DEEP Service Newsletter: March/April 2011

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DEEPSERVICE March/April 2011A Bi-Monthly Newsletter of the Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy Office of Academic Community Engagem

In This Issue

Winter Highlights and Spring

Activities

VISTA and Bonner Activities

New ASL Courses

Upcoming Events and more!


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VISTA Leader Nefisah Sallim

and VISTA Fellow Victoria

Malaney during a VISTA

recruitment tabling event at

Skidmore College.

Contents

Message from the Editor

The March/April 2011 DEEP Service Newsletter has a new

and improved look! In our ongoing efforts to provide our

community with an engaging and appealing newsletter, yo

will notice a few formatting changes but the same great

content. Also, there is a new icon that will appear at the bo

of select featured stories. This icon indicates that you can fi

more information online:

I hope you enjoy reading the great stories featured in this

newsletter. All of the columns are written by our program

participants who are change makers in our communities. If

there is something you would like to see added to the DEE

Service Newsletter, e-mail us with your ideas at

[email protected].

Thanks for reading,

Jennifer Simek, VISTA Leader and Coordinator of ACE Pu

Relations

Photos - 200 plus flickr photos of

program participants, service

activities, and events

Stay in Touch with ACE Online!

www.siena.edu/ace

ACE Winter

Highlights and

Spring

Happenings

Page 3

VISTA Service

Activities and

Recruitment in

Full SwingPages 4 - 7

Bonner Service

Activities and

Mid Year

Retreat

Pages 8 - 10

New ASL

Coordinatorand Spring ASL

Partnerships

Pages 11 - 13


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VISTA Leader

Nefisah Sallim and

VISTA Fellow

Victoria Malaney

during a VISTA

recruitment tabling

event at Skidmore

College.

ACE Winter Highlights and Spring

HappeningsBy Jennifer Simek, VISTA Leader

This winter has been snowy and cold but that has not

hindered the service activities happening within the

Office of Academic Community Engagement. In fact, our

staff and program participants have been busier than

ever. Since our last issue, we hosted our first ACE Mid

Year Retreat. Organized by our Administrative Staff and

VISTA Leaders, the Bonner Service Leaders and VISTA

Fellows engaged in stimulating workshops that touched

on topics like volunteer recruitment and management,

networking tips and strategies, strategic planning,

managing difficult conversations and conflict resolution,

as well as much more. We also incorporated social

activities and team building exercises that everyone

enjoyed.

At the start of February, the VISTA Program began

recruiting for new VISTA Fellows for the Summer2011-2012 service year. Recruitment will end at the

March 30th Siena Career Fair where VISTA Leaders and

Fellows will be on hand to inform interested Siena

students and young professionals about our campus-

community engagement opportunities. Before the end of

recruitment, the VISTA Program will have visited six local

colleges, including Skidmore College, College of St.

Rose, Union College and SUNY Albany. Our applicant

pool is growing and we are excited to begin the interview

process in April and May.

We are also recruiting for participants for our Summer

Service Associates Program. We are excited to organize

and coordinate another great summer of service for local

students and community members who wish to

volunteer.

We are excited to welcome new staff member Ruth

Scipione, who will be coordinating our Academic ServiceLearning (ASL) program. She is a welcome addition to

our growing program and we are thrilled to have her join

our team. She is stepping into a variety of compelling

ASL projects that our VISTA Members have helped to

initiate this Spring. Our community partners Music

Mobile, Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany, and the Sr. Thea

Bowman Center for Women are working with faculty and

students on a variety of exciting projects that are fulfilling

course objectives and helping the community.

Lastly, we have officially launched our Change Makershalf-hour radio show on Sienas radio station, WVCR

88.3 The Saint. Each week we feature a change maker

in our community. Hosted by the Director of ACE, Dr.

Mathew Johnson and Assistant Directors Yalitza Negron

and Gretchen Mielke, our show airs every Saturday at

5:30 p.m. Please tune in and be inspired by the amazing

work of our community members who are tackling local,

national, an international issues.


