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Both Walt Churchill’s Market locations and Toledo Free Press are hosting a “Round Up Hunger” drive the next two weeks to help feed local kids in need.

From July 3-17, customers will be asked if they wish to “round up” their purchases to the next dollar. The change necessary to round the purchase up, whether one penny or 99 cents, will be 100 percent donated to Feed Lucas County Children (FLCC). Churchills has two markets, one in Maumee and one in Perrysburg.

“We have had a long history of trying to work with the community because that’s where our customers are,” Churchill said. “They are interested in all of these programs that can help their community become a better place to live and that’s one of our desires, to make it a better community.”

Sponsors, from left, Tony Siebeneck oF FLCC, Chris Kozak of Columbia Gas of Ohio, Walt Churchill, Dr. John Schaeufele, president and CEO of Mercy Children’s Hospital, and 13abc ‘Bridges’ host Doni Miller.

The FLCC was established in 2002 as a community initiative and now involves 55 agencies and organizations in Lucas County. All proceeds of the “Round Up Hunger” drive go directly to the food program for breakfasts, lunches and dinners for children younger than 18 years old.

“When we heard about [the “Round Up Hunger” drive], me and one of the volunteers looked at each other and were speechless,” FLCC Executive Director Tony Siebeneck said. “You couldn’t ask for a better gift than something like this.”

The FLCC is known for its healthy options and diverse menu. Siebeneck said the menu rarely serves a repeat meal each month and that it is recognized statewide as one of the healthiest children’s menus available.

Siebeneck said he has already received $4,800 from donors learning about the upcoming “Round Up Hunger” drive in a current Toledo Free Press series.

“We are tremendously impressed with everything [Siebeneck] does with the resources he has,” said Columbia Gas of Ohio Communications and Community Relations Manager Chris Kozak. “It’s really great to be involved with these community partners.”

Mercy Children’s Hospital and the 13abc program “Bridges” with Doni Miller are other primary sponsors.

For more information on the FLCC or to donate, visit the website at www.FeedLucasChildren.org.

Tags: 13abc, Bridges, Chris Kozak, Columbia Gas of Ohio, Doni Miller, Feed Lucas County Children, Lucas County, Mercy Children's Hospital, Round Up Hunger, Toledo Free Press, Tony Siebeneck, Walt Churchill’s Markets

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 30th, 2011 at 3:16 pm and is filed under Community, Featured, Feed Lucas County Children, Uncategorized.
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Toledo Free Press will focus a six-week series on the mission of Feed Lucas County Children (FLCC). From July 3 to July 17, Walt Churchill’s markets will participate in a “Round Up Hunger” campaign to raise funds for FLCC.

I recently spent a day as a volunteer with Feed Lucas County Children. My notebook was in my pocket more than in my hand, so the dialogue in this story is based largely on memory and at times is abridged.

Volunteers scoop nachos and fruit onto foam plates as the project’s children file through the tiny kitchen.

It’s easy to get caught up in handing out milk — they almost all choose chocolate over plain — opening bags of chips and trying to restrain the group’s troublemaker, a curly-headed boy of about 8 or 9 who says he cusses a lot because he’s really bad.

“He called her ugly,” a braided-haired girl says of the boy, pointing at a small girl with a bright smile. He admits to the offense.

“Do you really think she’s ugly?”

Volunteer Crystal Evans stirs soup at the feed lucas county children kitchen.

“I think she’s pretty,” he whispers.

The younger children seem blissfully unaware that eating free food in a community center says anything about the difficulty of their lives. Their faces retain the look of peaceful fun lacking in some of the older children and the few mothers who accompany them in.

Andrea takes a sip from a milk box and shares a few Doritos as she monitors her three children. She says she will bring her family down to eat almost every night during the summer.

The program is often more an aid than a necessity for her. She has a job at a hot dog restaurant, which she says barely pays the bills, and she can typically make her food stamps stretch for the month. But she forgot to re-file for stamps this week.

“It does come in handy now because we don’t got no food in the house,” she said.

FLCC kitchen

In Lucas County, 29,962 children younger than 18 — 27.4 percent — live at or below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census. During the school year, the National School Lunch Program ensures at least one meal a day for them. But that program halts over the long summer break, leaving many children scrounging for food.

Feed Lucas County Children’s kitchen opens at 8 a.m. all summer, shipping breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner to 67 sites that include church camps, community centers and parks in depressed areas.

The main course for lunch is taco meat, which the kids won’t know is made from turkey, a healthier option than beef. The pans scorch the workers’ bare hands as they gingerly lower them into heat-retaining bins. State regulations require kitchens like FLCC’s to serve food at 140 degrees Fahrenheit; most of the pans come out of the steamers between 190 and 200 degrees.

