Heart House of Austin

How Are YOU Smart?

2009-05-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Dr. Howard Gardner, a psychologist and professor of neuroscience from Harvard University, developed the theory of Multiple Intelligences, which challenged traditional beliefs in the fields of education and cognitive science. Unlike the established understanding of intelligence -- people are born with a uniform cognitive capacity that can be easily measured by short-answer tests -- MI reconsiders our educational practice of the last century and provides an alternative. This approach resonates highly with Heart House and has been adopted as one of our core beliefs about how we will work with children.

“Intelligence is the capacity to do something useful in the society in which we live. Intelligence is the ability to respond successfully to new situations and the capacity to learn from one’s past experiences.”—Dr. Howard Gardner

According to Howard Gardner, human beings have nine different kinds of intelligence that reflect different ways of interacting with the world. Each person has a unique combination, or profile. Although we each have all nine intelligences, no two individuals have them in the same exact configuration -- similar to our fingerprints. (For an overview of these nine intelligences, see our previous blog posting, The Many Kinds of Smart.)

For Gardner, intelligence is:

the ability to create an effective product or offer a service that is valued in a culture;
a set of skills that make it possible for a person to solve problems in life;
the potential for finding or creating solutions for problems, which involves gathering new knowledge.

Your turn: How are YOU smart?

There's a great online assessment we found which can help you determine your strongest intelligences. We found that it took an average of five minutes to complete, and was very fun to see the results. Find this assessment at http://literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html

Student Spotlight: Lanny and Anthony

2009-05-18T02:57:00.000-07:00

These are just some of the wonderful children you help support with your gifts of time and funding. THANK YOU for making a difference for these future citizens!

Lanny has made great progress toward improving his attitude and behavior this month. He is quiet and working hard during homework hour everyday and is setting a great example for others who want to make better choices.

Anthony has been attending Heart House for almost 3 years! Anthony is well known for his intellectual vocabulary, funny anecdotes on life, and his eagerness to take on leadership roles. In fact, he was just currently elected in charge of the Heart House reading center. He has impressed us all by taking the lead and working hard to make the reading center creative, quiet, and special. He has informed us that he has “hired” some other students on to help him make sure the reading center is working effectively whenever he is absent. Also, he created some outstanding journalism work during our newspaper project and even though we have already completed the project, he continues to take an interest in reading the newspaper and creating his own newsletters.

Read more Student Spotlight posts on the Heart House blog.

This Month's Photo Scrapbook

2009-05-13T04:05:00.000-07:00

Bulletin board decorators

Homework support with volunteer Mr. Denné

James in the Reading Center

Below: “Titanic Challenge", a teambuilding game this month—2
pictures

Symone updates the Word Wall

Rosa and Michelle

Heart House South students plan a special “Kits for Kids”
project in anticipation of Earth Day 2009

Desire, Terran and Thomas plan for Earth Day

Armando practices spelling using the Word Wall

Angel, Zach and Marissa use the Word Wall to plan their Earth
Day project

Older girls hanging out

School-Year Scrapbook

2009-05-11T05:45:00.000-07:00

We asked the children to vote on their favorite thematic units from this school year. Here’s what they said:

#1 Forces of Nature
This was one of the coolest themes EVER, according to the kids. We studied extreme weather, which included making tornadoes in a bottle, watching home videos of tsunamis in Asia, learning hurricane safety, making seismographs to measure earthquakes and creating PSAs to educate others on extreme weather safety.
Sponsor for Forces of Nature: SpawMaxwell

#2 Super Citizens
We studied the characteristics that make good citizens: honesty, responsibility, respect, compassion and courage. The unit culminated with elections (on real voting machines!) of student council members from each Heart House who embody these characteristics.
Sponsor for Super Citizens: Hart InterCivic

#3 Inventors and Inventions
Students got the chance to study famous inventors, like Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison, and create their own inventions to help others solve problems. Sponsor for Inventors and Inventions: SourcePulse

#4 Read, Write, Rock On
Heart House kids sharpened their reading and writing skills by creating word-bingo games, discussing banned books, writing each other’s biographies, making tongue twisters and even creating a Heart House newspaper! Sponsor for Super Citizens: Michael and Susan Dell Foundation

#5 Create a Holiday
Each grade group was able to create its very own holiday---naming the day and why and how it is celebrated. Some of the holidays included Kids vs. Teachers Day and Snowflake Day. Sponsor for Create a Holiday: Foundation Communities

Thank you to our sponsors who made these great learning months possible. For more information on sponsoring a month of learning at Heart House, contact Diane Cannon, Executive Director, at (512) 929-8187 or dcannon@hearthouse.org.

Just as Green, Maybe a Little Smaller

2009-05-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Green thumbs abounded at the spring planting on April 15th at Heart House North. The Heart House Garden Club, with the help of our partners, Green Corn Project, planted cherry tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, green beans, basil, cilantro, and oregano. Special thanks to the ever cheerful, ever patient Mitch Mills, who has nurtured our garden club and is the current President of Green Corn Project. Produce from the Heart House garden club will be featured at our upcoming BBQ on June 13th (see Events.) Be sure to stop by!

See more pictures at: www.hearthouse.org/photos.htm

Matching Donation Drive for Camp Heart House

2009-05-06T03:11:00.000-07:00

It’s time again this spring to look ahead to the summer!

We are currently planning our exciting summer program called Camp Heart House. During our 8 week summer camp we are able to offer youth so many fun and interesting choices in activities and programs. Camp Heart House boasts engaging programs like Mad Science, Rad Readers, Heart House Idol, foreign languages, summer service learning, and fitness. We are also enthused to announce that this summer we are able to offer some new programs such as comedy and improv, cooking, counseling groups and leadership. We are also planning some enriching field trips to explore Austin’s rich culture and history and of course will be going swimming on a regular basis!

Each spring we begin planning our summer program, reaching out to organizations and individuals to collaborate and support our program. So far, these are the awesome organizations that have teamed up with us to provide cool programs for this summer:

LifeWorks
Texas AgriLife Extension
4-H Capital Area
Youth Interactive
Notre Dame Summer Service Learning Program
Computer Corps & American Youthworks (an extension of AmeriCorps)

Summer is an exceptionally challenging time for the Heart House families. Most school-year programs close for the summer, and summer child-care costs average $700/month per child. The working-class families in the Heart House neighborhoods simply cannot afford quality care for their school-age children during the summer. Without Heart House, parents would likely have to choose between safe child care and their employment.

Camp Heart House operates Monday-Friday, 9am-3pm, June 15-August 8. The camp helps to bridge a wide gap: supporting both the child’s social and academic growth and the family’s financial security. We need to raise an additional $25,000 to fully fund Camp Heart House.

It only takes $75 to send a child to Camp Heart House for a week. For every $75 you donate in May, an anonymous donor has agreed to match it, dollar for dollar. This donor invites you to financially support Heart House because she believes so strongly in our programs and purposes. Together, we can make a big difference in the lives of Austin's deserving children.

Games and Sportsmanship

2009-05-04T06:25:00.000-07:00

We've just wrapped up April’s theme of “Games and Sportsmanship” which focused on what different games and sports can teach us about ourselves and each other. We spent the first few weeks focused on learning about good sportsmanship, teamwork, and games that can teach us about cultures around the world. We wrapped up our theme by experiencing some athletic games and creating our very own unique Heart House Olympics!

Special Guest Highlight:

Journalist Nick Boeglin visited Heart House North recently to help facilitate a Fun Friday called “In the Newsroom”. Both he and our Program Leader, Ms. Emily, dressed up to get the kids excited about feeling like real journalists, working on various news stories.

Join Our Learning Community
We love special guests at Heart House! In the past, we've had everyone from ballerinas to slam poets to Scuba Steve visit us. You're invited to join us one day after school to share your talent and passion with the children. If you would like to be a special guest or organize a special project with your friends, please let us know. You can call our Volunteer Coordinator at (512) 929-8187 or email us at volunteer@hearthouse.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

Read Along with Heart House! Books About Games and Sportsmanship

2009-05-04T06:19:00.000-07:00

Let the Games Begin! by Maya Ajmera, Michael Regan, and Global Fund for Children

Following an introduction by former senator Bill Bradley, Ajmera and Regan elaborate on the philosophy of sport, addressing one aspect (practice, sportsmanship, teamwork, competition, rules) on each two-page spread. The text, which assumes a budding interest in sport participation, directly addresses the reader, in a tone that is friendly, reassuring, and encouraging. Each spread is illustrated by five photographs of children from around the world who are involved in a sport. Each also features a highlighted quote from a child, which offers insightful advice to the reader on navigating the ups and downs of participation. The title and the picture of a gymnast on the cover are a bit misleading in suggesting that the book concerns the Olympics, but, in fact, the authors have accessibly depicted sport as a fundamental, unifying human endeavor that reflects the ideals the Olympic games embody.

Eco-Fun: Great Projects, Experiments, and Games for a Greener Earth by David Suzuki and Kathy Vanderlinden

These 48 activities are designed to stimulate understanding, knowledge, and appreciation of our ecosystem. They are organized into five chapters: "A Breath of Fresh Air," "Waterworks," "Earthborn," "All Fired Up," and "Our Fine Feathered (and Leafy) Friends." A two-page explanatory overview precedes each section. Activities include making a solar water heater, paper, a composting can, and natural cleansers. Each project has a list of supplies needed, step-by-step instructions, an explanation of what's going on, and "More ideas-" that offers additional things to do. Safety tips are included and the more dangerous procedures recommend adult assistance. Illustrations enhance the lively text, which can be used in the classroom or at home.

Do you want to make a contribution to the Heart House library and reading program?
We would be proud for you to be a reading buddy by donating funds or a gift certificate to Heart House so we can expand our reading program. For more information, please contact Diane Cannon, our Executive Director, at dcannon@hearthouse.org or (512) 929-8187.

Sense Without Cents

2009-05-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

In a Tightening Economy, Relationships and Non-Monetary Resources Guide Successful Social Innovation Among Nonprofit Partners

Heart House is preparing to expand its two Austin and three Dallas fully-operational neighborhood centers to 25 dotting Texas by 2020 through its participation in the Growth Learning Collaborative.

The Growth Learning Collaborative is a social innovation project, organic in nature, pooling together various Austin-based nonprofit partners to seek solutions to growth challenges in a stiffening economy. The initial objective for Growth Learning collaborators was to secure space — physical and time — to talk with and learn from experts and peers regarding options for growing organizations. Project members have met monthly at various locations since June 2008.

“The idea of the Growth Learning Collaborative has been more than simply expanding our organizations,” Anna Land, originator of the collaborative plus Heart House USA CEO and founder, said. “I wanted us to meet to discuss and plan implementation of best-practice techniques to help grow and — more fundamentally — replicate our organizations. In our case, children across Texas need a resource like Heart House. To that end, we focus on how we can
naturally nurture and maintain our sense of organizational culture, our enactment of our missions and values, through cycles of leadership and volunteers across Heart House USA hubs.”

The Growth Learning Collaborative develops at a crucial moment in Central Texas. Opportunities for nonprofits to receive contributions of time, money and other resources dwindle. The need to maximize what resources nonprofits have to survive, let alone envision expansion or long-term existence, escalates.

“The current financial crisis could actually be seen as an opportunity,” Nell Edgington, president of Social Velocity, said. “Because of the recent failings of the financial markets, investors are beginning to look for social return in addition to, or even in place of, financial return. Venture philanthropy or growth capital for nonprofits, the funding that will help organizations like Heart House USA grow, is becoming increasingly needed and valued. With the number and complexity of social problems — like those Heart House is attempting to resolve — on the rise, nonprofits that have found solutions should be encouraged to grow to meet more needs. And they need growth capital to do so.”

Growth capital is an idea coming of age in the nonprofit world. One of several nonprofit partners currently participating in Austin’s leading-edge social innovation project is KDK-Harman Foundation, Central Texas’ 13th largest family philanthropy.

“One of our chief objectives is to promote a culture of giving excellence, an environment in which nonprofit supporters can help contribute best-practice solutions to turn challenges into opportunities,” Janet Harman, KDK-Harman president and founder, said. “Funding to help organizations is not our only focus. Rather, we aim to learn, adopt and promulgate proven solutions to empower nonprofit organizations to maximize their capacities to provide educational opportunities to low-income Central Texans. It’s our high-engagement philanthropic approach.”

Austin Partners in Education, a nonprofit that connects Austin community and classrooms to promote academic excellence and personal success for all students in the Austin Independent School District, is a current Growth Learning Collaborative member.

“We are honored to have been invited to participate in the collaborative because of our deep respect for the participants, for their talent and what they’ve achieved,” Kathrin Brewer, Austin Partners in Education executive director, said. “Through the Growth Learning Collaborative, we aim to have an opportunity to ask questions and share our challenges. We enjoy learning from participants’ experience and ideas, sharing practices and to getting their feedback on our strategies.”

Badgerdog Literary Publishing, a nonprofit that puts writers in the schools, providing access to best-in-class literary arts programming for young low-income and minority Central Texans, also participates in the social innovation project.

“As a fast-growing social enterprise, Badgerdog has moved out of the start-up phase with a healthy blend of earned and contributed revenue,” said Melanie Moore, founder and president. “Faced with the next phase of growth at a time when the financial and the publishing landscapes are in dramatic flux, Anna’s idea to establish the Growth Learning Collaborative has provided the participants a valuable opportunity to pool our experience and our inquiries in a real-time, generative knowledgebase that informs our decisions — and visions — for our respective organizations.”

The Growth Learning Collaborative meets on a monthly basis. For more information about Heart House's growth plans in Texas generally and Austin specifically, please email anna@hearthouse.org.

Marco Luna is our May Volunteer Spotlight!

2009-04-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

Mr. Marco's favorite Heart House moment (so far): “I taught a group of boys the magic trick where you pretend to take your thumb off. All of them had the most shocked face I have ever seen!”

You can usually find Mr. Marco in the 2nd and 3rd grade classroom at Heart House South. If you don’t see him around, look under the pile of children to the side and there he’ll be! The kids there have taken to him in such a way, that we hope he stays with us well after his college years.

Not much older than the children are, Mr. Marco was quite a surprise as volunteer. He came to Heart House in December of 2008 through the school program American Youth Works. As a student, Marco had the opportunity to commit his service learning project hours to a non-profit organization. He luckily chose us.