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VISTAFELLOWS

I will get things done for America - to make

our people safer, smarter, and healthier. I

will bring Americans together to strengthen

our communities. - Excerpt of The AmeriCorps

Pledge

ReStore RenovationsBy Ricky Ryan 10, VISTA Fellow

The Capital District Habitat for Humanity ReStore is

currently undergoing a considerable transformation thanks

to a grant received from the New York State Department of

Economic Development. The Environmental Service Unit

has awarded our store the ability for expansion,

renovation, and reorganization. Presently we will be

searching for a new full time staff member to join our

ranks, helping to run the store during our upcoming

expanded hours. Our hours will be increased from our

current 21-hour shopping week to 40 hours per week.

We are excited for some physical renovations to the

ReStore as well. To increase accessibility to our store, we

are repaving our driveway and putting in a much-needed

new ramp. Lighting and shelving are also changing, as

part of a whole new floor plan that will provide a more

customer-friendly atmosphere. Want to take the guesswork

out of buying an appliance? Soon you will be able to, with

the impending addition of an appliance testing area.

New lighting aside, we are also increasing our visibilityworking with a communications agency called Zone 5.

Zone 5 is helping us recreate our marketing materials t

help expand our outreach even further into the commu

and raise awareness of our ReStore. It is an exciting n

partnership that will make all of these changes even m

worthwhile.

One of our most important upcoming additions is the

search for a new and more reliable Habitat ReStore tru

to make pickups. A generous grant from the Wright Fam

Foundation has made this acquisition possible.

The Capital District Habitat for Humanity ReStore is

located at 454 N. Pearl Street in Albany. NY. We are op

Thursdays 2pm-7pm and Fridays and Saturday 9am-5

For more information, check out our website as

www.CapitalDistrictHabitat.org and click on the ReStor

link.


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We Are the ChangeBy Natasha Grant, VISTA Fellow

So, Ive been living in Albany, as a Siena College

AmeriCorps*VISTA Fellow, for about 35 days. Ive been

at my service site (Green Tech Charter High School) for

16 days. And amidst all the excitement and goodwill, I

cant help but notice the abandoned buildings in the area

adjacent to Green Tech. In just a one block span on

Clinton Avenue, between Lark and Henry Johnson, there

are, at least, twelve abandoned buildings, and two empty

lots. This is Arbor Hill. In my first week here, I was told

that people drive aroundArbor Hill to get downtown,

even though driving throughArbor Hill is quicker and a

more direct route to the downtown area. A cab driver told

me not to go down that street after dark, pointing in the

direction of Clinton Avenue. Apparently this area is

known for making news. Bad news. And, two weeks ago,

this area made even more news. The students at Green

Tech (with behind-the-scenes efforts of Amanda Wilson,

the Academic Service Learning VISTA Fellow at Green

Tech, and Brother Yusuf Burgess, the Family

Intervention Specialist/Guerrilla Gardener) made the

local news for beginning the process of planting a

raised-bed garden in one of the empty lots on Clinton

Avenue. The empty lot was donated by a church, and

the students were out measuring the lot, in preparation

for the Spring planting season. The idea behind this

service project? Being stewards of your community

said Amanda, VISTA at Green Tech Charter High. They

[the students] have the power to change theircommunities and create change in their communities.

The idea of taking back these abandoned spaces and

creating beauty is whats needed. We are the change.

We often wait around for or think that it s never gonna

come. Weare the change.

Helping the Schuyler Inn Children

By Keri OBrien 10, VISTA Fellow

Here at Peter Young

Housing, Industries &

Treatment, we are creating

and developing multiple

programs that will help us

foster community at the

Schuyler Inn. By engaging

the residents at the Inn, we

hope to help make their

experience comfortable aswell as stress free.

The Schuyler Inn is hosting a

Winter Camp for school-aged

children residing at the

Schuyler Inn, located in

Menands, NY. The camp is

designed to provide the

children will activities to keep

them busy during the school

break and will provide the parents with an opportunity to

search for housing and employment without bringing

their children. As part of our camp activities, we will be

taking a trip to the New York State Museum to participate

in their Winter Fest. In addition, we will be playing low

budget educational games to engage the children at the

Inn.