The kitchen becomes a flurry of clattering pans when someone orders 100 trays of chicken.

“Two at a time,” says Kayla, a regular volunteer unimpressed by the tentative efforts of the new guy.

The whole operation is well-organized and precisely documented — a significant improvement in the past four years, Luke Siebeneck says. Luke’s father Tony founded FLCC in 2002 when a year of grassroots research proved to him that child hunger was widespread in the Toledo area.

The program has grown from serving about 7,000 meals total the first summer to today when it might serve more than 6,000 on a busy day.

In Tony’s eyes, that number is dwarfed by the remaining need, but he is running out of space to meet the demand. Tony said the kitchen could handle about 8,000 meals a day, but the time is quickly coming when that won’t be enough and FLCC will turn away hungry mouths.

Lunch

Some of those mouths are taking advantage of the program.

“There’s nothing like not cooking lunch, especially when you got a lot of kids,” says Twana, whose son ate a bag of Doritos and left fruit, a banana and taco salad virtually untouched on his plate.

She says he is a picky eater and she will have to prepare him lunch at home after all.

But the struggles of the FLCC servers to keep the children eating at the site tells a different story for many of these families. The free meal comes with a condition — if you’re between the ages of 1 and 18, you can eat here, but you can’t take your plate home with you.

Lamon, who serves lunch at Moody Manors before his third-shift job, calls after a little girl as she carries her plate back toward a woman standing behind a glass door.

“This is for my gran,” the girl explains to him.

The woman sees the adults looking at her.

“I don’t want that,” she says loudly, and tells the girl to eat outside.

While adults taking food meant for the children is a major concern for servers, few parents actually accompany their children out.

“You see a lot of little kids coming out here and their parents are still asleep,” Lamon says.

It’s about 11:30 a.m.

Hungry mouths

The troublemaker finally allows his plate to be thrown away. He’s done playing, done tormenting the children around him. His pretty friend has gone, as have Andrea and her family.

It’s a good thing. The server, Marquita, said almost 10 minutes ago that food had run out — they must have underestimated the number of children who would come; it’s a number in constant flux, varying by thousands across Toledo from day to day.

The crew begins cleaning up, but there is a noise at the door as someone struggles to open it. Two young brothers come in.

“Are you hungry?”

They nod.

Marquita smiles and puts chips and a banana, all that’s left, on plates for them.

It’s not much, but she’ll be back tomorrow.

Tags: 13abc, Bridges, Columbia Gas of Ohio, Doni Miller, Feed Lucas County Children, Lucas County, Mercy Children's Hospital, Patrick Timmis, Round Up Hunger, Toledo Free Press, Tony Siebeneck, Walt Churchill’s Markets

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 30th, 2011 at 2:24 pm and is filed under Community, Feed Lucas County Children, Uncategorized.
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Chad Kolebuck, principal of Martin Luther King Jr. Academy for Boys off Dorr Street, arrives at work two hours before school starts. He has plenty of prep work, but that’s not his sole reason for being there early; he makes sure he is there because so many parents will drop off their kids, leaving them to stand outside the locked doors. Kolebuck has often found himself at the school more than two hours after classes have been dismissed, staying with students whose parents leave them at the building until well after the last classroom light has been turned off.

The Scott feeder school, built in 2009, is well-lit, open and a marvelous example of efficient use of space. On the inside, it still feels new and hopeful and encouraging. On the outside, the building, which houses kindergarten through fifth grade (it will expand through eighth grade next year), is bordered by several abandoned and boarded-up houses and a liquor/convenience store phonetically named “Dis ‘n’ Dat.” The school is planted squarely between two gang corners; many of its students walk an unimaginable gantlet every day.

On March 29, I spent the morning at MLK in a Partners in Education program as a “Principal for a Day.” I job-shadowed Kolebuck, 39, and dean Willie Ward as they patrolled the halls and managed the ebb and flow of the morning.

Kolebuck said 98 percent of the school’s 275 students depend on the school for breakfast. As they line up, Kolebuck walks among them, asking them to remove their hats, to stand up straight. He gently admonishes those who fail to respond to his “Good morning” greeting and makes sure those who are introduced to me offer a firm handshake.

The students can choose from fruit, various cereals and other breakfast options. When two young boys arrive just before class starts, Kolebuck shoos them toward class. Then, he stops and calls back to them.

“Have you two eaten yet?” he asks. When both boys say no, Kolebuck walks them toward the cafeteria and makes sure they can grab food before their day begins.

