AFC has launched its pilot "FUN WITH FABRICS" sewing class!
Another creative program has come to fruition in July. Arizonans for Children’s pilot sewing class arrived at a Mesa group home. The program was introduced to two group homes just weeks prior to the first sewing session. All potential participants received a list of sewing projects along with a guide for rules and expectations. The first sewing class was exciting as the participants chose fabrics for their first “Make and Give” and “Make and Take” projects. Soft flannels with baby themes became baby changing pads for our Mesa visitation center. The crafters cut, ironed, and stitched fabric to create their first “Make and Give” project.
The second class focused on a project they could keep. With colorful fabrics displayed about the room, the eager participants again chose their fabrics and they began to assemble their personalized “memory pillowcases.” In addition to more ironing, cutting, pinning and stitching, each teen from this group home will have the option to stitch a scanned photo, poem, quote or art onto their pillowcase. The scanned memorabilia is actually printed onto sheets of fabric that feed into a full color printer. Although the pillowcase project may be simple, we simply ran out of time to complete this “Make and Take” in the second workshop. The positive feedback from the first two sessions was clear: they “want to learn more” and “this was really fun!”
Cooking Classes for Foster Teens
Many foster teens are missing important lessons about smart grocery shopping and principles of healthy eating. When they turn 18 most will leave the system and move out on their own, without the knowledge to make good food choices. Like most Americans, they are bombarded by advertising pressure to succumb to impulse, purchasing unhealthy foods high in sugar, fat and sodium. This hurts their finances as well as their health.
Our cooking classes aim to combat this problem. In hands-on 3 session courses, each session lasting approximately 3 hours, students learn to follow recipes, practice chopping, mixing and measuring. Kitchen safety, label reading, substituting ingredients, and measurement conversions are also addressed. They receive a binder with copies of the recipes along with information on how to read a food label, smart shopping, the food pyramid and nutrition. We work with foster home staff to continue the principles after class ends.
Eating habits, healthy or otherwise, are passed on. By educating teens, we are giving them tools and practices they will share with their own families. Cooking and eating together creates wonderful memories and strengthens family bonds. Positive influences, both physical and emotional, can continue years after the class is finished. We have already seen the kids take pride in personal accomplishment, teamwork and increased confidence. Some have expressed interest cooking careers. We have seen these young people teach each other as well.
As of December 2009, 4 teen group homes stretched their culinary skills making vegetable stir-fry, salad dressings from scratch, spinach manicotti, beefy chili, green chili chicken casserole, fruit smoothies, tiramisu, fresh peach cobbler (with peaches from a local orchard), holiday dishes and no-bake desserts. So far we've reached more than 40 kids with this intensive, hands-on program.
AFC is working on the next phase of the project, bringing more classes to the group homes' own kitchens. Future plans include Native American foods and teen favorites such as pizza. We also want to engage the kids to share their favorite recipes and become OUR teachers for a day.
None of this would have been possible without the talent, passion and dedication of our volunteers. We are always open to community input from educators, chefs, the business community, gardeners and other cooking enthusiasts to make this program better and better.
If you're interested in working with us on these classes, please contact Corinne at 602-252-2270.
"The following is a letter of thanks and appreciation to Ms. Corinne Faiella of AmeriCorps and Arizonans for Children for her support and inspiration in instituting a cooking program for our girls at 68th Place. Corinne came into the group home with her band of assistant chefs and did wonders with kids who up until this point had little or no interest in learning the art of cooking. Initially, time was set aside to teach the girls about different ingredients, proper cooking methods, menus and how to properly put together a meal in a manner which they could understand and excel. Each girl was assigned a chore and instruction continued from step to step. The menus were simple and based upon the taste interest of the girls in the house. As an example, most items were Mexican or Hispanic and the desserts, fruit with low fat whipped cream and a touch of chocolate!
The Program was a huge success and the girls have followed up in cooking some of these recipes on their own. In addition, Corinne presented each girl with a very professional booklet that included nutritional materials and menus that they can utilize in the future. All of this was because of her patience, creativity, and thoughtfulness and we all thank Corinne very much for what she has done to open up a new avenue of learning skills for our girls at 68th Place." Judy Lundy, Director of Recreational Activities, Childhelp, 8/09
Justice League Program
Beginning in August 2007 we began developing a new program to teach foster children between the ages of 12 and 17 their legal rights. Goals of the program are as follows:
- Demonstrate the necessity for laws and provide adolescents with an understanding of the legal system relevant to their lives.
- Give young people in foster care an opportunity to meet with law enforcement officials and officers of the court in a non-threatening environment.
- Help learners clarify their attitudes, values, and perceptions about law and our legal system, and discuss alternative solutions to common problems facing juveniles, with emphasis on issues facing juveniles in the foster care system.
- Help students examine and express their individual views of law and order in terms of their personal experiences, attitudes, and values through discussion, role playing, and writing.
- Demonstrate that conflict is a characteristic of growth and development, both of individuals and society, and show that compromise and resolution through lawful processes are unequaled in resolving conflict.
Annie Ansell directs this program. As of October 31, 2009 we have conducted twelve seminars which were attended by 432 children.
Contact AFC today for more information about our programs and to find out how you can help!
Financial Literacy Classes
Arizonans for Children is proud to partner with Bank of America and Arizona Saves to provide a financial literacy curriculum to foster youth in group homes throughout Maricopa County. Since the fall of 2008, Sheila Henson and Josh Mayer have trained and led a team of their fellow Bank of America volunteers in an effort to help teenagers in care:
- Develop positive spending and debit habits
- Understand the importance of saving to their futures
- Begin to save
- Learn how to manage their finances wisely and knowledgeably
Classes take place over the course of three weeks (one class a week) and are cumulative in nature. Arizona Saves provides class materials and curricula while Arizonans for Children arranges class times and serves as a liaison between volunteers and the many group home providers in the valley. So far, six group homes have taken part in these classes and we expect many more in the future.
These classes are particularly important for kids in care because when they age out at 18, they have barely a few years of wage-earning (if any) under their belts and many of them have not had responsible financial habits modeled to them by parents or other authority figures.
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