Care Force Chronicle- Miami, FL

T-Mobile Huddle Up Zone

By Dan Nemiroff

Partner: T-Mobile

Volunteers: 150

Service Partner: Opa Locka’s Carrie P. Meek/Westview Elementary School
When: November 15- 18, 2010

TCF: Dan Nemiroff, Steadman Graves; Project Manager Susan Bensen

Reserves: City Year Miami Heroes Team; City Year Miami Senior Corps Member Anthony Teague

On Sunday, November 14th, Steadman and I arrived in Miami ready for another exciting T-Mobile Huddle-Up event week. I was personally really enthused about this event, because it was going to be held at Opa Locka’s Carrie P. Meek/Westview Elementary School. I served with City Year Miami last year, so it was really cool to be back in beautiful Miami to do some work.

  

Our preparation week got off to a great start on Monday morning. We took a tour of the school, sorted through the Home Depot order and got right to work cutting wood and building panel murals. Along with Stead and I, the CY Miami Heroes Team worked with us on the prep work throughout the week. For me, it was great to work with the Heroes team. Having served on the Heroes team last year, it was cool to talk about the program with this year’s team. It’s great to know that there’s such a dedicated team in Miami this year. Shout out to them!



Though long and hot, the remainder of the prep week went pretty smoothly. It was full of Home Depot and Target runs, wood cutting, priming walls, sketching murals, tool sorting, and Physical Training practicing.

We arrived to the school early on Wednesday, feeling juiced for the T-Mobile folks to come out and serve. They arrived around 9 AM, and as always, brought some serious energy and enthusiasm to the service site. After some PT, we split into our teams and started working. The dedicated T-Mobile volunteers accomplished some amazing projects.



By 3 PM, they had completed the following projects:



Butterfly Garden

• An Outdoor Garden with planter beds and mural benches

• 10 colorful murals to go around the garden area

• Landscaping and mulch in the playground area

• A “T-Shaped” butterfly garden

• Painted the lines and keys of the basketball courts

• Painted a mural on the outdoor tool shed

• Painted 4 large outdoor murals

• Painted 10 panel murals to go throughout the school

• Completely transformed one of the school’s classroom into the T-Mobile Huddle-Up Room by painting its walls, hanging panel murals, building cubbies and bookshelves, assembling new furniture, and sorting through new school supplies donated by the T-Mobile employees!

All in all it was one of the more transformative projects that I have been a part of.
 

Dr. Seuss Courtyard Mural

During the closing ceremony, everyone gathered around the school’s courtyard area to reflect on what had we had accomplished in just one busy day. We got the chance to hear from Ms. Crews, the amazing principal at Westview Elementary. She expressed her sincere appreciation for all of the hard work and dedication of the T-Mobile folks. This project was unique because a school-based team of City Year corps members serve at Westview Elementary School every day, tutoring, mentoring, and leading an afterschool program. Being able to contribute to their team’s service and broaden City Year’s impact on that school was an incredibly rewarding experience – one that I’d love to have again at another City Year partner school.

Huge appreciations to the CY Miami Heroes Team, the Carrie P. Meek/Westview Elementary School team, Care Force Project Managers Susan Bensen and Hugh Harlow; City Year Miami Project Managers Giddy Ape, Aaron Gougis and Patty Brewster; and City Year Miami Senior Corps Member Anthony Teague!

Care Force Chronicle- Albuquerque, NM

by Steadman Graves
 
Partner: T-Mobile

Volunteers: 150 volunteers

Service Partner: Los Duranes Community Center

When: November 1 - 4, 2010

TCF: Dylan Morrill, Georgia Lawrence, Flo Capinding, Steadman Graves, Phillip St. Clair, Emily Kean, Aundrea Dean, Dan Nemiroff; Project Manager, Hugh Harlow

Reserves: City Year Boston Senior Corps Member, Ann Holland, City Year Boston Senior Corps member, Emily Ostroff, and Special Project Manager to the Dean, Damon Cawley



Paint station and murals set up in
the gym and ready for T-Mobile
volunteers to come and paint!



