“Holy moly, look at this one!” exclaimed a fourth grade boy as he crouched over into the plants, trying to get a good handle on the tomato he just found. A few steps away at another garden box, one of his classmates from McPherson Elementary School was asking her teacher about a vegetable she uncovered. “What is this thing?” she asked as her teacher gently explained that it was an eggplant that was picked just a bit too soon.
The McPherson Community Garden is just one of several projects that On The Move has brought to the neighborhood. Funded through a grant from Kaiser Permanente, On The Move combines health education, access to fresh produce, civic engagement, and leadership development in Napa’s diverse McPherson neighborhood.
With 630 students, McPherson is one of the largest and most impacted schools in Napa County. Ninety two percent of its students are Latino and 87 percent are low-income; the school has the highest number of English learners in the entire school district. “We are focusing our efforts here in the McPherson area because we want to establish a neighborhood where every child claims a future in which all possibilities are real and attainable,” said Nick Challed, grants director for On The Move during a recent tour of the school. “The grants that Kaiser Permanente have provided are really letting us help shape these future leaders and open these kids up to a whole new world of opportunity.”
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Family Resource Center
In addition to the community garden, On The Move helped create the McPherson Family Resource Center. The center offers family support services, like help filling out forms, provides computer access, offers volunteer opportunities at the school and helps give parents a sense of community. The center also created popular “Parent University Classes” that cover everything from healthy eating to becoming an effective school advocate.
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“To help remove any boundaries, the classes are free of charge and are available bilingually with childcare,” noted Challed. “The Parent University is a first stop for parents who are not very comfortable or familiar with the school system. We want to help give them the tools to succeed.”
Adelaida has two daughters who attend McPherson. She is also an active school volunteer. “I learned how to read and ask questions, some computer skills and how to cook healthy.”
Leadership Academies
With On The Move, the school has also created Leadership Academies with nearby Napa High to help inspire the elementary aged students. The high school students are able to mentor the younger kids while exploring their own college potential through workshops, classroom help and tours of colleges. “This is such an important program because for many in this neighborhood, college has never been an option,” said Leslie Medine, executive director of On The Move. “We want to create a pipeline for success for kids from elementary school to middle and then high school. We want the students to become accountable for their future. Our vision is that everyone should have an opportunity for education.”
Monica was a part of the Leadership Academy. “I came in with a 1.3 GPA and I was quiet and not comfortable being pushed beyond my comfort zone,” she said. ”But we were made to do public speaking and set up a study schedule. This became my second home.”
Monica is now attending a local junior college and is proud of the 3.86 grade point average she earned upon high school graduation. “For the first time in my life, my parents said they were proud of me.”
VOICES
Voice Our Independent Choice for Emancipation Support is another initiative that On The Move has brought to Napa.
The center provides life skills to youth that have aged-out of the foster care system and those that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning. With a large kitchen, monthly social events, computer lab and well-stocked closet with clothes ready for job interviews, VOICES aims to help create a family atmosphere where everyone is made to feel welcome and included.
“We want to be the one stop shop for wellness of the mind, body and soul,” said Andres Cantera, who holds a youth-staff position at VOICES. “For many of the people here, they don’t have a real ‘home’ to go home to, whether it is because of foster care issues or their sexuality. So we try and fill that void, supporting and creating a solid plan for everyone.”
“For me, VOICES was a place that helped me find my voice, and working here now is an opportunity to help kids like me who need that bit of a kick start.”
For more information on On The Move, visit: http://www.onthemovebayarea.org/
For more information on Kaiser Permanente’s community benefit program, visit:
http://info.kaiserpermanente.org/communitybenefit/html/index.html
