December mentor of the month: Linda Stockton

Linda’s mentee was referred to the program because she lived with her grandfather, not her parents. She lacked the positive female role model in her life, so Linda stepped in. That was over 3 years ago. To this day, Linda and her mentee continue to meet on a regular basis, furthering their relationship. Linda gives her mentee opportunities to be a young girl, with structure and responsibilities in conjunction with moments of happiness and kid-like activities. She provides her with a balanced lifestyle. Living a life abandoned by parents, Linda’s mentee struggled to find a reason to trust other adults. Linda has continued to uplift her mentee and help her understand that life isn’t fair, but it’s how you handle the rough times that matter. Her mentee has transitioned into middle school with Linda by her side and has gained a solid sense of responsibility and respect with Linda. Thank you Linda for staying patient through the rough times and for understanding that your mentee is in need of you and your care now more than ever.

Thank You!!

Many Many Thanks to the wonderful donors that helped make our Holiday Party so successful. Over 150 mentors, mentees, family members, friends, and community agencies joined us on December 17th for a fabulous time. This was a great kickoff to a number of Family Events that will be taking place over the coming year.


Special Thanks to:
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Coffee Cat
Downtown Boys & Girls Club
Endowment for Youth Committee
Fighting Back Parent Program
Girls Inc.
Just Communities
Marmalade Cafe
Noah's Anchorage
Notes for Notes
Outback Steakhouse
Ralphs
Santa Barbara Public Library
United Boys & Girls Clubs
Unity Shoppe
Vons

We greatly appreciate your generosity and support!!

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
NOTE Change Where: Westside Boys and Girls Club
   602 W. 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!!
Decorate a picture frame to hold a picture of you and your mentee, make a gingerbread house, and just have fun with other mentors and mentees!!
There will also be community booths for the parents so that they can sign up their families for various services throughout the community. Booths include: Boys and Girls Club, Notes for Notes, Girls Inc., Endowment for Youth Committee, the Public Library System, and the CADA Parent Program. 
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!!

The Lobero presents Peter Pan

The Santa Barbara Theatre organization has kindly donated 20 tickets to us again this year to see the Peter Pan opening night performance at the Lobero Theater on Tuesday, December 22nd at 7 PM. RSVP by 5 PM on Tuesday, December 15th.

Once we have the final count on RSVPs, I will confirm with SBT and update those of you who plan on attending how to get your tickets.

Peter Pan
Tuesday, December 22nd
7 - 10 PM

Directions to the Lobero Theater (click the link)
33 E. Canon Perdido St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

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.

First Tee Scholarships Available

The First Tee is a program of the World Golf Foundation. The program provides youth from age seven to seventeen an opportunity to develop character education, life-enhancing skills and values, through the fame of golf. Through the First Tee Life Skills experience, youths participating in the program learn valuable lessons and life skills, including: the importance of maintaining a positive attitude; how to make decisions by thinking about the possible consequences; and how to define and set goals. In addition, and of central importance to the program, participants are taught how values such as honesty, integrity, responsibility, respect, confidence, judgment, perseverance, courtesy and sportsmanship apply to every day life.

Utilizing a curriculum based on established educational and psychological principles and taught by highly qualified and skilled instructors, The First Tee is having significant success in capitalizing on golf's ability to teach core human character values to the young people who participate in our program. We provide lessons that not only will have a lasting positive influence on their character and their lives, but also will educate and motivate them to become responsible and productive members of their communities.

The young people proceed through 3 levels of formal Life Skills instruction: Par, Birdie, and Eagle. The Par level focuses on fundamental communication and self-management skills. The Birdie level deals primarily with goal-setting. The Eagle level provides participants with advanced instruction and practice in mastering Par and Birdie level skills, as well as conflict management, mentoring, and career planning. To progress in the program, participants must demonstrate that they understand and can apply the core life skills by answering written questions and performing various skills for an instructor. When they meet the certification requirements, the children progress to the next level.

The First Tee is offering full scholarships (a $75-$100 value) to some of our mentees. If you feel that your mentee would benefit from enrollment in this program, please contact your case manager (Juliana or Anna) for more information. Classes are being offered on Tuesdays at the Municipal Golf Course (3500 McCaw Ave.) and on Thursdays at Twin Lakes Golf Course (6034 Hollister Ave.) from 3:30-5 PM. Mentors can stay and encourage and support their mentees during that time.

For more information, please see their website: http://www.thefirstteecentralcoast.org/

October Mentor of the Month!

Joanie Grissom has mentored for over 6 years. Her mentee is a 10th grade student at Santa Barbara High School. Joanie and her mentee have participated in a wide range of activities from reading together, making pottery, going to the beach, shopping in Paseo Nuevo, visiting the Botanical Gardens, and going to the movies. Her mentee comes from a family where her mother has been absent for much of her life, making Joanie’s role as a female mentor even more vital to her mentee’s development. Two years ago, her mentee became part of a leadership group at her school, and Joanie has helped guide her into doing community service for SBHS. Her mentee has been exposed to these positive outlets throughout most of her teens because of Joanie’s hard work and dedicated as a positive role model. Joanie has been able to assist her mentee through most of her high school career, no doubt making a life long impact. Joanie is also a member of the Mentor Task Force, highlighting her compassion and dedication to the cause. She is one of our mentors who truly goes above and beyond, and serves as a great example of how mentorship can change the life of a child for the better. Nice job, Joanie!

