KUMC Mission Trip to San Francisco Aug 2010

Early on August 16ththe women of the Kent United Methodist Church were up putting the last supplies into their suitcases for the intense week of Mission work in San Francisco. They were scheduled to help Monday and Tuesday evening with the dinner feeding at Glide Memorial Methodist Church in the tenderloin District of San Francisco where everyday they feed people in need of a good meal with no questions asked—they just feed them. Glide Memorial faced a major change in its direction of the church when Cecil Williams entered in the 60’s to lead this church into social outreach and justice. Quite recently, Will Smith starred in a movie which was based on a true story filmed at Glide Memorial. After 4 intense hours of working the assembly line and wiping tables, picking up trays, filling coffee, and interacting with the patrons at this feeding kitchen each night these seven women knew that they had put their Faith into action by providing a meal to over 1,000 people in need that night. Overwhelming when you think about it. One might think just participating in this act of kindness would be enough but not for this dynamic group. They were out to also accomplish much more.

Gum Moon Community Center is also sponsored by the United Methodist Women. It is a Community Center that helps Asian Chinese immigrants in many capacities and women facing serious problems in society. Some are victims of domestic violence, many rescued from serious bad situations and now have transitional housing where they will find help getting English skills, job skills, budgeting, counseling, and life skills. It is truly a place for them to find a new life and opportunities for success. They also house pre-school children and teach them and many other after school programs for youths.  So Tuesday morning before doing the feeding at Glide this same group of women were up again early and split the group in half. Half worked with the children sharing with them how to bake cookies, reading to them, and just playing and interacting.

 Norma King and Lora Lee Brown cooking with the children

Leslie Hamada reading to children

The other half taught the women housed there and others that came in how to make unique clever purses with fabric for themselves or to sell for profit and also how to make beautiful jewelry with beads. They produced earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. Quality items they could also sell and make a home business venture successful.

Mercedes Hanlon working with purses

Jenni Yeoh teaching beads

Linda Roser and Joan Roberts helping ladies

The last part of the week was directed toward helping withGum Moon’s big Fund Raiser 10 course Dinner on Friday night. The women made 36 dried lavender center pieces for tables, eight fresh flower arrangements with small EifeelTowers lit with battery operated candles for the sponsor tables that contributed 10 thousand a table. Four large fresh flower sprays for special guests and 40 fresh flower corsages. The final contribution was appetizers and deserts for 500. Their contributions and talents helped make this Fund Raiser a huge success.

It is said: “the hand the rocks the cradle rules the world.” Whether true or not this dynamic group accomplished great things for the City of San Francisco in one short week and will continue in all their individual projects to make SKC a more beautiful, kind, and giving place. Watch out for the Power of a few Good Women.

We do not want to hear it but….often times we get the government or the representatives of that government that we deserve. Thomas Jefferson summed it up in 1789: “the price of Liberty is constant vigilance.”  If we are not willing to become advocates or People Advocating for our own Democracy it can be lost or gone. So many of us take our freedom and rights for granted. We simply can not envision ourselves being under a Dictatorship or having everything we have worked so hard for so long taken from us. We do not realize that safety nets that are now in place in this country came because things that were bad happened. Because things happened people worked hard to put in place safeguards like better working condition laws, civil rights, social security, medicare, Title IX, and the list goes on. The part that made all this possible is people getting involved. People caring about what is happening. People banning together. People working to bring about change that was needed.

“Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature….if the next centennial does not find us a great nation…..it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces.” This is part of an address that President James Garfield gave in his Centennial Address to Congress in 1876. You can easily substitute the national part of it for state and local.

Now, more than ever each one of us needs to take a portion of our day and turn off the cell phones, the e-mails, the social networks, the twitter, the TV, and the DVDs and work in our own government programs and entities to become informed and involved in our Country, State, and local representation. How many of us do not vote in our elections? How many of us take the time if we do vote to really know the candidates or the issues? When was the last time you attended a local school board meeting and learned what is going on in our schools or City Council Meeting?  How many of us read several news sources? How many of us take the time to question the news that is reported?