Kicking off in March, we will be providing childcare

services to the residents of the Schuyler Inn. This

program will provide parents with an opportunity to go

search for employment or housing without the hassle of

bringing their young children. The facility will be staffedby volunteers from both Siena College and the

surrounding community. If you would like to help us get

our childcare services up and running we are always

looking for more volunteers to interact with the children.

We also accept donations such as art supplies, diapers,

strollers, movies, books, or anything you believe can be

put to good use at our facility. Please contact Keri

OBrien at (518) 463-1121 ext. 260 with any questions.

We are creating

and developing

multiple programs

that will help us

foster community

at the Schuyler

Inn.

We are thechange. We often

wait around for or

think that its never

gonna come. We

are the change.


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Family Homeless Prevention at HATASBy Ryan Rose 10, VISTA Fellow

Come into the Homeless and Travelers Aid Society

(HATAS) any day of the week and youll find a very busy

and hard working team. As Executive Director Liz Hitt

says, Were a small shop but our team has a big heart.

You would need a big heart to tackle the crisis our

community is currently facing.

At the start of this year we took a look at just how many

people came through our doors. The findings were

frightening. The number of homeless families has

TRIPLED in Albany county over the last ten years. In the

year 2000 HATAS recorded helping 206 families. Last

year in 2010 762 families walked through our front door

on Central Avenue. 762 families!

We took some time to let these figures sink in and then

began to consider the members of these homeless

families. Within these families in 2010 were 224 infants,365 toddlers, and 1102 school aged children. Were

facing an upward trend and something needs to be

done. These are not just numbers; these are real

people in our community. The children that develop in

these conditions are going to have major cracks in the

foundation they build their lives off of. Like any

significant cultural challenge we need both short term

and long term solutions. It is our responsibility to take

the time to examine our culture and society to find the

fundamental causes of these outcomes.

At HATAS, prevention is the key. It costs our community

four times as much to shelter a family than to prevent

their homelessness says Hitt. To fund family homeless

prevention HATAS has launched the Change for

Changeprogram. It asks for $10 a month (.30) a day

and our goal is to recruit 2,500 people who believe that

prevention is preferable to shelter. It s easy to support.

Go to www.hatas.org and click on the Homeless

Children window. You can also add HATAS to your

online banking transaction group.

It is not going to just take money to solve these

problems so please help to promote awareness and if

you have ideas youd like to share please feel free to

contact us!

Ryan Rose

recruiting at the

Franciscan

Center for

Service and

Advocacy

Volunteer Fair in

the Fall of 2010.

Change Makers on WVCR 88.3 The Saint Every Saturday at 5:30 PM

Ryan Rose was recently featured as a guest on our new Office of Academic Community Engagement radio

show, Change Makers, where we invite change makers in our community, across the nation, and around the

world to speak to the Capital Region community about the actions they take to be change makers in our

communities. Listen to WVCR 88.3 The Saint every Saturday at 5:30 PM! Also, coming soon, look for archived

episodes on our website, www.siena.edu/ace.


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The Beauty of Cross PollinationBy Tanya Henderson, VISTA Fellow

It is a beautiful thing when you

are able to help a friend. This

past month I addressed my

Siena VISTA Fellow family

about my dilemma. I expressed

how I am attempting to

transform the Schuyler Inn from

being just a transitional shelter

for Homeless and Travelers Aid Society families and

veterans. Many of the clients here are deprived of

resources and services that could truly help them.

I speak with the families everyday and ask them, What

is it that you need and how can I help you? Most of

the women respond by saying they need housing and

employment. The children respond by saying they are

bored and there is nothing to do there. I sympathize

with children because it is not their home and it is not

built to be kid friendly. In addition, the mothers explain

they are not able to look for housing and employment if

their children are not enrolled in school or in child care

services. However, the children may not be enrolled in

school or child care for various reasons such as

relocation, lack of transportation, no address, and

more.

The VISTA staff shared their resources to assist in the

Beautification of the Schuyler Inn project. Ryan Roseand Liz Hitt of Homeless and Travelers Aid Society

(HATAS) have donated pajamas, toys and books.

Some of the contributions are being used to start the

Schuyler Inns Camp Winter and Child Care services.

