Transmission Project

As a result of her work with issues related to sustainability and donor cultivation we were able to consistently produce and distribute our newsletter and double the revenues generated from our annual event. We were able to add a new cultivation event “Lunch on Us” which has resulted in 120 new prospects/donors for our organization. She also organized and laid a system for grant development accumulating appropriate materials which contributed to the efficiency of grant development.

Amanda increased her Spanish language skills and through our leadership development program began to identify and address her own leadership strength and weaknesses.

HOLA’s AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, Ashley Cross, has been an amazing addition to Heart of Los Angeles Youth (HOLA). You need only visit our new and improved website to see the many ways that she has made a tremendous impact upon the organization. At www.heartofla.org you will see updated stories and press releases which Ashley designed and published. She also designed and formatted a link for point of donation opportunities, as well as a merchandizing page featuring HOLA cards designed by our youth. HOLA has received close to $3,000 in donations through our website to date, which funds can be directly attributed to Ashley’s efforts. We also received a $50,000 grant that came through our new and improved site. Please take a look at the home page and the articles included on the site, which Ashley was responsible for designing and formatting. Ashley was able to recreate on our web site the entire article about HOLA, including photographs, which was published in “La Opinion”. She was responsible for creating the Special Events page and many of the stories and pictures throughout the site. At the same time, we have been able to hard copies of the PDF articles from the web site to form an integral part of HOLA’s press packet. Ashley’s contribution to the HOLA website is only one very critical part of how she’s expanded the capacity for our organization.

Ashley succeeded in refurbishing the 30 laptops ahead of schedule, but the organization encountered some unforeseen obstacles in procuring battery packs, a wireless router, wireless cards, and most importantly, a space to accommodate the Mobile Lab Project. Thanks to Ashley’s research, these were obtained during the last quarter of her term. While these challenges were being addressed, we added the new goal of increasing the capacity of HOLA’s development office through the overall improvement of the website, which Ashley undertook with great efficiency and success.

The Mobile Lab Project is now slated to be unveiled in March or April of 2006, a successful culmination of Ashley’s research and development efforts. Batteries, cards and a router have been obtained, and funds have been secured for the build-out of the new Teen Center.

Mike has updated CTOC’s current database and is 70% complete with updating the information on CTOC members of organizations. Our VISTA has gained considerable knowledge of the organizations listed in our membership database and will be able to easily consolidate both databases into one main database. With the consolidation of both databases that total over six hundred (600) CTC’s, CTOC will be able to significantly improve our outreach efforts.

As part of the updating procedures we have contacted each organization to establish a contact person for each non-profit organization that provides technology services. Mike has completed updating 70% of the organizations’ contact information and has been able to find a designated person for each organization and updating their email addresses. His efforts to gain the correct contact information for these organizations has provided CTOC with a face and voice in the community and increased our visibility with CTCs in Los Angeles. With the increased visibility in the CTC community we have been able to increase the attendance of CTOC members and Non-Member to event workshops by at least 30%.

Mike has designed and developed promotional materials for at least three of CTOC’s events over the past three months.

Mike reviewed materials on evaluation methods and was instrumental in assisting CTOC’s staff in the development of a survey instrument that we are using to collect data on the CTCs in the Los Angeles region. Mike completed 24 CTC site visits in Los Angeles. Not only have these site visits given us a chance to collect information on the local CTC, it has given him an opportunity to get first hand knowledge of the types of programs that are offered by the various CTCs around Los Angeles. We have collected data on 61 CTCs in the Los Angeles region including San Bernardino County. Over the past six (6) months he has enter the 60% of the data that will be used of evaluation. Over the next six (6) months he will assist the staff with data evaluation.

Mike has provided us with information on funding resources that are available via the CTCnet listserv. He has participated and given input in our discussions on being a CTCnet chapter affiliate. He will be doing some research and grant writing for demonstration project that we will undertake.

Brandi has been working with CompuMentor and Citizens Housing Corporation for six months. In that time she has provided logistical and planning support, managing a number of CTN workshops including YouthLearn, Writing Great Grant Proposals, Amazing Success Stories, and Youth Media: Digital Storytelling & Animation. Brandi has also been actively involved in the Community Technology Network Steering Committee as a member and secretary. In this role, she has been responsible for keeping members informed about upcoming events and meetings as well as dissemination of meeting minutes and materials. In addition, Brandi has maintained the CTN Bay Area website at http://www.ctnbayarea.org. She has overseen the redesign of the website with volunteers from OPNet’s web design students. In her work as computer technician and consultant at Citizens Housing Corporation she has set up and maintained two computer labs in low-income housing units.

