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NSC Staff Holds Holiday Open House

As the fall semester of NSC's Adventure Time after-school program began in 2009, anticipation was in the air at NSC headquarters because the staff and Board of Directors had agreed on major changes in the Adventure Time program. First, kids would now be accepted in grades K-3 only, rather than K-6. In addition, the tutoring program would become more focused. Would the new system work as planned? Indeed it did. It worked just fine, and by mid-December, elation was in the air. The new Adventure Time was in fact a roaring success.

To celebrate their achievement, the proud and delighted NSC staff invited NSC supporters to a Holiday Open House at the NSC Center during the middle of the day on December 18, with plenty of home-baked cookies supplied by volunteers. The gathering was a noble reflection of NSC's wonderful diversity, as the following photo gallery illustrates.. Pictured first is the NSC staff. Following are photos of attendees from the Richardson City Council, the Richardson Independent School District, the Richardson Police Department, the NSC Board of Directors, and from the large group of NSC volunteers at large.

The persons in this photo gallery are among the leaders and drivers of our community. They are dedicated to building a better community by giving kids a chance they might not otherwise get.. NSC thanks them, every one!

Staff

Shawn and Susan Loyele (Mr. Lo) Annabel, Jonathan, Alicia Fleta

City of Richardson

Council Members Policemen, with Mr. Lo Detective

Richardson Independent School District

Kim Caston Carolyn Bukhair Kay Reynolds Another Principal

NSC Board of Directors

LL Cotter Rae Kakacek Mary McElvany Alan Rudy

           Joan Barnette     Isaul Verdin     Carolyn Stewart

Volunteers


               Carole Boldt        Claire Erwin        Earl Barnette             Judy Kesler



          Elizabeth Kilgore     Doug Kilgore        Patti Fielder          Scott Kakacek

     Stanley Miller

NSC Holds Its First Volunteer Appreciation Dinner

NSC's first ever Volunteer Appreciation Dinner took place on the evening of Tuesday, February 2, 2010. Present at this lovely banquet were more than a hundred persons, including not only the honored volunteers but also NSC staff, the NSC Board of Directors, the children, and their parents.

Spring Valley United Methodist Church generously allowed NSC to use its Wesley Hall for the event. A big projection screen at one end of the hall enabled presentation of a continuous slide show featuring photos of kids, volunteers, staff and parents.

The dinner was a classic catered barbecue. The children's families assisted in serving the meal, as the above photo shows. Responsible for decorating the hall and executing the dinner were the ladies of the Event and Program Support Committee, headed by Joan Barnette. Members of this very large committee are listed at Volunteers. The entire Committee participated in the planning and execution of this wonderful dinner. Special thanks are due to Carole Boldt and Claire Erwin. Carole did the beautiful decorations. With Valentine's Day not far off, the tables were decorated with Valentine heart balloons. Each place setting was marked by a heart bearing a photo of one of the children.

Before the dinner, the staff asked each child in Adventure Time to write, on a large brown paper poster, some way in which he or she has "Made a Difference" in the life of his or her family. Counselors carried this poster to the church. The finished poster covered a large portion of one wall of the vestibule leading to Wesley Hall. One section of the poster is shown in the photo on the right.

One highlight of the evening was a "rap" session performed by the kids under the coaching of Shawn Ainsworth, Program Director. She lined the children up across the stage, Each child then read to the audience the statement about "Making a Difference" that he or she had written on the poster.

Another highlight was a country and western dancing show performed by the bold and reckless Desperados dance club of Richardson High School. It was no ordinary square dance but rather a sensational exhibition in which the young men lifted, whirled and swung their young women partners as effortlessly as if they were passing basketballs to one another.

This Volunteer Appreciation Dinner was a success by any standard. Everyone left the occasion feeling of pride in NSC and all the good people associated with it. The event was conceived with joy and inspiration by Shawn Ainsworth, Program Director, Susan Condatore, Administrative Assistant. and Claire Erwin, Volunteer Coordinator.