Many of the students at MLK wear belts, socks, coats, and clothes the school and its supporters have provided. Most of the students are dressed appropriately for the weather, but it is easy to spot the ones who are coming in cold or could use better-fitting clothes.

As the first hour of the day passes, Kolebuck interacts with close to 80 students, and knows the names of every one. When he passes a group, he will often call, “Boys of destiny,” which results in a proud response of “Men of distinction!” from the boys. That is the crux of the school’s mantra, along with an emphasis on respect and building relationships.

In addition to basic food and clothing needs, the school deals with countless challenges that fall outside the realm of reading, writing and arithmetic. Ward estimates about one-third of the school’s students use school-provided asthma inhalers, because their home environments are filled with smoke and other toxins. He also discussed an ongoing issue with several students who are given a bottle of Coca-Cola to slam down for breakfast at home.

“That caffeine hits those little bodies and creates an incontinence problem,” Kolebuck said. “They can’t always give voice to the specific issue so they end up in the nurse’s office.”

The issue of parental responsibility — or lack thereof — permeates nearly every factor of life at MLK. For many students, attendance is a problem. Lack of support and follow-up at home is a problem. One student had missed accumulated weeks of school; Kolebuck and Ward theorized the fifth grader was being kept at home to help his parent with younger siblings.

Word of MLK’s success is spreading; in the few hours I trailed Kolebuck, six applications for students seeking transfers in were received. Observing a few classrooms makes it easy to see why the school is reaching students. The classrooms I observed had invested and engaged teachers, volunteers and “foster grandparents” to keep the kids focused on their lessons, plus computers and technology that acts like Smartboards. I witnessed an atmosphere designed to make every student feel cared for and cared about.

I have avoided describing Kolebuck and Ward for fear of hyping them as larger-than-life educators; they have enough issues to deal with; they do not need an interloper to mythologize their efforts. But the two men can walk out to face a gang of red-shirted Bloods and keep them away from school property, then spend time trying to figure out why a normally good student is calling for attention by defacing school property; that suggests a combination of physical toughness and intellectual gentleness usually found in Hollywood heroes, not elementary school administrators.

That same day, I spoke at the reception for the conclusion of the United Way/Toledo Free Press/”Bridges” series, “Education Champions.” I oversaw every story in the 12-part series, and was often stunned by the facts and situations they contained. But to walk the halls of MLK and see the promise of that series brought to life by Kolebuck and Ward exponentially increased my faith in the human ability to overcome the most depressing and limiting challenges.

I reflected many times that day — and every day since — on how blessed my sons are, and how determined my wife and I are to make sure they will have — and appreciate — every advantage of love and support we can provide.

God bless them all. Boys of destiny. Men of distinction.

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Email him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

Tags: 13abc, Bill Kitson, Bridges, Doni Miller, Education Champions, Lighting The Fuse, Martin Luther King Jr. Academy for Boys, Michael S. Miller, Partners in Education, Toledo Public Schools, United Way

This entry was posted on Friday, April 1st, 2011 at 12:00 am and is filed under Lighting The Fuse, Opinion.
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WGTE’s literacy program, First Book, was announced as the recipient of a $1,000 grant from United Way of Greater Toledo at a reception March 29.

Twelve area organizations competed for the award via a 72-hour online poll between March 25 and March 28. More than 900 people voted, said Bill Kitson, president and CEO of United Way.

The programs were spotlighted in Toledo Free Press’ recently completed 12-part “Education Champions” series, a partnership with United Way and Doni Miller of 13abc’s “Bridges” program. The reception was hosted at United Way by Columbia Gas of Ohio.

Kathy Smith, WGTE’s director of early learning and outreach, accepted the check on behalf of First Book, crediting a social networking campaign for rallying enough support to emerge the top vote-getter in what Kitson said was a tight race

“First Book is just a simple program that provides new storybooks to kids who would ordinarily not have the opportunity to own a book of their own,” Smith said. “This will just mean we’ll be able to buy more books and serve more kids.”

So far this school year, the program has distributed 2,151 books through 13 partner organizations in Lucas, Ottawa and Wood counties, mainly to low-income children ages 3 to 5.

From left, Bill Kitson of United Way; Chris Kozak of Columbia Gas of Ohio; Tom Pounds, Toledo Free Press Publisher; WGTE’s Kathy Smith; Doni Miller of 13abc’s ‘Bridges’ and Michael S. Miller, Toledo Free Press editor in chief.