At first notice, he seems a cool cat, reserved and non-drama like. But he blossoms into smiles and laughter when he’s with the kids, teaching them silly magic tricks, letting them jump around him (and on him sometimes) and helping them with homework. He sincerely enjoys being with the children and it’s apparent the children love him too. When asked if he might consider teaching as a career, he smiles and says “Oh, yeah, this might be something I’ll want to keep on doing.” We are very lucky to have him with us almost five days a week through, at least, the summer- although he has hinted about staying on past his service learning obligation. Our fingers are crossed!

It is obvious the children very much look forward to him coming in and benefit from his affirming attention. His encouraging, playful nature lies at the core of what Heart House looks for in fruitful mentorship. His work with the children, with out a doubt, will encourage good choices that will bring beneficial change to our society. Many cheers, to you, Mr. Marco. We know you’ll remain a positive force for children around you, always.

More about Mr. Marco:

What are some of your hobbies? I've been a DJ for almost five years and enjoy teaching others who are interested about it or giving lessons.
What is your favorite food? Burgers (fast food)
What is your favorite color? Black
If you had a favorite superhero power what would it be and why? I would be super fast so I could trick people, and no need for a car.
What made you volunteer with Heart House? I wanted to work with kids and I jumped at the opportunity of helping them here.
What keeps you coming back to Heart House? The kids, the stories they tell me, the things they do, the fact they look up to me in some way.

Five Minds for the Future

2009-04-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

At Heart House, one of our core beliefs is that children are "smart" in different ways. We honor the multiple intelligences of our Heart House children and design our program accordingly.
We base this belief on the work of Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, first published in his book, Frames of Mind. For a great summary of the theory of multiple intelligences, you might enjoy our blog posting, The Many Kinds of Smart. (http://hhaustin.blogspot.com/2008/03/many-kinds-of-smart.html)

Our book recommendation >> The staff at Heart House has been reading Gardner's newest book, Five Minds for the Future, which outlines the specific cognitive abilities that will be sought and cultivated by leaders in the years ahead. One of the reasons for our excitement is that we passionately believe we are supporting the cultivation and development of each of these indentified mindsets needed for the future in our Heart House children. For example:

The Disciplinary Mind, the mastery of major schools of thought, including science, mathematics, and history, and of at least one professional craft. Our job at Heart House is to RECONNECT children with the joy of learning. Heart House aligns its "disguised learning" with AISD's emphasis on a solid education in the fundamentals of these core subjects. Additionally, 100% of our curriculum aligns with TEKS.
The Synthesizing Mind, the ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into a coherent whole and to communicate that integration to others. Heart House integrates multiple disciplines into our monthly themes, allowing students to see how ideas are connected. Teaching in such a contextual manner promotes collaboration, critical thinking, and knowledge retention.
The Creating Mind: the capacity to uncover and clarify new problems, questions and phenomena. As part of Heart House's dedication to producing critical thinkers, we see creativity as the highest level of critical thinking, when expressed by synthesizing information gathered from the monthly theme to create a new idea, product, or point of view.
The Respectful Mind: awareness of and appreciation for differences among human beings and human groups. Cultivating emotional and interpersonal intelligence among children, staff members, volunteers, and the greater community is modeled and rewarded at Heart House.
The Ethical Mind: fulfillment of one's responsibilities as a worker and as a citizen. We rigorously ask our students what they need to do for their work to be excellent in quality and ethical in conduct, and then how they might follow through with those responsibilities.

Find out more about our program by clicking here.

Hudson and Sophia: Student Spotlights

2009-04-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

Sophia helps her program leader and volunteers set up activities with a smile. Whether it is returning items that belong to her class, or explaining (very nicely, of course) to some of her fellow Heart Housers why they should behave, Sophia is always willing to help. (Nominated by Ms. Jenny)

Hudson is always helping others and doing what is expected of him without being asked. He has great manners and really stands out among his peers. Hudson is a superstar! (Nominated by Mr. Paul)

SourcePulse: Donor Spotlight

2009-04-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Dr. Prabhakar Malireddy is founder and President of SourcePulse, a company of 30+ headquartered in Austin that provides a full range of services including management consulting, solutions delivery and managed services to fulfill its mission to improve the operational performance of its clients. On behalf of SourcePulse, Dr. Malireddy reached out to Heart House after discovering our website. The company was looking to make a meaningful financial investment in the community and did its due diligence by visiting Heart House and exploring our program and its benefits to children and working families.

When asked why he and SourcePulse chose Heart House, Dr. Malireddy said, “We believe strongly in equal chances for all children to succeed despite their economic inequalities. We know it’s difficult for some families to provide after-school care for their children as they need to work long hours to make both ends meet. Heart House is striving to keep kids safe after school hours and also to keep them on academic track so that they can grow up into responsible citizens.”

Dr. Malireddy values education and takes pride in the fact that he and his siblings, despite a modest upbringing in India, have all achieved extremely high levels of educational attainment. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science and is part of several strategic projects at MIT as part of his post doctoral research. Prior to founding SourcePulse, Dr. Malireddy was the Director of Engineering at CommerceOne and made leading contributions at other software companies prior to that.

SourcePulse is an IBM business partner and provides services to many State of Texas Agencies, such as the Texas Health & Human Services Commission and the Texas Education Agency. The company provides its valuable services in a manner such that its clients may remain flexible to meet changing business needs and easily reconfigure their technology in the future.

Dr. Malireddy is truly a visionary business leader; therefore, Heart House is honored to receive such a generous donation from him and SourcePulse, which will fund program activities at both Heart House sites for two months and allow us to continue to support working families.

Body Power Means Brain Power

2009-04-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

According to the most recent Fitnessgram, an annual study of the fitness of Texas children, students who are physically fit are more likely to pass state tests and attend school regularly. The Fitnessgram, which was created by The Cooper Institute in 1982, measured the fitness levels of over 2.4 million Texas students during the 2007-2008 school year. In addition to the link between physical health and academic success, last year’s Fitnessgram also indicated that students who are fit may also be less likely to exhibit behavior issues in school.

Additionally, having a positive attitude toward fitness is especially important for certain populations. Citing recent statistics, the Austin-American Statesman reports, “Research has shown that children who are Hispanic or African American, or who come from low-income families tend to have higher levels of physical inactivity and obesity, putting them at higher risk of developing such health problems as diabetes and heart, joint and bone diseases. Low-income students in Austin tend to be less fit than students from wealthier families. And Austin s Hispanic students tend to be less fit than students of other races, according to state data. State figures also show that the scores of low-income, African American and Hispanic students lag behind those of students overall on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.”

At Heart House, we support health and fitness through our partnerships with Meals on Wheels and More, the Capital Area Food Bank, Active Life, Shoes for Austin and many others. While these collaborations support fitness in a variety of ways, there is one underlying theme that connects them all: supporting positive attitudes toward fitness. Whether students are trying new, healthy foods during their daily snack at Heart House or learning a fun game to play outdoors, Heart House works to develop excitement and curiosity around physical health. Heart House students even get regular outdoor free time to play football, jump rope, hula hoop and participate in many more active games with our great volunteers.

Although some populations may be more vulnerable to the negative effects of inactivity, becoming physically fit can help all students become more successful in school and in life and that’s what Heart House is all about!

SOURCES: Bloom, Molly (2009, March 10) Fit Student, Fit Mind? The Austin-American Statesman. www.statesman.com. Cooper Institute, The (2009) Fitnessgram Program Overview. Retrieved March 10, 2009 from www.fitnessgram.net.

Looking at Literacy

2009-03-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

As a program that focuses on academic support and enrichment, Heart House has very meaningful opportunities to enhance the confidence, skills, and progress of so many children. One of the major challenges facing youth today is literacy. Reading and writing is essential to success in school and life. Did you know that as early as age 6, kids have already decided whether or not they like or want to read? Can you imagine the impact this can have on youth throughout the rest of their lives?

While illiteracy is an unseen problem, it profoundly impacts our society. U.S. Department of Education statistics reveal that 60% of prison inmates are illiterate, and 85% of all juvenile offenders have reading problems. Illiteracy leads to low self-esteem, unemployment, poverty, and crime. Literacy empowers people to better their lives and the lives of their families, and our communities.At Heart House, we recognize the significant value of kids developing positive relationships with reading and writing. That is why we strive to improve our children’s reading and writing skills each year through the materials and programs we offer.Specifically, programs like “Reading Buddies” which partner struggling readers with adult volunteers for fun literacy activities, have highly impacted our kids’ success in reading and writing. In fact, “Reading Buddies” is a program we have offered for the past 4 years, one that is incredibly popular among our kids. Everyone wants a Reading Buddy!

During the 2008-2009 school year, we are proud to say that 90% of Heart House children improved their reading level by at least one level or improved their TAKS reading scores. (Read about even more of our success at Heart House.)

We know that our afterschool program has the unique opportunity to motivate and encourage children to believe in themselves and their abilities. At Heart House, “disguised learning” happens all the time! (Those little moments when kids are having fun and smiling without even realizing that they are learning new skills.)Also, our site directors continue to pursue and nourish relationships with reading specialists in schools and the community to provide tools and strategies for our volunteers and staff that will truly encourage and enrich literacy at our centers—whether its phonics, fluency, or comprehension.

We are incredibly excited to start a new theme for the next two months focused on reading and writing. Our theme titled “Read, Write, Rock On!” will emphasize that reading and writing can be a truly positive and enjoyable experience in our daily lives. Kids will learn that reading and writing are essential tools for almost any hobby, skill, or career they wish to have! Current youth and adult literacy rates across the state and country are staggering. But as educators, volunteers, family and community members, we CAN make a difference by making reading and writing fun, relevant, and meaningful for everyone!

Facts about Illiteracy:

In 1998, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tested children nationwide for reading skills.1 The results for reading tests for 4th graders revealed that 38% read below the most basic level, while only 7% could be considered above-average readers.
In 1998 there were ten million children between seven and eleven years of age who performed below the most basic level of reading achievement.
The average reader spent about 6 minutes per day reading connected text. Children with reading problems spent about one minute per day. The amount of time students spent on worksheets did not relate to gains in reading achievement. What appeared to be most relevant was time spent reading connected print.
Children who struggle in vain with reading in the first grade soon decide that they neither like nor want to read.
In 2000, fourth grade students who reported reading more pages daily in school and for homework had higher average scale scores than students who reported reading fewer pages daily.

How you can help>> Volunteer to be a Reading Buddy! For more information, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Shelly-Marie Rios, at (512) 929-8187 or volunteer@hearthouse.org.

Sources for Statistics:

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics. The Executive Summary of the 1998
National Assessment for Educational Progress Reading Report Card for the Nation, NCES 1999-50 (Washington, D.C.: March 1999).

Population Estimates Program, Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau Washington, D.C. 20233
Stahl, Steven A., Ann Duffy-Hester, et al. "Everything You Wanted to Know About Phonics (But Were Afraid to Ask.)" Reading Research Quarterly 33, no. 3 (July-September 1998):338-356.

National Research Council. Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. Catherine Snow

Susan Burns, Peg Griffin, eds. (Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1998).Education Statistics

Quarterly. Vol 3, Issue 2. “The Nation’s Report Card: Fourth Grade Reading 2000”

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: Kay Alderman

2009-03-23T05:27:00.000-07:00

“Ms. Kay, you’re a saint!” This quote comes straight from a Heart House program leader at our north site. Ms. Kay is awesome, indeed. Like clockwork, she comes in at 2:40 almost every Tuesday and Thursday. Before we know it, she sets up the second and third grade classroom and is ready to go. This reliable preparation help alone is enough to put Ms. Kay in the spotlight. It frees up important time for the program leader to prep other materials for the day. However, it is her consistency in coming in that makes her an outstanding volunteer. Ms. Kay has created a foundation for successful mentor relationships. All the kids know her and are more than comfortable around her. She exemplifies what Heart House children benefit from most: consistent relationships.

Ms. Kay has been with Heart House for one year. She is retired from the College of Education at the University of Akron in Ohio and brings with her a treasure chest of education knowledge. Extremely trustworthy, you will find her escorting children around and helping where ever she is needed. She’s excellent at asking the children to keep to their cleaning duties- yes, Ms. Kay stays until the end of the program! Kay is passionate about education and dedicates even her retired life to its mission. She is extremely active in the community and shares her volunteer time with the AISD Partners in Education College Readiness program and one hour a week at Austin High School and Lanier High School. When you speak with her, she always seems to have a story and is quite the adventurer. Last month, Kay was jumping around Costa Rican beaches and rainforests. We are lucky she came back! Ms. Kay, we are so honored you give Heart House your valuable time. We are privilege to have someone one with such a big heart and valuable experience be a part of our volunteer family. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!

Interesting facts about Ms. Kay:

What keeps you coming back to Heart House?
My interest in the education and development of children and seeing this happen.
Free Time?
Reading, book club, walking, hiking
Favorite food?
Shrimp
Favorite color?
Blue
What made you volunteer with HH?
My lifelong commitment to education.
What is you favorite HH moment?
The moments when I see a HH child "getting" the math problem.

Student Spotlight: Adrian and Mitchell

2009-03-04T05:24:00.000-08:00

These are just some of the wonderful children you help support with your gifts of time and funding. THANK YOU for making a difference for these future citizens!

Adrian received the “Most Improved” student award in his group in January for all of the hard work he has put into improving his effort and attitude at Heart House! (He is on the right in the above picture.) His program leader is so proud of the progress he has made and commented that she notices how he tries to keep other students on task now! He is a super helper during clean-up time and loves to take on any leadership role he can at Heart House. We are very excited about all of the great ways he is modeling positive behavior for other Heart House kids since returning from the holiday break. Way to go, Adrian!

Mitchell wows us in all kinds of ways! Whether he is working on activities in the classroom or scoring touchdowns during outside time, Mitchell is a prime example of how perseverance, enthusiasm and heart lead to success. Plus, his quick wit and kind thoughtfulness make him a joy to be around. We can’t wait to see all of the great things that Mitchell is sure to accomplish in the future.

EnviroKids!

2009-03-02T05:56:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Keep Austin Beautiful for providing us with several activity kits to supplement and enhance our “EnviroKids” activities! EnvironKids

Creating their own landfills

"Compost Critters"

Exploring the worm bin

For more great pictures of our children, visit our online photo scrapbook at http://www.hearthouse.org/photo.htm.

Heart House Board Member and Austin realtor gives 25% of her commission to charity - every time

2009-02-26T08:04:00.000-08:00

Austin realtor gives 25% of her commission to charity - every time
Written by http://givingcityaustin.wordpress.com/

So let me get this straight: Give Realty gives 25% of its commission to charity? In my name?

