November

Monthly community service hours: 7 hours

Cumulative community service hours: 20 hours 

We continue our weekly volunteer efforts at KIPP, organizing and passing out classroom materials.  Before the recent election, we handed out flyers to each class promoting voting within the community.  They used an incentive of “winning a free dress down day” if students went out to vote with their families and provided proof with their “I Voted” stickers.  It was awesome to see KIPP inspiring a younger audience to go out and vote.  We need as much positivity and youth involvement in politics as we can get.

Although I still have not heard back from Grow Dat Youth Farm, Priyanka and I have started to work with an additional volunteer program.  St. Anna’s Place is a church located in the 7^th Ward that offers artistic projects, cultural enrichment, healthy lifestyle education, and academic tutoring to children during after school hours.  The community that St. Anna’s primarily serves is the youth of Tremé and the 7^th ward.  This is a community that has unfortunately been severely affected by gang violence, drug use and distribution, as well as prostitution.  The mission of St. Anna's is to inspire academic intrigue and healthy living in order to promote a brighter future for these kids. 

Last night, we tutored math, Spanish, played UNO, and sang Christmas Carol’s.  There were music classes, private tutor sessions, and costume fittings for an upcoming production.  It was amazing how many separate activities were going on, yet flow was efficient and productive.  I can’t wait to go back.