Each day we are getting wake up calls. The latest fiasco of Shirley Sherrod should teach us that we need (all of us) media–government agencies, and even the White House needs to study what is going on, educate ourselves, and quit thinking we can do it in a 90 second sound bite or be informed in the characters limited in a twitter. I have to admit that I am old enough to remember sitting in my car with 2 young children–another on the way—in a long line waiting for gas when it was my day according to last name alphabet to get Gas. It was difficult to sit in a car and entertain little ones for sometimes over an hour until my place in line to gas came up. I accepted this policy years ago and started to reduce my trips to the store or wherever because I realized Gas was a privilege and needed to be used only when needed. Well….as soon as I accepted the policy and changed my habits that policy was thrown out the window. If we had maintained just a small portion of the policy of realizing we have to ration our usage and prepare alternative fuels as we began in the 70’s today I can only imagine what progress we might have made. Progress has an element of sacrifice to it always. I am not sure we are teaching this to our next generations. Involvement has to have at its core commitment and time.

Yes…I hear the same answers that times have changed. We are so much busier now. The world has become more complex. All those things may be true. But now more than ever we need to become involved. We need to tune in not tune out. We need to communicate with our neighbors in person not just via the Internet. We need to advocate for our beliefs.

The choice of course is yours. But if you do not…. it is a very real possibility that we could lose everything this Nation, this country, and our people have worked for so many years to have.

It has been my privilege for 7 years to work as the emergency assistance director for Kent United Methodist Church. The church in part of it’s outreach to the Community has helped members of our community that reside within the Kent School District with utility shut-offs and rent eviction. The primary source of the funding comes from the wonderful people that attend the church with a few matching grants. The program receives no government funding so the program can establish it’s own rules and regulations of giving.

As the Immigration Issue has heated up and there has been a crackdown in business for workers to produce social security cards or documentation to work legally in this country we have seen more people applying for financial assistance for rent or utilities in undocumented workers. In the past, they were working and paying their housing and bills but now with the increased pressures they have lost any means to support themselves and find their lives in crisis. I am not writing to push for a policy on this issue one way or the other. Believe me, I do have my own personal thoughts on this issue. But what I wish to express in this article is the huge disappointment I have that our representatives and government officials have swept this issue under the rug for so long and not dealt with this issue and now it is a crisis. Why are we Citizens and voters allowing our elected officials to get a Pass on not really doing their job? Where is the outrage? We did not vote for these individuals to collect a pay check and attend ribbon cutting ceremonies and each year vote to have an increase in their pay. We voted for them to carry on the tradition of working hard for this country and making decisions that were not popular but for the common good. It appears before common sense can prevail in voting or tackling these major issues politicans are quick to run their polls or focus groups to see what the popular thing is to do. What ever happened to knowing what the right thing is to do and doing it regardless if it brings you votes or money to your next campaign. In my belief system politics is not just a job, it is a higher calling. Ask yourself why so many of our brightest and most talented would never consider running in an elected position? Ask yourself why it has become popular for the rich to spend millions on state races? Where is the outrage?

This past week again I have witnessed up close and personal the pain of not dealing with the immigration issue. Before me was a young girl who excelled in school and was being rewarded with a scholarship to college. She should be on top of the world right? Think again. Her father was arrested and is facing deportation back to Mexico. Her mother faces everyday the issue of when will she be next and then what will happen to the younger children who were born in the United States. How will they exist without their parents? How can the young girl even think about starting college in the fall when one source of her support financially is now deported and her mother does not make enough to cover the rent? Is this an isolated incident…no. Each week in the interviews for assistance more often than not, I look into the faces of the babies held by their mothers who are fussing because they know they sense tension  in their parents that need help. They are too young to understand what the problem is but they feel the problem when their parents are holding them. Their basic needs of shelter, heat, and food are being threatened. These needs in the past had been met and now because policies have changed their lives have changed. When the country financially advanced because of cheap labor it was ok to not follow the law, but now when budgets are broke from an overload of services being drained the following of the law is now what is expected. If you are a parent or you have worked as a teacher or person working with kids that have set boundaries and rules for those kids to follow and live by what does it tell you when suddenly you change the rules. Are those kids now in complete confusion as to what to do? How to act? What really is or was—right or wrong? Where is the good guidance? Where are the leaders blazing the trails and showing society the way to get back on track and direction?