Yeah, I think that’s how it works. I get this realtor, Laurie Loew of Give Realty, to help me find a house. She makes a commission when I buy it - from what I remember commission is 6% of the house’s selling price. So if I buy the house for $200,000, for example, Laurie and the other realtor who worked with the seller split a commission of $12,000 total or $6000 each.
But then… while the other realtor pockets all most of the $6000 (their broker/office usually gets a portion), Laurie pockets $4500 and gives the remaining $1500 to the charity of my choice. I get to make the donation. I write the check. I get the tax deduction.

So what’s the catch?

I met Laurie at Jo’s yesterday to ask her about that. The thing is, there isn’t a catch. She just wants to do this. She just wants to help the community. What makes this so odd, mostly, is that no one else is doing this. She’s done the research and cannot find a realtor anywhere in the country who is giving away so much of their commission - and in their clients’ names. I mean, I think about moving once in a while, but this makes me want to go house hunting immediately. It’s kind of unbelievable.

Lots of people want to help the community, but how many can take 25% of their income and give it away, and not even in their own name?

But still you’re wondering… what’s the catch? Let me break this down for you:

…she’s independently wealthy? Laurie used to be wealthy-ish, but she got a divorce, gave up on the stuff aquisition, and started to feel good about her life. So now she’s trading wealth for health and happiness. Go figure.

….she’s taking a cut somewhere else? Nope. She’s met with accountants, lawyers, entrepreneurs, lots of people to make sure she’s doing this in a straight-up, totally kosher way.

…she’s doing this as a marketing gimmick? She’s not, actually. But think about it… even if she is… so what? She gives 25% of her commission to charity. Nice gimmick.

….she’s a little nuts? I know why you’re thinking this. You’re thinking this because you think realtors in general are greedy or lazy or a little bit of both, so she must be a kinda crazy. But a.) realtors can be cool people and b.) Laurie’s not crazy. She’s extremely sane, in fact. And she’s definitely not greedy or lazy. She worked her butt off for years to become one of the best realtors in Austin before starting Give Realty on her own.

The thing is, there is no catch. She’s just a super-nice lady, and in fact, she has two other super-nice people working with her, Robin LeTourneau and Joe Menefe. I hope you’ll hire them or refer them to someone you know who’s looking to buy or sell their home. Because it might be fun writing a big old check to the nonprofit of your choice.

Learn more about Give Realty here: http://www.giverealtyaustin.com/

(Since August 2008, Give Realty Austin has already given away $7,400 to local nonprofits. And within the next month, Laurie thinks they’ll be at $10,000. What an incredible impact one realtor can have!)

Abe Arevalo, Super Volunteer

2009-02-24T10:33:00.000-08:00

If Abe Arevalo could bottle up and sell his energy and charisma, he would be a millionaire in a month. He has been an inspiring volunteer with Heart House for more than a year. As a behind the scenes volunteer, Abe has consulted us on several software projects that have strengthened the infrastructure of Heart House. He is also a member of HHVAC (Heart House Volunteer Advisory Committee) and has contributed such well thought out proposals for improvement that he was recently voted in as our newest member of the Heart House Board of Directors.

And, Abe doesn’t stop there. You will also find him working directly with the children on homework and activities. When asked what his favorite volunteer memory was, he didn’t talk about helping the staff with our computer projects, instead he mentioned the kids, “It would have to be just coming in and getting an enthusiastic hi from the kids, sometimes it's literal and other times you can tell by their reaction when you walk in the door.”

Born in Brownville, Texas, Abe moved north to attend school at the University of Minnesota where he majored in Electrical Engineering. He currently works at IBM as a Software Engineer for the Linux Technology Center, working on finding solutions to Linux defects found on IBM hardware.

Other interesting facts about Abe Arevalo:

Favorite hobbies?
I love to play basketball, I like to work out in general. I'm a big movie watcher, whether it’s TV, Netflix, Blockbuster, Theater, if it's on a screen, I'll watch it! Outside of that, spending time with family and going out with friends.

Favorite food
Donuts, I never get sick of them.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?
To fly, because I'd save so much on gas and wouldn't have to worry about speeding tickets (which I've gotten here and there).

Student Spotlight: Emily and Gabriel

2009-02-24T05:49:00.000-08:00

Besides ALWAYS being on task, Emily goes out of her way to help her classmates. She has a great sense of humor and is constantly smiling and laughing. She also has quite a curious streak. Emily is full of questions about the world around her, which we love to see at Heart House!

Gabriel has come a long way over this course of this semester. He has a wonderful attitude and carries himself with great decorum. Gabriel continues to impress us more and more everyday as his thoughtful behavior grows.

Student Spotlight: Juana and Adrian

2009-02-21T06:52:00.000-08:00

These are just some of the wonderful children you help support with your gifts of time and funding. THANK YOU for making a difference for these future citizens!

This is Juana’s first year at Heart House, but it feels like she has been a part of our group forever! Her program leader describes her as incredibly helpful, cheerful, and hard-working. She takes great care of her two younger brothers who also attend Heart House and also watches over kids in the program. We look forward to spending even more time with her in the Spring!

Adrian is one of the most respectful students we have come across. He shows great personal discipline and is always one of the first students to offer a helping hand.

Read Along with Heart House

2009-02-19T02:39:00.000-08:00

Math Curse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

This latest whimsical work from Scieszka and Smith (The True Story of the Three Little Pigs; The Stinky Cheese Man) is bound to stretch out the old thinking cap. The day after her teacher announces, "You know, you can think of almost everything as a math problem," the narrator is afflicted with a "math curse" that affects how she views every facet of her day ("Everything seems to be a problem"). A minimum of the questions she asks herself are entirely logical ("How many quarts are in a gallon?"); some are far-fetched extrapolations (if an M&M is about one centimeter long and the Mississippi River is about 4000 kilometers long, how many M&Ms would it take to measure the length of this river?); and a happily hefty number are sheer nonsense: "I undo 8 buttons plus 2 shoelaces. I subtract 2 shoes. I multiply times 2 socks and divide by 3 pillows to get 5 sheep, remainder 1, which is all I need to count before I fall asleep." Like the text, Smith's wonderfully wacky collage-like art will give readers ample food for thought-even if it's part junk food. Here's a morsel: "Does tunafish + tunafish = fournafish?" Kids will want seconds-count on it.

Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

When Judy and Peter find a board game in the park, they take it home, hoping to alleviate their boredom. One live lion, an erupting volcano, and a dozen destructive monkeys later, the children are no longer bored. Their jungle adventure game has come to life! Chris Van Allsburg is a master at walking the line between fantasy and reality. His unusually sculptured drawings (familiar to the many devoted fans of the Caldecott-winning The Polar Express and The Garden of Abdul Gasazi) convey the magical transition of a normal house to an exotic jungle. Readers will tremble along with Judy and Peter, urging them to roll the dice that will plunge them from one perilous predicament into another. Jumanji, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book and winner of the 1982 Caldecott Medal, is sure to amaze and thrill even the most jaded young reader.

Do you want to make a contribution to the Heart House library and reading program?
We would be proud for you to be a reading buddy by donating funds or a gift certificate to Heart House so we can expand our reading program. For more information, please contact Megan Heredia, our Development Director, by email or phone, (512) 751-6942.

The ACTIVE Life Challenge

2009-02-16T02:35:00.000-08:00

This month, Heart House is excited to announce a new collaboration with ACTIVE Life! As part of the ACTIVE Life Challenge, students will participate in a free, 8-week, fun, incentive-based health and fitness program for our sites, students, staff and their families. Heart House students will form teams with their families and complete weekly health and fitness challenges, which bring the team members together as they explore new physical activities and nutrition topics.

The ACTIVE Life Rewards Card gives our children VIP access at the ACTIVE Life Tour event which will be coming to our area in Spring 2009. We look forward to a challenging spring full of exciting, healthy activities for our students and families!

In addition to receiving the rewards that come from a healthy, ACTIVE lifestyle, teams who complete the challenge will receive an ACTIVE Life Rewards Card at the completion of the ACTIVE Life Challenge Program. The ACTIVE Life Rewards Card gives our children special discounts on healthy, fun products and services at local businesses, including a loyal Heart House donor, 1379 Athletic Wear.

“Read, Write, Rock On!”

2009-02-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

The goal of this month's theme is to allow the Heart House students to experience all of the fun and unique ways reading and writing is used in self-discovery, hobbies and entertainment, careers, and life in general. Inside and outside of the classroom are both equally challenging places to help kids improve their literacy skills. With this curriculum, we hope to reconnect the Heart House children with the wide world of literacy in all its forms.

Some special project topics and activities include:

Phonics & Phonemic Awareness for Early Elementary
Reader’s Theatre Activities for Lower & Upper Elementary
Poetry Activities
Host Your Own Poetry Slam
Lyrics & Music
Create Your Own Cookbook
Reading & Writing in a Digital World
Pen Pals & Mailboxes
Book Buddy: a special reading and writing project pairing older students with younger ones
Banned Books: a look into why certain writing is challenged and whether books should be banned

And here's what we studied recently:
Recently we have been busy bees investigating fact versus fiction for our “Myth Busters” theme. These activities were focused on scientific investigation in order to create well-informed hypotheses, observations, and conclusions. Some of the topics we explored were common misconceptions about insects and animals, fruits and plants, and life beyond Earth! We wrapped up our unit with our own spin on a popular kids’ game show, which we renamed “Are You Smarter Than a Heart House Kid?: Myth Busters edition”. The kids beat the socks off of the Heart House staff!

Special Guests

Kelly and Alex Freeman brought in worm bin to explore the benefits of worms in our environment.
Katie Kizziar and Kate Monzo conducted a scientific investigation of how to build flying objects other than airplanes.
Bat Conservation International discussed common misconceptions about bats and brought in several types of real live bats for kids to see!

Heart House Needs Community Volunteers

2009-02-12T08:41:00.000-08:00

Volunteers are the key to ongoing well-being of Heart House. Their time and life experiences bring vital energy into the lives of Heart House kids. Volunteering at Heart House is a fun and uplifting experience, and all it takes is a few hours a month.

For current opportunities working with children, serving on a committee, or assisting the hard-working staff of Heart House, please click here! We currently have these opportunities available:
Buzz Committee Members
Activity Time Volunteers
Behind the Scenes Volunteers
Presentation Volunteers
Project Manager, Expansion to Heart House Houston
Project Manager, Texas Expansion
Earned Income Intern
Special Projects Intern: Staff Training System
Communications Intern
Technology Intern

Be sure to check out our website at www.hearthouse.org/volunteering for upcoming orientations at Heart House. You may attend either location for an orientation, regardless of which Heart House you will volunteer at. For more information on volunteering at Heart House Austin, contact Shelly-Marie Rios, our Volunteer Coordinator, at 512-929-8187 / volunteer@hearthouse.org.

Student Spotlight: Scarlet and Victoria

2009-02-11T08:48:00.000-08:00

Scarlet has been coming to Heart House for two years and we have enjoyed watching her grow into the thoughtful, intelligent, and helpful little lady that she is! She is always bringing the staff holiday cards and gifts (which we love of course!), but more than that, she is always giving her best, whether it is homework, reading, or participating in activities. Even though she can be shy at times, she is such a caring and kind Heart House kid. We always look forward to her smile when she walks in each day. This is what out Program Director has to say about her: “Scarlet brought me a birthday dinner and cake on HER birthday! I couldn’t believe it! She is always doing nice things for kids and staff at Heart House. I am so glad she is here!”

Victoria is a great helper in the classroom. She is also imaginative, energetic and kind. Victoria is a joy to have in the program and we are very proud of her!

This Month's Program Sponsor: The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation

2009-02-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

This month's sponsor is The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, one of Heart House's first funders. They took a leap of faith with us, granting us significant funds before Heart House had even opened! Fast forward six years, and the foundation remains one of Heart House's biggest supporters. While MSDF continues to support Heart House's day-to-day operations and the afterschool program itself, the foundation has made some legacy gifts to Heart House that will help us to build capacity and better serve our children for years to come.

A recent example of MSDF's generous, engaged philanthropy was when our wonderful Program Officer, Nichole Aston, approached Heart House and asked us where we could best use new funds and what our challenges were. We told the foundation that Heart House needed a more efficient, web-based database for tracking data on children, volunteers and our program. Additionally, we wanted to grow our pool of loyal private donors. MSDF issued a grant allowing Heart House to develop an efficient new database and challenging us to raise more private donor funds, rewarding us with a matching grant to maximize the impact of the donations from other Heart House supporters.

Heart House was honored to nominate MSDF for the Central Texas Afterschool Network's 2008 "Donor of the Year" award. Nichole Aston accepted this award at the recent Breakfast of Champions, celebrating achievement and support of out-of-school-time programs in Central Texas.

CTAN Master of Ceremonies, Herman Whitney, CTAN President, Tameka Thomas, and Nichole Aston from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.

Heart House values its partnership with MSDF, and we consider ourselves so lucky to be funded by a foundation with such integrity and high standards. Thank you, MSDF, for making such an amazing impact at Heart House over the past six years, and for all that you do everywhere to "transform the lives of children living in urban poverty through better health and education."

My favorite little moment with the HH kids keeps happening over and over.

2009-01-26T20:39:00.000-08:00

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Kate Monzo, Heart House North

There is a glow about Kate Monzo that tells so much about her. She’s a combination of warmth and practicality that is an amazing asset to the Heart House Volunteer family and to the children we serve. Kate started with HH just this fall, but has been a superstar the entire time, putting together projects, pitching ideas for improvement (with a smile), and always willing to do a little extra and stay a little longer.

“My favorite little moment with the HH kids keeps happening over and over. I love it when I see the kids go through a problem rationally and solve the problem together. Another moment that was pretty cool was on the first day I volunteered. I was really excited but also a bit nervous. As I waited for the kids to arrive from school with the group leaders, I was getting really anxious. I wasn't sure if the kids would like me or want my help. Well, as soon as they came through the door, I was greeted with lots of smiles and questions and stories. My nervousness instantly went away. That was definitely a favorite moment.”

Kate was recently invited to join the newly formed Volunteer Advisory Committee where, as a member, she took the initiative to contact her local neighborhood association to set up a Heart House volunteer presentation. Another interesting project she is working on is a marker drive for Heart House kids.