T-Mobile and City Year's Care Force came together and made CHANGE happen in one of Albuquerque's communities called Los Duranes. It was so much fun, but that's not how I always felt, let me tell you all about it.

Coming to Albuquerque I didn't know what to expect, but this is what I did know. I was extremely tired, and I had no idea how I was going to give this project my all, and I was in charge of T-Mobile's signature project. The plane ride wasn't one that you would want to take everyday. It was five hours from Boston to Salt Lake City and one hour to Albuquerque. It wasn't quick, fast and in a hurry… you know the way I like my plane rides.





The T-Mobile Huddle Up Zone.

 Monday morning we arrived at the Los Duranes Community Center, and there weren’t many people, or much movement. We met Ray, the Director of the Center, and what I really appreciated about him was that he wanted the help, so he did what ever he could to be of assistance to us, buffing the floors and moving things around making it easier for us to operate. I started the week off on Monday cutting wood. Tuesday was a different day and a different task; we had cut a majority of the wood on Monday, so for the remainder of the trip we devoted the majority of our time into taping and tarping and what a fun activity that can be when you are doing it with people you can talk to all day. We also had Ann Holland and Emily Ostroff who were the reserves from City Year Boston on this event, which was really cool because they were members of CYB '09 - '10 and for those of you that don’t know, that is where Steadman the Extraordinaire was born. We also had Damon Cawley who is the Special Projects Manager to the Dean, from City Year Headquarters. He is such a great guy to talk to. Every time I talk to him I feel I learn something new. In dealing with reserves I figured out my learning moment early in the week. We as Team Care Force have to make sure we are passing on our knowledge so that our work flow is consistent, and the Reserves are not left out of the loop, and left by themselves to figure out how to do something that we should have taught them. Wednesday was supposed to be an easy day. We were suppose to just lay down the tarp and get our stations ready for the big day but for some odd reason so much more tasks were packed on and we were at the site much longer than we anticipated. All in all we worked together to get through each task and I can say we had fun.

Gymnasium: After

Gymnasium: Before



Thursday was the service day. I can honestly say that since my first event in Illinois, I haven’t been nervous on service days. I just feel that I know what I need to do and I just need to make sure I do it in order to be successful. With doing the T-Mobile Huddle Up Zone there are so many components that make up your project and lets just say that, that morning I wasn’t ready. I totally forgot about certain parts of my project and luckily my Program Manager Hugh Harlow, realized I was spinning around in circles and he helped me get ready. The volunteers that I had that day were great. They came in with the mindset of getting the job done. There were some people there who were not comfortable painting, but they did it anyway. There were some people there who have never been on a ladder but they got up on the ladder and did a wonderful job painting. I was so happy. Amazing volunteers make a great service day. When the day came to an end and the room was full of all the donations it was a complete transformation.

 When you are tired and feel that you don’t have the strength to pull through, dig down into your inner you and there you will find strength, reason and will power to give it your all. As I stated before I was tired going down to Albuquerque but when I got there I saw a community that was in need and I dedicated this year of service to those communities. So I have no reason not to give my all.

 Ray Wright, Los Duranes Community Recreation Center Supervisor, giving thanks. 





Care Force Chronicle- Kansas City, MO

T-Mobile volunteers moving soil
while building an outdoor classroom.

By Emily Kean

Partner: T-Mobile

Volunteers: 150

Service Partner: John T. Thornberry Boys and Girls Club

When: October 17 – 21, 2010

TCF: Phillip St. Clair, Emily Kean, Dan Nemiroff, Georgia Lawrence, Flo Capinding, Aundrea Dean, Dylan Morrill, Steadman Graves; Project Manager Huw McDonald

Our trip to Kansas City started at 6:30 am, when we boarded the plane from Boston to Missouri on Sunday, October 17. The advantage of arriving in Kansas City so early on Sunday was that we were all able to get ready for a powerful week of prep for this T-Mobile Huddle Up Event. This was the first time since our very first trip to Riverdale, IL in which everyone on Team Care Force was all serving together! 