Bob Ressler Joins the NSC Board

LL Cotter, President of NSC, announces that Mr. Robert Ressler has joined the Board of Directors of NSC. Mr. Ressler is Vice President, Dallas, for Exervio Management Consulting (www.exervio.com).
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After receiving a BA in Geography from California State University Fullerton, Mr. Ressler earned an MA in Psychology from Pepperdine University. His subsequent career in staff and executive positions at Ernst and Young, Arthur Andersen and Occidental Chemical well prepared him for entrance into the management consulting field. Mr. Ressler's expertise extends to many facets of business management, in particular organizational development, planning and strategy.

At the University of Texas at Dallas School of Management, Mr. Ressler is a member of the Dean's Advisory Board and Chairman of the Executive Education Advisory Council.

Mr. Ressler's interests in the communities in which has lived have led to his involvement is a series of projects benefiting the less fortunate in the community. For example, early in his work he developed a youth outreach program in Orange County, California. Later, he worked with young people making the transition from juvenile hall back to their community. He is currently active in supporting young men and families working through drug rehabilitation.

Isaul Verdin Joins the NSC Board

LL Cotter, President of NSC, announces that Mr. Isaul Verdin has joined the Board of Directors of NSC. Mr. Verdin, an authority on immigration law, is the head of the Verdiu Law Firm (http://lawyers.llrx.com/lawyer/isaul-verdin-322608).

After graduation from Pepperdine University with a BA degree in International Studies, Mr.Verdin attended Loyola Law School, where he received the American Jurisprudence and First Honors Award in International Law. After graduation, he volunteered to defend immigrants in removal proceedings. This led to a lifelong involvement in immigration law.

Mr. Verdin joined the US Army in 2000. Attaining the rank of Captain, he was assigned to the United States Attorney's office, Central District of California, first as a trial attorney and eventually as Special Assistant United States Attorney. During his military service, Mr. Verdin represented hundreds of soldier clients and their spouses in their effort to obtain permanent residency and citizenship. His success led to his being awarded the Meritorious Service medal.

Mr. Verdin left the service in 2004 to embark on a career in immigration law, both in independent practice and in association with two other firms--Lucio Law and Reina, Bates and Kowalski. Mr. Verdin especially focuses on deportation litigation. Fluent in Spanish, Mr. Verdin has often helped the less fortunate in the community by handling their litigation on a pro bono basis.

Arapaho United Methodist Church Sponsors a Family Night

Family Nights at NSC are good times. Parents of the kids in Adventure Time stay for dinner and a program that suggests ways for them to encourage development of their children. The parents are able to share ideas with one another and with NSC staff. At Family Night on November 3, 2009, volunteers from Arapaho United Methodist Church provided a wonderful dinner of hot dogs, chips, beans, apples and cookies.

The volunteer crew from Arapaho UMC included long-time loyal NSC supporter Shirley Howard, her husband Jim and Kim Hedry. Many thanks to this group. They have done this many times over the years. Thanks also to four counselors from My Time, NSC's 2009 summer program, who came unsolicited to help set up, serve and clean up. All the parents stayed to help in the cleanup as well.

Shawn Ainsworth, Program Director, wrote in her journal that one family member who attended was Juan Carlos, an older boy who had been in NSC's programs for for several years, most recently in My Time during the summer. Juan Carlos took Shawn aside and quietly confided to Shirley Howard her how thankful he was to NSC for all they had done to help him. Shawn wrote that it made her cry. It gave her a great sense of fulfillment in her work.

The event took place in Asbury Hall of Spring Valley United Methodist Church, to which church many thanks for providing a fine meeting place.

Staff Changes at NSC

In charge of operations at the NSC Center since April 2009 is Shawn Ainsworth, Program Director. Shawn is a graduate of Oklahoma State University. Fluent in Spanish and accomplished speaker, Shawn came aboard at NSC in the summer of 2008 after several successful years teaching high school. Not only her training but also her deep-rooted love for children, and her understanding of them and their parents, work to produce a splendid experience for all the kids in NSC's programs.