Kate is currently a graduate research assistant and teaching assistant and a graduate student in the Molecular Cell and Developmental program at the University of Texas. She’s studying a gene that causes Fragile X Syndrome, a common form of mental retardation in humans, and plans to graduate with a PhD in August of this year. Other interesting facts about Kate:

What is your favorite color?
I'm from Chicago and miss it dearly. I think my favorite color is the steel blue of Lake Michigan in the winter.

If you could be any animal in the world what would you be and why?
Probably a dog or a wolf. I love being part of a pack and knowing I can depend on others.

What is your favorite food?
I love simple food, especially Hungarian food. My fiancé’s mother is Hungarian and cooks for us whenever she can.

What hobbies do you have?
I love hanging out with my two dogs, Nellie and Junco. We love to go camping and hiking. I have been knitting since I was little and love to do it when I can find the time. I am also an avid reader, lately I have been reading mostly science fiction.

Thank you Ms. Kate! We are lucky to have you. It is an absolute pleasure to have Kate on our team. She infuses Heart House with a pragmatic sensibility; a quality that is so beneficial to the development of Heart House children. We hope she stays with our “pack” for years to come.

Heart House HALOS 2009 Kick-Off Party!

2009-01-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

If you're interested in learning more about the leadership & social networking group that supports Heart House, stop by for our first happy hour of the year! On January 27th, 2009 join us between 5:30 – 7:30 pm at Roux Restaurant! Bring your friends!

The kick-off party will be a casual happy hour so folks can meet and greet, with light appetizers. Please RSVP.

About the HALOS:
If you would like to invest in the children of Heart House and engage with similarly-passionate supporters in a dynamic collaboration, please consider joining our leadership circle, HALOS, as a member of the inaugural Class of 2008-2009!We ask each HALOS member to commit to the following:

Pay annual donation of $1,000
Introduce two friends to the HALOS and Heart House family
Spread the Heart House story throughout the Austin community
Encourage others to contribute their time and talents to Heart House

To learn more about HALOS or discuss membership, please contact:Megan Heredia, Heart House Development Coordinator mheredia@hearthouse.org 512-929-8187

Join Us on December 10th at the Driskill Hotel

2008-12-02T01:51:00.000-08:00

Join the Heart House board and staff for lunch at the Driskill Hotel on Wednesday, December 10th!

In the spirit of the holiday season, the Driskill Hotel is inviting the community to share in a series of events and celebrations during its "12 Days of Driskill" festivities. Every day, from December 5-16, a Victorian Holiday Tea will be held in our Grand Lobby from 3-5 pm. Each evening, carolers from local schools will perform in front of the tree, with special food and desserts available from the 1886 Café and Bakery.

Heart House was selected as one of 12 local charities to be honored by the Driskill and the community during this celebration. A portion of the proceeds from meals and tea will be given directly to Heart House.

So if you're planning to have breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee or tea downtown on Wednesday, December 10th, please make the Driskill Hotel your choice for the day, and help the children of Heart House this holiday season!

Many of the Heart House board and staff members will be at the Driskill for lunch at noon. Please feel free to join our festive table!

Driskill Hotel: http://www.driskillhotel.com/austin-restaurants.php

What's New? Cool Community Collaborations!

2008-11-18T12:57:00.000-08:00

Heart House’s program is enriched by the valuable community partnerships we have made in Austin. Without these meaningful relationships, our children would lack wonderful opportunities to experience the arts, learn life skills, explore and tap into talents, and interact with positive adult role models. This month, we’d like to highlight some of our special community collaborations for the 2008-2009 school year:

Green Corn Project is working with Heart House to maintain our community garden. They have already planted fruits and veggies with our kids and now we wait impatiently for harvest time! Green Corn’s volunteers are dedicated and enthusiastic about teaching kids about healthier living and how to have great green thumbs! For more info about Green Corn Project please visit: http://www.greencornproject.org/gc

Paramount Theatre’s outreach program called “Skinny’s Gallery” provides Heart House families with ongoing opportunities to attend performances for free on the weekends! Some of the shows we have already checked out include “Jungle Jack Hannah” and “Seussical the Musical”. We look forward to the next 5 shows offered to us from now through May! For more info about Paramount Theatre & the “Skinny’s Gallery” program please visit: http://www.austintheatre.org.

Our partnership with Meals on Wheels and More is incredibly significant for our kids and program. They provide free daily meals for our kids which serve as healthy snacks in our program. They also provide ongoing programming and support to help after school programs instill healthier eating and nutrition in their learning communities. For more info on Meals on Wheels and More please visit: http://www.mealsonwheelsandmore.org.

Youth InterACTIVE is a NEW partnership this year which we are looking forward to! We will be featuring their ACTIVE Life Challenge in the spring as a family and community health component in our program. The challenge will encourage Heart House families to participate in fun health activities together, while earning a chance for rewards once the program is complete! For more info on Youth Interactive please visit: http://www.youthinteractive.org.

Mr. Thomas is just “one cool dude”

2008-11-14T11:20:00.000-08:00

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT:
Thomas Hill, Heart House South

“Mr. Thomas is here! Mr. Thomas is here!” was what our Volunteer Coordinator, Shelly-Marie, heard from across the room the second Mr. Thomas Hill walked through the door that first week of our fall program. His very calm, confident presence with the children is like classic jazz flowing through Coca Cola. Ahh! And wow, do the kids south just love him. It might also be because he comes in, on average twice a week (sometimes more) or that Mr. Thomas is, in the words of a Heart House child, just “one cool dude” that everyone genuinely likes being around.

“Volunteering at HH has been a very rewarding experience, says Mr. Thomas. "The kids are phenomenal and the staff is great. There is a sense of community that you don't find in most after school programs. The kids are funny, and it's great to just listen to their stories and adventures. I really like helping them with their homework, and at the end of the day, I love to just kick back and toss the football with the older kids. I cannot think of a better place to volunteer my time.”

During the day Mr. Thomas is an accountant at TMF Health Quality Institute and has been with Heart House since the spring of 2008. He is also part of a new Volunteer Advisory Board that met for the first time this month to contribute valuable views to staff from the volunteer perspective.

In September Heart House nominated Mr. Thomas for a Breakfast of Champions volunteer award through the Central Texas Aftershool Network (CTAN). His nomination statement written by South Site Director Meredith Meisetschlaeger read:

“Since March of 2008, Thomas has shown outstanding dedication to the students of Heart House South. His natural warmth, sense of humor and genuine interest in the lives of our students make him quite a popular guy. Yet despite a few arguments over who “gets to play with Mr. Thomas,” he manages to sincerely give his attention and energy to all who seek it. Thomas’ heartfelt commitment has made an indelible difference in the lives of our students and we appreciate him greatly.”

You may occasionally catch Mr. Thomas running races with the Heart House kids out back. It is no surprise that he likes playing football and basketball and bowls in a league on Monday nights. “I like playing dominoes, and I love to cook. I also try to go fishing at least once a month.” It is rumored that Mr. Thomas makes some of the best ribs in Texas- which course, to any Texan, means he makes the best ribs in the world! Thank you, Mr. Thomas, for being such a key player on our Heart House team!

What We're Reading (Staff and Friends)

2008-11-11T08:06:00.000-08:00

Heart House is a learning community for everyone -- children, staff and volunteers -- and as such, it attracts life-long learners and readers to our tribe. Heart House staff members share what they're reading these days. Volunteers, friends, supporters: Add your comment below and share with the Heart House community what is on your bedside table.

Meredith Meisetschlaeger, Site Director, Heart House South
Milan Kundera’s Immortality. Although to be honest, I probably read The Berenstain Bears more than anything (haha).

Brittany Neighbors, Program Leader, Heart House South
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind
Next up: Soon I Will be Invincible by Austin Grossman

Diane Cannon, Executive Director
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt
Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits by Leslie Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant (THANK YOU TO KDK-HARMAN FOUNDATION FOR THIS GIFT!

Shelly-Marie Rios, Volunteer Coordinator
The World as a Total System by Kenneth E. Boulding
Foundation's Edge, Isaac Asimov
Why Geography Matters: Three Challenges Facing America: Climate Change, the Rise of China, and Global Terrorism, Harm de Blij
Insects of the World, Walter Linsenmaier
Peace Not Apartheid, Jimmy Carter
Latest edition of Elle Décor Italia magazine
Latest edition of Dwell magazine
And always my I Ching

Monica Armendariz, Program Director
Unfortunately, I am not reading anything right now. But when I travel to Ireland, I plan to start reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Either that or I’ll pick back up on Book 13 of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series.

Megan Heredia, Development Coordinator
Just finished "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer (easy, guilty pleasure read....plus, I had to know what all the fuss was about!) and also "Year of Wonders" (amazing!) by Geraldine Brooks.Am currently reading "Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent"by Fred Burton (I love all of the conspiracy theory stuff...) and "How They Achieved: Stories of Personal Achievement and Business Success" by Lucinda Watson (very inspiring!)

Anna Land, Founder
Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin
Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by H.W. Brands
Some Assembly Required by Thom Singer (HH Board member)
Magazines: The Sun, Mental Floss, Lucky, Economist, Ode, Wired
The owner's manual to a yet-unused digital camera
What's next: Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

Curiosity: The Fuel of Development

2008-11-07T05:39:00.000-08:00

Heart House has three beliefs upon which we build our program:

Critical thinking skills are a liberating force in education and a powerful resource in one’s personal and civic life. We should and can teach children to be critical thinkers.
Children are “smart” in different ways. We will honor the multiple intelligences of our Heart House children.
Curiosity is one of the most fundamental tools children can bring to their early learning experiences. We will model and foster curiosity as a highly esteemed value at Heart House.

In this blog post, the Heart House tribe would like to share a bit more about this third bulleted belief that revolves around our love of CURIOSITY.

"Being curious about the world around us is an important part of learning. When children show an interest in wanting to find out about how things work and when they ask why things happen, it shows that they are developing skills they will need for later learning. We can encourage this interest in learning by talking with children about the things they wonder about and explaining things that may seem quite familiar to us, but are a source of curiosity for children -- like what happens to water that goes down the drain." - Mr. (Fred) Rogers

Asking questions to promote learning and sharing is important to all disciplines. We believe:

Questions are as powerful as answers (and opinions) in the creation of change.
There is an art to asking refined & powerful questions.

Heart House employs a 4-part questioning strategy to stimulate maximum participlation during the activities. This method helps focus and direct the discussion. Best of all, it’s easy to learn and implement. The idea behind this strategy is that by structuring our questions in a certain way, we can guide the group of children on their journey through a stimulating and interesting dialogue.

Selective Perception Questions: Questions start here are with “no brainer” questions that have no right or wrong answer, that surface the facts of the discussion, that directly observable data. This part of the questioning also serves to put the group at ease and begin a common understanding of the facts.
Emotional Reaction Questions: The group leader next asks a reflective question, which elicits the participants’ feeling and associated ideas about the experience, activity or situation. We suggest you spend extra time here to more fully engage the group.
Sense-Making Questions: Everyone assigns meaning to data based on our unique filters (beliefs, drives and experiences). Through sense-making questions, children are encouraged to examine the meaning or value of the experience, activity, or
situatio. Group members begin to synthesize the happenings of the experience and realize its effect upon the group.
Action Questions: We take actions based on our own inferences about data. Action questions encourage the group to synthesize the discussion or determine what the next step might be.

Here’s an example of a 4-part questioning strategy discussing an oil painting:

Selective Perception Questions
What colors do you see in this painting?
What shapes do you recognize?
How many objects in the room can you name?

Emotional Reaction Questions
What do you like best in this picture? Where are you drawn in or attracted to?
What aspect do you like least? Where do you feel repulsed, distrubed, or irritated?
What sounds might you hear if you were there?
Look at the painting. Now close your eyes. Which person/object in this painting do you remember the most? Why?

Sense-Making Questions
Is the scene inside or outside? How can you tell?
What do you think this shape is?
What are the people in the painting doing? Are they related?
Why do you think the mother looks so large?
What season of the year might this scene be taking place in?

Action Questions
What would you title this painting?
Where would you like to have seen more detail?
How could we use this painting at Heart House?

Open House Offers Preview Of Fall Fun, Recap of Camp Heart House

2008-11-05T06:16:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, October 16th, hundreds of programs across the country celebrated "Lights on Afterschool" day, a nationally recognized holiday to promote awareness of after-school programs. On this day, we opened up our Heart House North center to community members, collaborators, funders, and families to show off the amazing things we've being doing with our kids and to provide others with an opportunity to learn more about the Heart House program and approach.

Staff and kids from both of our Heart House Austin locations gathered at the North site to prepare for their guests, and as over 53 people walked in throughout the night, they were greeted by the enthusiastic faces of our children! Our event featured an exhibit hall full of stories, photos, and samples of our programs and curriculum, a hands-on room where visitors could experience a day in the life of a Heart House kid through participating in a sample activity, and an interactive quiz show which allowed guests to learn more about Heart House!

There were many special moments which left an endearing mark on many of us that evening, such as having Heart House children give guests a tour of our learning center, listening to them read their published poems, and hearing their candid comments about their experiences and opinions.

We are thrilled that so many people stopped by! We look forward to planning future events to help promote awareness and engage visitors. Afterschool programs truly make a difference in the lives of children across the nation, and we are so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with our kids in our centers.

We encourage you to visit these links below to find out more about the importance of afterschool programs in our neighborhoods:

http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/

http://www.ctanweb.org/

http://www.hearthouse.org/

Heart House Elections

2008-11-03T04:45:00.000-08:00

October’s theme is “Super Citizenship” and we have been focusing on major qualities of good citizens. As we explore these areas, we have been encouraging the children of Heart House to identify ways in which they can use these characteristics to better themselves and our communities.

We are thrilled that alongside our daily hands-on activities, we hosted a “Heart House Council Election” which allowed kids to campaign for a seat of their choosing within five major qualities of good citizenship: respect, responsibility, courage, compassion, and honesty. Candidates spoke with their peers at Heart House about how they represent each quality.

The project culminated with a mock election on Oct. 24th at both Heart House centers, allowing all clubhouse members to vote for their candidates of choice! We had the unique opportunity to provide them with hands-on learning about the voting process, and due to our gracious partnership with Hart InterCivic, who created our ballots and brought their voting machines to Heart House, children were able to use real voting machines to cast their votes.

Gregg Burt, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic, said the following about the experience, "It was extremely rewarding for Hart InterCivic and for me, personally, to see the children of Heart House get so excited about conducting their class elections on our voting machines. Everyone had a blast, and Hart was delighted to have been able to bring the children's classroom lessons on good citizenship to life in such a creative and timely manner. It was great to witness their participation in something as precious as the right to vote."