Gymnasium: Before



We served at John T. Thornberry Boys and Girls Club which serves 400 youth a day on average. They provide a safe place for youth to come before and after school where they can complete homework, participate in recreational activities, and learn new skills. We had an AMAZING time getting to know the staff and youth at this Boys and Girls Club. They were very friendly and accommodating to us. Every day we were welcomed to the club with a smile and constantly had kids asking us what projects we were completing and thanking us for the work we were going to do.



Gymnaisum: After
Also Pictured: Panel murals to be
hung around the Center

 The week leading up to the event was spent sketching murals, priming walls, and cutting wood. Our prep work was on track if not ahead of schedule until we had to prime a 20 foot curvy plastic wall. The texture of the wall created a tricky situation because the primer was not adhering correctly. After a trial and error and many scrapers we finally found the primer that would work! This reminded our team that, when in doubt, always check a small part of the wall before painting the entire thing. Even after this set-back our team was able to pull together and finish the prep work required for the service day. Wil Holbrook, Care Force Deputy Director, joined us on Tuesday and even though we worked late the whole crew was able to enjoy the famous Arthur Bryant’s BBQ!

 

On Thursday, October 21, 150 T-Mobile volunteers came out to the Thornberry Boys and Girls Club to paint murals, build bookcases and cubbies, create a Huddle Up Zone, and construct an outdoor classroom. As always our T-Mobile volunteers arrived with enthusiasm and ready to transform the club! They had collected a ton of donations for their Huddle Up Zone and were excited to serve. Overall, the day was great. Club Director Larry Lewis, the staff, and youth were thrilled by the all the work that had been completed by the T-Mobile volunteers. During closing ceremony, Larry presented a club member card to every T-Mobile volunteer as well as to our entire Care Force team as a token of their appreciation. We are all now club members at the Thornberry Boys and Girls Club for life and every time I see that club card I will be reminded of the community we built there alongside T-Mobile. 

Wavy Wall: After

Wavy wall: Before





 



 

 

Care Force Chronicle- Washington, D. C.

By Dylan Morrill

Partner: T-Mobile

Volunteers: 90

Service Partner: Simon Elementary School

When: October 11-14 , 2010

TCF: Dylan Morrill, Phillip St. Clair; Project Manager Hugh Harlow

Reserves: City Year Washington, D.C. Senior Corps Members Evan Waldt, Maggie Smith, Dominique Griffin; City Year Washington, D.C. Corps Members Peter, Angello Brady, Levon Alston; City Year Washington D. C. Program Manager Stef Vestal

On Sunday, October 10, Phillip St. Clair, I, along with Hugh Harlow, Care Force Project Manager, arrived in Washington D.C. – hungry. Hugh had attended George Washington University and knew all about the city. He told us that Ben’s Chili Bowl was one of the best places to eat in D.C. – and it was! At Bens, there was a sign hanging up that read “The only people who eat free here are Bill Cosby and the Obama Family” After seeing this sign I established that a new life goal of mine will be to get on that list.; although, judging by the two people that are on it now, that may be pretty hard.  After lunch, we made a Home Depot run and then ate at Meskerem, an Ethiopian restaurant in the heart of D.C. for dinner. It was a totally new experience for me to use a piece of ‘pancake-like’ Injera to pick up food from a community bowl.  It was great food and I really liked trying something totally new.

The next day, we met up with Evan, Maggie, Angelo, Peter, Dominique, Levon, and Stef of City Year Washington, D. C. to begin service at Simon Elementary School. Simon Elementary is home to one of our City Year Whole School Whole Child teams from City Year D. C. For Phil and I, this was our first opportunity to serve with Care Force in a school where a City Year team serves daily. After meeting everyone, we quickly realized that three of our projects were taking place four floors upstairs from where are supplies were located. So our first act of business was to bring all of the tools and materials and all of the donated items from T-Mobile up four flights of stairs to the projects. It was hard work but we got it done; and we were all a bit stronger because of it. Thanks to the positive energy of the City Year D. C. team, our prep week got off to a great start. After we left Simon Elementary for the day, we freshened up at the hotel and made a quick trip to Home Depot before heading to dinner at The Ghana Café. Just like the Ethiopian food, this was a great new experience.

