Our winter season

 We have taken a break from the after school program for the holiday season. We asked all our volunteers to help support every child in our after school program by buying a christmas gift. This is about 35 students. In a matter of days, you guys all helped support every child involved in the GreenHouse. We had Christmas celebrations for each program. At Evergreen, we had a group of students come in and play Christmas games and help make gingerbread houses. Club 56 (Our bible study for 5th and 6th graders) put on a great play that told the story of Jesus' birth and sang a few Christmas carols. After all the celebration, the students opened their gifts from you( our awesome volunteers!). They were all surprised and left with smiles on their faces. It was a great day for the Evergreen students!

R4, opened their gifts on their last day of the after school program. All the teens were very surprised to get gifts from their study buddies. All of them were every excited to receive their gifts. They had a separate Christmas party that L.I.T. put on for Oasis (Our bible study for midlle and high school age students) later that week.


We had a very successful winter event on December 16th and 17th. This was the second year that we had Melvin's Hope Christmas Store for the families of River Garden Estate, Natomas Court, and American River Village in Natomas. We served 114 families in the course of two days! We had over 900 toys to sell to the families and included free gift wrapping. We had an enormous amount of support from numerous place to receive donated toys for our families. We had toys from barbies, transformers, basketballs to Ugg shoes and jewelry.  We also had three Christmas trees donated by Southwest Airlines and two gently used girl bikes as raffles for the event. We had a great support from our members of the Parent Action Team that weekend. We had 14 parents help set up, volunteer in the store, and tear down. What a blessing to have so many parents involved in the Melvin's Hope Christmas Store! They have been a dedicated group of individuals that have been meeting bi-weekly to discuss issues of the community that they want to see change, event planning and helping volunteer for the actual event! The Greenhouse could not be doing what we do without the support of our Parent Action Team! Parents put in 124 hours into Melvin's Hope Christmas Store! Thank you!

Right before we ended our programs for the year, our volunteer of the week was awarded to Felipe Calixto! He is one our youngest volunteers. He is a senior at Inderkum High School and has been volunteering through Evergreen at The GreenHouse since September 2011. He has been a great volunteer. He always comes on time and is great with the kids! He has been dedicated to The GreenHouse and has been great as a homework helper. We are sad to say, but Felipe moved farther from the GreenHouse and is not able to continue to volunteer for the remainder of the year. Thank you Felipe for all your hard work and we will miss you!

Volunteer of the Week!

We have a new Volunteer of the Week. Esmeralda Baza has been volunteering at The GreenHouse since the beginning of the school year. Read this interview to get to know Esmeralda:

1. How long have you been a part of or volunteering at The Greenhouse and with what program?
I have been a part of The Greenhouse since Sept 2011 in the R4 after school program.

2. Words to live by (personal quote or advice for living the good life)
It's not about what you feel. It's about what you need to do. Live to love.

3. In a nutshell, describe your  high school experience.
Horrible! I was alone with no help in homework or on a personal level.

4. What made you decide to volunteer at The Greenhouse Center?
I want to help others have a smoother ride through high school by helping them with homework or anything else.

5. When you're not volunteering, what do you do? What extracurricular activities are you involved in?
Jogging! Youth group from my church.

6. What do you love about your job?
Serving others

7. In three sentences or less, convince someone that The Greenhouse is a great place to volunteer.
The Greenhouse is a great place to volunteer because it has great staff that are very hands on with the programs. They care and make you feel like family. It's real easy to fall in love with the youth because of an encouraging staff.

8. What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were younger?
I am the one that controls my destiny!

Thanks for all that you do!

Fall happenings at The GreenHouse

The GreenHouse after school program has been going on for a little over two months now! We have 31 volunteers that come every week which gives us the opportunity to serve about 65 students in our 4 programs!
Our club 56 program has recently started. This serves 5th and 6th graders. They meet bi-weekly and discuss topics and the bible. We have a similar program for our teens called Oasis. They meet weekly and send time together going through the bible.

Evergreen, our elementary after school program, has been meeting every monday, wednesday, and friday for the past few months. We have 29 students enrolled in the program and a large waiting list of students who want to be involved in the program. We have many dedicated volunteers for the after school program who show up  every week and help the students with their homework. We could still use some volunteers on Mondays and Fridays. If you or someone you know would like to volunteer at Evergreen, please contact Deborah Elliott at deborah@thegreenhousecenter.org.

R4, the teen after school program, has been a small but dedicated group of students. We have about 7 teens that come on Tuesdays and Thursdays for homework help. We have some great volunteers who know specific subjects to help students with their math, history, and science homework. The are planning on having a few fieldtrips throughout the school year. Just last week, the teens were able to take a fieldtrip to William Jessup University in Rocklin. They had a great time seeing the college.