What ever happened to leaders who made the tough choices? Would set the policies and follow the law in good or bad times? How can we expect our communities and our societies to function in a normal path when no one is implementing what the rule of law is and following it. How can we expect to have a blueprint for success when no one is drawing up the plans? Do we not owe our children and all people a future that has a directed path of what will be.  I, for one, am outraged and writing my representatives to address this issue. After all, good government demands the Citizens take an active part and be vigilant in voting and making our representative accountable. Each of us has the power within ourselves to make our leaders make the tough choices.

Senator speaks to luncheon

 On June 1, at Newcastle Golf and Country Club community and government leaders rallied to support the programs of the Greater King County Activities-Athletic League—PAL. The ballroom was filled with supporters from King County and the State. The Keynote speaker was Senator Patty Murray who was instrumental in getting to this organization money for mentoring in the schools for this organization. She spoke of the great need to help our kids through after school programming and mentoring-tutoring. United States Congressman Dave Reichert who has worked hard to implement this program in King County was not able to attend. Sheriff Sue Rahr spoke and also addressed the need for police officers to have their first initial meeting with kids in positive programs instead of when they get in trouble. Attorney General Rob McKenna is also a great supporter and spoke next.

Attorney General Rob McKenna addresses the luncheon

  The National President of PAL spoke next and stated how being in PAL programs as a youth made him want to become a police officer and for young African Americans when he grew up it was not a profession they were readily signing up to join. The next speaker was Tina Hendrix of the Hendrix Music Academy and she spoke of the reason why she was forced to move out of the neighbor she lived in because of the violence and how she is reaching out to help kids through various music programs and partnering with PAL do that.

Sgt. Reid Johnson and the White Center Boxing Club

Sgt. Reid Johnson was praised throughout the event for his great efforts to manage and lead all the various PAL Programs. They range from bonding with Pets—to Boxing for Kids—to shopping with a Cop in Covington. This is a part of Sgt. Johnson’s job in addition to many other responsibilities.

Representative Pat Sullivan joins Kent East Hill Kids Club Table which is just starting off as a new PAL Program

Dr. Vargas, KSD Superintendent, Dennis Higgins, Kent City Council Member, Sharon Cornish, Cascade Promise, Rich Wagoner & Virginia Haugen, City of Auburn City Council Members all joining the Kent East Hill Kids Boxing table to support our kids

 May 27, Kent East Hill Kids (PAL) Boxing Club held their first meeting at Phoenix Academy to discuss the after school program they will be starting in that area. They signed up 17 kids and there is room for many more. They also sponsored a table at the PAL luncheon fundraiser which is a new program which PAL will act a s a fiscal agent for support. If you have questions regarding this new program direct them to Executive Director Leslie Hamada @ leslie.hamada@yahoo.comor 253-631-3895. The program will run 4 days after school and is going to emphasize the following: conditioning, exercise, nutrition, positive confllict resolution, mentoring, tutoring, and high academic achievement. It will be housed in the East Hill area.

The evening of May 24th a community discussion on new approaches to evaluation and compensation and how it could work in our schools was held in this area sponsored by Stand for Children, Partnership for Learning, BEST Education-Tacoma, Seattle Council PTSA, and Community & Parents for Public Schools of Seattle. The hour and a half discussion was well attended and there was a panel discussion from educators in the field. The panel was composed of: Jeffrey Wilson, The New Teacher Project, Alan Burke, OSPI, Mary Alice, Renton Public Schools, Sarah McCoy, Mariner High School, and Raegen Miller.During the discussions, examples of successes in working with the Unions being involved and also contributing to the success of shaping the compensation vision were pointed out in New Haven, Connecticut and Colorado.