Smith said the online voting process brought the program to the attention of many people who hadn’t been aware of it, including one person interested in starting a similar program in Cleveland.

The $1,000 was provided by United Way’s education committee, one of the organization’s Community Solutions teams.

“It comes out of our allocated fund that we’ve raised from the community,” said Pat Holmberg, volunteer chairperson of the committee. “We thought this was an extraordinarily worthwhile, important adventure to see how it worked.”

The Education Champions series, launched in January, spotlighted a variety of community educational initiatives, including after-school programs, teen pregnancy prevention initiatives, an in-school mobile dentistry program and more.

“We tried to show how despite the economic challenges, despite the crushing realities you are going through, there is still progress being made one student at a time — that’s what we wanted to celebrate,” said Michael S. Miller, editor in chief of Toledo Free Press, at the gathering. Miller said that while the contest is done, Toledo Free Press will continue spotlighting the issue under the “Education Champions” banner.

13abc’s Doni Miller said she was impressed by all the programs.

“I thought I knew an awful lot about Toledo. I’m around a lot, know a lot of people, see a lot of things going on, but I was amazed at some of the things you all are doing very quietly and very effectively,” Doni Miller said. “You’re finding ways to make your resources work for the betterment of these kids.”

Kitson said education is the community’s most important pressing issue and United Way’s No. 1 priority.

“We’re excited about the momentum that’s building around education in our community,” Kitson said. “To all our education partners, for the hard work you’re doing every single day: Thank you so, so much. It really was special to be able to tell your stories.”

Tags: 13abc, Bill Kitson, Bridges, Chris Kozak, Columbia Gas of Ohio, Doni Miller, Education Champions, First Book, Kathy Smith, Michael S. Miller, Toledo Free Press, Tom Pounds, United Way, WGTE

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 31st, 2011 at 5:55 pm and is filed under Community, Education Champions.
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Editor’s Note: Toledo Free Press, United Way of Greater Toledo and 13abc’s “Bridges” with Doni Miller are profiling 12 education initiative programs in Northwest Ohio. This is the 10th story in the series.

Imagine a child entering kindergarten not knowing how to hold a book or turn its pages, or not knowing that text is read left to right, top to bottom.

That is the situation some area students find themselves in, but an early literacy program run by WGTE aims to ensure kids are getting the literary exposure they need to start school right.

First Book gives away about 2,850 books each year, mainly to children ages 3 to 5, said Kathy Smith, WGTE’s director of early learning and outreach.

“What it really is at its root is putting books in the hands of kids who normally would not have the opportunity to own a book of their own,” Smith said. “If you don’t know [how a book works] when you come to kindergarten then you have to learn that before you can even begin to learn what letters are, or what they sound like, or what letters rhyme, or what a word actually means.”

From kindergarten through third grade, children are learning to read, but from fourth grade on, they are reading to learn, Smith said.

“If they are not fairly fluent by the beginning of fourth grade, it’s really easy to shut down and not be successful in school and in life,” Smith said. “It’s critical that kids come to school with some skills to build on so they can really hit the ground running.”

WGTE partners with organizations that work with low-income families, stipulating that at least 75 percent of the children receiving books be living at or below the poverty level, Smith said.

Since September, First Book has distributed 2,151 books through 13 organizations in Lucas, Ottawa and Wood counties.

WGTE does more than just give books away, however. At each presentation, which happens twice a year, WGTE also does a literary activity called a “story stretcher,” Smith said. For example, a book about a duckling might also include watching a TV program about ducks, drawing pictures of ducks or taking a field trip to watch them swim, she said.

“It’s that ‘read, view, do’ format we do a lot because children learn in a variety of ways,” Smith said. “There needs to be some way to make that story come alive for children.”

Each child is also sent home with an activity sheet developed by WGTE that corresponds with their new book. The activity sheet is meant to involve parents in the reading process, prompting questions to ask while reading and ideas for related projects using common household items.

WGTE has activity sheets for more than 200 books, which are available on its website. Local nonprofit Adelante has translated some of them into Spanish, said WGTE’s School Readiness Specialist Sally Brinkman.

Research has shown that children in low-income families are exposed to significantly fewer words than children in middle- or high-income families, Smith said. Books introduce new vocabulary as well as allow for quality time together, she said.

“This is sometimes a way for parents and children to experience a little time together that’s more than just business language, like ‘Go to bed,’ ‘Brush your teeth, ‘Let the dog out,’” Smith said.

Many times, even if parents can’t read, older brothers and sisters will read to younger siblings so the program improves the reading fluency of older children as well, Smith said.

First Book was started in the mid-1990s, federally funded through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. When that funding ended, United Way stepped up.