The next two days of prep work went by well. We primed all the walls, cut all the wood and sketched all the murals. We also made the occasional after hours Home-Depot and Target trips to pick up extra supplies which unfortunately meant we had to grab fast food for dinner. By the end of the day on Wednesday; we were 100% ready to lead a great T-Mobile huddle up service day.

On Thursday, our team arrived at the school very early to double check and double prepare. We had a final check in before the 90 T-Mobile volunteers arrived and spread out with our team number signs in the gymnasium. The first bus arrived and the volunteers swiftly walked into the gymnasium to find their teams. However, the second bus, with the rest of the volunteers was delayed. So all the City Year Project Coordinators lead team building activities with their group of volunteers until the others arrived. I was skeptical about being able to quickly organize a game of “human knot” with my fifteen volunteers so early in the morning. However, believe it or not, we finished it before any other group and my team really loved it.

After the second bus of volunteers arrived, we began our day of service. The day went by quickly and smoothly. On every Care Force trip I feel as though each hour of a service day flies by so quickly. This trip was no different and my project, the T-Mobile Huddle Up Zone, was completed before I knew it. In addition, by the end of the day we had built benches for an outdoor classroom, painted a large wall mural, created a tile mosaic, painted the Parent Room, enhanced the City Year Room, and made an Oasis Room. The school was completely transformed. At closing ceremony the principle of the school, Dr. Flamer, was visibly moved by the transformation. She was so grateful, in fact, that she had recruited a few of the schools children to make large signs saying “Thank You T-Mobile.” It was a pretty amazing sight to see the obvious gratitude on Dr. Flamers face at the end of the day and I can just imagine she will continue to do great things with the gifts that Care Force and T-Mobile have given the school. 

Care Force Chronicle - New York, NY

By Emily Kean

Partner: T-Mobile
Volunteers: 150
Service Partner: Madison Square Boys & Girls Club Columbus Clubhouse
When: August 1-5, 2010
TCF: Aundrea Dean, Emily Kean
City Year New York: Nathan Arndt, Hudley Grisham, Jordan Kiley, Kasual Owens-Fields, Matthew Patrick, Dianna Yeung, Sarah Weber

Arriving in New York City was quite the adventure. Aundrea drove down from Boston with our project manager, Hugh Harlow, and I flew in from Chicago. After we arrived at our hotel in Englewood, New Jersey, we learned about our service partner, the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club’s Columbus Clubhouse. This Boys & Girls Club provides a safe place for children in the Bronx to go after school and during the summer. This clubhouse has over a 1,000 members and engages 160 youth on a daily basis; 90% of whom qualify for free or reduced lunch. Activities at the club include fitness, social recreation, and character and leadership development. In addition, the Boys & Girls Club is used during the day by a neighboring school that has outgrown its capacity and needed additional space.

Care Force and City Year New York Senior Corps Members started working at the Boys & Girls Club on Monday, August 2nd through Wednesday, August 4th. During our prep days we had to work around the schedule of the Boys & Girls Club since the facility was being used for their summer programming. Even though we had to work late, we did have the opportunity to interact with youth and staff at the club. Those interactions with the youth and staff at the Boys & Girls Club helped to make this long prep week worthwhile!

On Thursday, August 5, 2010, 150 T-Mobile employees from across New York and New Jersey arrived at 9am to the Madison Square Boys & Girls Clubhouse to help beautify and renew the interior of the building. We transformed the teen lounge into a T-Mobile Huddle up Zone, constructed 12 benches, painted the 2 game rooms, painted 4 of their programming rooms, painted panel murals for rooms throughout the facility, painted murals throughout the hallways, and sport themed murals in the gymnasium. When the youth and staff returned from their day they were shocked and excited about the transformation that had occurred.

During the closing ceremony at the end of the service day a T-Mobile employee said a thank you to all the volunteers who participated in the day as well as gave some perspective on how this transformation was going to impact the youth at the club. He knew this because he had grown up going to this Boys & Girls Club. It was such a reflective moment to think about how giving back to your community really does come full circle!