A handout that was discussed listed:

 The Current Teacher Evaluation Categories:

• Instructional Skill
• Classroom Management
• Professional Preparation and Scholarship
• Effort Toward Improvement When Needed
• Handling of Student Discipline and Attendance Problems
• interest in Teaching Pupils
• Knowledge of Subject Matter

New Teacher Evaluation Categories:

• Centering instruction on high expectations for student achievement
• Demonstrating effective teaching practices
• Recognizing individual student learning needs and developing strategies to address those needs
• Providing clear and intentional focus on subject matter content and curriculum
• Fostering and managing a safe, positive learning environment
• Using multiple student data elements to modify instruction and improve student learning
• Communicating with parents and school community
• Exhibiting collaborative and collegial practices focus on improving instructional practice and student learning

Current Principal Evaluation Categories:

• Knowledge of, experience in and training in recognizing good professional performance, capabilities and development
• School administration and management
• School Finance
• Professional preparation and scholarship
• Effort toward improvement when needed
• Interest in pupils, employees, patrons and subjects taught in school
• Leadership
• Ability and performance of evaluation of school personnel

New Principal Evaluation Categories:

• Creating a school culture that promotes the ongoing improvement of learning and teaching for students and staff
• Providing for school safety
• Leads development, implementation and evaluation of a data-driven plan for increasing student achievement, including the use of multiple student data elements
• Assisting instructional staff with the alignment of curriculum, instruciton and assessment with state and local district learning goals
• Monitoring, assisting and evaluating effective instruction and assessment practices
• Managing both staff and fiscal resources to support student achievement and fiscal resources to support students achievement and legal responsibilities
• Partnering with the school community to promote student learning
• Demonstrating commitment to closing the achievement gap

A Booklet composed of ideas from an educator-driven recommendations basis to Improve Washington Schools with a local Representative from Kent-Covington area—Brooke Valentine contributing heavily to that many ideas brought forth in that Report was also passed out to those in attendance which was put together by Stand for Children.

The ideas that evening and listed in above categories needs the involvement heavily from everyone in the KSD Community. I would like to see Forums and Discussions on a Quarterly Basis brought up in our Community sponsored by various Civic or Government groups. We have to all get involved in making our education system better and not just showing up when problems arise. I hope to get lots of discussions going in my Blog and other places regarding the current and new categories listed  and how you feel about our schools and what directions you feel we need to be pursuing or not pursuing. We, as a Society have to care more about our education system because it will fuel and generate the future of this country.

Halo Network Foundation Barista Program in Action at Kona Kai

Nationally, youths facing Homelessness is on the rise. They make-up about 27% of the Homeless population today. In the start of the school year, one high school in the Kent School District listed 98 students who registered homeless. This statistic should be alarming to all of us living in the SKC area for it is the future of our local economy and it is the future of human services problems. If our young people do not have stable housing it becomes harder for them to concentrate on doing well in school or even staying in school. With today’s challenging economy kids turning 18 are told by their parents, you are on your own now, we cannot not afford to take care of you anymore and you have to leave. If they are lucky enough to have a high school education to be sent off with no nest egg in their back pocket to take care of just basic needs can be overwhelming.   You are also seeing foster kids of the State facing this reality all to often once they reach the age the State will now consider them adults–they are shown the door.

Homelessness can lead to habits young people never had before being in that situation. If they had other issues such as: substance abuse, mental health, or anger,  it will only get worse. In addition, many become victims of the more savvy individuals who are ready to prey upon these younger individuals and lead them into lines of work which will take them down dark paths in their lives.

One of the bright stars in these building statistics are individuals and organizations stepping up to try to help stop the rise in these statistics. The Halo Network Foundation is one of them. They have created a Barista Program that is trying hard in Kent, Washington to get its start and help turn statistics around. The owners of the Kona Kai Coffee Company. Mychal and Maryum Boiser want to make a difference. They want to, in addition to running a successful business, help kids to be trained to be Baristas and give them the tools to have a job, make an income, and support themselves. While doing this they are mentoring and providing that one on one adventure to help that youth become a successful, educated, enriched member of society.

You, too, can play a huge part in ending Homelessness for our youths and at the same time really enjoy great food and great contemporary Jazz. May 15, from 7:00-9:30 p.m. in Kent at the Kona Kai Coffee Company business downtown at 124 4th Ave. South. There is a Jazz and Dinner Benefit sponsored by Halo Network Foundation. The wonderful menu consists of Beef Wellington or Jawaiian Spiced Ono as the main entree choices. In addition great entertainment by local Jazz Artist, Darren Motamedy. His work is soulful, passionate, and smooth. Tickets are going to go fast. Call them at 253-859-5662 or go in to Kona Kai and pick them up.

