Pictured: Leigh Brown, Dianna Lawson, Myra MeHarry, Brian Alesi, Sarah Cain, David Wilson

12/23/2011 – Micah House of Redlands received a check for $4,000 from Stater Bros Charities this week. Representatives from Stater Bros. gathered at Micah House’s Oxford Drive location to present this year’s gift to support their work with at-risk kids from low-income families in the underserved neighborhood of North Redlands. The volunteer program provides after-school activities for kids like homework help, tutoring, literacy support, math and science skills along with a host of other academic improvement resources. “This gift will help us provide wholesome and nutritious snacks for our kids, along with guidance on diet and exercise that will equip them to make good decisions for a long and healthy life. There is a strong correlation between nutrition and academic achievement, and we strive to give Micah House kids a firm foundation from which to build” says Director, David Wilson.

Sarah Cain, Executive Director for Stater Bros. Charities said “This donation is part of our Harvesting Hope campaign where we donate over $450,000 throughout the holiday season to organizations like Micah House. Since 2008, Stater Bros. Charities has donated over $5 million to Southern California communities.”

Micah House is part of Trinity Community Foundation and has two locations serving 100+ children on Chapel Street and Oxford Drive in Redlands. For more information on Micah House, visit their website at www.MicahHouseRedlands.org or contact Director David Wilson at DWilson@trinityonline.org or 909-335-7333, x140.          

Source: Micah House
Redlands Daily Facts 12/23/2011

The first week of school, Deb Burger from Franklin Elementary called to meet with me at the school. While I was there I was able to meet some of the Micah House student’s teachers. I let them know that Micah House was here to support them in any way. I explained that our goal was to work hand in hand with them to ensure the student’s completed their homework and excelled in their education. At this point, one of the teachers asked me if knew a certain student (Victor) and if I had received a letter she had written regarding him. I said “yes,” and she explained that because we allowed this student to attend Micah House, and due to the work of our volunteers with Victor, he was promoted and not retained as they had originally planned. She wanted to thank me, the volunteers, and our program for making a difference in this child’s life. What she didn’t know was the difference this child had made in the life of a volunteer!

 Sharon has been the dedicated tutor for Victor since January. Here is her story in her own words:

“Volunteering to help the kids at Micah House has been wonderful for me, once I decided to actually get involved. When I heard about Micah House, I knew that I could help since my days were free, but because of the depression that I was in, I couldn’t bring myself to even think about doing it. In fact, I didn’t even want to leave the house. My husband heard about the need for volunteers and said that he would like to help out. Well, I wasn’t going to let him go alone, so I went too.” “I loved my first experience there and couldn’t wait to do it again the next week. The Micah House program has given my life purpose and meaning, as well as an opportunity to let God work through me to help these kids. The kids at Micah House really like the program and there is even a waiting list for other kids who want to get in, but can’t because there are not enough volunteers. I feel so blessed because of these kids, and I am so thankful to God that I made the decision to serve.” – Sharon

Micah House Kids Give to Others for Thanksgiving

11/24/2011 - Children from the Micah House programs in Redlands recently had a Thanksgiving food drive for a family in need.

The children and their families brought in enough food to fill the backs of two cars. The donated food was given to a Micah House family with a son who has had severe medical problems for the past three years.

Dianna Lawson, a Micah House program coordinator, said the family was touched and thankful.

“We wanted to teach our Micah House kids from both programs to learn the joy of giving and sharing with others,” Lawson said.

“What a joy it’s been this last week to daily have these wonderful kids learn about giving to others, and see them bring in bags of food for this family.”

Micah House is a free after-school program with two sites in north Redlands offering tutoring and spiritual, emotional and social support for children and youth from first through 12th grade.

Lawson is program coordinator for the site at 611 Chapel St., and Myra Meharry is coordinator at 1006 Oxford Drive.

Activities include homework help, classroom-style tutoring, arts, crafts, bicycle restoration, gardening and sports. There is also a computer lab.

Micah House is a program of Trinity Community Foundation, a nonprofit organization.

The program recently received a San Bernardino County Education medal of Honor in the volunteer in action/service group category.