“We had to scale the program back, but we felt that it was too valuable to not do it at all,” Smith said.

The program operates on $12,700 in funding — $7,700 from United Way and $5,000 from Owens-Illinois — at a cost of about $5 per child, Smith said.

One of First Book’s partner organizations is the East Toledo Family Center. Cheryl Amborski, child care coordinator for the preschool, said the children always look forward to getting their books.

“You can see the excitement when they say ‘I get to take this home? It belongs to me?’” Amborski said. “So many in our community don’t have the opportunity to get books; they’re worried about buying groceries. This gives them that extra contact with books. If it’s a library book, you might read it once, but when it’s yours, you have the opportunity to read it over and over. It helps to have that repetition.”

For more information, visit www.wgte.org or contact Smith at kathy_smith@wgte.org or (419) 380-4638.

Tags: Bridges, Doni Miller, Education Champions, Toledo Free Press, United Way, WGTE

This entry was posted on Friday, March 18th, 2011 at 12:06 pm and is filed under Community, Education Champions.
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When we launched the “Education Champions” series in mid-January, we hoped to present a picture of Toledo Public Schools (TPS) that showcased the forest and the trees. It was important to illustrate that TPS has great success stories that triumph in a time of great financial challenges.

We joined forces with the United Way of Greater Toledo and Doni Miller of 13abc’s “Bridges” program to celebrate the work and results of some special and dedicated people.

We have witnessed the impact of the Lucas County Initiative to Improve Birth Outcomes, the social and emotional learning process, the Collaborative Learning and Instructional Pre-school Project, the Stable Families Collaborative, Toledo GROWs and other outside-the-box programs and initiatives.

We have met extraordinary educators who refuse to quit even as they face increasingly difficult conditions and we have seen how they improve lives in demonstrable ways.

Upon publication of the final two “Education Champions” stories on March 27, we hope you will participate in a 48-hour vote at www.toledofreepress.com that will determine which of the highlighted programs will receive a $1,000 grant from the United Way of Greater Toledo at a March 29 reception sponsored by Columbia Gas of Ohio.

Now, one week before the last installment of the original 12-part series, we marvel at how fast time can fly by, and realize that a brief 12-part series is nowhere near enough space to fully explore this topic; scores of readers have nominated people and programs that merit equal attention.

Therefore, “Education Champions” will continue to be a regular feature in these pages as we progress through 2011 and accompany TPS officials on their difficult and unenviable journey.

Other local publications are following our lead by announcing their own education series; that increased attention will further serve to spotlight the ideas and implementations we began back in January, and we welcome their efforts to contribute to the ongoing education conversation.

We owe great thanks to United Way, 13abc, Columbia Gas of Ohio and everyone who contributed to the series so far.

There is a lot to be learned, and when it comes to devoting resources to this crucial topic, we intend to continue to be with those at the head of the class.

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

Tags: 13abc, Bridges, Columbia Gas of Ohio, Doni Miller, Education Champions, Publisher's Statement, Toledo Free Press, Toledo Public Schools, Tom Pounds, United Way

This entry was posted on Friday, March 18th, 2011 at 12:00 am and is filed under Opinion, Publisher's Statement.
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Editor’s Note: Toledo Free Press, United Way of Greater Toledo and 13abc’s “Bridges” with Doni Miller are profiling 12 education initiative programs in Northwest Ohio. This is the ninth story in the series.

Parents living in the North End of Toledo came together about three years ago to discuss concerns about their community’s growth and their children’s safety — concerns many parents share. But they wanted to do more than talk — they wanted to take action.

After several meetings, the parents  had a new mission to improve its community and a brainchild was born: the Parents in Action Coalition.

The group approached Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority (LMHA) community coordinator Norma Pittman, who helped organize the members.

As a licensed social worker, she was able to work with parents to spread the word since she was already involved with the housing units in that area. It spread by word of mouth, but the best publicity for its activities now are the fliers the members take door-to-door, Pittman said.

She had already been organizing some programs, but the parents wanted to organize some programs, too.

“It was resident driven, they just needed someone to get it together,” Pittman said.

All of the parents involved are residents of LMHA. While it is still evolving and in its early stages, Pittman said, Parents in Action has given the LMHA residents involved a sense of community support, especially because the programs and events occur so close to where they live.

Parents in Action has been able to provide education programs and activities for youth, such as “Safe Night” on Halloween. Kids are able to dress up and enjoy themselves in a safe environment, Pittman said, and parents can enjoy the activities.