The council will serve a very valued and meaningful purpose this school year. As the council, they will meet regularly with our staff to make important decisions about programs, events, and issues at Heart House!

Congratulations on the newly elected councils!

Heart House South Council:

Kid of Honesty: Zed
Kid of Compassion: Ramon
Kids of Respect: (Tie between 3 students) Milee, Erique, Jonathan
Kids of Responsibility: (Tie between 2 students) Benjamin, Joey
Kid of Courage: Lanny

Heart House North Council:

Kid of Respect: Rosa
Kid of Courage: Kierra
Kid of Responsibility: Nene
Kid of Honesty: Jaela
Kid of Compassion: Alex

Foundation Communities and Heart House Partner for Family Success

2008-10-31T16:03:00.000-07:00

Heart House continues to be grateful for and proud of its partnership with Foundation Communities. Foundation Communities is a nonprofit organization that creates high-quality affordable housing and empowers low-income families and individuals with programs that educate, support, and improve financial standing. Heart House operates its two afterschool centers from within Foundation Communities properties and serves the children of Foundation Communities residents. Foundation Communities provides Heart House with a monthly stipend, which greatly assists Heart House in its mission to offer high-quality afterschool programming. Additionally, Foundation Communities allows Heart House the use of its buildings at no charge and gifts all utility payments and other expenses, such as use of the computer lab, as in-kind, saving Heart House more than $100,000 annually! Additionally, we recently submitted our first joint grant proposal with Foundation Communities to a local foundation, which resulted in significant funding for both programs. We thank Foundation Communities (especially our friends Walter, Julian and Robin) from the bottom of our "heart!"

Studies Show Programs like Heart House Develop Deep Understanding of New Knowledge

2008-10-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

Today's students will enter a job market that values skills and abilities far different from the traditional workplace talents that so ably served their parents and grandparents. They must be able to crisply collect, synthesize, and analyze information, then conduct targeted research and work with others to employ that newfound knowledge. In essence, students must learn how to learn, while responding to endlessly changing technologies and social, economic, and global conditions.

Programs like Heart House provide these activity-rich experiences. An excerpt and link from Brigid Barron's article in Edutopia is below:

"Traditional academic approaches -- those that employ narrow tasks to emphasize rote memorization or the application of simple procedures -- won't develop learners who are critical thinkers or effective writers and speakers. Rather, students need to take part in complex, meaningful projects that require sustained engagement and collaboration."

URL: http://www.edutopia.org/inquiry-project-learning-research

The takeaway from this article:

Students learn more deeply when they can apply classroom-gathered knowledge to real-world problems, and when they take part in projects that require sustained engagement and collaboration.
Active-learning practices have a more significant impact on student performance than any other variable, including student background and prior achievement.
Students are most successful when they are taught how to learn as well as what to learn.

Read Along with Heart House!

2008-10-19T03:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a few books we're reading as part of October's "My Community" theme. Read along with us!

In My Family/En mi familia by Carmen Lomas Garza Lomas Garza uses her narrative paintings to relate her memories of growing up in Kingsville, Texas, near the Mexican border, and to reflect her pride in her Mexican American heritage. The artist portrays everyday events as well as special moments of family history in crisply colorful, vibrantly peopled paintings and provides brief, bilingual background stories for each of the 13 paintings.

I Got Community by Melrose Cooper
Several young narrators deliver various rhyming stanzas ("I got a best friend, helps me loyal./ We got a thing no fight can spoil"; "I got a sitter, helps me safe,/ Pulls on my gloves so my hands don't chafe"). Illustrating these are Gottlieb's bright, simple paintings, rendered in gestural outlines and brushed-in areas of undiluted color, and depicting a multiracial crew.

Learn more about our programs!
www.hearthouse.org/

Watch the Heart House Video!

2008-10-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

Wonderful Heart House friend Jay Rogers has shot a moving video of our program. We are so grateful for his immense talent and his dedication to Heart House. Thank you so much, Jay!

View the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J7zLZ706VM

Red Carpet Rollout

2008-10-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

Both Heart Houses are pleased to report that the Red Carpet Rollout was a great success! Heart House North students traveled to our South center for day of fun and glamour to celebrate the end of our theme, “Lights, Camera, Action!”Students began the day by walking the red carpet which was manned with our very own paparazzi! Then, all students and staff were treated to the premiere of two filmed newscasts produced by our Mixed Media classes, a dance presentation choreographed by the North Music and Dance class, a performance of “How A Kid…” by the North On The Stage class, a performance of “Chicken Little” by the South On The Stage class and Heart House Idol Grand Finale! (Congratulations to both of our winners: Nene and The Soulja Boyz on a job well done!) Our Summer Awards Ceremony (our version of the “Oscars”) followed, as we honored the most outstanding students of the summer. Finally, students got to mix and mingle as they explored various activities together. Students chose from dress-up in the Costume Room, dance and photos in the Dance Party Room, “Making Musical Instruments” in the Art Room or Sports and Games outside.

Miss Monica can’t contain her urge to sing some Alicia Keys to the kids!

We are especially thankful for the time and hard work of all of the volunteers who made this event possible. We got to make some wonderful memories and meet lots of new friends!

We had such a spectacular group of special guests and would like to thank them for sharing their time and talents with us:

Heart House North Guests:

Greg-Green Screen DemoDonise Hardy-Casting Audition Workshop
Notre Dame Alumni Group-Creative Writing Workshop
Rackspace Team-Heart House Idol Judges
Travis County Health Services-Underage Drinking Prevention
Lainie Frasier-Voice Acting
Deddrick Porter from Teens in Action-Heart House Idol Judge
Jeff Schans-Stunts!
Meredith Johns-Costume Make-Up
Bill and Chris - Gorilla Productions

Heart House South Guests:

Paul Haygood & Co-Juggling demonstration & instruction
LifeWorks presented “Tobacco and Minors” for older students and “Playful Parenting” workshop for families
Austin Slam Poetry Team Member Tony Jackson- Mini-Poetry Slam
Rehman Bhalesha taught salsa to all classes
Master Eye Associates provided free eye exam pre-screenings to all students
Angela Aja-Chefin’ with the Chef Marshmallow Cook-Out

And a HUGE thanks to those who made it out to both sites!

A-Town Productions-Music Video Shoot & Production
4-H-Hula-hoop activities and donated free decorated ones for National Hula-Hoop Day
Fermin Navar - Founder, Maison de Navar, Inc.
Notre Dame Alumni Group –- creative writing workshop
Luke McClory -- scriptwriting!Students of the Holy Cross High School

Share your talents with the Heart House kids this fall!

Ask any of the guests above, and they'll tell you that time spent at one of our Heart Houses was a highlight for their month. If you would like to learn more, please contact Shelly-Marie, our Volunteer Coordinator, at volunteer@hearthouse.org or at (512) 929-8187.

Risk-Free Way to Explore Volunteering at Heart House

2008-10-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

Volunteer Orientations take place throughout the year at both Heart House Austin locations. Many of these orientations take place during the program hours so you can observe first-hand what volunteering with the wonderful Heart House children is all about.

For more dates and locations of orientations, please visit us online at www.hearthouse.org/volunteering

OPEN HOUSE AT HEART HOUSE!

2008-09-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

The children are preparing a wonderful OPEN HOUSE at Heart House especially for our friends, supporters, former and current board members and volunteers on this occasion. Please feel free to bring friends, family, and supervised children with you.

Thursday, October 16, 2008
6:30 pm - 7:45 pm
Heart House North
Map: http://www.hearthouse.org/locations.htm

At this open house, you’ll:

View artwork and other completed projects displayed
Get a book autographed by recently published young authors
See demonstrations of activities typical to a Heart House day
Meet Heart House children, families, donors, volunteers and staff

Student docents will be your guides, and you'll be able to network with past and current Heart House friends. Those interested willl be able to learn more about our HALOS leadership circle.

For more information or to RSVP, please go to:

http://www.evite.com/r?iid=JLIYYPKLJLXOLNSCUJBF

Heart House Launches Leadership Circle

2008-08-30T06:33:00.001-07:00

Come Fly With Us!

If you would like to invest in the children of Heart House and engage with similarly-passionate supporters in a dynamic collaboration, please consider joining our leadership circle, HALOS, as a member of the inaugural Class of 2008-2009!

We ask each HALOS member to commit to the following:

Donate or raise $1,000 for Heart House annually

Introduce two friends to the HALOS and Heart House family

Spread the Heart House story throughout the Austin community

Encourage others to contribute their time and talents to Heart House

JOIN NOW!

Upcoming HALOS Events:

September 2008 - Membership drive begins

October 16, 2008 – “Lights On Afterschool” celebration at Heart House

February and May 2009 – HALOS gatherings

August/September 2009 – 3rd Annual Heart House Charity Fashion Show!

To learn more about HALOS or discuss membership, please contact:
Megan Heredia
mheredia@hearthouse.org
512-929-8187

Volunteer Opportunities for Fall at Our Centers

2008-08-24T01:25:00.000-07:00

In our center, EVERYONE has fun learning new things, especially the volunteers! Volunteer duties include mentoring, assisting with art and theater activities, preparing snacks, chaperoning field trips, and having fun with the kids. Here are just a few of our opportunities for fall:

Homework Time Volunteer
3-4pm, M-F
We love people who love homework! If you carry the special talent to make homework interesting and exciting to a child then Heart House is where you need to be. To most students homework time at the center is the only time they will have with an adult who can help out with homework problems and answer intriguing questions. You will have the power to make learning fun and challenge young students intellectually as well.

Activity Time Volunteer
4:30-5:30, M-F
Do you own a silly hat and tennis shoes? Great! Well, put them on and get ready for activity time at Heart House. Children sit in desks at school up to 9 hours a day. Activity time allows them to move their bodies, encouraging kinetic and social intelligence, muscle coordination and, well, just plain old fun! Activities can range from soccer outside to yoga inside. We bet you have exciting ideas for activities you can implement.

Behind the Scenes Volunteer
What’s going on back there? For those who are interested in seeing the other side of our program, we would love to have you work along side us in the office. There is always plenty to do and you may offer us different perspectives and keen eyes on detail. We can offer you a look into our inner workings, lunch and paper cuts. How exciting! This opportunity offers maximum flexibility.

Special Projects Volunteers
A few times a year we utilize volunteer talents on special projects that strengthen Heart House funding or public awareness. It may be that you can help us build our website or know how to coordinate fashion shows. We offer highly specific situations when you can contribute your skills and know how in your field to support our mission to the community.

Presentation Volunteers
Look what I do! It might be that you can only help out once a year. Presenting what you do for a living or a hobby is so exciting to children. It broadens the menu of careers available and brings in refreshing new people to the Heart House curriculum. Telling children how you arrived where you are is an invaluable part of teaching them how to put the foundations under their goals.

To volunteer, please call (512) 929-8187 or visit us online at www.hearthouse.org/volunteering

Fundraiser Only 2 Days Away!

2008-08-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

To all of our Angels on the Runway guests,

On behalf of Heart House, I want to thank you for joining us for our annual fundraiser this Saturday at the Austin Music Hall. Your attendance at this glamourous and FUN event will help raise awareness and funds for the children we all care so much about --the children of Heart House. I look forward to celebrating with you!

NOTE: Although our VIP party sponsored by Austin Monthly Magazine is sold out, there ARE general admission tickets still available at www.hearthouse.org/angels up through Friday night -- and a ticket window will be open at Austin Music Hall Saturday. If you have friends you'd like to join you at the event, they can still buy tickets!

A reminder that the party at Austin Music Hall begins at 6 pm and the fashion starts promptly at 7 pm. So please be sure to join us early for food, drinks, and fun! Here's our schedule of events:

6pm: doors open at the Austin Music Hall; reception and silent auction underway
7pm: fashion show begins, so please plan to arrive in plenty of time to be seated at the Music Hall for the show; you won’t want to miss a minute of it!

By the way, if you're wondering what to wear to Saturday's event, be sure to check out our previous blog entry for tips from our lead designer, Joanna Ruley-Garza.

http://hhaustin.blogspot.com/2008/08/wondering-what-to-wear-to-heart-house.html

If you are a purchaser of tickets for others, please forward this important event information along to your guests. If you have any questions prior to the event, please call (512) 751-6942 or email mheredia@hearthouse.org.

See you at the runway!
Anna Land, Founder, Heart House

Wondering what to wear to the Heart House fashion show?

2008-08-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

A lot of people have been asking us what they should wear to the upcoming Heart House Fashion Show. How to we combine Austin laid back cool with red carpet glamour?

For advice, we turned to one of our lead designers, Joanna Ruley-Garza.

In her article she shares her ideas for both men and women. Click on the link below to read the full article!

http://www.hearthouse.org/angelswhattowear.htm

Newest photos from our scrapbook

2008-08-03T06:33:00.000-07:00

Here are the newest photos from our scrapbook -- the children are having a WONDERFUL time at Camp Heart House!

Mr. Bill helps kids storyboard for their music and dance video!

Nene helps “The 5 Bratz” choreograph their Heart House Idol performance!

Setting up the recycling center that EnviroKids created!

Lunchtime!

Ms. Yuri explains origami in Japanese class!

Cheerleading club, one of our summer choice clubs

Celebrity Designers Showcased at Angels on the Runway charity fashion show benefiting Heart House, August 23rd

2008-08-01T06:16:00.000-07:00

Heart House is delighted to introduce our lead womenswear designer, Joanna Ruley-Garza. Joanna is an upscale eveningwear/bridal couture designer and celebrity fashion stylist. She is also a professional makeup artist and advanced aesthetician. She loves all things beautiful and wishes to beautify the world one woman at a time. She has over 15 years experience primarily in the NYC and international markets.

Joanna relocated to the Hill Country in 2007 with her husband and three beautiful children. She was attracted to the natural beauty of the area, culturally hip and diverse group of people and the growing business opportunities in the Texas print and film industries. She shows her line, by appointment only, in her South Austin Studio to private clients and boutiques and also bases her commercial Makeup Artistry/Advanced Aesthetics and Costume Design business here. She is presently Creative Director of the "Angels On the Runway" 2nd Annual Heart House Fashion Show benefiting the children of Heart House. She also can be seen making guest appearances on FOX "Good Day Austin" as a celebrity stylist.

