6th! Today I went with Ruby T, Cheyenne and Violet to Positive Exposure to finish the work we didn’t complete yesterday. But we finally finished putting addresses on them and taking to them to the post office after 4 hours of work. We counted them and it was about 800 invitations.
We also saw Trishka who was helping us with the envolopes. It was her birthday today too!
Today I went to the Food Bank pantry. Unlike my other visit at the pantry this time the grocery store was still open, because on Wednesdays the grocery store is open till 6 P.M. instead of closing at 3 P.M. on weekdays. Today my job was to restock all of the cans and the fresh fruit supply. I stocked everything from apples to canned goods to ground beef and all the way to dried clams in a bag. During the periods of time that I was restocking I was given the chance to help many people find what they needed, even one time I got to use my Spanish skills and help somebody looking for canned corn (which in Spanish is maiz). Today at the pantry/grocery store 81 people came in and bought produce, this was a low number I was told because in the beginning of the month less people come and at the end of the month it gets mobbed. Overall I had a great time serving people and hope to do it again soon. If you want to learn more about the Food Bank you can look at there website at http://www.foodbanknyc.org/
Today I went to my second visit at AidForAids on Wall Street.
I went with Olivia and Matan.
We came and we did the exact same thing as the time before, we sat down and folded handouts.
The same Handouts that talk about protection, Aids and HIV.
After folding the handouts we put all of them in a cart board box.
I got really exited because I wanted to fold as many as we could, we folded SO MANY like 400 of them.
It was very different going without Sara because I felt more the need to represent LREI. I was more insecure because in the beginning I got scared that without a teacher or an adult to control us (a group of teenage friends) we would go a little crazy, but it worked out perfectly!!
The visit was very fun and I like our group, I liked the fact that it was a small group because we got more into the actual work.
I am going to another visit tomorow I hope I will have more to say then.:)
For my second visit to Aid for Aids down on Wall Street, my partners (Matan and Alma) and I went as a split part of our larger group. I feel that we worked very well in this smaller group, because we aimed to get as much as possible done and we were reminding each other to work as hard as we possibly could instead of chatting. We were also very mindful of the workers in the building, so we made sure not to interrupt any conversations or disrupt the workers.
Matan, Alma and I were given the task of folding small brochures to be mailed out to people seeking information about the organization and about prevention of STDs. There were several large stacks of unfolded papers to be folded in specific ways, and then to be packed in boxes. We were unsure whether or not we would finish all the papers, since the work was a bit tedious, but we discovered that when we put our minds to it we were very productive and focused on our individual tasks. We split the work into parts so that everyone had a specific job to do and so the work went faster and gave everyone an opportunity to be as productive as possible for the benefit of the rest of the group. The workers at Aid for AIDS seemed grateful for our help and were very kind to us.
I discovered that when my small group was intent to finish a job well and was motivated by the idea of helping others, we could get more done than we expected and have an end result that we were very proud of.
5th visit completed. Like the gift bags we packaged we were told to package 1000 invitations for a big benefit for positive exposure. I went with Violet and Cheyenne because Ruby was unable to come. We met a woman named Karin she was also doing the same packaging the envelopes but left early.
We did this for 2 hours and it felt like we hadn’t gotten anywhere. Violet licked about 50 of them closed and then cut her lip. Her tongue also turned numb. We started to use a sponge and the sponge turned yellow after a few. I wonder if someone can get poisoning from it.
We have completed about 300 invites and tomorrow we have to write the addresses on them and continue to do this until we are finished. We will be attending this event sometime in April.
On Saturday Benno and I went to the Fathers Heart Ministry on 11th street between Avenue A and B. We worked for 4 hours, which is as long as it opens. On Friday some volunteers bagged 1000 plus bags. Our first job was to do what they called a chain. We walked up a flight of stairs carrying two bags, putting them on the second floor. Everyone took part in this, about 100 people and four trips. Right after each person was assigned different jobs for the whole time. You could be a cleaner, a waiter, a helping cook, and working to restock the bags. Benno and I were both chosen as the re-stockers. With only a little bit of help our job was to bring the bags down when they started to run out. We even got to hand some bags out. Before anyone came the volunteers setup the tables and chairs. Since this was a soup kitchen and food pantry, it became extremely crowded really quickly. Each person eating there could get as many servings as they wanted. That means food had to be made quickly. They also had a band to play music while people were eating. Two facts that I learned were that the soup kitchen/pantry had an increase of 52% of people who went there over the past year. Also in one hour the place serves around 600 people! What Benno and I did was a lot more tiring than it seems. We each had to carry 200 plus bags down two flights of stairs for an hour. Imagine having to run up and down stairs with twenty pounds to carry. At the end I felt satisfied with the work that I did. One person shook my hand and smiled. It shows you something small like a smile can change the mood of someone. The lady who gave us instructions said that people who come in grumpy come out happy because of the service. The people who work there are dedicated. They have been going there for years doing volunteer work. I hope to return and help some more. If you want to see pictures look at Benno’s post.