Administrative Assistant at NSC is Susan Condatore. Retired from her position as Program Manager at IBM in Tarrytown NY, Susan now applies her organizational genius and other talents to management of NSC's affairs. Susan and her husband John have spent years exploring the United States, not only on land but also by

Shawn Ainsworth sea, sailing along the East Coast. Susan Condatore

Program Changes at NSC

In the fall of 2009, NSC's Adventure Time after-school program began admitting children from kindergarten through third grade only, whereas previously NSC also accepted children in grades 4 through 6.. NSC altered its approach, because its experience over a 20-year period demonstrated a clear need to give priority to the youngest children. The earliest years are those in which counselors and tutors can help the child to develop lifelong skills and habits of study. Educators have long known that kindergartners are capable of learning far more than the general public realizes, a fact that has recently been confuirmed by formal research studies.

A second modification in NSC's procedures is introduction of the Study Buddy program, designed to make tutoring efficient and focused. The kids now do the bulk of their homework under the supervision of an NSC counselor. The function of tutors--"Study Buddies"--is to address any academic weakness the child may have. The tutor chooses a child from a list. Tutors work one-on-one with the kids in special Study Buddy rooms. At the end of the tutoring session, the tutor records the results on a page of a special notebook that is kept on file for each child. Thus, at the beginning of each tutoring session, the tutor can find out from the notebook the areas in which the child needs to practice. The kids love this one-on-one attention.

The other change in NSC's procedures is an upgrade of its volunteer training program to conform with State of Texas guidelines for child care agencies. This program particularly addresses methods for meeting the needs of young children.

Another Successful Summer Program

As in past years, NSC admitted kids in the age range 10-16 to its summer day camp. Again the group enjoyed a wide spectrum of activities, among them field trips to places the children would have been unlikely to visit had they not been in the summer program. An outstanding feature of this year's program was an end-of-summer luncheon hosted by the Hilton Hotel in Richardson, attended by the kids, the staff, and members of the Board of Directors. After lunch, the kids put on a Talent Show at which each showed what he or she had done and told the group about it. One young person played the keyboard, several displayed art work, and others had made various food dishes, among them cookies much appreciated by all those present. After lunch, the kids adjourned to the hotel pool for a swim party. It was a splendid way to end the summer!.

Dallas Junior Forum Brings Santa to Neighborhood Service Council

Each year the ladies of Dallas Junior Forum (www.dallasjuniorforum.org) plan and execute four wonderful parties for the kids in Neighborhood Service Council’s after-school program. This year, they brought Santa along with them to the Christmas party:

As usual, there were punch and cookies to begin with, and party gifts for the kids, but the high point of the party for the kids was their opportunity to see Santa Claus up close. For one little girl, it was a shock and surprise to be that close to the man himself, as you see in the photo below:

Santa Is a Lucky Guy Is That Really Santa Claus?

Best of all for the kids was sitting on Santa's lap and telling him what you wanted for Christmas, as you see in the photo.

The ladies from Dallas Junior Forum topped off this wonderful party by making a very large donation to NSC, as depicted in the photo to the right,.

Dallas Junior Forum Makes it a Really Fine Christmas for NSC

Many thanks to Dallas Junior Forum for another happy, colorful, Christmas party!

Snow Time Store 2008

One of the finest events in Neighborhood Service Council’s holiday season is the Snow Time Store. During the fall semester of the school year, NSC stocks the Snow Time Store with donated gift items suitable for grownups. Meanwhile, whenever an NSC staff member sees a student doing a random act of kindness, or obeying an instruction cheerfully and promptly, or doing something else worthy of note, the staff member issues the student a Good Behavior Buck. The students save up their Good Behavior Bucks. At the Snow Time Store, each student can use accumulated Good Behavior Bucks to buy gifts for his or her parents. The following photo shows the way that this year’s Snow Time Store appeared just before it opened.

Gifts Donated to the Snow Time Store

The photo on the left below shows Carolyn Stewart, an NSC board member, helping a young student make her selection.

The photo on the right below shows a parent filling her bags with the gifts her children have bought for her.

