WHAT'S NEW

The City Year Alumni Association of Washington, DC Presents: Alumni & Friends Fundraiser

Alumni reconnect at last year's event.

We invite all City Year alumni, friends, and family to join us for the fourth annual Alumni and Friends Fundraiser! Come out Thursday, April 8 to All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church (2300 Cathedral Avenue, NW) from 6:30 to 9:30pm to celebrate service and civic leadership and to support the 2009-2010 corps members who have devoted a year of their lives to serve the Washington, DC community.

Reconnect and network with fellow City Year alumni and friends while benefitting the young idealists who serve to improve the academic success and healthy choices of children throughout Washington, DC! Enter to win great raffle prizes and enjoy complimentary beer, wine, soft drinks, and light appetizers. Tickets start at $25 and with the purchase of a ticket you automatically become a member of the Alumni Leadership Circle!

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets and find out more information about the event or contact Recruitment and Alumni Affairs Director Kristin Walega at (202) 742-7398. CLICK HERE to join the City Year Alumni Facebook group.

HIGHLIGHTS

Calling All Idealists: 2010 Idealism in Action Gala

City Year corps members pose with 2009 Idealist of the Year award recipient, CITA's Brian Joseph.

City Year Washington, DC is proud to invite you to celebrate our 10th year of service at the Idealism in Action Gala Tuesday, May 25 at 6:30pm. In addition to celebrating the power of young people to make a difference, we are excited to honor TIME Managing Editor Richard Stengel with the 2010 Lifetime of Idealism Award.

The Idealism in Action Gala is an opportunity to celebrate national leaders, like Richard Stengel, the hard work of the corps members, and the 2010 Idealist of the Year; people who seek to improve our community, nation, or world through acts of service and volunteerism. Idealists of the Year are employees nominated by a table sponsor in recognition of their efforts to make a difference in the life of one person, an organization, or an entire community. All table sponsors are invited to honor an Idealist from their organization who will be publicly recognized at the event; CLICK HERE to learn how your company can honor an extraordinary community-minded employee as a 2010 Idealist of the Year; CLICK HERE for more information about the Gala. We hope you will join us!

Second Grade Spelling Bee was F-U-N!

Champions Isabel Miller, Aliyah Blake, and Ne'Shawn Belt share the spotlight.

Inspired by City Year's literacy initiatives, corps member Sarah Garner who serves in Ms. Jones' second grade classroom at Francis-Stevens Education Campus decided to hold a spelling bee for her students. Garner proposed the idea in January, and Ms. Jones was immediately supportive. Together they began implementing the preparation into lesson plans, coaching students for every aspect of the spelling bee from learning and practicing words, public speaking, and spelling aloud, to proper stage behavior and sportsmanship. On Wednesday, March 10, Ms. Jones' second grade class contended for the title of Spelling Bee Champion before an audience of parents, peers, teachers, school administrators, City Year corps members, and staff.

Since many students are familiar with the movie "Akeelah and the Bee," they were enthusiastic and receptive when Garner introduced the competition. In addition to the academic preparation, Ms. Jones and Garner made sure students were ready in every respect for the spelling bee by implementing lessons about being a graceful winner, having pride for peers who win, and preparing for the pressure of the spotlight with two days of on stage rehearsals.

Through strong displays of sportsmanship, hard work, and academic preparation, the students proved they truly deserved to participate in such an esteemed competition. Out of the 17 participating students, Isabel Miller came out on top; after the competition, she told Garner, "Never have I ever felt this happy before!"

While Garner was delighted with the event's success, she was further impressed by the level of staff and parent engagement. Every child had at least one parent present to support them, if not their entire family. Garner and Ms. Jones witnessed parents excitedly take an active role in their children's education and even met new parents and family members! Teachers and parents alike were impressed by the professionalism students exhibited; they also agreed that the event should be extended to all students at Francis-Stevens Education Campus and carried on by corps members, parents, and teachers in years to come.

City Year Presents at the S.O.S. Summit

Anna Calix, Kerri Peart, Kayte Steele, and Meheret Endeshaw gave a presentation at S.O.S.

On March 13, the organization Divas, MPH (Making our People Healthier) held a half-day awareness and skill building summit, called S.O.S. - Saving Our Sisters from HIV/AIDS, for young women and girls ages 13-29. Members of City Year's CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield HIV/AIDS Outreach, Prevention, and Education (HOPE) team, Kayte Steele and Meheret Endeshaw, were invited to facilitate an HIV and STI 101 session for girls ages 13-17. HIV and STI 101 is an hour-long information session that teaches the facts about HIV and STIs, and how they are transmitted and prevented. Steele and Endeshaw served as peer mediators to 30 young participants, creating a safe space for girls to ask questions and honestly voice concerns.

HOPE's participation in S.O.S. helped the team reach new audiences in a setting very different from a classroom; participants felt safe to ask direct questions because they were surrounded by peers seeking similar knowledge. Steele shares, "We entered the summit looking to educate youth we had yet been able to reach, and left firmly believing we had taught 30 young women how to protect and better respect themselves in the future."

By having opportunities like this, the CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield HOPE team can make great strides to empower young people with the knowledge of how to protect themselves from the HIV epidemic and lower the rate of young people who become newly infected with HIV. CLICK HERE for more information about City Year's HOPE program.

Deloitte Mentor Program Experiences Substantial Growth

Deloitte employee Anar Pathak and corps member Judy Rupp ice skate together at a mentorship event.

In 2008, Deloitte LLP launched a mentorship program with City Year Washington, DC, whereby Deloitte employees are matched with a corps member and mentor them throughout the year. Last year the program matched eight corps members with employees and this year it has grown to 64 mentorship matches.

The program provides a unique and individualized way to prepare corps members for the professional world. Mentors advise corps members on how to build their resume and even provide advice on real life issues, offering support to corps members as they improve communities.

Corps member participants receive special trainings from Deloitte like effective communication, project management, and leadership styles. Deloitte employees periodically meet one-on-one with their corps member to help them set personal, educational, and career goals. Recently, all participants enjoyed a mid-year program celebration where mentors and mentees met for lunch followed by ice skating and a game of broomball.

As a National Leadership Sponsor, this is just one of the ways in which Deloitte's corporate responsibility efforts support City Year programs; CLICK HERE to learn more about City Year's National Leadership Sponsors.