We also had our annual "Thankful Hearts Food Drive". We were able to serve 42 families with a Thanksgiving meal with the help of:

Sacramento Mutual Housing Association

Tendercare Preschool
Creative Kids Preschool
Comstock Morgage

StudentsFirst

Bridge of Life Church
Sanctuary Church
Fog Willow Farms
FoodCo
Walmart

Coming up on December 16th and 17th, we will be having our Melvin's Hope Christmas Store. We are collecting toys for children ages 0-18. If you would like to donate a gift to The Greenhouse, please contact Deborah Elliott at deborah@thegreenhousecenter.org.

Some great things are happening at The GreenHouse. We are trully blessed.

We have a new Volunteer of the Week.....

Our new Volunteer of the Week is Ashley Kammerer! This is Ashley's second year helping out with Evergreen after school program. She is a faithful volunteer at The GreenHouse. Ashley has also helped out at Adventure Zone for the last two summers. She has helped give rides to students on field trips like Raging Waters, Sky High, and Spirit in the Arts. For the past two Harvest Carnivals, Ashley has also manned the facepainting table. She has great artistic ability and the kids love having their faces painted! The kids have sported all kinds of art work on their faces from butterflies to flowers. Ashley, we are so excited to have you continue to work with The GreenHouse. It's so great to see volunteers come back and really get to know the kids in a personal way. You are awesome!

Volunteer of the Week!

Our first Volunteer of the Week, of this school year, is Susan Beck! This is her first time volunteering for the Evergreen after school program. Susan is always helpful during Evergreen. On numerous occasions, she has stayed late to help clean up after Evergreen is over. You are always friendly and enthusiastic with the students. We appreciate the extra effort you put into the program. Keep up the good work!

Volunteer of the Week begins in November!

Welcome Volunteers! The After School Program has been going on for 4 weeks already! Thank you for being patient and flexiable as we figured out how to implement the best possible program for our students. The success of our programs rely heavily on our wonderful volunteers. Thank you! We appreciate your dedication to the students of this community. We would appreciate it if you had ideas, concerns, or comments about the program, to let us know! We all want to make the program the best that it can be to serve the students in the best way possible.

This blog will be a place where we can celebrate our wonderful volunteers who have gone over and beyond their roles as a study buddy or mentor. Each week, starting in November, we will honor one volunteer by picking them as the Volunteer of the Week. Thanks again for your hardwork and dedication to the students!

We also will be having a raffle for the volunteers. Everytime you sign in on the volunteer sign in sheet, you will get a raffle ticket put into a box. When the program ends in December, for winter break, we will pull out three winners. The prizes are two wine country bicycle rentals for 2 and a ride, wine, and dine bike tour in napa valley! So, everyday you come in, make sure you sign in!

Two outstanding volunteers!

There are many volunteers that come through our doors here at The GreenHouse. But, these two have made a permanent impact on our students and staff. Judy Carlson and Zain Matloob have been selected as our Volunteers of the Week for April 11th and the 18th! Judy Carlson has been with The GreenHouse for so long that she is a part of the family. When she volunteers with our Evergreen elementary program, she has been known to make them smile, become interactive, and feel loved. Seeing her with our students I can see how much the love and adore her.

Zain Matloob is one of our new volunteers, but has demonstrated her commitment to working with students as she has been consistent in her efforts to work with them. At first, Zain was quite and still getting use to working in this particular environment. However, it appeared that over night Zain became this enthused, energetic and playful volunteer for our Evergreen program. Like Judy, Zain's presences has been impactful in the lives of our students. It just has been a blessing to have so many wonderful volunteers here at The GreenHouse.

To get to know Judy a little better read my interview with this lovely woman.

How long have you been a part of or volunteering at The GreenHouse and with what programs?

I have been a part of the GreenHouse for about 8 years. The first 4 years as a volunteer in the summer for a week. I started volunteering weekly about 4 years ago. In addition, my husband and I have contributed financially with one time gifts and have participated in Melvin's Hope at Christmas time.

Words to live by (personal quote or advice for living the good life)

Love NEVER fails! Choose the path of love, turn and run from evil.

In a nutshell, describe your career path since high school.

After college and marriage, I choose to stay home with my sons until they entered school. I worked part-time until 20 years ago. At that time, I started as a paraprofessional at

James McKee Elementary School working in the Learning Center teaching reading to first through sixth graders.

What made you decide to volunteer at The GreenHouse Center?

I decided to volunteer at the GreenHouse because I saw an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the children in the community around the church I attended in Natomas.

