2011-01_000004

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Part of Center for Community-Based Learning and Action Spring newsletter, 2009

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2011-01_000004

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Center for
Community-Based
Learning and Action

2009 Spring Newsletter

Seminar II E 2125, Olympia Campus; 2700 Evergreen Parkway NW; Olympia, WA 98505;
(360) 867-6137; ccbla@evergreen.edu

CCBLA is Evergreen’s Service Learning Center,
Engaging Students in Meaningful Community Work as
Part of Their Higher Education.
Students and Staff assembling Shish
Kabobs at the Camp Quixote BBQ
Photos by, Hilary Hacker

PROGRAMS
• Gateways for Incarcerated
Youth - Since 1996, Gateways
has served to educate, empower
and support young people with
innovative cultural diversity and
learning programs that build selfesteem, confidence and the ability
to pursue dreams.
•

Students in Service - Tuition
awards for community work, an
AmeriCorps program for students.
(WA Campus Compact).

•

Student Community Action Work-study positions at
community organizations to build
capacity and student learning.
(HECB funded).

•

High Demand Math and
Science Work Study classroom support positions at local

•

Tutor Project- Tutors for high

high schools. (HECB funded).
poverty elementary schools in
Olympia (Youth in Service).
•

Sustainability House /
Action Days- Providing community engagement opportunities
for campus residents.

•

Project Planning - Supporting
students and faculty looking for
community connections.

Celebrating 5 years of
Community-Based Learning and Action
A Talk by Alice Nelson, Faculty

Last fall, I anchored my teaching in the CCBLA as I
taught two programs, SOS: Community-Based Learning,
and Community Connections, a freshman transition-tocollege program. In Community Connections, we
worked with the idea of concentric circles embodied in
this cedar medallion, which we made for every student
in the program. The inner circle represented the program members; the next circle, the wider campus community; and the successive outer rings, local Olympia to
the many global communities of which we are part. We
tried to develop mindful connections across these circles, and the CCBLA fostered and supported that work,
building on longstanding relationships with many organizations.

program, which really makes explicit the connections
between theory and practice. Students were working in
a bunch of organizations, Safeplace, Bread and Roses,
Left Foot Organics…; others were doing contracts, like
Zach, who was working on a documentary about
CCBLA’s relationships with community groups. We
tried to build a curriculum drawing on the resources
here, so Ellen Shortt-Sanchez and Carol Minugh talked
about Popular Education and put that into practice so
that students came up with issues they wanted to know
about, which we incorporated into the curriculum.

Also, in terms of the concentric circles, it was really
much more powerful to be an Evergreen faculty member
going out with Ellen into the community to do site visits,
In Community Connections, we focused on hunger and where it’s not about this one student and her quarter, but
homelessness in the community and so students volunrather about how the
teered at local organizations like the Kiwanis Garden
institution can sustain
and the Food Bank, and we prepared and shared a meal a relationship in the
with residents of Camp Quixote. In the classroom, we
community and work
tried to draw on some of the knowledge that has been
to move together into
generated in Evergreen programs, so we viewed a video the future. Then
about homeless youth in Olympia, among other materi- we’re asking quesals. It made a huge difference that CCBLA was here
tions about support
and helping us organize, for example, the Camp Quixote that are much
dinner, so that students had a sense we weren’t merely
broader, much more
Alice Nelson at CCBLA’s 5th
talking about hunger and homelessness, but rather trying institutionally based,
Birthday Celebration
to show venues where students could take action, as
with a collective
Ellen said, to combat some of the injustices in our community.
CCBLA and Gateways Staff
At the end of Community Connections,
Director: Ellen Shortt Sanchez
many students said that at first they had
Learn and Serve/High Demand Coordinator: Jacob Berkey
no idea how they could get involved,
VISTA Community Partnership Catalyst: Hilary Hacker
but now they had so many ideas they
CYS AmeriCorps Tutor Coordinator: Adriana Puszkiewicz
weren’t sure where to begin. FortuCommunity Action Work-Study Coordinator: Finn Cottom
nately, they have at least four years to
Special Projects Coordinator: Emily Pieper
explore some of the possibilities!
SIS Coordinators: Alex Dreyer, Heidi Stygar
Gateways Program Manager: Jose S. Gutierrez Jr.
Meanwhile, I was also sponsoring
internships and contracts in the SOS
Retention Project Gateways Challenge Program: Samantha Franks