Joanna's holiday collection was inspired by Yves Saint Laurent's Garden Oasis Home in Marrakech, Morocco, where she had the pleasure of visiting the garden and often dream of that special place. The color palette of gold, black, red and ivory are symbolic of Moorish Textiles and tile work. The feathered detailing is an ode to the exotic birds that make the garden their home. The faux snake skin is an ode to the garden snake that startled her one day in the garden, and the beaded floral detailing on some of the pieces is an ode to the beautiful and lush flora that makes the garden so unforgettable.

Heart House is thrilled to announce that Robert Comstock will be the featured menswear designer in the Heart House Charity Fashion Show to be held on August 23 at the Austin Music Hall.The international designer will showcase his upscale sportswear line for men in the fashion show, and has also made an exceptionally generous donation to the event's silent auction. Robert will design a custom, one-of-a-kind piece for the winning bidder (male or female). He will even have a one-on-one consultation and meet-and-greet with the winner to understand his/her tastes and lifestyle.You will not want to miss seeing Robert's beautiful designs live nor having the opportunity to bid on this one-of-a-kind piece on August 23. Tickets to this lush event are on sale now and going fast. Click here to purchase tickets.Heart House would like to thank Keepers exceptional men's apparel for sponsoring Robert's participation in the show. Robert Comstock's fashions can be found/purchased at Keepers.

Here are a few pictures of Robert's work:

Heard at Heart House

2008-07-30T06:15:00.000-07:00

“Heart House is the most fun summer camp I have ever been to!” — Anisa, dropped in our “Ear that Hears” box.

“I had a great today!” — Anonymous note dropped in our “Ear that Hears” box.

Student in Badgerpup:“ Ms. Monica, why can’t we write poetry every day?”
Monica, our Program Director: “You can!”
Student: [Thinking hard] “Oh….yeah…I guess I can!”

Summer Interns Lend their Talent and Enthusiasm to the Heart House Tribe

2008-07-28T10:59:00.001-07:00

This year marked a highly successful year for Heart House, including the addition of several interns who have worked incredibly hard on many projects for our program! They have taken on some amazing leadership roles, resulting in added creativity, productivity, and advocacy for Heart House.

A friendly working atmosphere and a healthy degree of responsibility balance the intern experience while at Heart House. "Because the interns are accepted and respected as peers, after having a great summer experience, many opt to continue volunteering during the school year,” said Diane Cannon, Executive Director. “This year's interns represent the 'cream of the crop. I am very pleased that our internship program benefits these young people and provides a solid foundation of training as they proceed on their career paths. Imparting these young people with new skills, entrusting them with responsibilities and providing new opportunities are part of a commitment that Heart House is proud to make."

Our summer interns are:

Alexa Wagner & Yuri Hattori, Summer Program Interns
The Heart House Staff is super excited to have two fantastic summer program interns this year! These ladies share a passion for serving children and give 110% every day. Alexa Wagner is a Junior at Notre Dame University with a double major in Environmental Science and Political Science. She joined Heart House in Mid-May and provided much-appreciated support to the staff during the summer planning session. The Austin native enjoys Jazz and African dance and going to movies. She has a passion for the environment and has been teaching a summer class at Heart House called “Enviro-kids.” Alexa is teaching them how “their actions can have an impact on the earth and its inhabitants.” The kids have already made recycling boxes for paper, plastic and aluminum and recycle their lunch trash every day. After graduation, Alexa plans to volunteer at a South American orphanage for a couple of years. We’re so glad she decided to share her talents and passions with Heart House! We will bid Alexa bon voyage in late July as she leaves for a semester abroad in London.Yuri Hattori hails from Takarazuka, Japan, about 30 minutes from Osaka. She travelled to the US in order to learn about American Non-Profits that serve children. At home, she teaches Japanese as a Second Language to children from China, Korea, Peru and Brazil. She enjoys teaching one-on-one. “It’s very easy to develop a relationship with the kids. We don’t have program leaders (like at Heart House) so when we’re short on volunteers it’s difficult. When we have events their parents cook Peruvian food and it’s great!” Yuri enjoys recruiting volunteers at her university to work with the children. “There are some college student volunteers and others who are professionals. It’s interesting to meet them and learn from them.” Yuri has been teaching Japanese and Origami to the kids at Heart House. “The kids are interested in paper crafts and in Japanese culture; lots want to visit Japan. It’s very important for the kids to know other cultures and expand their minds. I am very happy they feel that way.” The staff is very happy Yuri traveled across the world to work with Heart House this summer! We wish her all the best as she returns to Japan in August to complete her Masters in Policy Studies at Kwansei Gakuin University.

Yuri Hattori and Alexa Wagner

Ella Daniels, Anthropological Intern
Ella first contacted Heart House with a curiosity for learning more about the inside workings of a non-profit. In doing so, she created a special research project to observe the characteristics of our Heart House culture. Says Kendra, “Above all the skills and knowledge gained from Heart House, I enjoyed my experience being around the children. While I was supposed to be jotting down notes for the observation study, I found myself reading or coloring with the kids. Heart House's afterschool [program] has a good-hearted atmosphere. Kids are willing to learn even after school hours and they are having fun doing it! Heart House is a positive influence on these kids and helps build the community. I am glad to be part of it.” During the spring semester, she spent her time observing both Heart House locations in Austin to discover the many facets of our Heart House family and this summer she is putting it all together to present her findings. She holds an anthropology degree and is currently interested in pursuing future opportunities in a non-profit environment.

Ella Daniels

Timothy McCarthy, PR/Branding Intern
Tim is an MBA student at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University specializing in marketing. He returned to school after six years in the record industry hoping to change careers and become involved with non profit organizations. Tim learned about Heart House through Idealist.org and applied for a summer internship. He was excited to work with an organization that focuses on helping children as he has taught second graders about business in their community with Junior Achievement and participated in the Big Brother program and really enjoyed those opportunities. The Heart House opportunity gives Tim the chance to work directly with Founder Anna Land and Development Director Megan Heredia. Tim feels his internship experience has been nothing short of incredible as Anna and Megan have allowed him to work on exciting assignments and given him great access to everybody in the Heart House family. (no photo available)

Erik Jensen, Board Development Intern
Erik Jensen is a graduate of Cornell College where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in English & Philosophy and his passion for service began. He later combined his passion for service with education while working as a housing official at the University of South Carolina, producing extensive programming to better serve international students living in his building. He loves bringing out the inner potential of each individual and actively seeks out opportunities to help others. While not busy with Heart House's board development materials, Erik enjoys spending time with his wife (Kelly) and friends, cooking, travel and volunteering.

Erik Jensen

Kendra Kaderka, Program Assistant
Kendra works closely with our Program Director to assist in various programming projects. “My time here has given me the opportunity to learn all about the program, including creating the curriculum, getting guest speakers, and teaching the classes," said Kendra. "This summer I am having a lot of fun leading the Mad Science activities at the South site. Being with the kids and watching them learn in a fun environment is definitely my favorite aspect of Heart House!” Since the addition of her to our team in the early spring, she has connected us with a handful of awesome guest speakers from organizations all over Austin, she has taught several classes, maintained contact with important community collaborators and volunteers, and created her own Mad Science class to teach at our Heart House South site this summer! Kendra is a rising senior in the Plan II program at the University of Texas, majoring in biology. "She really is a dynamite lady, full of dedication, enthusiasm and professionalism," says Monica Armendariz, Heart House Program Director.

Kendra Kaderka

Abraham Arevalo
Abe served as a volunteer last school year working with the children in our afterschool program. This summer he is serving as an intern working with founder Anna Land to complete an organizational capacity study and help the Board of Directors analyze the results of this study. Abe is also working on the Heart House Texas growth plan by which Heart House will expand to 20 Heart House centers in 5 Texas cities by the year 2020. (no photo available)

George Freeborn Jr. and David Matthews, Heart House Culture Interns
The Heart House staff would like to offer a special thanks to George Freeborn Jr. and David Matthews for their outstanding work this spring and summer! These MBA students from St. Edwards University have undertaken a special project for their class in organizational management. They are studying Heart House culture and assisting the staff in developing a strategic plan to export our culture to the new sites in Houston and around Texas. David has previous experience as a swim coach and school volunteer and was drawn to Heart House by our mission to serve low-income youth. He discovered a perfect match between his class assignment to study organizational culture and our own need to expand our cultural knowledge. “Everyone at Heart House really cares. They’re personally vested in the organization. They bring smiles to work and are really involved with the kids. This is an indication of success.” George agrees. He has encouraged the staff to read “Throw Out All the Rules” and his regular presence at Heart House has encouraged the staff to take a deeper look at the way our organization operates. Every member of the senior staff has been interviewed by George and this process has helped put words to the elusive notion of organizational culture. He and David will continue to work with Heart House as we refine our vision and prepare to open the new site in Houston. We’re so glad to have these excellent volunteers on board! (no photo available)

Volunteer Opportunities at Heart House

2008-07-20T05:48:00.000-07:00

Being a Heart House volunteer is an opportunity to play an influential role in keeping kids safe, engaged in positive learning experiences, and interacting with caring role models. Volunteering at Heart House is a fun and uplifting experience, and all it takes is a few hours a month.

Camp Heart House will continue through August 8th, Monday-Friday from 9 am - 3 pm.
It's not too early to be thinking about our fall program which starts in September!
We're also looking for about 20 volunteers to help us the night of our big event, August 23.

Upcoming orientations at Heart House are listed below. You may attend either location for an orientation, regardless of which Heart House you plan to volunteer at. RSVP to one of the orientations by contacting Kimberly Truitt at volunteer@hearthouse.org or 929-8187. Or fill out an online application for Austin today!

Tuesday, July 22nd
5:30 to 6:30pm
Heart House North
7224 Northeast Drive

Tuesday, July 29th, 5:30 - 6:30 pm
Heart House South
815 Slaughter Lane

Tuesday, August 5th
5:30 - 6:30 pm
Heart House North
7224 Northeast Drive

Thursday, August 7th
5:30 - 6:30 pm
Heart House South
815 Slaughter Lane

Tuesday, August 19th
5:30 - 6:30 pm
Heart House North
7224 Northeast Drive

Thursday, August 21st
5:30 - 6:30 pm
Heart House South
815 Slaughter Lane

Student Spotlight

2008-07-19T05:55:00.000-07:00

Heart House North: Gabi
Gabi, pictured below, is a rising 5th grader who has shown tremendous improvement in her effort and attitude at Heart House! Gabi has been attending our program for the past year. She has had some rough times, but recently decided to make some positive changes in her life by joining our Badgerpups creative writing workshop and learning how to deal with her feelings in a healthier manner through journaling in her spare time. She is also a current Heart House Idol contestant, bravely performing by herself and motivated to do the best she can by spending extra time working on her act during and outside of the program. She has truly matured over the past semester, and we are very proud of the progress she has made in just a few short months! We think she is a true testament to the unique role Heart House is able to play in allowing children to make better decisions and express themselves openly and honestly!

Heart House South: Peyton, Nhya, and Keishaun

Peyton is always listening and trying to help out in any way she can. Her participation is awesome and she is always very respectful. (no photo available)

If a question is asked of the class or a volunteer is needed, Keishaun is always the first to display daily examples of critical thinking with his quest for information. Furthermore, he is always respectful and supportive of his fellow classmates. (pictured below)

Nhya is always on task and super focused. She lends a helping hand to all of the students (without being asked) and has amazing manners. She is a fierce competitor and a good sport. Nhya has a fantastic sense of humor and she is a joy to have in the summer program! (pictured below)

Make Your Girls Night Out Our Fundraiser!

2008-07-05T05:11:00.000-07:00

Our great friends at Tiara Tuesday have chosen Heart House to be the benificiary of their fun, free happy hour on July 22, 6-8 pm at Cuba Libre, 409 Colorado St.

Proceeds from the event will help fund Camp Heart House! (See related story about how much fun our summer program is!)

So grab your girlfriends and bring your tiaras (they sell tiaras at the door for the tiara-less!) Heart House ladies will be celebrating with the Tiara ladies for a wonderful evening.

Thank you to our friends and sponsors who make Tiara Tuesday possible: AustinWoman Magazine, Cuba Libre, Cupidz Clozet, and Majic 95.5.

NYC Men's Designer Robert Comstock to Showcase at Heart House Charity Fashion Show

2008-06-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Heart House is thrilled to announce that Robert Comstock will be the featured menswear designer in the Heart House Charity Fashion Show to be held on August 23.

The international designer will showcase his upscale sportswear line for men in the fashion show, and has also made an exceptionally generous donation to the event's silent auction. Robert will design a custom, one-of-a-kind piece for the winning bidder (male or female). He will even have a one-on-one consultation and meet-and-greet with the winner to understand his/her tastes and lifestyle.

You will not want to miss seeing Robert's beautiful designs live nor having the opportunity to bid on this one-of-a-kind piece on August 23. Click here to purchase tickets, now on sale.

Heart House would like to thank Keepers exceptional men's apparel for sponsoring Robert's participation in the show. Robert Comstock's fashions can be found/purchased at Keepers.

Here are a few pictures of Robert's work:

Student Spotlight: Kierra

2008-06-29T07:29:00.000-07:00

Kierra is a fourth grade student at our North center who has been attending Heart House since the beginning of the school year. She is a bright young woman with creative project ideas and who also excels in our Reading Buddies program. One of the more remarkable things about Kierra is that she has a very close relationship with her younger brother who also attends Heart House. This month, when the older students created activities for the younger students on bullying awareness, she insisted that she be the one who work with her brother. (Both are pictured above.) Her and her close girlfriends at Heart House made a very entertaining video to promote healthy feelings during February’s “Get Fit” theme. Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyXLUHMTV5A!

Heart House T-shirts

2008-06-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

We have you covered for Austin's hot weather! Visit Heart House's CafePress Store to purchase t-shirts, tank tops and more!

Lights……Camera…….Action!

2008-06-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

This summer kids will explore the world of performing arts and production. Students will have the unique opportunity to choose their production project. Some kids will work on staging a play, others will create commercials and advertisement, and another group will spend their time creating music videos. We already have an impressive line-up of guest visitors from the Austin acting, filming, and art community who will share their ideas and experiences in topics such as storyboarding, playwriting, costume and makeup design, acting, and video editing.

If you would like to be a part of enriching our performing arts projects in any way, please contact us as soon as possible! The more volunteers we have on board, the greater the experience and final products will be!

Future Teacher OK with Silly Questions

2008-06-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

Sara Khanzadeh has been associated with Heart House since 2001 when she volunteered with the original site in Dallas. She also served as a Program Leader and Interim Volunteer Coordinator. Sara is originally from Dallas and first came to Austin as an Undergraduate at UT. “I moved away for a few years and just recently returned again in January to work.” When she’s not busy working as a Physical therapist, Sara enjoys photography, music, reading, watching documentaries and trying new foods. “I’m particularly interested in traveling to foreign countries to see how the rest of the world lives.”