What Should I Pick Out? A Parent with the Gifts Her Kids Bought for Her

The annual Snow Time Store is one of NSC's ways of teaching proper and desirable values to the kids in its programs. It has proved to be extremely effective in this regard over the 20 years of NSC's history.

NSC Kids Marvel at the Holiday House

During the Christmas season in 2008, Miss Madeline and her husband again gladdened the hearts of children by filling every room of their large home with beautiful decorations and then inviting groups to tour their unique “Holiday House.” This year as in the past, they invited the Neighborhood Service Council kids to their home.

There they stepped across the threshold into a wonderland of light and Christmas trees. In the following photo, Miss Madeleine calls attention to the tallest tree in the Holiday house.

Miss Madeleine and the Kids Look up at a Really Tall Christmas Tree

Each room in the Santa House had a different theme: snow men in one, the North Pole in another, and so on throughout the entire house. Almost every room has a different kind of Christmas tree. There was something new and different and even more breathtaking around each corner! One room had electric trains snaking in and out of tunnels and over bridges:

Kids Watch the Trains Go By

The kids especially liked getting to pull the cord and blow the train whistle, as the photo on the left shows.

After they had seen the entire house, the children sang Christmas carols as a “thank you” and were rewarded with a special “Santa Treat” when they left. It was a special day and NSC is grateful to all the volunteers and staff who make it happen and to Miss Madeline for sharing her magnificent collections with us.

Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow

NSC Kids Thank the Volunteers

Neighborhood Service Council provides free after-school care, including tutoring, for at-risk kids from low-income families in our community. This critical work is performed by the hands and minds of dozens of community volunteers.

The kids really appreciate these men and women who help them in so many ways--with their homework, or in games or craft projects--and Thanksgiving seemed to be an appropriate time to express this appreciation. Therefore Ginger York, Executive Director of NSC, and Shawn Ainsworth, Program Director, planned a program that would allow the kids to offer thanks to the dedicated volunteers who counsel and assist them. The kids were allowed to invite all the volunteers to a party after school on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

The kids, ably backed up by a committee of volunteers headed by Mrs. Joan Barnette, planned a simple menu of peanuts and cookies, made table decorations (paper-mache pumpkins) and designed beautiful invitations.

Volunteers and Kids Mingle on Thanksgiving Eve

When Shawn opened the door at the appointed hour, each volunteer was escorted to the table by a child who had been assigned to be the volunteer's host. The child initiated conversation throughout the meal by questioning the volunteer. Then, after everyone had eaten, each child stood and reported to the assembly such information about the volunteer as he or she had learned during their conversation.

Next it was the turn of the volunteers to respond. Several rose and told the gathering about memorable Thanksgivings in their childhood. One man described how, during World War II, his father and mother always invited far-from-home servicemen from the local Army base to be their guests at Thanksgiving dinner.

The program ended officially with a formal presentation in which each of seven kids read in turn a sentence from a paragraph expressing appreciation for the efforts of the volunteers. On the left is a photo of the group. They did very well. Owing to shyness at being "on stage," they didn't speak very loudly, and so Ginger asked them to give two performances, one for either side of the room.

The Magnificent Seven As They Gave Their Reading

Unofficially, the party concluded with hugs all around.

Family Night a Real Treat

The November 2008 Family Night at NSC, held on the 11^th at 7PM, was a special treat for all in attendance. Based on requests from the parents, two of the counselors (who just happen to be attending the Art Institute, majoring in Culinary Arts, which means that they intend to become chefs) brought ingredients for three tasty snacks that are fast and easy to fix. The parents followed the recipes and the instructions of Miss Fleta and Miss Alicia, and in no time they had prepared the food. Although most of the parents were Mothers, there was at least one Dad who paid close attention and helped when the ladies would allow. The parents then fed their creations to the children, and with very few exceptions all plates were cleaned.

Family Nights are designed to give parents a chance to get to know one another and to acquire new parenting skills. These classes are provided six times per year and are required as part of the contract between families and NSC..