2009 Spring Newsletter
A Talk by Alice Nelson continued...
behind them. Relationships like the one we have with POWER, for example, have grown because CCBLA has been a place for faculty/students
and the community alike to come home to. Similarly, CCBLA’s conversations with Campus Compact helped me to feel part of a broader dialogue and to draw on the wisdom and experiences from other campuses in
the region. The conversation just gets richer and is sustained in a larger
way because CCBLA exists. I’m really grateful that CCBLA made it 5
years and hopefully will be around 5,000 more, and I just wanted to say,
“happy birthday!”

Lessons from Time Spent at the CCBLA
Alex Dreyer, Student and SIS Coordinator
Being 22 years old, most of the jobs I have
held have carried with them some small
element of mind-crushing boredom. My spot
in the CCBLA however was conspicuously
devoid of such troubles. On the contrary, the
position opened my eyes and ears to a vibrant world of rich characters and filled my
head with pleasant memories. All this even
though I worked a maximum of eight hours
a week! How could this be? You ask and the
answer I would give you is that I spent much
time off the clock volunteering at events I
heard about via my coworkers at the
Alex Dreyer at the
CCBLA. I feel at least half-worldly now that
CCBLA’s 2008 Student I have planted flora at a cancer outpatient
Recognition Event
facility, mailed books to prisoners and sung
songs of freedom with children living in
homeless shelters. Who doesn’t do these things? is what I want to know
now. What do they do if they don’t do these things? Who hasn’t seen
something that inspired them? Why didn’t I volunteer more? All my life I
had connected the word volunteer with feelings of drudgery and looking
at the clock. But is there anything mightier then a volunteer? Isn’t every
single hero a volunteer? No superheroes are paid. Certainly not any that
are worth their salt. I believe that I will carry this spirit with me for the
rest of my life. If I were ever to start to lose it, I hope that the faces and
voices of the others working in the CCBLA and the Students in Service
that I worked for would visit enough scorn upon my head to make me
repent. Working in the CCBLA has made me realize that there is a being
inside everyone, not just a person.

“Lights, Camera and ACTION”:
Jacob Berkey, Learn & Serve/High Demand Coordinator
CCBLA staff working with students and community partners wowed an
audience of their peers at the 12th Annual Western Region Campus Compact Consortium's Continuums of Service Conference. CCBLA staff,
student and community partners used clips from a student generated film.
The presentation raised awareness of higher education resources that can
benefit both student work and community need.
It is difficult for many grassroots organizations to dedicate their limited
resources to a time consuming project like filmmaking. Filming marginalized communities raises issues around exploitation, among other concerns. The film clips highlighted concerted efforts of CCBLA’s longtime

partners, a dedicated student, and the compelling issue of immigration and
ICE Detention Centers. By viewing efforts in Olympia, participants at the
‘Lights Camera, Action’ session learned a lot about the issues and the
players involved. Projects like this are just another way that CCBLA adds
richness and diversity to the Evergreen experience. This film project incorporates interdisciplinary learning, learning across significant differences, personal engagement,
the linking of theory and practice, and reciprocal collaborative learning with the community.
Thank you to our wonderful
film makers, student Zach
Dolan and Hilary Hacker
(VISTA), our fantastic and
knowledgeable community
partners from CIELO, Mark
and Natalia and Director Ellen
Jacob & Natalia Palomino of CIELO
Shortt-Sanchez.
preparing for the workshop
Jacob Berkey was a presenter.