Kathryn Ramsey of the Siena Office of Enrollment

Management volunteered her services to assist the

mothers in an art project. Green Tech High volunteered

to assist in a fundraising event. Interfaith Partnership

has donated a stroller and is assisting in recruitment

for the Mentoring Program. Trinity Alliance has

contributed to our resource manual with their services.

Yalitza Negron, Assistant Director of Academic

Community Engagement, has shared ideas to develop

Camp Winter. Carly Smith of the Boys and Girls Clubs

of Albany shared her volunteer recruitment resources.

Clearly, when people work together and cross-pollinate

their ideas and resources, something beautiful is

created.

Upcoming Partner Events

Music Mobiles 33rd Anniversary Benefit

CelebrationFeaturing Capital District Celebrity Guest Singers in a

Special Performance of The Beat of the Street...

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow.

Thursday, March 24

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

The Linda - WAMCs Performing Arts Studio

Boys and Girls Club of Albany DodgeballDodgeball Tournament Fundraiser to Benefit Boys

and Girls Clubs of Albany

Sunday, April 3

9:30 AM - 7:00 PM

Siena College MAC Gym

$500/team of 9

www.bgcalbany.com/settle-the-score/

A Taste of AlbanyA Culinary Showcase and Benefit for Interfaith

Partnership for the Homeless

Thursday, May 12

5:00 PM (Sponsorship and Honorary Committee

Reception), 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM - Culinary Showcase

New York State Museum Terrace Gallery

www.atasteofalbany.com

Keep up with our community partner

events by visiting our website,

www.siena.edu/ace or staying in touch

with us via our social media!


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BONNERLEADERS

Access to education, opportunity to serve.

Bonner Summer Leadership Institute

PlanningBy Jennifer Simek, VISTA Leader

The Siena Bonner Service Leaders got right to work in the

new year planning for this years Bonner Summer

Leadership Institute (SLI). To be held May 31 through June

3rd at Siena College, SLI will be attended by administrator,

student, faculty, and partner representatives from roughly

80 colleges and universities in the Bonner Network. SLI

will provide participants with learning and professional

development opportunities connected to strengthening the

work of Bonner Programs. There will be an emphasis onthemes such as deepening community partnerships,

supporting students to engage in direct service

opportunities and making connections to public policy and

politics, and building sustainable infrastructures for

campus-community engagement. There will be a variety of

tracks that will highlight Bonner Network initiatives.

The Siena Bonners will play a large role in helping to plan

this years SLI. They launched the planning process at our

first annual ACE Mid Year Retreat that was held February

18th through the 20th. Planning was broken up into

sessions with Ariane Hoy who joined us from the Bonn

Foundation. She has been with the Bonner Foundation

since the fall of 2004 and is currently serving as the Se

Program Officer. She did a great job of facilitating the

planning with the Bonners and after the weekend they

already developed a structure and theme for SLI.

Aside from SLI planning, the Siena Bonners participate

some workshops including one with Elaine Williams,

master-trainer for the Corporation for National and

Community Service and one with Siena Faculty memb

Dr. Paul Thurston.

Overall the weekend was a great success in laying a s

foundation for an incredible event coming up this Sprin

Stay tuned for more information about SLI in the comin

months.

Check out flickr photos of

our ACE Mid Year Retreat

www.flick.com/sienacollegeace


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Foreground: Claudia

Congemi 14 and

Kevin Schafer 15. In

between sessions at

the ACE Mid Year

Retreat, the Bonners

participated in fun

ice breaker activities.

The Torch ClubBy Claudia Congemi 14, Bonner Service Leader

When I found out that I was going to be placed as the

Albany Boys and Girls Club I did not realize how much

my life was going to change. My first day at the club

seems like a blur, all the children running around: I did

not know where to start. However, now that a few

months have flown by, I really have adapted to my site. I

not only work at the Boys and Girls Club, I influence and

give kids confidence to believe in themselves.

I am currently working on re-opening the Torch Club for

Kids 11-13 years old. The Torch Club is a leadership

building opportunity where students will learn about

actively participating in the community and learn to build

relationships with others. Also, the students hope to

have many fun and educational trips to lectures where

they may hear about their dream job or a place they may

want to volunteer. In order for children to feel confident,

they need people in their lives who will remain mentors

for them even at their lowest points. I hope by opening

the torch club students will find the confidence they need

to succeed.