Describe a day in your life as a volunteer at The GreenHouse.

Challenging, but rewarding when you see growth in the children’s lives. (Academically and emotionally)

When you’re not volunteering, what do you do? What extracurricular activities are you involved in?

I love to read, travel with my husband, garden, and refinish furniture.

Describe what you do in just three words.

Teach, serve, and mentor

In three sentences or less, convince someone that The GreenHouse is a great place to volunteer.

The GreenHouse gives volunteers a chance to change the world one child at a time. Children need as many places in their lives where they are loves and feel safe.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were younger?

It’s not about what you accomplish in life, but it’s really about who you had the privilege to love.

Everyone, meet Lisa!

What can I say about Lisa Haydon. Well for starters, she is an amazing individual full of passion and compassion for the students at The GreenHouse. Lisa started out as our Summer Volunteer last year during Adventure Zone. During this time she bonded with not only our young ladies, but also with our young men. She joined them on trips to Sutter's Fort, Rock climbing at Pipe Works, and to several surround parks in the greater Sacramento area.

Unfortunately, due to her school schedule she wasn't able to volunteers with our elementary students. So every now and then during our Evergreen after-school program our students ask "hey where is Lisa? Does she still come?" Thankfully she still volunteers at The GreenHouse. With her new school schedule she Lisa is able to volunteer with our R4 Teen after-school program. Now she is influencing and helping our teens with their school work.

Its volunteers like Lisa who make working, volunteering, and coming to program fun and enjoyable. Thats why she is our Volunteer of the Week for April 4th, 2011! Congratulations Lisa!

A look at our new volunteers

It is a blessing to have enthused, energetic, and loving volunteers come through the doors of The GreenHouse. Each year we have those select few of volunteers that, when they come to our after-school programs to be a "Study Buddy" to our awesome students, they are not only happy to be apart of their lives, but they also receive love and appreciation from the students. It is a pleasure to thank and demonstrate our appreciation to our two new volunteers Matthew Puliz and Christian Learned as our Volunteers of the Week.

Matthew is a students at the Christian Brothers High School who volunteers every other Friday

as a leader for our new Computer workshop for our elementary students. Each Friday that this workshop is coordinated, Matthew has demonstrated patiences towards the learning students as well as openly provided his experience to them. Because of Matthew our students are learning new and exciting computer skills. Our devoted and energetic volunteer Christian as been with the GreenHouse for almost two months now and is great with our students. Christian is a full time student at the Universal

Technical Institute of Automotive and Mechanics. During his time at The GreenHouse he has presented a friendly and welcoming demeanor that our students, especially the young boys. It has been a blessing to have these to young men volunteer at our center presenting themselves to be influential men of our future.

We have a lifer...A dedicated volunteer that is.

One of our most enthusiastic, loving, and caring individual has received the Volunteer of the Week award. Her name...Rose Adamson! Rose has been with the GreenHouse since our hearts opened to the community of Northgate/Gardenland. Lets read on and learn about her love and involvement with the GreenHouse. Its volunteers like Rose that touch the lives of the staff, fellow volunteers, and most importantly the youth we serve.

How long have you been a part of or volunteering at The GreenHouse and with what programs? I have been volunteering for 9 years, have been on The GreenHouse Board for 8 years and have volunteered with both the Elementary and Teen Programs.

Words to live by (personal quote or advice for living then good life)

May my heart break for the things that break the heart of God.

In a nutshell, describe your career path since high school.

Business manager to business owner to stay at home mom.

What made you decide to volunteer at The GreenHouse Center?

I was and still am passionate about the renewal and transformation of the GreenHouse neighborhood and families that live there.

Describe a day in your life as a volunteer at The GreenHouse.

Greetings, work and interaction. I find out about their day and week, encourage them to get their work done (help when needed) and interact with them regarding their interest. Music, movies, etc.

When you’re not volunteering, what do you do? What extracurricular activities are you involved in?

I am very busy with my two kids and family. I also volunteer at my sons’ school twice a month as well as with Awana on Wednesday nights.

Describe what you do in just three words.

Mentor, Direct, Encourage

What do you love about your job?

I love the kids! They are amazing! Resilient, courageous and accepting.

In three sentences or less, convince someone that The GreenHouse is a great place to volunteer.

The GreenHouse is a great place to volunteer because it’s so rewarding. The kids don’t require much, but whatever you give them they are grateful! They give you hope in what God is doing in a very tangible way.

Huzzah for Jana!

This weeks Volunteer of the Week is our very own Jana Packham! Jana's sweet and fun spirit has been shining at The GreenHouse going on 3 1/2 years now and has been impacting our students with her love and compassion. With her love for kids she has been one of our Adventure Zone summer camp coordinators, where the summer is filled with fun and games as well as a Study Buddy on our Fun Fridays with the Elementary program Evergreen.