Don’t miss this opportunity to help make a difference in our community in ending Homelessness for our Youth!!!!

Sister Helen Prejean, left, Author “Dead Man Walking” talking with Leslie Hamada

Thursday April 15th at St. Madeleine Sophie Parish in Bellevue the special guests of the Good Samaritan Society had the rare pleasure of hearing Sister Prejean lecture regarding her Social Justice ventures that extended beyond her Parish duties into the Community at large in New Orleans and led her to write her first book:  Dead Man Walking and her second Death of Innocence.  The Book was made into a very famous Oscar winning movie. When you meet this beautiful lady and hear her speak you know that she may be small in size but she has powerful Faith and she has been on an unbelievable journey into serious issues of justice in Society. She was raised in a middle-upper class environment and attended private Catholic schools growing up. Her Parish in New Orleans took her into environments that were very different from her upbringings. Her adventure that led her to write her first book began when she agreed to write a prisoner on death row. It changed her whole life and  today she leads a crusade against the death penalty.

She was a delightful and captivating speaker. Regardless of  your stand on the death penalty, when you hear her say that:” your Faith is very clear that when you walk next to a prisoner headed for his final execution, with chains on his legs, rendered helpless, that this act is wrong” is a Powerful message. Reading through both her books Social Injustice jumps out at you in the statistics she quotes on many pages and makes you painfully aware that has happened in our justice system. We were Blessed to have her in our area to share her insight and words of wisdom if only for a brief time.

Kent Stakeholders pictured with Alberto Retana, US Department of Education right to left: Lawrence Lombard, African American Cultural Center President, Brian Steward, Kent Parks Department, Chandra Simmons-Gary, Advocate African American Cultural Center, Mr. Retana, and Leslie Hamada, Community Activist

On April 23, 2010 at 3:00 PM at the Rivers & Associates Business/Resource Technology Center Mr. Alberto Retana/Director of Community Outreach who reports directly to the Secretary of Education was in the SKC and Seattle Area to speak with

Community Stakeholders regarding what is going on in our schools in the local area, what we see as problems, how can

Communities come together and make things better and hear directly from people who are working hard in our diverse communities to implement change and better schools for our children. Several different races, ethnic backgrounds, and

religions were represented in that room. Everyone who spoke and talked had their thoughts and ideas written down by

Mr. Retana.He plans to take these thoughts and ideas back to his Boss and President Obama. “This Administration wishes to connect with the people in the fields touching the kids and the people everyday,” he shared with the group. “We want to hear your voices.”

Mr. Retana, prior to having his current job, worked in LA as a Community Organizer in some very rough neighborhoods.

He said the hardest part in taking on this new job was leaving all the friends and people he cared about so much. He was able

to entrench himself in their lives and stay in one area. With his new job comes traveling all over the country and meeting new

people and hearing from them but he is not able to stay in one community long before he moves to the next area of the Country.

However, he will be returning to Seattle in about three months to talk with this group again and hear from all more concerns

and what is working and not. The Department of Education is planning to release lots of Grants(SIG) to help with issues facing schools and he explained what many areas of focus will be. He also explained how the group needs to go back to their

communities and explain what is coming down the pipeline to get in line to receive this funding. He asked everyone there

to continue the communication through e-mails and phone calls. Toward the end of the Program which went on for about 5 hours youths were brought in to discuss what they liked about their schools and what could be made better if they had

been able to tell President Obama what would help them more.

From the audience of adults and youths came great ideas and insight of problems in our local areas. The youths spoke to the issue that different teaching methods work with different kids and if they implemented more variety in learning techniques this would help more students something educators today are exploring in many school districts. The youths also spoke to needing more one on one time with their teachers. This across the country also we have been seeing ask for by unions and parents. Mr. Retana toward the end went through all the notes he had written down about what was discussed and he expanded on all those issues. He spoke to an issue that had not been brought up before—the administrators have their advocates, the school boards have their voice, and the teachers have their unions but where is the parent’s union.

