Did you receive the KidWorks January Hope Report in your mailbox this week? If not, check it out HERE.
Want a hard copy? No problem! Copies are available at the KidWorks Dan Donahue Center. Pick up at the front desk Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm, 1902 W. Chestnut Avenue, Santa Ana, CA. 92703.
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Summer 2016 fun at KidWorks: Our youngsters artworks tells the story
Hundreds of children and youth had a tremendous summer at KidWorks. From July 5 through Aug. 12, students in grades kindergarten through 12 participated in “The Island”-themed activities that filled those long summer days while also keeping their minds stimulated so they were “ready to go” when school started again.
Our elementary and middle school students engaged in challenging games, faith-building bible lessons, creative craft making, field trips and other fun activities.
The high school students participated in our Leadership Academy, which for years has helped prepare them for higher education after high school and successful careers. These students experienced mentoring, company site visits to learn about the work world, character development and service opportunities.
We asked a few of your younger students to create crayon drawings so they can share their summer experience with you. We hope you enjoy their original artwork!
"Summer is the best; summer is a lot of fun!"
"My favorite part of summer was the beach."
"My favorite part of summer was the beach."
"My favorite part of summer was going to the park."
"My favorite part of summer was eating food! YAY food!"
"My favorite part of summer was playing at the beach."
St. Andrew's Comes to KidWorks for a Serve Day!
Thank you St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church for coming to KidWorks for your Serve Day 2016. KidWorks has been a long time ministry partner of St. Andrew's and on Saturday, September 17th, many members of their congregation came to our Dan Donahue Center for a Serve Day.
Volunteers hosted a carnival for our families and participated in reading buddies with our K-5th grade students. Another team of volunteers revamped our storage space to accommodate more instruments for our music program, Avanti.
Avanti leader, Joe Cristina, led a group of volunteers in working directly with our music students and we ever had a parenting workshop.
Here are some photos from our event!
Sails Are Up and Our Kids Are Off!
Summer is coming to a close and what a better way to finish it up than learning how to sail! Our KidWorks youth spent a week in Newport Beach learning to sail; they learned more than how to sail a boat. Sailing empowers youth by teaching them skills like teamwork, leadership, communication, and critical thinking in a fast-paced environment.
Here are some photos of our week on the sea! Big thank you to our instructors for the week, Debbie and Grace. We learned so much from you!
A Tale of Two Santa Anas: Lilian Ramirez
Editor’s note: This is the fourth and final installment of“A Tale of Two Santa Anas,” where our graduating high school seniors tell the story of their personal journey in their own words. We are so proud of these students, who later this year will begin attending colleges and universities.
Growing up, I was probably the last person you’d expect to be standing on a stage in front of hundreds of people, singing solos or playing the guitar.
Back in elementary school I was very shy and reserved. Except for walking to and from school each day, I pretty much stayed inside our family’s rented house doing my homework, reading books and listening to music.
Today, I’m an 18-year-old graduate of Valley High School in Santa Ana. This fall, I will begin attending San Francisco State University, where I intend to earn a bachelor of music degree.
Our family--my Dad, Mom, and sisters, Emily, 14 and Ailani, seven, and me--live about one block from KidWorks’ Dan Donahue Center. I’ve lived there since I was born.
For as long as I can remember, our neighborhood has had a lot of gang violence and poverty. But that doesn’t mean every kid falls into that trap.
I credit my parents for giving me a strong sense of right and wrong. “Listen to your inner voice,” my Mom always says. “That voice will tell you what choice to make.”
My love of music is probably something I get from my Dad. From the earliest age, I remember how he introduced me to all his favorite kinds of music—rock, traditional Mexican music and classical.
For the past several years, I’ve been part of KidWorks’ Avanti program, where high school students like me learn from Joe Cristina a professional musician. We get actual experience in composition, arranging, orchestration and production.
Thanks to Joe and KidWorks, I’ve now sung and played music before live audiences. Also, each year in high school, I was part of our choir, and last year auditioned and was accepted by the Southern California Vocal Association Honor Choir.
I hope that my professional musical career will include touring the country, singing and playing music. Yet, no matter where my love of music takes me, I’ll always remember Santa Ana, my city. I’ll also always be forever grateful to KidWorks’ and the wonderful staff and volunteers who helped me all these years.
By Lilian Ramirez