Coffee Strong: a Soldiers Space for Peace
Bonnie Cramer, Intern with Coffee Strong
People seem to avoid talking about
the war even more than most things.
Bringing up the subject usually brings
nasty looks and it is quickly shut
down as a topic of discussion. There
is a great place to talk openly about
war and all of its affects on our communities. It also has the best smell
ever, coffee. This veteran run nonprofit is known as Coffee Strong.
Recently opened, it resides just down the street from the Fort Lewis military base in Lakewood, Washington. Opened during the First World War,
Fort Lewis employs 25,000 people and deploys many of the troops going
to Afghanistan and Iraq. Many have been Stop Lossed due to Obama’s
continued support of wars in the Middle East. The new president and
administration have the chance to make a difference in the war and foreign policy of the United States. The G.I.s are being directly affected by
Obama’s Stop Loss policy and are getting sent to war again and again.
Coffee Strong is helping the soldiers impacted by these illegal wars and
new policy changes.
Veterans speaking about the war are essential for public awareness to
spread. The soldiers can enhance their own communities by sharing their
stories. Coffee Strong is a place of safety for the soldiers of the area and
their families to use the internet, relax, and enjoy some freshly donated
Stumptown coffee. The shared support of the population and soldiers is
very incredible here. The residents, soldiers, and their friends come to
support Coffee Strong and enhance the atmosphere with their shared
words. Many of the things in the shop were donated by the local businesses and people; like the piano, espresso machine, and of course the
beans. The coffee shop likewise supports the local Iraq Veterans Against
the War (IVAW) chapter, soldiers getting Stop Lossed, and their family
members getting little or no support from the military. The bookshelves
are full of books on G.I. resistance and peaceful activism, and the tables
are stacked with G.I. rights information, counseling services, and support

Center for Community-Based Learning and Action

2009 Spring Newsletter
groups all centered around a soldiers and their families. This free library find myself both exhausted and exhilarated at the end of the day. This
is available to all of the community to inform the citizens the best way experience is and has been a truly remarkable endeavor resulting in many
lessons and meaningful connections both for myself and the classes with
they can help those affected by war.
which I have been a part of. At this point, I must say it feels great to be
Coffee brings people together to take a moment and share the time we out in the community, working with real students and real classrooms, and
have together. It is about friends and sharing recourses. It is also a stimu- hopefully lending a hand in building a stronger more cohesive underlant, and is enjoyed by those who seek to accomplish an uneasy task. Cof- standing of the world around us. Thanks to all the great people at the
fee Strong has the delicate place in the community of linking soldiers CCBLA on TESC campus I have been able to get out into the community,
resisting military oppression, and the people who want to help stop war play a part, be present, and feel good about it.
and suffering. The Coffee Strong
slogan “the revolution will be caffeinated” is the support for warriors
and ones on the edge of the fight.
There are some moments in time
that require more action then others.
Velma Ragsdale, Volunteer Coordinator
This activity is the responsibility of
CHOICE Regional Health Network
those who have a voice to speak, and
those with stories to share. In the
Beginning the first week in March, CHOICE Remost trying of times we will rememgional Health Network partnered with interns from
ber how it ended and the ways we
the Foundations of Health Science program to
were affected.
solve common barriers that prevent people from
procuring the services and resources they need to
be healthier. The results were amazing.