They also coordinate with Chase STEM School for various events. One of the most positive impacts of the coalition is the fact that they are setting up positive outlets through their activities, Pittman said. Plus, the activities are not only for kids and parents.

The group has various programs for teens that focus on sexual health and pregnancy prevention, the importance of education and growing into well-rounded individuals.

“We want to raise the consciousness of young people,” Pittman said. “We’re giving them a safe environment to talk about issues on their minds.”

For young adults, both female and male, the group has a program that talks to residents about how the media affects their life, even when they do not realize it. Pittman said the group reviews popular song lyrics and the meanings behind them.

Parents in Action also sponsors adult workshops on topics such as obtaining a GED and dealing with domestic violence. It is also starting senior programs. Pittman said she loves being a part of Parents in Action because she gets to see the progress and growth of the teens and youth as they learn their passions and purposes.

Tags: Bridges, Doni Miller, Education Champions, Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority, Parents in Action Coalition, Toledo Free Press, Toledo Public Schools, United Way

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 12th, 2011 at 2:35 pm and is filed under Community, Education Champions.
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Editor’s Note: Toledo Free Press, United Way of Greater Toledo and 13abc’s “Bridges” with Doni Miller are profiling 12 education initiative programs in Northwest Ohio. This is the eighth story in the series.

A partnership between the Toledo Botanical Garden and the Lucas County Juvenile Justice System’s programs helps youth learn skills they’ll need for a successful future.

Toledo GROWs together with Community Integration for Training and Employment (CITE) connects youth with positive mentors while they learn valuable job skills and help the community.

The program’s entrance is based on court referral, as well as an interview process. Those in the job readiness program must also have a stable place to live, practice a drug-free lifestyle and proceed with an education plan.

Eric Jones

The partnership began in 2001 and expanded in September 2009 to include a new re-entry program.

The goal of the programs are for those enrolled to find jobs in the community so they can take care of themselves and not end up in the “revolving door” of the adult justice system,  said Charlie Johnson, director of the CITE program.

“We help kids identify their natural abilities so they can develop them further,” Johnson said. “We’re not going to take them in 16 weeks from no skills to a technical job or semi-skill job level. We want them to begin to understand what their abilities are and for them to develop a curiosity and interest in improving themselves.”

Both CITE and the new re-entry program focus on similar things, but the re-entry program is aimed at higher level offenders who have just been released from incarceration. The regular CITE program deals with those on probation, Johnson said.

Other differences between the two are the average age of individuals in the program and their length of time within the program.

The regular CITE program has younger kids, with the average age being 16 years old, and they’re in the program for 10 weeks. While in the re-entry program, the typical age of individuals enrolled is 17 to 18 years old and their program is 16 weeks.

Eric Jones said his future has gotten better because of the Toledo GROWs/CITE re-entry program.

“I never thought I’d be doing anything like this. They certainly don’t teach you any of these things in school,” he said. “Working with my peers and the job training coaches teaches you a lot; from responsibility to coming to work on time, just taking steps toward being a responsible man in life.”

After attending the re-entry program, Jones was hired in January as a junior leader. In addition, the 18-year-old is attending Owens Community College where he is studying social work.

Jones said he’d like to start a similar program for youth after he retires, because the experience is beneficial.

Kids in the partnership programs work at different Toledo GROWs sites which provide them with experiential learning, said Michael Szuberla, Toledo GROWs manager.

“Usually in the classroom you only use a pencil.  Your hands get a lot more dirty here,” Jones said.

Those within the programs have helped build a greenhouse, chicken coops, picnic tables and a self-contained aquatic ecosystem.

The youth also learn responsibility through taking care of chickens, genetics from breeding rabbits and complex systems from maintaining bee hives, Szuberla said.

The setup of the programs allows the students to learn from their mistakes, as no grades are given out. However, students are evaluated every two weeks on a checklist of skills by their job trainer to help measure progress.

“Knowing how to use a tape measure involves exact measurement, mathematical formulas, fractions, addition and  multiplication, all the basic kinds of math…If you’re building a chicken coop and it’s an inch and a half off you’re going to see that right away. It’s going to be a visual and for some of the kids that is the best way they learn,” Johnson said.

Szuberla said one day after a certified electrician came to help the students install lighting in a chicken coop, one student told him it was time for him to learn algebra.

“In the classroom this seems detached and irrelevant to the kids,” he said. “[Here they see] if you want to be an electrician, you have to know math; a plumber, math; a gardener, chemistry. Suddenly when the kids get goals and plans and can see themselves three years down the road doing a particular career, they are going to be willing to do the learning.”