SOURCE: Micah House
Redlands Daily Facts
Posted: 11/24/2011 06:15:23 AM PST

Level 1 (Beginning)

Micah House Chapel – Tuesday & Thursday 10:00 am – noon
Micah House Oxford – Tuesday & Thursday 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Level 2 & 3 (Intermediate & Advanced)

Micah House Chapel – Monday & Wednesday 10:00 am – noon

For more information or to register by phone contact:

•  Mr. Sullivan (909) 335-7351 or
• Mrs. Carrier (909) 794-4736

If you are interested in helping to teach English please contact Mr. Sullivan.

On average there are 40 students enrolled in our literacy program, and the average improvement rate is 125% within a 9 month period.

Since reading is crucial for future success, we have decided to make this a strategic investment in the lives of Micah House kids. As a part of our everyday programming, students finish their homework and then they spend approximately thirty minutes reading. We use software called Accelerated Reader, a computer system that allows students to take quizzes on their books and receive immediate feedback on their comprehension.

Another way that children learn to comprehend what they are reading is through individual instruction with an adult. During one-on-one instruction, the distinctive strengths and weaknesses are addressed so that each child can grow to become better readers. Some of the learning strategies employed are:

•  Decoding unfamiliar vocabulary, letter and word
• Recognition, fluency, and monitoring comprehension.

Micah House invites children to stay an extra hour after the program to participate in the Reading Club. This is a fun, interactive group who read at a similar level. They participate in reading games, ‘read-alouds’, and a reader’s theater which are all designed to strengthen their reading skills.

Literacy is a fun and meaningful way to invest in a child’s life. There are many volunteer possibilities, including:

•  Partnering with a student to read together after their homework
• Working one-on-one to strengthen their reading abilities
• Leading a Reading Club group
• And much more!

We’d love to partner with you!

Please contact Hannah Pavoni at hpavoni@trinityonline.org for more information.

Hannah Pavoni received her degree in Education with an emphasis in Intercultural Studies at Biola University.  She also received her Elementary Teaching Credential and Masters in Teaching from Biola in 2009.  A Redlands native, she loves being able to give back to her community and watch the Micah House kids thrive in literacy.

For 8th, 9th and 10th graders, the program tracks academic progress including college preparatory coursework and exploring college and career options. For 11th and 12th graders, the program helps narrow down college choices, prepare for entrance exams (SAT/ACT), and identify scholarship opportunities.

The program is FREE to qualified Micah House students, but they must be fully committed in order to participate in the program. To enter the program, they must agree to:

• participate fully in the program
• maintain good grades (3.0 GPA)
• maintain satisfactory school attendance
• serve 25 hours of community service each academic year
• serve 25 hours at Micah House
• participate in at least one organized school activity
• avoid gangs, drugs/alcohol and sexual misconduct
• avoid a negative behavior record at school

Registration in Reality Changers at Micah House is limited, and will be honored on a first-come first-served basis. Parents/guardians must agree to participate in the program.

Monet Stewart, a Jr. High Teacher in the San Bernardino School District will be overseeing this program.

Micah House Christmas Store

Students shop at the store using points earned as money, buying gifts for family members. Help by donating New or gently used items, or come volunteer and help students shop and wrap their gifts.

Students earn points for working on homework, good behavior and helpfulness. They then use these points to buy Christmas gifts for their families.

Ideas:

• Bath items (hand cream, soaps, etc)
• baby items
• toys and games
• wallets, tools, flash lights, etc
• household items (candles, etc)
• gift cards to fast food, Target, movies, bowling, etc

Items can be dropped off now through November 24, 2011 at Micah House Chapel, 611 Chapel St, Redlands, CA 92374. [Google Maps]  If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to shop and help wrap please contact either Dianna at MH Chapel (909) 747-7447 or Myra at MH Oxford (909) 747-0319. Thank you for your generous support!

Dave Maupin, "the Wizard of the Stars," teaches members of Micah House about astronomy and constellations at a star-gazing event Friday night at the Burrage Mansion.