October Mentor Opportunities

Carpinteria Fire Station Tour
RESCHEDULED: Tuesday, October 27th at 3:30 PM
911 Walnut Ave., Carpinteria, CA 93013
For directions:
Map from North
Map from South

RSVP by Friday, October 23rd!

When we attended this station about a year and a half ago, it was nothing short of fantastic! We anticipate it will be a great opportunity for your mentee to learn more about the real lives of firefighters (men and women!). This is an interactive field trip with a lot of stories, laughs, and fun. Your mentee may even have the opportunity to put on real fire fighting gear! Hope to see many of you there!!

Mentor Training: "Youth in Crisis: The Role of a Mentor"
Wednesday, October 14th from 5:30 to 6:30 PM
Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse - 232 E. Canon Perdido St.
2nd Floor - Conference Room 2

What is crisis? How do adolescents respond to crisis? How can adults provide support during crisis, especially in the role of a mentor? What can a mentor really do? Find out the answers to these questions and the questions you have about youth crisis at this mentor training. Feel free to submit your questions ahead of time and I'll share them with the speaker.

Speaker: Mark Watson, Director of Shelter Services at Noah’s Anchorage. Noah’s Anchorage is a local youth crisis shelter, serving 10-17 year olds who are in need of crisis counseling, temporary shelter, and food and clothing. Mark holds his Masters in Social Work from the University of Northern Iowa and has been in his current position for about 6 years. He has worked with at-risk youth for over ten years and has a passion for helping to empower the youth struggling to find their voice in this world.

Encourage Your Mentees to Get Involved!!

1st You Grow Girl Conference sponsored in part by Girls Inc. and the Girl Scouts is a day entirely for girls in the 4th-8th grades, their parents and other caring adults on Saturday, October 24th from 8:30 AM to 3 PM. The workshops for the girls encourage self-confidence, strength, and independence. The adult workshops focus on communication with girls and how you can continue to be an influential part of their life. For more information on workshops and for registration forms, please see Your Grow Girl or call Jen Bowman at (805) 963-4757 x17.
Tickets are $10 each. Full scholarships are available to mentors and their mentees; please call Jen for more information about these.

10th Anniversary Wilderness Youth Project at Skofield Park on Sunday, October 4th from 11:10 AM to 4:10 PM. Live music and entertainment. Bring family, freinds, and a picnic lunch! Tickets are $10/ adult and 10 cents per child. You can reserve your ticket in advance by calling (805) 964-8096 or by going to www.wyp.org/tenth to find out more about this celebration!!

City at Peace is a youth program that uses the performing arts to teach and promote cross-cultural understanding, leadership skills, and non-violent conflict resolution. The program starts Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009, and meets every Wednesday from 4-8 PM at the Lobero Rehearsal Hall (33 East Canon Perdido St.). They are seeking a diverse group of youth (ages 13-19) interested in self-expression through theater, poetry, storytelling, & music, in issues of diversity and peace, and who are hoping to make their community a better place.
For more information call (805) 899-4292 or e-mail: jvelascocap@yahoo.com or nancydaviscap@yahoo.com


The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is the United States' largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. The program's goals are to applaud young people who already are making a positive difference in their towns and neighborhoods, and to inspire others to think about how they might contribute to their communities. Any student enrolled in grades 5-12 are eligible, with minimal restrictions. The top State honorees receive a $1000 cash award; the 10 top national honorees receive a $5000 cash reward.
For more information see their website.

Mentor BBQ Picture slideshow!

Katee Grace has made our BBQ pictures into a slideshow for you all to enjoy! Find it here: http://belleinnocence.com/#/mentorbbq2009/ And don't forget that you can download your favorite pictures at: Katee Grace Smugmug.

Recognizing National Depression Education and Awareness Month

Join community members as they recognize National Depression Education and Awareness Month at the 15th Annual Violence & Suicide Prevention Forum. Click the flyer to the right for a larger view of the details of the events.

For more information on suicide prevention, check out granthalliburton.org.

Women's Soccer: UCSB vs Arizona

Friday, September 25th
7 - 9 PM
UCSB Harder Stadium
FREE (with tickets)


Directions:
101 Exit Los Carneros, head South on Los Carneros
Left at Mesa Rd.
Right on Stadium Rd.
Paid Parking ($ 3)

Please contact either Juliana (jlee@cadasb.org) or Anna (alubin@cadasb.org) for tickets!!

Introducing...Anna Lubin!!

Anna comes to us from AmeriCorps and has graciously offered to work part time with the Mentor Program as an Advocate through May 31, 2010.