My job is to not only open the club, but be the adult

supervisor for it. I will plan all of the guest speakers,

schedule events, and most of all I wish to be a mentor

for the children. Being an active role model is my

number one goal while being at the Boys and Girls Club.

Honor CourtBy Kevin Schafer 15, Bonner Service Leader

My site is Honor Court, which is a part of Peter Young

Housing, Industries and Treatment (PYHIT). At Honor

Court, I work with four different CASACS (substance

abuse counselors) who work with the people who have

been arrested and assure that they receive the proper

treatment for their addictions rather then send them to

jail. In jail, the root of their problem, in most cases the

addiction to the substances, is not addressed and when

released, their addictions can cause them to end up in

court again.

An average day for myself involves going to the Honor

Court offices and Albany Police Court where I obtain the

docket for the three judges. I check which of the cases

are Honor Court clients, or potential clients. Lawyers

often refer their clients to Honor Court to help avoid long

jail sentences and to better ease the pain of their

addictions. At court, I work with the Public Defenders

(the lawyers appointed by the court for those who cannot

afford to pay for a private attorney - a vast majority of the

Honor Court clients), the District Attorneys (the people

who represent the interests of the state), and the judges.

I receive hands-on knowledge of how the justice system

works. Treating one of the root causes of criminal

behavior (addiction) is much more effective than just

trying to punish the addict for the whims of their

sickness.


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Souper Sandwich ClubBy Tim Golden 13, Bonner Service Leader

My service site is working with the Office of Academic

Community Engagement (ACE) at Siena College. At the

ACE Office, I primarily do Policy Options research for

other Bonners and the various community partners of the

ACE Office. There have been many new developments

in my service site over the past few weeks, on the variety

of projects that I work on.

One of them has to do with the Souper Sandwich Club

which I created in partnership with John DeCirce, a

Bonner, and Kaitlyn Calaluca, the VISTA at FOCUS

Churches. The goal of this club is to provide lunches for

their winter lunch program, using the food that would

normally be thrown out by the Siena College Dining

Services. I am happy to say that the club has made over

600 meals. In addition to this, I will also find out soon

whether or not we will become a recognized club on

campus. This will allow us to be able to apply for funding

for the club, and give us much more flexibility oncampus.

Another one of the projects that I am working on is the

Siena Research Institute project for Catholic Charities.

The goal of this project is to develop a survey that helps

Catholic Charities figure out their name recognition and

serve recognition in the Albany Diocese. So far, I and

several other Bonners, have assisted in the development

of the survey and the first draft has been sent to Catholic

Charities for them to look over. Recently we have started

to draft the actual report, and we are preparing to get the

survey ready to be implemented. I will be excited to see

this survey run to completion and to see my work payoff.

North Albany AcademyBy Stephanie Belmont 12, Bonner Service Leader

My passion for service continues to grow each year

that I return to my community partner site. I have been

placed at North Albany Academy for over two years

now, and this site continues to challenge me and force

me to grow as a person, and a volunteer.

I work with the librarian Ms. Curry during her class

time hours. I have been able to develop strongrelationships with all my students which have enabled

me to watch them progress over the years. Even after

two years of seeing me every day for library class,

their faces still light up and their enthusiastic greetings

never fail. These children have influenced my life and

I have learned more from these children than I ever

could have thought imaginable. I hope have impacted

them as much as they have impacted me.

One of the projects I am currently a part of is working

with a select group of girls that wanted to perform a

play. Every lunch period they are permitted to bringtheir food to the library where we rehearse the

different scenes that they will be performing in front of

the younger students library classes.

It is the small things that these girls do, like their ability

to laugh at themselves when they forget their lines, or

simply their ability to have fun doing whatever it is

they are doing, that remind me why I am in this

program.

The Souper

Sandwich Club

was recently

featured on

the front page

of the Siena

newspaper,

The

Promethean.

Even aftertwo years of

seeing me

every day for

library class,

their faces still

light up and

their

enthusiastic

greetings

never fail.


