VICKERY MEADOW MITZVAH PROJECTS

Fun Saturdays needs you!

We need Volunteers, Big & Small!
Fun Saturdays are held at the Jill Stone Elementary at Vickery Meadow. Join us as we play with the children while their parents attend parenting workshops facilitated by the principal. Activities include board games, art projects, reading books, ball games, card games, and having snacks. Children who attend range from toddlers to early teens. Volunteers should be able to help out any age that attends. It is a great activity for families with school-age children and older, provided that the children can take care of themselves, and/or help other children.

2008 Calendar:

Saturday, May 17
Saturday, June 18 – food pantry only

Time:
The time commitment for volunteers is from 1:30-4 p.m.
(The children are in our care from 2-4 p.m. We use the first 30 minutes to set up and have a short D’var Torah)

Where:
Jill Stone Elementary at Vickery Meadow | 6606 Ridgecrest Road (at Ridgecrest and Eastridge).

Contacts:
Contact Karen Naseck at ksn90@aol.com or Alyson Ray at alysontx@aol.com to sign up or to ask any questions.

Background
Jill Stone Elementary School serves children within the Vickery Meadow Improvement District---a zip code area where many families live below the poverty line and many are immigrants from Mexico, Bosnia, Africa, and other places. These students need opportunities to speak and learn from English-speaking friends as many parents do not speak English at home. Since the area is full of apartments built for adults, there are very few safe places for the children to play.

The principal of the Jill Stone Elementary at Vickery Meadow holds parenting workshops at the school once a month. Fun Saturdays supports her efforts by providing child care, allowing the parents to attend the classes.

Purpose
The goals of the project are three-fold:
1) to provide a safe place for the neighborhood children to play;
2) to provide educational opportunities that help the children learn English and understand basic problem-solving skills through games; and
3) to provide an opportunity for our Jewish families to get to know a diverse population in a fun and positive way.

Books on Tape project
Another project we support at the school is having children volunteers create "books on tape" for the students. The principal wants her students to hear other children reading these books for her kids, rather than adults. This is a another great way to volunteer on your own schedule.

Fun Saturdays
Vickery Meadow Food Pantry