Her most memorable Heart House experience was taking a group of Heart House kids on a field trip to UT. “They got to visit a genetics lab, see inside a student’s dorm, walk through the campus and try Tiff’s Treats cookies and Jamba Juice. I like to tell myself that it made a difference to them and helped them visualize themselves being college students. They were so excited by everything they saw. That was four years ago. I’d love to see where those kids are now.” The kids have certainly learned a lot from Sara over the years. “I hope they have learned to respect people that are different from themselves. I try to point out that being different is a good thing and something to learn from. I hope they see me as someone they can talk to about different issues that everyone has to deal with growing up. I like to take kids away from the group to have impromptu small group talks every now and then. They seem to like that kind of attention.”

Sara hopes to one day become a high school teacher to help kids think outside the box. “Heart House hasn’t changed my plans. UT makes me feel that for at least a couple of hours each week I’m not totally useless. I like to be goofy and ask silly questions. The kids don’t mind it. I can’t do that at work. Plus, I like the dirty, sweaty hugs. I can’t get those at work either.”

Heard at Heart House

2008-06-18T06:50:00.001-07:00

“When I grow up I want to work Saturday and Sundays at a daycare, Monday and Tuesday at Heart House, and Wednesday and Thursday as a veterinarian.” — Haley

“I really liked learning about endangered animals. In our class, we learned about pandas and how some of them are isolated from each other. I would like to adopt them and help save them by giving them more food and homes.” — Jaquiece

Mother to Heart House child: "How was your first day at Camp Heart House?"
Reply: "It was a LOT of fun!"

Style Mavens for Safe Havens! Tickets on Sale Now!

2008-06-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

Less than 90 days until our fabulous fundraiser. International celebrity designer Robert Comstock joins Texas sensation Joanna Ruley-Garza on the runway to benefit Heart House. Tickets are on sale now. General admission tickets include huge party, drink, food, entertainment, and 4-designer show with original lines shown at the Austin Music Hall. VIP tickets also include Austin Monthly Magazine After-Party with the designers and sponsors at the gorgeous Chateau.

Hurry -- we sold out early last year! Proceeds go to supporting our work in Austin and toward future expansion. Please show your support by purchasing your tickets today! Click here to purchase tickets.

Endangered Animals

2008-06-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

All of our kids love animals, and so in May we not only met some animals, but learned about the ways in which many of them are endangered and how they can be protected. Our theme “Endangered Animals” explored some of the animals whose lives and habitats are in danger including bears, ocean life, and rhinos. We also learned the ways in which the environment and animals are connected and how each one affects the other. Special thanks to Hill Country Conservancy, Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), and Texas Parks & Wildlife for providing both of our centers with enriching and engaging visitors and activities!

Donor Spotlight: MODA\VINO and Keepers Clothing

2008-06-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

Heart House would like to thank Mr. Chuck Haidet and Keepers men's clothing store for selecting Heart House as the beneficiary of the fabulous MODA\VINO event held on May 15.

MODA\VINO was the culmination of Keepers' and the Italian Trade Commission's week-long celebration of Italy 's premium fashion and wines in Austin. The grand event held Thursday, May 15th at Pangaea in the Warehouse District drew nearly 200 people and featured premier Italian designers from Keepers — Brioni, Zanella, Versace, Ermenegildo Zegna and Lorenzini – Italian wine and food tasting, a Ducati Motorcycle Showcase, and the "Spirit of Italy" art show by local artists. The art pieces were donated for a silent auction that evening, the proceeds from which will be used to fund Heart House's summer programs.

Special thanks to Sue Webber Productions for putting on a spectacular fashion show; to artists from the Austin Figurative Gallery for their live art sketching during the after party; to Cork & Company for the Italian wine; to the ACC Hospitality Management students who served the Italian hors d'oeuvres (and even went out of their way to come downstairs and feed the hungry Heart House volunteers who were working the door!); to the i2i group for assistance with the silent auction; to all of the artists who donated their work; and, of course, to our friends at Keepers!

Camp Heart House is Here!

2008-06-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 16 will be the first day of Camp Heart House, our two-month summer program. Camp Heart House is open Monday through Friday from 9 am - 3 pm at both our locations, Heart House North and Heart House South.

The need for youth to be supervised and safe does not end with the school year, and summer programs like Camp Heart House are vital for the well-being of youth. Summer programs are also critical to ensuring that Heart House children receive the same nutritious meals and snacks during the summer as those we offer during the school year. As well as caring for children’s social and academic development, Heart House is determined to teach healthy habits such as physical exercise and a healthy diet. The summer months are great time to reinforce learning with outdoor activities and healthy snacks.

The summer is an exceptionally challenging time for the Heart House families. With most school-year programs closed for the summer and summer child care fees averaging $700 a month per child, most working-class families in the Heart House neighborhood simply cannot afford quality, age-appropriate care for their school-age children during the summer.

Children love Camp Heart House, and so do adults. Take a look at a typical weekly schedule at Camp Heart House (click on the link above to view schedule) and see where you might like to plug in. It's also a great time for you to volunteer as an activity partner or special guest!

What We're Reading in May

2008-05-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

All of our kids love animals and so this month we will explore not only animals, but the ways in which they are endangered and how they can be protected. Our theme “Endangered Animals” will explore some of the animals whose lives and habitats are in danger including bears, ocean life, and rhinos. We will also learn the ways in which the environment and animals are connected and how each one affects the other. So far, we already have several exciting visitors lined up who will speak about protecting the environment and provide some hands-on experiences for students to learn more about animals and conservation. This is such an important topic for our community to understand and embrace and we look forward to sharing more opportunities for kids to learn how THEY can make a difference in our world!

Some of the books we're reading to go along with this month's theme are:

Super Snapshots!

2008-05-08T19:44:00.001-07:00

Planting Wildflowers with Hill Country Conservancy's Cheyenne

Reading Buddies!

Cooking in the Heart House Kitchen!

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Volunteers read and donate books!

We love the costume box!

Benefit for Heart House

2008-05-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

South!

2008-04-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

These are just some pics from daily life at HH South. Katy is one of our 3rd graders pictured up above. Next to her pic is Tre, Jacob and Gilbert Joe "busy" during homework time!

Hello everyone! Thought we'd keep ya updated on what's happening South with some fun pics from the last few weeks...

Here's a good one from Ms. Sharon's busy class!

So you can see, all is well at HH South. Everyone's having a great time and working hard! Till next time...

When I grow up....I want to make a difference!

2008-04-24T10:38:00.001-07:00

All month, we have been discovering all of the things that are important to consider as we grow up. We have had several visits from community members who have shared their skills and careers with us, and last Friday we had a remarkable group visit our kids to talk about aspiring to do something very valuable.....make a difference for people and the world.

Texas 4000 for Cancer is doing just that. A group of over 40 individuals who are passionate about contributing towards the fight against cancer. Passionate enough to embark on a bicycle journey from Austin to Alaska to educate, fundraise, and motivate. On Friday, they planned several hands-on learning activities for the children which touched on all the reasons why they are making this trip and how Heart House children can create their own efforts to raise awareness and contribute to the greater good of society.

Several activities included a hands-on play dough activity to demonstrate what cancer looks like, an interactive map journey to visualize the route from Austin to Anchorage, a bicycling demonstration, and an opportunity for children to learn about the importance of volunteerism and brainstorm their own ideas for making a difference in their community.

The Texas 4000 for Cancer visit really touched us all at Heart House and we wish them hope, strength, and success in their continuing journey. If you would like to find out more about their mission, cyclists, or want to make a donation, please visit their website at: http://www.texas4000.org/

Special Guests

2008-04-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

We had many special guests this month, including a presentation from the City of Austin on graffiti education, an interactive experience “tasting the rainbow” by Meals on Wheels and More, an Easter day of fun arts and crafts led by Austin Junior Forum, and a travel adventure to Panama, Turkey, Vietnam, and Sweden led by several awesome Heart House volunteers! And at the end of the month, our founder Anna Land came by and facilitated an art contest activity for the older students to offer them the chance to have their artwork featured on Torani flavored syrups. Thanks to the hard work and effort of the Heart House staff and volunteers, we had a very full month of exploring and learning with Austin community partners!

Above: Children are eager to answer questions about Panama during a Fun Friday volunteer presentation.

Volunteer Opportunities at Camp Heart House

2008-04-20T21:27:00.001-07:00

This summer is shaping up to be the best ever! our summer program, Camp Heart House, will run from June 16th to August 8th from 9:00am to 3:00pm, Monday-Friday. Contact Kimberly Truitt at volunteer@hearthouse.org or (512) 929-8187 for information on summer volunteer opportunities at Camp Heart House!

Rock On!

2008-04-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

Andrew Bowen has an amazing breadth of work experience, ranging from geological consulting to software management. In fact, at the point in his career when Andrew wanted to shift into software, he was discouraged by others who told him that he did not have the requisite skills or education and would not be successful. He worked extremely hard to gain an MBA at the University of Texas at Austin and learn the appropriate skills for this career change, and has experienced great success as a result.

This experience made Andrew extremely passionate about education and its accessibility to people of all socioeconomic levels, since he regrets that not everyone is fortunate enough to have the educational opportunities that he had. Therefore, Andrew has embraced the mission of Heart House and its education-based program. He is also a self-proclaimed former “latch-key kid” who benefited from participation in the Boy Scouts during his youth.

Andrew not only donates personally to Heart House, but he also actively encourages others to donate and even includes Heart House’s website as a “Favorite Place” in his email signature so that people can be aware of Heart House and its mission. He is always thinking strategically about how to generate buzz about Heart House in order to help fund the program.

Andrew also shares of his time and talents by coming to Heart House to teach the children about aquifers and groundwater by bringing samples and portions of his extensive rock collection.

Andrew ultimately hopes to have a career focusing on community service and philanthropy. He is clearly well on his way. Thanks, Andrew, for sharing your generous spirit with all of us at Heart House!

It’s Gonna Be a Sizzlin’ Summer!

2008-04-11T10:49:00.003-07:00

Every year, students and staff get excited and anxious thinking about our summer program. As spring rolls around, kids begin to ask “What are we going to do this summer?”; while staff smile and say, “I don’t know…what ARE we going to do?!” The summer holds many possibilities each year for new programs, fresh ideas, and friendships and collaborations with community organizations and members. The addition of a new center has provided even more possibilities for summer programming as well.

Every summer, we learn and grow in our program planning and approach. One of the main components that we have added to our summer program includes a more “camp-like” feel which offers more variety and student choice. We will include two themes, “Lights, Camera, Action!” and “Amazing Athletes”, but we will also be adding a dash of “this” and “that” to create a rich, well-rounded, and EXCITING program at both of our centers that will energize the minds, bodies, and spirits of students, staff, volunteers, the community and Heart House friends!

Some of the sizzlin’ activities tentatively on our schedule include: fashion class, movement math, mad science lab, sign language, reader’s theatre, green thumb gardening club, self-defense, a partnership with Badgerpup’s creative writing workshop, and so much more!

And on a side note: Last year, our summer was very successful due to the addition of Heart House Idol which has been highly requested…..requested since September of last year! Students, staff, and families can definitely look forward to a fresh version of this program, full of fun student performances and panels of judges. They may also be seeing the addition of several other hot adaptations of TV game shows, including “Are You Smarter than a Heart House kid?” and perhaps our first ever “Family Feud”.

You never know what will happen each day at the Heart House summer program…..

And YES…..there will be a whole lot of swimming!

Guess the Cookie Dough Country!

2008-04-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

Last month, the theme in our program was "Where in the World?". As a part of our activities, the kids made edible maps to review and test their geography skills.

Guess the Cookie Dough Country! Can you guess which country these doughy masterpieces represent? Test your candy and country knowledge here. (Were you right? Answers at the bottom in small print. Don't peek.)

#1

#2

#3

ANSWERS:
1.) Panama
2.) Vietnam
3.) China

Out of the Mouths' of Babes

2008-04-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

On one of my recent visits to Heart House on Slaughter Lane, we had some "down time" and I had an opportunity to talk with some of the kids, program leaders and parents. I wanted to get to know them better so I asked them some revealing questions.

Question: Who would you invite to dinner and why?

Kassidy 11 yrs. old -Angelina Jolie because she is married to Brad Pitt
Kevin 11 yrs. old -Barack O'Bama because he wants him to win the presidency
Alexa 6 yrs. old- Invite her Dad and Grand Pa because they are very nice to her
Kevin 11 yrs. old -He would invite Eva Longoria because she is hot
Renee Rios (mom) -She would invite Brad Pitt and forget Angelina Jolie
Herme 8 yrs. old-She would invite Hanna Montana because all her fans love her and she thinks she is a good singer.

Question: If you could change your name, what would you call yourself?

Katy 7 yrs old-Cat, because that is what everybody calls her
Kadiata 22 yrs. old -(program leader) She would not change her name because it means first born daughter of royalty
Desiree 9 yrs old- She would call herself Daisy because it is the name of a flower and that was the name of her lost rabbit
Rosie 10 years old -Princess because she feels like a princess

Question: If you go anywhere where would it be?

Lauren 6 yrs. age-She would go to Gatti Town
Anaiah 9 yrs. old -She would go to Las Vegas because she could go gamble

McKenzie 9 yrs. old -She would go to Hollywood first then Sydney Australia. Also she would go to Europe to meet her German family

Desiree 9 yrs old. -She would go to Africa to see the animals
Mariah 9 yrs. old- She would go to China to see the fireworks and stay up all night
Rosie 10 yrs. old.-She would go to Hawaii because it is small and pretty

Question: What would you do if you had a million dollars?

Alexa 6 yrs. old.-She would take the family to Disney World
Lauren 6 yrs. old -She would buy 3 mansions, buy new clothes and give money to needy people
Kassidy 12 yrs old- She would love to buy a Hummer Limo

"Being here energizes me and is so much fun!"