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Combining academic study and hands-on

service.

New ASL Coordinator and ExcitingSpring ASL CoursesBy Jennifer Simek, VISTA Leader

We are very excited to welcome a new team member,

Ruth Scipione, to the Office of Academic Community

Engagement. Ruth is joining us as the Assistant Director

and Coordinator of Academic Service Learning (ASL)

and will be helping ACE take ASL the next level. Ruth

graduated from SUNY Brockport in International Studies

with an emphasis in Latin American studies. Beforeattending college, Ruth lived in Spain for a year and

during college she studied abroad in Chile. In Chile,

Ruth worked at a non-profit that accepted donations for

people in need. She played a pivotal role in researching

the history of the organization and created a handbook

of her research.

After Ruth received her undergraduate degree she

moved to Albany to attend SUNY Albany and pursue

teaching Spanish as a career. While at SUNY Albany,

she was recruited to join the Spanish and LinguisticsPhD program where she has been studying and working

with a group of Mexican indigenous speakers who speak

the Triqui language. Ruth will be defending her PhD in

May. Throughout her educational and study abroad

experiences, Ruths desire to be engaged with the

community has always been a major influence.

In May 2009, Ruth attended the Office of Academic

Community Engagement Problem-Based Service

Learning Training and was inspired by Sienas

commitment to connect academic rigor with student

learning activities. Ruth is excited to take ASL at Siena

College to the next level and will assist faculty members

in course development, advancing service learning

techniques, supporting community connections, and

much more.

Ruth can be contacted at (518) 782-6951 or

[email protected]. Please join us in welcoming Ruth

to our team!


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St. Rose Counseling Graduate Program

and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany

Carly Smith 09 is in her second year of AmeriCorps

VISTA service at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany.

She plays a pivotal role in supporting an ASL

connection with the College of St. Rose. We had a

chance to ask her a few questions about the

partnership and here is what she shared with us:

Q: How did the partnership initiate?

A: The partnership has been an on-going one initiated

through a previous VISTA (Nefisah Sallim).

Q: Who is the faculty member teaching the ASL

course?

A: Professor Claudia Lingertat-Putnam of the St. Rose

School Counseling Graduate Program.

Q: What are the projects the students are working

on?

A: The students are working with Club REACH (Ready

for Employment, Academic achievement, Character

development, and Hope for the future) doing college

preparation, career development and life-skill training

in collaboration with their class at St. Rose. Each week

they create a theme and reinforce the theme through

team-building activities, games, public speakers,

assignments, etc.

Q: What need is the ASL class helping with at your

site?

A: This class is bringing necessary and crucial

information to our teens about college preparation and

career development techniques along with life-skills

training, all of which our teens do not get enough of.

The small ratio and enthusiasm in this program

encourage our members to be engaged in the activities

there and learn about the many themes.

Siena College School of Business and

Interfaith Partnership for the

HomelessBy Samantha Tymchyn 09, VISTA Fellow

Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless (IPH) is

enjoying partnerships with Siena College. A

connection made with Paul Thurston has opened

many doors. This semester we are working with twoclasses:

The Honors section of the Business Strategy and

Policy course (BUDV 450) and one team in the

Leading Organizational Change course (MKMG 425).

Working with the students gives us the opportunity to

share knowledge and at the same time learn through

their experiences. Being engaged with Siena students

makes us look closely at how we are running our non-

profit and allows us to focus on finding new, innovative

ways to improve our services and the way we do

business.

In the Business Strategy and Policy Course, the

students will prepare a strategic plan proposal for

Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless. In that

proposal they will identify factors that are critical to

success, then use those factors to identify and provide

compelling evidence for strategic issues facing IPH.

For each strategic issue, the teams will developspecific action plans to implement the recommended

alternatives. The management team and board of

directors are looking forward to the end of the

semester when the students will be making their

presentations.

Students in the Leading Organizational Change

course are learning about the many aspects of

Planned Giving. The students are reaching out to

professionals in the field (including Sienas very own

Planned Giving team). They will be breaking down the

information and giving IPH recommendations and

steps to take so that we can be more involved with

planning giving. Having planned giving options

available to our donors will give IPH more opportunity

for long term growth and planning.