Students learn not only integrated math skills and to use different tools through the programs, but more importantly they learn how to show up on time, work in a team and follow directions, Johnson said.

“You can talk to kids about getting a job and what it takes to get a job.  You can teach them how to fill out a resume and do mock interviews. Getting up at 6 a.m. so you can be on the job site at 7:30 or 8 is a skill that won’t be learned in the classroom,” Johnson said.

In addition to helping youth, the Toledo GROWs/CITE program and re-entry program are cost-effective. Those enrolled in the program work roughly 20 hours a week for minimum wage. For the16 week re-entry program the cost is roughly $4,600 a youth, Szuberla said.

It costs $60,000 to incarcerate a juvenile for one year.

“It’s very cheap compared to the alternative where the community has a really high price tag,” he said. “Plus, it’s a job for the kids. They get a check from the Botanical Garden and they’re building up their resume. It’s really huge for them to be able to put three contacts down that aren’t related to them.”

Funding for the collaboration comes from grants, private donations and earned income from products grown or constructed.

Toledo GROWs/CITE plan on building a training center near its greenhouse to expand its joint programs. The center would be constructed by the students with assistance from some professionals. The estimated cost for the project is roughly $225,000, Szuberla said.

It’s too soon to judge the success of the re-entry program since it’s only had two complete groups, Johnson said. However, the program has had some unsuccessful students mostly because the kids didn’t show up or make a commitment to the program, he said.

“We really never fire anybody, they fire us. They quit on themselves, we don’t quit on them,” Johnson said.

Some of those who’ve quit the re-entry program have come back and utilized other CITE services.

“Part of the issue is timing. A kid when he’s 17 may not be ready, but when he’s 17-and-a half or 18 he might be more ready,” Johnson said.

Tags: Bridges, Doni Miller, Education Champions, Lucas County Juvenile Justice System, Toledo Botanical Garden, Toledo Free Press, Toledo GROWS, United Way

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 5th, 2011 at 8:37 am and is filed under Community, Education, Education Champions, Uncategorized.
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Editor’s Note: Toledo Free Press, United Way of Greater Toledo and 13abc’s “Bridges” with Doni Miller are profiling 12 education initiative programs in Northwest Ohio. This is the second story in the series.

Part 1: Program helps pregnant teens with prenatal care

Five years ago, teachers at East Side Central Elementary School adopted an innovative learning style in an attempt to improve students’ classroom experience. The results were promising, but widespread use of the approach has not yet been achieved in Toledo Public Schools (TPS).

The approach taken at East Side Central employs social and emotional learning (SEL), a process that stresses a multifaceted education of the complete student. Teachers help their pupils develop critical communication skills by facilitating an interactive classroom. Students are instructed how to engage each other positively and are given the opportunity to do so through various interpersonal exercises.

“You can call it a field in education, or you can call it a movement,” said educational consultant Jennifer Miller, who has 15 years of experience promoting SEL in schools.

“There’s been so much focus on academic press and high stakes tests that the socio-emotional lives of kids has been lost in the stress,” she said.

United Way of Greater Toledo Women’s Initiative first introduced SEL to TPS in spring 2005. The group hoped to reduce teenage pregnancy and boost graduation and attendance rates through more effective teaching techniques at the grade-school level.

“What they found more and more is that you have to start early to change either of those,” said Greg Braylock, Jr., an education specialist with United Way.

After learning of SEL, United Way contacted the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), which recommended Miller get involved.

The district  warmly received SEL, as did the faculty at East Side Central. In order to implement the changes, 80 percent of the school’s teachers had to vote in favor of it. They approved it unanimously and began implementation during the 2006-07 school year. The school uses Responsive Classroom, a SEL-based curriculum.

“We wanted to certainly serve a low-income population, but also a really critical piece was willingness to participate,” Miller said. “They immediately said, ‘This aligns with our philosophy, and we’re willing to take this on.’ ”

So far, the results have been positive. School-wide attendance rose from 91 percent to 95 percent in four years, and suspensions dropped by nearly 8 percent in only one year. The school’s Ohio Department of Education report card has improved from “academic watch” to “effective” since SEL was introduced.

Many schools try various techniques to raise their effectiveness, Miller said, but SEL was East Side Central’s only school-wide reform.

“It’s hard to attribute in schools because they do so many different things, but this one I think we can point to it and say it’s a reason for success,” she said.

Parents have become more involved, too. When SEL was first implemented parents of East Side Central students volunteered 15 hours a year, Braylock said.  That figure has since skyrocketed to 1,500 hours annually. East Side Central special education teacher Sue Rowe said the school has become friendlier, leading parents to become more willing to be involved.