10/08/2011 - Clad in a wizard’s robe and hat, Dave Maupin, “Wizard of the Stars, ” shared his love of stars, constellations and astronomy with children from Micah House.

Maupin and about 20 students of the best-behaved children from Chapel and Oxford Micah House locations gathered at the Burrage Mansion on Friday night to gaze at the stars.

The program was the “fall incentive” for the children, said Dianna Lawson, program director at the Chapel location.

Children with good grades and good behavior that showed up to Micah House on time and did their homework received incentive points to be able to go to the event.

“I had to do my homework, read, and have good behavior,” said Danny Belman, 10, “because I wanted to come and have s’mores, and look up at the stars and constellations.”

Likewise, Sonia Rivera, 17, was eager to have s’mores, after their dinner of hot dogs and chips.

“Only a few people were able to come,” she said, adding that the incentive program taught her “to be consistent.”

Indeed, the program “does serve a purpose,” Lawson said, explaining that one child was doing poorly in school, and the program provided incentive to perform better.

“It’s a marvelous outing,” she said.

Micah House Photo Gallery: Star Gazing

Before lying out on the Burrage Mansion’s vast lawn, beneath the stars, the students got a brief lesson in astronomy from Maupin, who learned about stars as a navigator in the Navy.

He used a white board to illustrate the Little Dipper and the Big Dipper, and other constellations and stars.

“Once you find the Big Dipper, then you can find the Little Dipper,” he said. “The two dippers always pour into each other.”

He also used props and geometry to explain how the Earth rotates on its axis, and how stars are visible in different locations.

“We live on a merry-go-round, this Earth of ours. We’re always moving,” Maupin said.

Molly Davis, Staff Writer

Posted: 10/08/2011 08:37:53 PM PDT

Chef Lee Burton helps Yissel Fuentes of Redlands with her pizza dough at the Burrage Manison, Tuesday August 24, 2011. Chef Burton showed Micah House's 4th - 5th grade kids how to cook healthy pizza. (John Valenzuela/Staff Photographer

08/24/2011 – Ten-year-old Yissel Fuentes fiddled excitedly with a small piece of dough Wednesday to create her very own mini-pizza as part of a special healthy eating class sponsored by Micah House.

Held at the historic Burrage Mansion, Fuentes and close to a dozen of her peers looked on as local chef Lee Burton provided instructions – and secrets – on how to create the “perfect pizza.”

Using healthy ingredients from wheat dough mix to fresh vegetables, each participant was able to create their own concoction with several volunteers.”We wanted to do two things – introduce (our students) to healthy eating and healthy cooking,” said Dianna Lawson, chapel program coordinator for Micah House. “We went ahead and chose the pizza because it was suggested by Chef (Burton) because it is a popular food, one that everyone is familiar with, but we took it to another level.

“We’re introducing them to other ingredients that they may not have otherwise tried.This is another way to show kids how to experience life. I like them to not only go to school and come to our program after, but have practical living experiences.”

Micah House Photo Gallery: Pizza Making at the Burrage Manison

Burton provided Micah House with a suggested shopping list of ingredients, while event coordinators asked participants what specific toppings they liked or favored.

The most requested topping – zucchini.

“I bring kids zucchini (from my community garden) every week, so everyone wanted it because they were familiar with it,” Lawson said. “But then we started asking them about green peppers and mushrooms and different ingredients.

“At first, not a lot of hands went up. But when we went to the store and they were able to see the ingredients in person and have the chef explain it to them, it connected the dots.”

Participants shopped for toppings and other necessities the day before the class with Trader Joe’s providing the nonprofit organization with funds to buy requested ingredients.

The Trinity Community Foundation chipped in as well, Lawson said.

For more information on Micah House, visit www.micahhouseredlands.org.

kristina.hernandez@inlandnewspapers.com

909-793-3221, ext. 317

Jaquan Hoshaw, left, 9, and Julius Hoshaw, 11, were among the hundreds of children Saturday at Micah House to receive free backpacks as part of its back-to-school block party. (KHAI LE/For the Daily Facts)

08/08/2011 – The youth at Micah House really had a reason to celebrate Saturday.