Members of IPHs management team are working with

Suzanne OConner during workshops that involve

building interview skills and creating resumes.


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Siena College Sr. Thea Bowman

Center for Women and Body Politics

Course

Ariel Palter joined the VISTA Fellows Program in the

summer of 2010. Her VISTA position is with the Sr.

Thea Bowmen Center for Women at Siena and she

has focused on building student connections with girls

in the community. We had a chance to ask her a few

questions about her ASL partnership and here is what

she had to share with us:

Q: How did the partnership initiate?

A: My site supervisor told me about Rachel Stein and

her body politics class. I knew I wanted to work with a

class on something since I am on campus and she

seemed like a great choice. We connected and

discussed potential opportunities and projects her

class could work on and created a project involving a

conference I am planning, Hannahs [Siena VISTA

Fellow placed at North Albany Academy] Girl Scout

Troops and her class.

Q: Who is the faculty member teaching the ASL

course?

A: I am working with Rachel Stein and her Body

Politics class.

Q: What are the projects the students are working

on?

A: The students are working on two projects. Half the

class is working on developing a workshop on body

image which will be part of the girls day conference I

am developing for April. They will practice the

workshop with Hannahs girl scouts and then

implement it at the conference.

The other half of the class is working on Siena

monologues... similar to Vagina Monologues but Sienastyle. This will raise money for Domestic Violence

organizations in the community.

Q: What need is the ASL class helping with at your

site?

A: They are helping us connect with the community

through issue based learning and connecting with

young girls.

Music Mobile and Computer ScienceBy Jennifer Simek, VISTA Leader

Music Mobile, an organization located in Albany, is dedicated to

building peaceful communities through music. Over the course

of the 09/10 and 10/11 academic years, Music Mobile and

the Siena Computer Science department have forged an

exciting and innovative approach to learning classroom

objectives. Professors Mary Anne Egan and Johanna Horowitz

have welcomed Music Mobile into their classrooms and allowedMusic Mobile to share the organizations need for visual

accompaniment to original songs written by Ruth Pelham

(Executive Director).

During the week of March 7, 2011 Ruth Pelham and current

Siena VISTA Hilary Rainey did a presentation for Professor

Horowitzs class. Hilary provided a brief synopsis of Music

Mobiles mission and vision for the community and Ruth led the

students in song. By engaging the students and performing

some of the songs, the students gained a better understanding

of the positive impact the songs have on children in our

communities. The students will be utilizing the program Alice

this semester to animate the songs, which will then be viewed

by the children in the Capital District community. Pictured to the

right is Ruth Pelham during the presentation to the class.


14/14

Our Mission

The Franciscan Center for Service andAdvocacy AmeriCorps*VISTA Fellows

Program provides help to build, sustain,and promote civic engagement by

fostering reciprocal DEEP relationships

between students, faculty, administration

and our local community in need.

Our program focuses on assistingfaculty, students, and community

partners to work with all walks of life.

Our actions commit to our core values ofSt. Francis and allow our students,

faculty and administration to seek directactions towards academic excellence

through their civic engagement and

participation in programs that help toincrease capacity in areas of our

community that need it most throughDEEP Partnerships.

Our Partners

Peter Young Housing, Industries and

Treatment/Schuyler Inn

Homeless and Travelers Aid Society

FOCUS Churches

Boys and Girls Club of Albany

Unity House of Troy

Catholic Charities/Roarke Center

Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless

U.S. Committee for Refugees andImmigrants

North Albany Academy/SNAP

Grand Street Community Arts

Trinity Alliance

Music Mobile

Capital District YMCA

Green Tech Charter High School

Siena Office of Enrollment Management

Sr. Thea Bowman Center for Women

Siena Research Institute

Compassion in Action/Koinonia

Capital District Habitat for Humanity

Albany Housing Authority

Siena College Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy

Office of Academic Community Engagement515 Loudon Road | Loudonville, NY 12211

P: (518) 783-6886 | F: (518) 786-5080

E: [email protected] | W: www.siena.edu/ace

DEEP Service Newsletter: March/April 2011

Documents

Transcript of DEEP Service Newsletter: March/April 2011