“The whole climate of the building in general, it’s more kind,” Rowe said. “We’ve seen a significant increase in parent involvement.”

Despite the apparent benefit that SEL brings to classrooms, only one other TPS institution uses the approach school-wide. Sherman Elementary adopted SEL a year after East Side Central. Some other TPS instructors have completed the weeklong summer training session and stress this learning style, but no other schools have made broad changes to their curricula.

Implementing SEL requires the financial backing of the district. United Way and other organizations provide some funding for putting it to practice, but TPS must pick up the tab for some of the training its teachers undergo through the Responsive Classroom curriculum. In addition to the annual summer session, teachers receive a couple hours of supplemental instruction every month.

“The district has been very positive about Responsive Classroom and very interested. They’ve provided funds for the training to occur,” Rowe said.

But widespread implementation of SEL and the related curriculum has not occurred. Miller said the slow progress is a natural part of any change to academic practices. Rowe agrees.

“Things come and go. As teachers, we get pretty skeptical about [change],” Rowe said, adding that SEL is here to stay.

“The teachers realize that it’s not going away. The district has made an investment here.”

Miller has continued discussing the future of SEL with TPS officials. Before any other schools can adopt the learning style, another teachers’ vote must take place.

“We’re working with the district to determine what schools are next, what their priorities are,” she said. “It’s taken time. It’s been five years, but this year definitely we’ve had more conversations with the district at all levels.”

Two other large school districts in the state have taken steps to adopt SEL in their classrooms. Cleveland Public Schools has announced it plans to implement the approach district-wide, and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (OH-17) secured a grant to explore SEL possibilities with Youngstown schools.

Braylock hopes similar results will come to Northwest Ohio in the near future.

“Individual teachers are definitely seeing the benefits of participation and are spreading the word,” he said. “At every level of leadership, we have support. We have partnership and buy-in that will make this type of initiative even stronger.”

Tags: Bridges, Doni Miller, Education Champions, Toledo Free Press, Toledo Public Schools, United Way

This entry was posted on Friday, January 21st, 2011 at 2:06 am and is filed under Community, Education Champions.
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One of last year’s more compelling continuing stories was the crisis facing Toledo Public Schools (TPS). After a failed May levy, many community forces joined to push for a November levy. On the frontlines and in the trenches was United Way of Greater Toledo, which in a rare move endorsed the levy and did its best to keep education in the spotlight. One of those efforts was a community showing of the documentary “Waiting for ‘Superman’,” which revealed the intrinsic challenges the American education system faces and showed examples of the triumphs taking place despite those issues.

The levy failed, but the issues remain.

At the end of 2010, Toledo Free Press met with United Way officials, led by President and CEO Bill Kitson. Our question was simple: “What can we do to help keep these issues in the headlines and keep education on the forefront of people’s minds?”

As a result of that first discussion, Toledo Free Press is partnering with United Way of Greater Toledo to spotlight a dozen successful education programs within the local education system. The series, “Education Champions,” will begin Jan. 16. Inspired by the “Waiting for ‘Superman’” approach, these will be initiatives taken by teachers and parents to overcome the resource limitations TPS faces. It will not be overtly critical of TPS, but it will show how grades and attendance can be demonstrably improved with cooperative outside-the-box thinking.

The programs we will highlight have been chosen in consultation with United Way, but if you know of any we should focus on, contact us.

At the end of the 12-week series, we will post all the stories in a special forum, like the Pepsi Challenge Grants, which will allow people to vote for their favorite success story. The winning program will receive a grant from United Way, and we are working on the details to provide a student in that program with a free college scholarship. The winner will be announced at an event at the United Way building in March, sponsored by Columbia Gas of Ohio.

In addition, Doni Miller’s 13abc “Bridges” program will feature interviews with some of the people from the education programs as the weekly series progresses.

We are hoping the effect of the series will be to encourage progressive thinking and to provide a stage for those whose voices are overwhelmed in the larger issues and debates.

Without immediate attention and change, TPS and education in our region will continue to struggle and suffer. No one will flourish and grow in an area that lacks the absolute best educational resources. We know Superman is not on his way. But there are plenty of local superheroes and champions with stories to tell, and we suspect our initial 12 are just the start.

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

Tags: 13abc, Bill Kitson, Bridges, Columbia Gas of Ohio, Doni Miller, Publisher's Statement, Toledo Public Schools, Tom Pounds, United Way

This entry was posted on Friday, January 7th, 2011 at 10:03 am and is filed under Opinion, Publisher's Statement.
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