Our kids count everyday in this life-whether they are barely walking or in the sixth grade, whether they speak English or any other language, whether they are reading on grade level or need an extra bit of help, whether their skin is brown, black or any other color...every kid counts at Jubilee.
Our Summer Program "Every Kid Counts" centers on the belief that every child who enters our Jubilee doors matters-their well-being: emotional, physical, and spiritual.
We have 80-100 children who enter our doors at Jubilee daily and are met with enthusiasm, a hug, a smile and a welcoming "How are you doing this morning?" Parents are greeted at the door and understand that their children are cared for here at Jubilee, that they are given a nutritious meals and reading, writing, playing, exploring, running, cooking, creating and surfing the world wide web. Parents know that every child in our care will be read to, will be self-expressed in writing and in art, will learn to care for our planet, and will understand the educational benefits of the computer(besides those games!)
This bright and early morning, Jacolby Napolean, with a big smile on his face, walked to the Jubilee Ce
nter. I asked him if he would like to come with me to check out the community garden. He quickly showed me what his group did yesterday. Every grade will visit and work in the community garden as part of our "Going Green" summer activities. He pointed to the squash and the okra they had picked and tasted, and to the beautiful ear of corn on the stalk. We proceeded to the church where everyone has breakfast in the morning and he shared with me that he had made an omelet for dinner the previous night. I was stunned-that same day his class has prepared omletes with chopped onions, diced bell peppers, and shredded American cheese. He prodly said that his omelet was made with bacon and ham and it was as yummy as the omelet they had made in class!
I loved developing the ideas for the "Calling All Cooks" class. The children have been making popsicles, fruit salads, personal pizzas and apple frogs...those apple frogs were hopping into the mouths of our kinder and 2nd grade students as they learn to spread peanut butter on slices of golden delicious apples. Our 4th graders made pepperoni and ham pizzas. Chef Michael and Chef Abraham made one just for me and it was tasty! Our 3rd grade made fruit salads with fruit they had never tasted-honeydew melons, blueberries and nectaries. The 1st graders made refreshing popsicles and had enough to share with
the kinder class. It's great to be the youngest grade group-everyone-everyone takes care of you. Many thanks to Zaxby's for lending us the chef aprons and to our AmeriCorp. teachers Rebekah, Bianca, Christopher, Corrigan, Jasmine and Helen, for demonstrating the art of hospitality with our young chefs in training.
It has been a fantastic first week with the AmeriCorp members, Jubilee staff, the wonderful volunteers and the kids and their families...and it was my honor to help develop an enriching summer program that gives our kids a chance to be kids-have fun, make friends, laugh, run, create a wonderful world where anything is possible and where "Every Kid Counts".
Losing half the park and a Jubilee house hasn't kept us from making this the best summer yet at Jubilee; if you were to look at pictures, you might never know that the kids are playing next to bulldozers and piles of dirt(except for this one...)-how great is that!
