E-Newsletter: November 2011

Moments of Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 17: In front of more than 400 business and community leaders, a middle school student named Jazmin took the stage to share her story of having City Year in her school for four years. As she began to speak, her nerves were evident, but the audience hung onto every word. A few moments in, Jazmin mentioned her corps member from the year prior: “Ms. Vanessa was one of my best friends, and we still stay in touch.” Immediately, City Year alumna Vanessa Rivera leapt out of her seat and shouted across the packed ballroom, “I am so proud of you!” Before Jazmin took the stage, we also heard from Gloria Larson, Esq., President of Bentley University and Jasmine Pina, a corps member serving on the Comcast Team at Burke High. Click here to read more about the Women’s Leadership Breakfast and see photos of the event.

Friday, November 18: Volunteers from the Celtics, Comcast, Foundation to be Named Later, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Johnson & Johnson, National Grid, K&L Gates, Schneider Electric, State Street, Summit Partners and Westfield Capital Management joined with the City Year community to spend a day giving back to the Boston community. At City Year Headquarters, volunteers sewed bibs, baked pies, sanded and painted building blocks, stuffed plush toys and made scarves and blankets by the dozens. The products of their labor will go to organizations including Dimock Health Center, Women’s Lunch Place, the Friday Night Supper Program and Pine Street Inn. At schools and community centers across the city, City Year Boston corps members painted, built and cleaned to make spaces around Boston vibrant for the holidays.

Success in Schools: Connecting to my Mirror Image

Written by Caroline Lauture, serving on the Deloitte Team at Irving Middle School

Talking has always been a form of self-expression that I find liberating, but one that my teachers did not always appreciate. Getting me to stop talking during class was a common goal that all of my teachers shared. Now, as a corps member serving on the Deloitte Team at the Washington Irving Middle School, imagine my surprise as I walked into class one morning, sat at a random table in the back corner of a classroom, and met myself from seven years ago. She was sitting right in front of me and was, of course, talking. Her name was Cynthia. Read Caroline’s story.

Words From the Community

“It boosts the morale of our culture and our staff to have City Year supporting us. It absolutely helps us move forward together. City Year creates a culture that we’re all in it together.”

Principal Leah Blake, Harbor Middle School
quoted in Idealist Interview blog post by Michaela Kinlock, corps member serving on the Summit Partners Team at the Harbor

City Year in the News

City Year Boston corps members participate in Roxbury Peace Walk (video)

First LSU give-a-year scholar is City Year Boston alumna Reagan Samuel

National Mentoring Organization Comes to Sacramento Schools (audio)

National mentoring service to aid struggling Orange County schools

Corps member spotlight

Written by Nicolas Gonzalez, serving on the MFS Investment Management^® Team at Dever-McCormack Lower School

Nicolas Gonzalez

All my life, I have had a passion for helping others, and I have spent much time abroad serving those in need. I feel that now is the time for me to serve in my own community; upon graduating from college, I decided to join City Year because I was inspired to ‘pay it forward’ where I grew up. I am very passionate about the work that City Year does to decrease the nation’s dropout rate and ensure that its youth are provided with opportunities that will allow them to move above the poverty line. As a bilingual college graduate, I feel that I can use my education and language skills to support a good cause – to lead the students in Boston Public Schools, especially native Spanish speakers, to reach their full potential and find success. Read Nicolas’ full bio.