It was really a remarkable experience to be able to have your local voice taken directly to Washington DC and the Education

Department. It was a small enough group that people could talk and have great dialogue. It was refreshing to feel that your

Federal government was taking the time to listen to the people and people who may not always be invited to policy making

meetings—people touching the lives of kids in their communities each day. Mr. Retana is very skilled as a facilitator and you

felt he heard what you were saying and cared about each person’s comments. The people in the room all left with great ideas on how to carry the knowledge of potential Federal government spending into the Community.

Islanders

Friday afternoon when I walked into the High School I had no idea what an afternoon of entertainment I was going to experience.

When the bell rang kids began coming in from many directions for the afternoon assembly. The gym was packed. I felt lucky to have a great front row seat on the floor reserved for the community. Then it began, a wonderful show of all the groups and clubs

in Kent Meridian doing their best to dance and entertain in costumes of their culture. The East Asia Club, the Nepal Dance Group, The Filipino Group, The African Youth Club, The Bringing the Seas Group, the Islanders, the M.E.Ch. A and the Break Club. The costumes were beautiful. The dancing superb. If I did not know better I would have thought I was in the Paramount in Seattle and had paid a nice price for a ticket.

They were simply amazing.  The huge positive support coming from the crowd of fellow peers was similar to a big Pep Assembly before a rival school game. It warmed my heart to see a school so engaged in teaching the Community a lesson in culture and dress and dance all the time while you felt you were enjoying the entertainment.

This really exemplifies the make-up of the Kent Community at large—diverse in race, creed, and culture. It also demonstrates

the tremendous talent in our youth and the great passion they bring to life and their schools. It made me proud to be part of the

Committee that just helped pass the recent Levy proposals.

Often times in today’s challenging economy we get overwhelmed with all the negative news and it also floods over into what

some young people are doing—-to get themselves in trouble. But watching these talented —bright—supportive young people

gives you such Hope for the future. Investing in our young people and their education is this country’s future. Our kids are

our greatest resource.

What a special night at the Kent School District School Board Meeting last night. Tensions were high as the Kent Meridian supporters led by their PTA President Linda Novak waited to hear that their support and advocacy had made a difference to the

Board. The evening before the Board and Administrators had held a meeting that was an Open Forum for comments by all

interested parties on the remaining Capital Improvements on the District’s list that were left for completion from the original list

that was developed for the 2006 Bond that passed for those improvements. The list of improvements will all be eventually completed as they were agreed as needed and the money passed in 2006 to do just that. But with the challenging economy

the selling of Bonds at optimum price can be a tricky business. To complete all the projects at once became impossible so the

Board was left to examine all the needs and priorities and place some projects on a further out continuum. Forums and meetings

have been conducted by the School District officials to allow the public to have comments about their particular projects. 

Kent Meridian High School had a large turn out for their official Forum earlier in the month. Including students, coaches,

parents, and supporters who turned out to say—they wanted their schools needs addressed now. They were tired of being put off

and being embarrassed by the condition of their gym and locker facilities. Representatives addressed the social justice and equity issues even.

The night of the Board’s forum March 23 the KM PTA was prepared. They filled the Board room with supporters. When asked by President Linda Novak, in her presentation to the Board ,would all those supporting KM please stand there was only one person

that did not stand and that person decided to join the supporters and slowly stood also. The moving testimony of all the parents,

coaches, and outside of the area representatives was extraordinary. Stand for Children spoke up. PAID spoke up in the ongoing activism of social justice in which Dale Smith has pursued. The crowning glory was the Petition presented to the School Board with over 700 signatures of the Kent Meridian Students wanting their voice to be heard. They signed in support of having the Kent Meridian Project Improvements being placed at the top of the list. This in itself was an act of Civics 101 by the students. Participating and supporting their school and asking that their Board hear their needs.

The Board responded by hearing their needs and all the needs of each school. But they agreed that Kent Meridian High School Projects did merit addressing sooner rather than later.

In the world of advocacy and letting parents and individuals see they can make a difference by being involved and showing up

and being the voice for education issues or Capital Improvements Issues or social justice issues it simply does not get any better. The supporters of KM felt their representatives heard them and acted with good business sense and with great communication sense.

That night when I walked out of that Board Meeting the Stars shown a little brighter in the Heaven and for a brief moment I felt

that all was right in this world.