Currently Jana is a Study Bu

ddy for Evergreen during where she is tutoring the students on math, reading proficiency, and their everyday homework.

She is also the mentor of two wonderful girls who adore her. When asked if they wanted to keep meeting with Jana, they responded with "Yes, because she's super fun and she is easy to talk to." "Yeah, because she's super fun and is very kind and is always with me when I need help and she's like a mom for me."

As you can see the girls can't get enough of Jana. Providing them with opportunities to bond and experience some fun outings for the first time, Jana has taken the girls Ice Skating, the mall, chatting it up at Starbucks like young woman...She is the Best!

Recently, with the weather being so cold, several of the students, our Elementary Director, Jana, and a parent had a chance to visit the snow! It was a trip filled with sledding, Snowman making and other creations, and just an overall snow fun filled day. It is truly a blessing to have so many volunteers here at the GreenHouse that are so passionate and committed; and it is even more so to have volunteers like Jana.

The Volunteer who likes Cookie Dough Ice Cream...

The Volunteer of the Week (01/24/2011)...

It was no surprise to see that the votes for this weeks Volunteer of the Week was RACHELLE MOJADO. Yep, being one of our younger volunteers, Rachelle has demonstrated a caring and energetic demeanor that has had an impact on our students of the Evergreen Elementary Program. She has been a part of our volunteer team for the past 3 months and has facilitated baking and art workshops for the kiddos. Read on as you will find that this young lady is rather interesting and a motivated individual.

Words to live by (personal quote or advice for living the good life)

Pursue your intents with 100%

In a nutshell, describe your career path since high school.

I’m still in High School now but my future plans consist of getting a B.S. in Biology. Then I plan on going to Medical School to pursue a career in Medicine.

What made you decide to volunteer at The GreenHouse Center?

My school requires a Senior Project and I was browsing through a volunteer website when I found the GreenHouse.

Describe a day in your life as a volunteer at The GreenHouse.

Volunteering at the GreenHouse, I get to interact with children and help them with whatever activity they’re doing. It’s amazing and refreshing to see how happy children are when they’re surrounded by friends and fun.

When you’re not volunteering, what do you do? What extracurricular activities are you involved in?

When I’m not volunteering, I’m busy with school. I help out afterschool for Leadership.

Describe what you do in just three words.

Help, Lead, inspire

In three sentences or less, convince someone that The GreenHouse is a great place to volunteer.

The GreenHouse has friendly staff who love what they do. If you volunteer at the GreenHouse you’ll love it too. The kids are so energetic and love seeing new people as well.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were younger?

Life doesn’t wait for you. You have to cease the day. Days are long and slow, but years just zoom past you.

Please provide any additional information you would like others to know about you?

I love cookie dough ice cream J

Party like its 2011!

Explore! Kick-Off Party

Two Pizzas, the always fun and classic game of Pictionary, and a house full of mentors and mentess and we have ourselves a PARTY. On Monday, January 24th, 2011.

"I feel that having my first mentor is going to be fun and she is really nice to me. The party was really fun because we played games" -B (10)

"What I liked about the party is hanging out with the people" -P (10)

Its so amazing to see the changes and relationships built within our Explore! Mentoring program...

Hope to see and hear about some more parties! Until then... Mentor on volunteers!

Cooking with our Elementary kiddos.... :)

We have had the privilege of cooking more so baking sweet goodies with our Elementary Program: Evergreen. I have to say the children love hanging with our volunteers in the kitchen making a mess and having fun. Smiles on faces, minds with the willingness to learn something new, mouths full of cookies and laughter all around; these are the times that continue to motivate our volunteers to continue having the awesome attitude as they mentor/tutor our students.

During our cooking/baking workshops, which is facilitated by our Senior student volunteer Rachelle, our kiddos have baked Apple Biscuits, goodies for

volunteers, and Peanut ButterBlossoms cookie with a

chocolate toping...Yum :)

Here are a few pictures from their baking and eating experience. Enjoy!

Volunteer of the Week 01/10/2011

A special Happy Birthday and Congratulations is at hand for our Volunteer of the Week Rebecca Wendlandt.

Rebecca has been a dedicate volunteer for the GreenHouse Elementary Programs since 2003. With a creative and fun loving spirit the children come to our Elementary Evergreen Programs w

ith a smile on their faces when they know that its "Fun Friday" and Rebecca will be there. She has taught many students the art of sowing and creative was they can take this practice of sowing and create new and fun purses, pillows, cell phone holders, and much more.