Anna is one of four kids, a Santa Barbara native, and is currently a UCSB student majoring in Sociology. She will be graduating in June of 2010 and hopes to pursue a career in social work, aiming to help disadvantaged populations. She's off to a great start working with our program and spending time outside of school working with the homeless at Casa Esperanza. When she does have some free time (rare), she enjoys sunbathing, reading, being outside in the mountains, on the beach, or wherever she can get a breath of fresh air. She also loves spending time with her cat, Roxy, pet chickens, and friends and family.

Her first day was today and she's already off to a whirlwind start, helping to match a new mentor and mentee in Carpinteria and give a presentation to teachers at Isla Vista Elementary. Please feel free to introduce yourself and give her a warm welcome when you have a chance. She can be reached at: alubin@cadasb.org or at (805) 963-1433 x105.

For Your Information...

As a part of the YMCAs efforts to promote activity amongst our youth, the Santa Barbara YMCA is offering FREE teen memberships (ages 12-18) for this week, granting them full access to the facilities. Please contact me at jlee@cadasb.org, for the registration forms if you feel your mentee would like to participate. They are also offering group exercise demos at 4 PM every day this week.
For more information about America on the Move and for helpful tips and resources to help you incorporate healthy activities into your daily routines, please check out http://www.ymca.net/about_the_ymca/aom.html

Computers for Families

http://www.sbceo.org/~sbceocff/calendar.html
Children in the 4th-6th grades who lack access to a computer with Internet at home are eligible. Please contact Kristine Mainland White if you feel your mentee is eligible to receive these services:
805.964-4711 X5400

805.683.3597 Fax

http://www.sbcff.org/
Santa Barbara County Education Office

4400 Cathedral Oaks Road

Santa Barbara, Ca 93110

Computers for Secondary (Middle/High School) Students
Please contact Al Soenke at AJSOENKE@aol.com and request to be put on a waitlist. When a refurbished computer becomes available in the Dos Pueblos High School ROP refurbishing program, he will let you know!

Free SBHS Football Season Passes

Santa Barbara High School has provided us with passes for you and your mentee to their 2009 football season. You can view the game schedule at http://www.highschoolsports.net/defaultcal.cfm?ct=s&schoolid=CA9310316815&spt=4&lvl=-1&division=-1. Please contact me to pick up a pass: jlee@cadasb.org or 963-1433 x113.

Mentor BBQ Pictures Now Available

You can find this picture and others from our 11th Annual Mentor Program BBQ here: http://kateegrace.smugmug.com/Children/SantaBarbaraMentors/9500087_VU7sr#638036923_FSgYm. Click on any thumbnail to view it in a bigger size. Scroll over the larger image, click "Save Photo". When the dialogue box pops up, click "Save", and select the folder in which you'd like to save the picture.

Many thanks to Katee Grace Photography for her time and for allowing us to have these beautiful pictures. For more of her photography, please check out kateegrace.com or contact her at 805.637.7412.

September Mentor of the Month

Ken Boomer is our September Mentor of the Month. He has been meeting with his mentee for over a year now through Isla Vista Elementary. As his mentee enters the 6th grade, he knows that Ken will continue to encourage and support him. Ken has done an amazing job of proving to his mentee that he can position himself to do well throughout the rest of his life. Ken has fostered his strengths and helped him figure out how to learn through his challenges.
His mentee was referred to the program because he was having challenges concentrating in school, which translated into academic difficulties. He was fidgeting in his seat, not paying attention, and wasn't motivated to stay on top of school work. He didn't have someone outside of school encouraging him to do well, to exhibit what it means to grow into a strong young male. Ken stepped in and showed his mentee that it is equally as important to get a good education as it is to be involved in healthy activities outside of school. His mentee was awarded with certificates for improvement in classroom behavior, math, and reading - improving 2 grade levels! He's also taught him that rewards can be far more appreciated when hard work precedes it. Ken and his mentee worked together to fix an old bike, and once it was finished, his mentee had earned the privilege to keep it and ride it. Through that, Ken continues to encourage him to keep physically active. Thank you, Ken, for all that you do to encourage a positive lifestyle with your mentee!!

Steven's Park Hike

Maritime Museum Field Trip

Carpinteria Beach Day

August "Mentor of the Month"

This Month's Outstanding Mentor is Barbara Hannelore!

Barbara Hannelore and her mentee have been together for 6 years come September. Throughout the course of their relationship, Barbara has introduced her mentee to a number of activities, including making pillows, scrapbooks, gingerbread houses, pottery, and many other crafts. Barbara has consistently fostered her mentee’s interests while encouraging her to branch out and try new things. The mentee and her four siblings have been raised by their single father. Her oldest sister is in and out of trouble and recently moved out on her own with very little family support. Barbara has been an incredible influence in her mentee’s life, showing her that she is always cared about and that she can develop into a strong woman of independence. She has made herself available to her mentee as a friend and as the mother figure that her mentee has not been privileged to have. Furthermore, she has helped steer her away from negative environmental influences, not through scare tactics, but by opening up the conversation and allowing her to ask questions. Thank you, Barbara, for being an incredible female role model in your mentee’s life!! You are very much appreciated!!

Zodo's Bowling and Beyond Field Trip

Santa Barbara Art Museum Art Museum Field Trip