Enjoying the Food Following Recipes

Dallas Junior Forum Scores with Its Halloween/Fall Festival

Dallas Junior Forum never stops loving the children of our community, as is manifest in their long-time support of Neighborhood Service Council. Janice Renfro, Dallas Junior Forum President, comments as follows: “DJF members have watched some of your families grow up through the NSC programs. NSC is a wonderful inspiring program for children. We love that they have good manners, that they smile, and that their eyes sparkle with confidence when we visit and spend time with them.”

Dallas Junior Forum provides four splendid seasonal after-school parties for the kids of NSC. The ladies from Dallas Junior Forum dress up the hall with pretty seasonal decorations and provide bountiful refreshments. And in doing this they reinforce the efforts of NSC to teach the kids proper values and manners. These are the events:

September                     Back to School Party
October                         Halloween/Fall Festival
December                      Christmas Party
May                               End of Year Party

The 2008 Halloween/Fall Festival a NSC was on October 23, organized by Maria I Diaz and Clare Haislip, who are Dallas Junior Forum’s co-chairs for NSC. These ladies, and their helpers, are shown in the picture on the right. Left to right, they are Sylvia Graham, Clare Haislip, Maria I Diaz, Judy Searight, Renee Enze and Sheila Wilson. Thanks to everyone for being there for kids who really need you!

Pumpkin decorating was the theme of this Halloween/Fall; Festival. Below are photos of kids and pumpkins, reflecting the pride each child had in his or her pumpkin face

Thank you, Dallas Junior Forum, for again bringing autumn’s Halloween excitement to the kids at NSC!

Carolyn Stewart is Honored by Helping Agencies Serving Richardson

Carolyn Stewart Todd Steudtner, Bill Warren, Joette Lyles, Carrie Hooten, Janice Fandrick, Carolyn Stewart and Nahid Abrahi

Helping Agencies Serving Richardson held its annual Volunteer of the Year Awards Luncheon on Thursday, November 6, 2008 at the Holiday Inn Select Richardson. Nominees were recognized from the following categories: Education, Community Leadership, Humanitarian and Group. Carolyn Stewart represented Neighborhood Service Council in the Humanitarian category and is pictured with the other nominees in that category. For many years Carolyn has volunteered more than 25 hours a week to her favorite causes: soccer and football for young people, and of course NSC, where she is a member of the Board of Directors.

Carolyn has been a soccer coach for three decades. In 1989, she was selected as "Boys' Coach of the Year" for North Texas Soccer. In 1995, along with Dallas Parks and Recreation and Soccer Start, she initiated the first (and only) soccer league in the district that NSC serves. This league has thrived since, chiefly because of Carolyn's devoted service, backed up by the support of 'NSC as co-sponsor. This year, 115 boys and girls are playing in the league.

Co-winners in the Humanitarian category were Todd Steudtner and Bill Warren, nominated by the Warren Center. Guest speaker for the Awards Luncheon was Karen Ellis, secretary of the RISD Board of Trustees.

Hip, Hip Hooray for all Saints Catholic

NSC begins its after-school program with snacks for the kids. Recently the supply of snacks was running low, and NSC appealed to All Saints Catholic Church for help. All Saints responded with a “Reverse Offering” for NSC. In the offering plate were slips of paper, each bearing the name of an item that NSC needed. Members of the congregation wee encouraged to take a slip of paper from the offering plate and bring the item named back the next week. All Saints parishioners came through with bells on! Barbara Strieber, who is NSC's representative at All Saints Catholic, brought over to NSC a literal truck load of snacks and drinks that should hold the hungry youngsters until at least the first of the year! NSC is extremely grateful as this will save us about $50 per week. Thanks again, All Saints!”

Hip, Hip Hooray for Arapaho United Methodist Church!

