life, Calmese says she would like to help incorporate art therapy, her major, into the Freedom School program. She dreams of eventually starting an academy based on the principles of Freedom School. Proud of the program's emphasis on empowerment, she says of her work,  "I'm standing on the shoulders of the freedom fighters of the sixties, continuing what they started. It's a spectacular feeling."