Evergreen Students at CHOICE

High Demand Science Timberline High

CHOICE Regional Health Network (CHOICE) is a
nonprofit community collaborative organization
that has worked for fifteen years to improve the
As I walk down the hallways of Timberline High health of people who live in Grays Harbor, Lewis,
School in Lacey, WA, I feel a sense of belonging. I Mason, Pacific, and Thurston counties.
recognize faces, exchange greetings with students
and faculty. Since October, I have been assisting Approximately 700,000 people living in Washington State do not have
teachers and helping students in ninth-grade Inte- health insurance and therefore receive little or no health care. CHOICE
grated Science classes. This has given me, a pre- plays a vital role in eradicating this problem by working one-on-one to aid
service science teacher, the fortunate opportunity to people in accessing medical, food, and social services. CHOICE also
work closely with local students in real classrooms, collaborates with hospitals, medical clinics, and physicians on initiatives
and gain great insight and knowledge from practic- and programs that improve the health care delivery system for lowing teachers. By far the most rewarding aspect of income people.
this experience has been the opportunity to work As the economic crisis worsened CHOICE noticed an increase in “no
with students and help them negotiate the transition between their previ- shows” for scheduled appointments and clients who came to appointments
ous life experiences and the new scientific concepts and inquiries.
without the documentation needed in order to apply for services.

Jacob Patchen, Work-Study Student

I must admit, there have been many challenges and follies along the way.
One day, as I assisted one of the teachers with a few chemistry experiment demos, I singlehandedly fouled the final experiment, the grand finale. It involved filling a balloon with Hydrogen gas and then lighting it
with a match, leading to a magnificent explosion, sure to excite any ninth
grader. With two minutes left of the class period, I pulled the Hydrogenfilled balloon off the bottle simultaneously letting all the gas out. One
student yelled, “Ah, you ruined it Mr. P!” I admitted my mistake and
apologized for ruining the big show. Although I was certain that I would
now be admonished from the class, it turned out that next week the students had forgotten about the mishap, but remembered my admittance and
apology. They seemed much more friendly and trusting of me. I noticed
many more students were willing to ask me questions and discuss the
science lessons. Whether its science concepts or the importance and acceptance of making mistakes, I am confident that lessons are being
learned, relationships are being built, and the community circle is widening.

CHOICE soon learned that that demographics of the clients who were
requesting our services shifted from primarily low-income, rural, and
uninsured or underinsured people to working class and middle class people who had recently been laid off. This new group of clients was accessing social services for the first time and therefore needed help navigating
through the system. The loss of economic stability caused them to experience barriers ranging from emotional shock to insufficient funds to cover
the cost transportation to and from their appointments that prevented them
from receiving services.

Evergreen interns worked with CHOICE staff to develop a resolution to
this problem. Their idea was to use motivational interviewing to aid clients in finding solutions to barriers that could prevent them from attending their appointments. Through their work they were able to coach people on how to interact with social workers to produce desired results, help
people secure free or low-cost transportation, and educate people about
local resources. They were also able to provide CHOICE with feedback
that we used to improve our client services division. The interns helped
Between waking way before dawn, and realizing that there are many sci- CHOICE staff develop a training manual for future interns, so that the
entific concepts in which I am rusty, or altogether unfamiliar, I always program could continue with viable stability.

Center for Community-Based Learning and Action

2009 Spring Newsletter

Students in Community—
Rebuilding Lives
Jackie Ferrado and Cindy Meyer,
Interns with the St Bernard Project

Students working on a house in
St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana

We all share a memory of August 29,
2005. We recall the devastation that
Hurricane Katrina lashed upon the
New Orleans area as levees failed and
chaos ensued. Locally, we remember
the flooding of Lewis County in December 2007, and again in 2008 and
early 2009. Although the floods were
different in their magnitude and
scope, the ongoing struggles within
each community to rebuild homes and
lives are amazingly similar.

What many of us may not know, however, is that there are students
among us who are adjusting their lives to assist in mending these communities. Over the past year, four TESC students (Cindy Meyer, Betsy
Hagen, Jackie Ferrado and Caitlin Meyer) have carried out individual
learning contracts with a non-profit organization, St. Bernard Project
(SBP), to raise awareness, develop fundraising opportunities, and recruit
volunteers to help families affected by Hurricane Katrina get back into
their homes. To date, they have raised over $12,000 for SBP, chaperoned
a high school group as they helped rebuild a home in St. Bernard Parish,
Louisiana, and have spoken with hundreds of local residents about the
continued need for assistance. These students believe community involvement is the central component to rebuilding lives and homes no matter
where the community is located. In fact, they are preparing for another
volunteer work trip to Louisiana over Memorial Day weekend.