On Tuesday, October 14, at the conclusion of the after-school program, many of the parents of children in the program attended one of NSC's Family NIghts, the purpose of which is to improve parenting skills. The first item on the agenda was a fine dinner, contributed by the Missions Commission of Arapaho United Methodist Church. Many thanks to the Missions Commission and to the ladies who did the work, namely Shirley Howard and Joyce Patton!! Shirley is NSC's representative at Arapaho United Methodist. The educational portion of the program consisted of a splendid talk by Shawn Ainsworth on "How to Help Your Children with Their Homework," a subject directly in tune with NSC's slogan, "Expanding Kid

Thanks to the City of Dallas

The City of Dallas called on August 19, 2008 with the news that they had school supplies for approximately 100 6^th and 7^th grade students that they wished to donate to Neighborhood Service Council. These supplies along with the back packs NSC had already been given, were distributed to students entering the after-school program. Many thanks to the City of Dallas for thinking of the kids in NSC!

NSC Holds Open House to Celebrate Moving to Its New Facility

Neighborhood Service Council held Open House on August 15, 2008, to celebrate relocation of its Operations Center from Spring Valley United Methodist Church to more spacious quarters at 13539 Peyton Road in Dallas. NSC rejoices in more and better office space and storage capacity as well as better organized space for its programs. The public had an opportunity to meet new NSC staff members: Shawn Ainsworth, Program Director, and Susan Condatore, Administrative Assistant. Over a hundred well-wishers attended, and many volunteer docents were on hand to lead them on tours of the building and to explain the after school program, which involves 40 students on site and another 40 at Carolyn Bukhair Elementary school in the TWEENS program.

Many thanks to the volunteers who worked hard to plan and implement the Open House: Patty Fielder, Rae Kakacek, Mary Kennedy, Elizabeth Kilgore, Jane Mann, Cindi Peck, Ann Sanders, Carolyn Stewart, Jo Anne Walker, Tish Woodruff, Clare Erwin and Joan Barnette. Joan, who organized this committee, extends thanks to not only the committee members but also to the Sunday school classes at Spring Valley United Methodist Church who contributed the delicious cookies.

NSC's Summer Program Ends with a Big Day at the Raddison

More than 25 kids in grades 6 through 11 in schools of the Richardson Independent School District spent their days during the summer of 2008 with NSC in its My Time program. Some of the many activities they enjoyed were swimming, soccer, softball, the 6^th Floor Museum, I-Max, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Dallas and Ft. Worth Zoos. They also learned to make quilts, dance, keep journals, cook, and take photographs.

Counselors gave tips to the girls tips about makeup and hair care, and to both girls and boys about dressing well on a budget. NSC took the kids to a discount shop where they could buy new clothing times. Then, on the next to last day of this fine summer program they took their new clothes and went to the Raddison Hotel in Richardson for lunch, where they put on a fashion show. After their fashion show, the students changed into their bathing suits and enjoyed the hotel’s pool. They found it to be an amazing experience and one they will not soon forget. Thanks to Gloria at the Raddison for all her help in making this occasion special.

Fashion Show

Kids and Counselors in NSC's Summer Program 2008

NSC Has Doubled the Number of Schools It Serves in the After-School Program

NSC's after-school program began in 1989 with students from what is now called RISD Academy. After a few years we began to serve Dobie Primary, and in the early half of this decade we began to pick up kids at Carolyn Bukhair Elementary as well. In this fall of 2008, in its 19th consecutive year of operation, NSC has further broadened its scope to serve Dover Elementary, Spring Valley Elementary and Northwood Hills Elementary.

NSC Now Has Two Vans

We are now able to serve six schools instead of just three because an anonymous donor donated a second van to NSC in September 2008, what a blessing. Having this almost-new Chevrolet 15-passenger van means that all of our kids can be in the NSC Center by 3:45 PM, ready for our programs to begin. It used to be that the kids would arrive in stages between 3:15 and 4:30. We lived with this arrangement, but things are much better now.

Van Drivers Needed!

We are delighted to have two vans, but now we need twice as many van drivers! . Please consider volunteering once a week (on a weekday).. Duty begins at 2:30. You will usually drive to three schools, and you are usually done at 3:45. Once in a while it takes longer because of unusual circumstances, but in all cases van drivers are done by 4:30. This is the very best way to see the kids at first hand. They are wonderful little people, and because of you they will be taught by loving friends when otherwise they might be receiving their instruction from undesirable sources.