Victoria refined and implemented a second language (Spanish) curriculum that was used in the computer classes. She based the curriculum on research done with a variety of programs working with second language students. CWU GEARUP linked with Victoria to provide work study students to teach computer classes in the three communities. CWU recruited bilingual campus students who then taught the computer classes under the guidance of the VISTA program. One of the CWU GEARUP program objectives is to increase knowledge and awareness of post secondary education for the families with children in these three communities. Increasing the family’s access to technology is a link to their literacy growth and improves success in school. Victoria also developed a strong relationship with the RECA Foundation in Kennewick and continued to link community members to the foundation so they could purchase refurbished computers at a low cost for their home use. We have learned that real progress for most students is dependant on computers in the home. Victoria was able to get computers into many of the student’s homes in Royal City and Mattawa and to help them keep these computers working. The computers are geared more towards families and give kids a basis for learning. They have security in place to prevent major problems from occurring to the operating system. The major drawback in these computers is that they do not allow changes to the system and prevent use of the internet. However, as a beginning computer for families, they are perfect because they aren’t susceptible to viruses as they become more comfortable with the computers, they can later invest in one that is Internet ready. In the meantime, Internet access and ESL software remains available in the community labs.

Ria has done a good job of connecting with schools and organizations to
create alliances for projects and for recruitment. Ria hasalso been wonderfully effective at recruiting guest speakers and field trip hosts for GGD.

Ria has done a wonderful job of preparing program information for the public, including the fall GGD update (sent to funders and partner agencies) and the December graduation flier. Because the program’s outreach has been so successful, there has not been a need for the extensive outreach we have had in the past.

I believe Ria’s work on program curriculum and her work in the classroom will be one of her greatest legacies in the program. She has developed strong curricula and has led successful, creative classes. She has developed curriculum for and taught the fall and spring classes and has developed a proposal for a summer video program. Her teaching style with the students has been steadily improving, and her comfort level and ability in working with students in and out of the classroom has been a pleasure to watch grow.

Other ongoing projects that Abby was crucial to the success of included:

- “Project Safe Neighborhoods” (U.S. Department of Justice) in which Abby facilitated the efforts of local youths at neighborhood associations and community centers in writing, shooting, performing, and editing their own Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on the subject of gun violence prevention.

- Wedgwood Christian Services of West Michigan. Similar to PSN, the Wedgwood project involved providing at-risk teens with the tools, training, and means of transmission to create their own mini documentaries and PSAs focusing on substance abuse prevention.

Both of these long term projects have been very successful due in large part to Abby’s commitment, diligence, professionalism, expertise, and willingness to work with at risk teens.

Abby’s final, and perhaps most lasting project, done in conjunction with previous VISTA/Americorps volunteers Laura Craig-Bennett, Amy McKenzie, and Jennifer Harris, has been the editing of a four-episode series of documentaries entitled “Girls to Governors” which commemorates the role of Michigan women in politics. Funded locally by the Nokomis foundation of Grand Rapids, the VISTA/Americorps producers of “Girls to Governors” seized upon the election in 2001 of Michigan’s first female governor, to examine the emerging role of women in local, state, and national politics and public service.

The editing of this series was the capstone event in and outstanding year of service provided by VISTA volunteer Abby Balazs. The VISTA program should be very proud to have Abby as an alumnae just as we are proud to have had her as an employee and team mate.

With respect to the VISTA project, it is Breakaway Technologies goal to assist individuals with 6th grade reading and math skills to increase their skills to ninth grade levels via our contextualized literacy program. To that end, we have developed a first draft of a scenario-based curriculum in collaboration with Carnegie Melon University, Bay ITC, and Cabrillo College.

Tabetha assisted in developing and is now working out the final bugs in the curriculum for our contextualized literacy program. She has submitted the curriculum to the American Association of Community Colleges and is currently awaiting feedback.

Tabetha has also assisted in developing partnerships with institutions in the surrounding area.

Chanvon was able to do a very nice job of recruiting more young women into the program, particularly those of Southeast Asian descent. With regard to the Tech Goes Home program, one of the major changes we will be making for the next round will be to incorporate a greater family involvement component into the overall structure.

Jason has been instrumental in coordinating the special events that CMC has sponsored or hosted. He has willingly shouldered the duty of making appearances at public functions as the CMC representative, recently meeting the esteemed Governor of Michigan, Jennifer Granholm, the morning after her State of the State Address.

Other special events include the nationally recognized educational broadcast of the JASON XIV Project. This weeklong workshop was at held at local gathering place Celebration Cinema where Jason led the CMC’s presence, reaching out to the youth of our community. This high-profile event that was attended by many of Kent County’s eight graders and was broadcast 24/7 on GRTV’s second channel LiveWire.

Most recently, Jason coordinated a visit from Detective Sullivan (Oprah Winfrey, the Today Show, and others have featured his new book and software), who teaches Cyber-Safety to school children and their parents. In addition to his interview during drive-time on WYCE 88.1FM, our sponsorship of his visit has resulted in exposure in the Grand Rapids Family Magazine.

Jason has helped the CMC become the production house for the statewide broadband mapping initiative “LinkMichigan.” He designed the LinkMichigan brochure and has recently taken over the large task of redesigning the “FREE Internet Access” brochure that includes a map, location, and hours for every public Internet Access site in Barry, Ionia, and Kent Counties. When finished, this brochure will be featured as part of a large marketing campaign funded by the state to promote already existing Internet Access sites and Community Technology Centers in the area.