Save the Date !

Community to Community Day of Caring
September 25th, 2009 from 9:30am—1:30pm
Brought to you by:
The CCBLA, United Way of Thurston County &
The Volunteer Center of Thurston, Lewis and Mason Counties

Homeless Family Services
Christophe Ritenour,
Community Action Work-Study Student
At the corner of State street and Capitol Parkway in Olympia, Washington, stands the old downtown firehouse-- a two-story complex painted
white, housing a host of social service agencies. For over a decade, the
Family Support Center has sought to strengthen families with a variety of
programs, such as the Homeless Family Services division, of which I
joined the staff through work-study last fall.
Our client base consists mostly of single women that are either now
homeless or facing an eviction. We also help homeless women with children, sometimes with their husband or partner, and on rare occasions, a
single father. Over the past six months, I've observed the traditional nuclear family model to be more the exception than the rule.

Our busy office sits on the top floor of the east wing of the building and
provides a comfortable place for women to enjoy a break from the harsh
reality of street existence. We provide coffee and snacks, reading material, internet access, a phone line, and a play area for children. A client
can receive hygiene supplies, caps and gloves in cold weather, shower
vouchers for the YMCA, and a free voicemail account to receive and
access messages for housing and job opportunities. Two case managers
help clients on an individual basis to explore and pursue Thurston county
As part of their learning contracts, they sought the assistance from the resources for those of low or no income, including medical care, counselCenter for Community Based Learning and Action (CCBLA) to organize ing, subsidized housing, emergency shelter, and education.
a forum called Rebuilding Communities. This event was attended by
students in the ‘Gateways for Incarcerated Youth’ program on March 6. The Emergency Overflow Shelter is the service we facilitate that attracts
The forum allowed the TESC community to gather and learn more about much of the client traffic in the office and over the phone. The shelter is
community responsibilities after a natural disaster. TESC was honored to off-site, hosted by a rotation of community churches, for which each temhave Liz McCartney (Co-Founder of SBP and 2008 CNN Hero of the porary shelter set-up lasts two weeks. An agency called Interfaith Works
Year), Suzi Duran (Lewis Country Long Term Recovery Organization), makes arrangements with each church, coordinating supplies and bus
and Lynn and Oscar Sanchez (residents of Lewis County) take the stage passes for transportation of the guests; each night, the church provides
to discuss the successes, challenges, struggles and strategies encountered two volunteer staff from their own congregation. Homeless Family Services (our office) runs the shelter hotline, which is available 24 hours a
during their efforts to help families rebuild their lives.
day.
Although St. Bernard Project and Lewis County Long Term Recovery
Organization use different rebuilding models, what became clear during On a personal level, my position working with homeless women and
the forum was that two communities devastated by flooding, although families of Olympia has brought me face-to-face with a population I prethousands of miles apart, both needed help far beyond what local, state, viously saw only peripherally. I have come to recognize the faces, and
and federal government had to offer. As volunteers and small non-profit with them learned their names. Having heard some of their stories, I've
organizations sprang into action following the floods, they brought the shared a sense of their struggle and suffering.
hope and the resources needed to get families back home. As an integral
organizer of this event, CCBLA once again allowed us to remember that
community learning and action plays an integral role in healing lives and
communities after disasters.

Here at the Homeless Family Services, we are
trying to make a difference in improving the
situation of our clients, while working with limited resources. At times, the best we can offer is
to be attentive and listen to each client with an
open heart, reserving judgment. Sometimes, this
is all it takes to restore the confidence and courage of another human in need, for them to continue their daily struggle to survive.

Center for Community-Based Learning and Action