Annual Holiday Party

Annual Mentor Program Holiday Party
Mentors!!! It's that season again :) Please join us!!

When: Thursday, December 17th from 5:30 to 8 PM
Where: Faulkner Gallery located inside the Downtown Library
   40 E. Anapamu St.
   Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Who: Mentors and 1 friend who may be interested in mentoring, Mentees, and Mentee Families are all invited
What: A Free Holiday Meal of Turkey, Ham, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Mac n' Cheese, Hot Chocolate, and more! Games, crafts, prizes, and treats for the kid in us all!! There will also be community booths for the parents so that they can sign up their families for various services throughout the community.
Please:

• Mentors, if you are willing and able, we would love for you to contribute the dessert part of the meal...bring something small to share, whether that's a pumpkin pie, a plate of cookies, or a handful of jelly bellies.
• Over the next few weeks, encourage your mentee to create a drawing for our art contest that evening. All attendees will submit their votes, and prizes will be given out to the winners :)
• RSVP no later than Thursday, December 10th at 5 PM. Due to the location, space will be limited to 125 people...
• Juliana Lee 963-1433 x113
• Teresa Segovia 963-1433 x105

We look forward to seeing many of you there!!

Kids n Bikes

Join the Mentor Program on Saturday, December 5th from 10 AM to 12 noon as we partner with Lou Ventura and other community members for the 5th annual Bike Fest and assemble 650 bikes to give to kids through other local charities. No previous bike assembly experience is necessary. This is another great chance for the kids to see what it's like to do something for the community without expecting anything in return. This will be a fun event for all ages and the kids can "test drive" the bikes!! Food and refreshments will be provided for the volunteers, and it will be a great time, especially with live music!! For more information, you can check out their website; there are a video and slideshow posted from the 2008 event. Please RSVP no later than Tuesday, December 1st, as we need to let Lou know how many are planning on attending. RSVP to Teresa Segovia 963-1433 x105.

The event will take place at:
329 Vereda Del Ciervo
Goleta, CA 93117

November Mentor of the Month!!!

Larry Siegel has been a dedicated mentor for the past year and a half. His mentee is now a 6th grade student at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. During their times together, Larry exposes his mentee to many new experiences; they’ve begun reading books on a higher level than when they first met, and have engaged in new activities like basketball and chess. When Larry’s mentee transferred to an unfamiliar school, Larry made sure that he continued to be a part of his life. Larry understood that transferring schools would be a difficult process. He figured out how to continue meeting with his mentee so that he would know to count on him through any hard time. Beyond working with his mentee, Larry has touched the lives of his mentee’s whole family by making the extra effort to connect them with other helpful resources in the community. Thank you for all that you do, Larry; your service and dedication have not gone unnoticed. Keep up the great work!

Notes for Notes Program

Notes for Notes is an amazing program dedicated to providing free access for youth to musical instruments, instruction, and music-making environments so that music can become a profoundly positive influence in their lives. They have offered to provide our program with a couple of free private classes for small groups (up to 4) of mentees and their mentors in one (or potentially more) of the following: guitar, electric drums, electric keyboard, vocals, and/or mixing. Students are encouraged to sign up for free memberships afterwards and continue their lessons (all free!) with the potential to lay their own track (record a song). There are also DJ turntables (vinyl and iPod) for the DJs in the making!

Let me know if you are interested in attending a class with your mentee, and give me a list of days that work best for you around 3 PM and we will work together to make it happen!!
This is an incredible opportunity for your mentee to express themselves through music. With their membership at the MusicBox, they are also likely to meet rockstars and develop their own sound. Notes for Notes hosts various workshops as well. They recently held one that brought in a composer who does the music in movies like Jaws, Mission Impossible 2, and Liar, Liar. For more information, please look at their website.

FREE Boys and Girls Club Memberships

Memberships to the local Boys and Girls Clubs are now available for free to our mentees. Please contact one of the following clubs for applications and mention that your mentee is a part of the Fighting Back Mentor Program. Applications must be signed by the parent or legal guardian of your mentee. You may use the facility together as well if you'd like to have your one hour meetings there! Take advantage of the many things they have available for our youth, including free tutoring at some of the clubs.

Carpinteria (4849 Foothill Rd., Carpinteria, CA 93013)
Contact: Rich Medel
684-1568 • rmedel@unitedbg.org • Website

Downtown (632 E. Canon Perdido St., Santa Barbara, CA 93103)
Contact: Carolyn Brown
962-2382 ext. 23 • carolyn@boysgirls.org • Website

Goleta
Contact: Joe Roderick
967-1612 • jroderick@unitedbg.org • Website

Westside (602 W. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101)
Contact: Magda Arroyo
966-2811 • marroyo@unitedbg.org • Website

November Notes

Mentor Training: "Fidget to Focus: How to work with youth affected by ADD/ADHD"
Wednesday, November 11th • 5:30 to 6:30 PM
Presented by Dr. Roland Rotz, licensed child and adult psychologist
232 E. Canon Perdido St. • 2nd Floor • Conference Room 2

Please join us for this informative presentation by nationally recognized expert on ADD and ADHD in children and adolescents, Dr. Rotz. For 15 years he has focused his attention on establishing and maintaining effective treatment strategies for children, adolescents, and adults with ADD. For more information about Dr. Rotz and the Lifespan Development Center, please visit his website at http://www.docrotz.com/.
Please RSVP no later than Monday, November 9th. Space is limited!
Snacks will be provided.

Unity Shoppe "Vision of Unity" Tour
Date TBD (either Monday, Nov 16th or Tuesday Nov 17th @ 3:30 or 5:30 PM)
This Holiday season, please consider instilling in your mentee the gift of volunteerism. They are given so much that it would be wonderful for them to have the opportunity to help others in their community. Yearly over 1,600 children spend time in the "Free Store" as they help their low-income neighbors. They love the experience and they learn how to work in a real store.
The "Vision of Unity" Tour will be an opportunity for you and your mentee to see the facility and what the Unity Shoppe does. You will then be able to register as a volunteer and can drop in at any time Monday through Friday and sign in. These volunteer hours are also good for high school students who need the hours to graduate! We are also planning on going as a group in December to volunteer together during the busy holiday season. Details to follow for that.
There will be cookies and lemonade provided for all who attend this tour.

KRUZ 97.5 Radio Station Tour
Thursday, November 19th • 3:30 PM
403 E. Montecito St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Join us for a tour of a local radio station playing today's "adult alternative", rock and pop songs. They'll get to meet a DJ and see what goes on behind the scenes at a radio station. Let your mentees know that there will be giveaways!!
Please RSVP no later than Tuesday, November 17th. Space is limited!!

It's Magic! Live at the Lobero on November 7th: FREE tickets

Direct from The Magic Castle and the Las Vegas strip: It’s Magic! This all-star stage revue features the best magical acts – from jaw-dropping sleight of hand and off-beat (often wacky) comedic magic to mind-boggling full stage illusions. Producers Milt Larsen and Terry Hill present some of the most prestigious prestidigitators to delight audiences of all ages. “The liveliest lineup of magic acts this side of Las Vegas in an all new show. It’s a must for magic buffs of all ages!” says the L.A. Times.

See their website for more information: http://www.itsmagic.org/

The Lobero Theater is donating tickets to a limited number of mentors and mentees (a $15-$30 value). There will be 2 shows on Saturday, November 7th: 2 PM and 7 PM. Let your case manager know ASAP if you and your mentee would like to attend.