2008-04-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

Volunteer Spotlight

Alison Kwiecinski came to Austin last summer when her husband received a job transfer from Glasgow, Scotland. She has already taken advantage of Austin’s excellent hiking and running trails. She also enjoys reading, cycling, swimming, cooking, and traveling of course! Alison began volunteering at Heart House South in October and has been having a blast. “There have been so many memorable moments,” she says, “For example, being given drawings by the kids to take home, kids teaching me how to play basketball and fussball, and kids reading to me.” Alison has been teaching the Heart House kids more about the United Kingdom and Europe. “They have been very interested in where I’m from and have been asking questions.” She feels that she would rather continue to work with kids than return to her field of I.T. “I’m putting off going back to work, as I don’t want to give up volunteering at Heart House. As I’m new to Austin, I love being involved in the community and making good use of my time. Being here energizes me and is so much fun.” She loves to see the progress the kids are making. “They ask very intelligent questions and their artwork is amazing.” We’re so glad to have Alison in the Heart House family!

Heart House South

2008-04-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

The Heart House family is proud to announce news from Heart House South! Although it has taken awhile to update everyone, we are extremely excited about being able to expand HH's operations to the South Austin community. Heart House South is located in the Trails at the Park Apartments, just off of Slaughter Lane. HH South serves approximately the same number of students and provides the dynamic and nurturing programming that our North location is well known for in their community.

Heart House South opened its new doors in August of 2007, with Joey Borja taking the helm as Site Director. The transition was easy he says, because of the "hard working staff and support from our parents." We have many special events and programs such as Reading Buddies and lots of guest speakers. Volunteer spots are available for spring and summer! Stop by for a visit and see what HH South is all about!

Spotlight on Super Students!

2008-04-01T12:25:00.001-07:00

Our program is full of unique and dynamic young people, and we like to highlight this by recognizing great successes, intriguing life stories, hidden talents, and many other things that Heart House the rich place it is!

Each month, Heart House staff chooses a student from each learning center as a Student Spotlight. As a Student Spotlight, they receive special recognition and rewards at their center and they are also featured in our monthly newsletter!

Read below about our Student Spotlights for March!

Discover other Student Spotlights in past newsletters.
Subscribe to the Heart House Herald.

**March 2008 Student Spotlights**

Haley joined Heart House North in the fall of last year and we are so excited she is a part of our program. She is a terrific student and a positive role model for the other children in her group. Haley likes Heart House because “it is fun and has a lot of nice teachers!” (She also mentions that she likes that there are a lot of decorations around the building, too.) Most of the time, we see her with either a broom or vacuum in her hand, which is very unusual for a second grader, but she genuinely enjoys clean-up time at the clubhouse. And just a bit of interesting trivia: Her mother is the lead singer of a rock band in Austin! When asked what Haley wants to do when she is an adult, she replied, “I want to be a veterinarian. I have already taken care of 2 cats, a dog, a bird, and abandoned kittens by my house! I like to take care of animals and give them love.” Haley certainly is a warm-hearted little lady....to every animal and everyone she meets!

Heart House South has selected Gilbert as our Student of the Month. Gilbert is a third grader at Casey Elementary. This Spring semester, Gilbert made a big move to Ms. Jet's 4/5/6th grade class due in part to his fabulous academic achievement. Gilbert felt he needed a bigger challenge and has definitely stepped up to plate! The move has proven to be a good one as Gilbert has shown enormous improvement at school and home. Way to go, Gilbert!

Take a Picture, It Lasts Longer

2008-03-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

The Heart House Program is rich with activities, programs, and projects that reach a variety of learning styles and interests. Every month we strive to provide a well-rounded after-school program that supports children's academic and social needs and feeds their increasing curiosities and interests! Whether we are working hard on our homework, strengthening our reading skills, completing a fitness challenge, participating in Heart House Idol, engaging with volunteers or guests--we continue to learn more about ourselves and the world around us!

We like to "capture" these fun and valuable moments to share with each other and with the community so that we can continue to look back on the successes of our children and programs at Heart House.

And while a picture does last a very long time, perhaps what lasts the longest are the feelings these moments provide---when a child shows you the "A" on their report card, when they get excited to see their Reading Buddy again next week, or when they simply smile or laugh as they are leaving at the end of the day.

Check our Photo Scrapbook to see what's been going on at Heart House!

That's a Lot of Burgers!

2008-03-26T10:14:00.001-07:00

March Donor Spotlight:

University of Texas Chapter of Omega Chi Epsilon

Heart House was pleasantly surprised to receive a call from Joseph Chen, Vice-President of Omega Chi Epsilon (OXE), a Chemical Engineering honor society at the University of Texas at Austin, informing us that OXE had raised $1,500 and wanted to donate the money to Heart House.

A past officer of OXE had been a Heart House volunteer and convinced the society to direct its proceeds to us. How had OXE brought in these funds? By flipping burgers on the quad and feeding hungry UT students!

OXE’s concession stand is just one of the society’s many initiatives, which include: sponsoring student-faculty and alumni activities; providing tutorial services to chemical engineering students; assembling chemical engineering graduate school information and providing career guidance to high school students.

Heart House thanks Joseph and the other members of OXE for this generous donation, and looks forward to OXE’s next visit to Heart House when OXE will perform science experiments for the children.

About OXE (courtesy of the OXE website):

The Society of Omega Chi Epsilon promotes high scholarship, encourages original investigation in Chemical Engineering, and recognizes the valuable traits of character, integrity, and leadership. The Society serves both undergraduate and graduate students within the Chemical Engineering Department. It encourages meaningful student faculty dialogue within the department.

The Get Fit Challenge!

2008-03-24T08:44:00.001-07:00

One of the hugest issues on everyone's mind right now is health. There are staggering statistics* which raise much cause for concern and ACTION among communities to create mentally, physically, and socially healthier children and adults.

That is why Heart House, in partnership with Shoes for Austin, has launched THE GET FIT CHALLENGE to members of its programs and communities! We want to encourage healthier lifestyles among all children and adults and we want to unite us all in a common goal to increase enthusiasm and motivation to think, eat, move, and act like stronger and healthier individuals.

This is how it works:

The children receive The Get Fit Challenge Sheets full of activity ideas worth different amounts of points! Click on the link to read over the sheet.

Children receive points for completing activities at Heart House and at home and then once they have reached 100 points, they turn in their sheets for a FREE pair of athletic shoes! These shoes have been generously donated by a grant from Shoes for Austin. (http://shoesforaustin.org/)

As an added incentive, we are extending this challenge to all staff, volunteers, and Heart House contributors who would like to participate for FUN alongside our children!

Why is this program important?

To encourage children and families to participate in healthy activities together.

To provide resources and educational opportunities to children and families about living healthier lifestyles.

To encourage more adults to engage in healthy activities. After all, we model the behaviors and attitudes which kids pick up on!

The challenge emphasizes that healthy activities and eating can actually be FUN!!!

Would you like to participate for FUN?

(NOTE: The free athletic shoe incentive is only for Heart House children.)

Download The Get Fit Challenge Sheet
Email Heart House's Program Director for specific activity resources at: marmendariz@hearthouse.org
Once you reach 100 points, email us at: marmendariz@hearthouse.org
Good Luck from Heart House!

Get Fit!

*Statistics on adult and child health:

1. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight (BMI > 25, which includes those who are obese). This is a staggering number, and one of the hugest reasons why we should wake up and pay attention to the impact it is having on American lives--adults, children, families, and communities.[http://www.overweightteen.com/resources.html]

2. Approximately 15.3 percent of children (ages 6–11) and 15.5 percent of adolescents (ages 12–19) were overweight in 2000. An additional 15 percent of children and 14.9 percent of adolescents were at risk for overweight (based on BMI / body mass index measures).[http://www.overweightteen.com/resources.html]

3. The prevalence of overweight and obesity has steadily increased over the years among both genders, all ages, all racial/ethnic groups, and all educational levels.[http://www.overweightteen.com/resources.html]

4. The percentage of children and adolescents who are defined as overweight has more than doubled since the early 1970s. [http://www.overweightteen.com/resources.html]

5. The rate of increase of depression among children is an astounding 23%[Harvard University study reported in Harvard Mental Health Newsletter, February 2002.]

6. Physiological problems, plus learned beliefs and behaviors make functional decisions difficult, and the results reinforce the depression in a vicious cycle. [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences>]

Literacy Awareness Day

2008-03-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

Recently, our friends from Alpha Phi Omega hosted a literacy awareness day at Heart House North, incorporating a variety of activities to reinforce the enjoyment and importance of reading. The younger students read stories with reading buddies and the older groups created their own children’s books.

Fourth & fifth graders work with Delta Phi Omega volunteers to write their very own children’s stories.

First graders enjoy some special reading time with a Delta Phi Omega volunteer.

"You get back more than you give.”

2008-03-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

Volunteer Spotlight

Bruce Peterson grew up in Minnesota and “moved to Austin for the music, the natural beauty, and the creative, laid-back vibe.” He runs the musical booking agency Truetone Talent and has been volunteering as a Reading Buddy for Heart House South since October.

Bruce enjoys reading as well as playing guitar and watching basketball. “He’s always consistent and has a positive attitude”, says site director Joey Borja. “Lexis, his reading buddy, is always asking for him.”

Bruce says his most memorable Heart House moment was “receiving a holiday gift and drawing” from his Reading Buddy. The kids really enjoy Bruce. He feels that he makes a difference in their lives because “someone does care what they do, and cares that they learn.” He keeps coming back to Heart House because he wants to be “a consistent, positive influence in a young person’s life. Volunteering has made me realize that you get back more than you give.”

The Many Kinds of Smart

2008-03-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

Heart House has three beliefs upon which we build our program:

Critical thinking skills are a liberating force in education and a powerful resource in one’s personal and civic life. We should and can teach children to be critical thinkers.
Curiosity is one of the most fundamental tools children can bring to their early learning experiences. We will model and foster curiosity as a highly esteemed value at Heart House.
Children are smart in different ways. We will honor the multiple intelligences of our Heart House children.

This month, we'd like to tell you a little more about one of these beliefs.

Children Are Smart in Different Ways: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Our schools and culture focus most of their attention on linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence. This educational model esteems the highly articulate or logical people of our culture.

Heart House believes that we should also place equal attention on individuals who show gifts in the other intelligences: the artists, architects, musicians, naturalists, designers, dancers, therapists, philosophers, entrepreneurs, and others who enrich the world in which we live.

Unfortunately, many children who have these gifts don’t always receive much reinforcement for them. Many of these kids, in fact, end up being labeled as learning disabled or underachievers, when their unique ways of thinking and learning aren’t addressed by a heavily linguistic or logical-mathematical education system.

At Heart House, we like to present lessons in a variety of ways, using music, cooperative learning, art activities, role play, multimedia, field trips, inner reflection, and much more.

For example, when studying about Japan, we could integrate the following activities for a well-rounded thematic learning unit that supports the genius of EACH of the wonderful children we serve.

Verbal Intelligence
Write short stories based on culture, write a puppet show, and write haiku
Logical Intelligence
Convert currency, explore the geometry of origami, and play a game of Go
Visual Intelligence
Make drawings of or construct model pagodas and torii with Legos, learn and practice calligraphy, and design a set for a kabuki performance
Kinesthetic Intelligence
Learn karate moves, practice cultural dances,and study the strategy of Sumo wrestling
Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence
Learn songs in Japanese and study traditional Japanese music, make kotos and other Japanese instruments, and study taiko drumming
Intrapersonal Intelligence
Do independent work, such as computer programming or research, on the tea ceremony, and explore and practice meditation
Interpersonal Intelligence
Explore the importance and components of the bowing ritual, or act as presenters of puppet show or skit that incorporates thoughtful study of the Japanese culture and group mindset
Naturalist Intelligence
Learn ikebana (the art of flower arranging), study bonsai trees, and make a rock garden using local materials
Existential Intelligence
Study koans and zen stories, or compare and contrast Buddhism and Shintoism.

At the heart of it, our belief in the rich variety of the genius of children has broadened our idea of what constitutes giftedness.

Do you have a special gift, passion or talent to share with the Heart House children? Maybe you love scuba diving and want to show the children your gear and talk about your last dive trip. Maybe you love to paint and want to be a guest art teacher. Or maybe you love gardening and want to show the children how to plant a tomato plant. The ways in which you can engage are endless. Contact us at volunteer@hearthouse.org and see how you can come brighten a child's day and expand their mind at Heart House. We'd love for you to be our special guest!

Your Turn!
Discover your individual genius by taking this short Multiple Intelligences Self-Inventory. There are just a few questions to answer, which should take approximately five minutes to complete. Click on the graphic below to begin.

Small Heart House Feet Receive New Shoes

2008-03-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

1379 Kids is a neat store in Austin that sells comfortable and durable athletic wear for kids. Lindsay and Mike Rosenthal, lifelong, exceptional athletes and, recently, parents to three young children, identified the need for a store dedicated exclusively to children’s fitness.

Lindsay is an Austin native and was captain of the volleyball team at the University of Notre Dame, where she met her husband, Mike, now an offensive lineman in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins. The store’s name was inspired by Lindsay and Mike’s jersey numbers at Notre Dame, 13 and 79, respectively.

1379 Kids promotes an active lifestyle for kids and their families, offering family walking groups on the weekends and making their customers aware of upcoming community runs and other fitness events. The store is located at 2727 Exposition Boulevard in Tarrytown. It is extremely kid-friendly, with toys, balls and activities available for the children while the adults shop.

When Heart House was looking for shoes to give to Heart House children as a reward for completing a reading program, 1379 Kids gladly donated 10 pairs of athletic shoes!

Thanks, 1379, for all that you do to promote a healthy lifestyle for kids in Austin, and for your exceptional generosity to the children of Heart House!

Heart House Video Posted on YouTube

2008-03-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

Our wonderful friend Jay Rogers has posted a FABULOUS Heart House video on YouTube. Video reviews are overwhelmingly positive but clearly have tear-making potential. Watch this engaging video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDj0W_6h0-k

What We're Studying This Month

2008-03-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

This month’s theme is “Get Fit” and is all about how physical, emotional, and social health are important to our daily lives. Children will be learning about all the elements of health and how everything from eating a rainbow of foods to exercising creatively to relieving stress can provide kids with some important choices and tools to be healthier and happier. This month the children will also have a chance to complete fitness challenges at Heart House and with their friends and families outside of Heart House in an effort to engage the entire family in living healthier lifestyles!

Last month our theme was “It’s a Process!” This theme focused on the step-by-step processes involved in creating things and learning skills. Heart House kids learned how other people and animals do things, how things are made, and how to do things themselves! Some activities included how to paint like famous artists, how to make musical instruments, and how to survive different situations. (Below are pictures from “How to Paint like Picasso”.) Also, several volunteers taught kids how to do things like sing songs from other countries, defend themselves from strangers, make jewelry, and create fast airplanes.