Today Logan and I, went to the Father’s Heart Ministry. When we arrived we were immediately told to hang up our jackets and form a chain with everybody there to bring all of the pre made bags of canned goods(there were about 5-6 hundred). Once the top floor was filled we started storing them on the ground floor. Once all the bags were stored we helped set up the tables in the dining room, there were about 100 seats. When that was completed the head lady Carly got up on stage and made a speech about what we were doing, some things that she said was the people who came where our guests and we had to treat them that way. When she was done with the speech she then handed out our assignments, Logan and I got pantry. In pantry you had to bring bags down from the top floor, so Logan and I were running up and down the stairs with 5 pound bags. The Father’s Heart ministry is only open on Saturday for breakfast from 10-11 and is all you can eat. By the end of the hour by myself i had probably brought down 250 bags and had broken a sweat and the Father’s Heart Ministry had served 555 people. If you want to learn more about the Father’s Heart Ministry there website is http://www.fathersheartnyc.org/. Here are some photos that I took.
This is me in front of one of the humongous stacks of bags
This is a large stack of bags
This past saturday we went to a hospital in Harlem and went up to a conference room in the building. We sat in a big theatre room and listened to about 7 or 8 doctors speak about heart diseases, strokes, and blood pressure. We listened to these lectures for about 3 or 4 hours, then lunch, and then went into a nutrition workshop where we learned about how to prevent heart disease, strokes, and high blood pressure by watching the foods we eat such as staying away from High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). The lectures were really interesting because I learned a lot. Although I want to tell everyone everything we learned, unfortunately it would literally take up 11 pages of this post so instead I will post all the notes I took throughout the whole visit (from 10am – 3pm). Also, I am doing a presentation for Momii’s class in a week or two explaining thoroughly what I learned.
Notes:
Cardiovascular Disease (Heart Disease)
-Any disease of the heart (cardio)
-And blood vessels (vascular)
CVD Facts
-40% deaths
-Expensive medical care
-27% of men, 44% of women will die within a year
-Leading cause of death for African Americans in US
-100,000 lives
-Can be prevented
-Expensive
Racial and minorities receive lower quality health care.
Less likely to receive needed medical care.
Barriers include insurance and race
-Physisians are almost 75% white.
-Number one Healthy Heart Tip: Stay spiritually active, must be in touch with some sort of spiritual side.
-Uses children for first responders teaches about health.
-Children save lives from teaching.
-Stroke is a shortage of oxygen traveling to the brain. It’s a brain attack.
Signs of stroke, actions: FAST
Face
Arms
Speech
Time
Causes: Bad Food, lack of exercise etc.
Thrombolysis – is a clot buster therapy and can dissolve the blood clots
-31-50% of patients treated with intravenous t-PA will be left with minimal or zero disability at 3 months
Public does not understand the danger
CV Risk awareness and reduction:
-80% preventable
-Rick Factors
Overweight/Obesity
Physical inactivity
Diabetes
Smoking
High blood pressure/cholesterol
Age <Non Preventable
Family History <Non Preventable
Heart Attack: Symptoms
-Pressure at center chest
-Discomfort in arm, shoulder, neck, jaw, stomach, and back
-Shortness of breath
-Fatigue
-Getting a cold sweat, nausea, weakness
Hypertension
-Chronic elevation in blood pressure over 140/90
-Represents 90-95% of hypertension
-50-65 million people of ¼ of all people in US have high blood pressure
-Ratio of women to men with hypertension increases from .6 at 3 years of age to 1.2 at age 65.
-High Blood pressure number one cause of CVD
Diabetics increasing
Diabetes is a progressive disease in which your body doesn’t make or respond properly to insulin. Your body doesn’t let sugar turn into energy.
-65% of diabetics will die from heart disease or stroke.
-Diabetes doubles the risk of second heart attack in women not men.
-75% of diabetics will dies of heart disease and blood vessel problems.
-Lifestyle intervention-58% reduction for diabetes weight loss.
-Physical activity
Dyslipicteria-Cholesterol
-If a clot breaks the flow of blood to the brain, a stroke results.
-LDL bad cholesterol
-HDL good cholesterol. High levels seem to protect against heart attacks.
-Blood vessels fill up with bad cholesterol and blocks blood flow making a clot.
-Obesity is increasing.
-1/4 is obese kids.
-RELATES TO FAST FOOD: BAD FOOD
-Smoking is a higher risk of CVD or stroke than lung cancer.
-Physical inactivity have higher rate of death and heart disease.
-Walking 30mins a day.
-Their goal is to prevent heart disease.
Pharmacists
They work:
-Hospitals
-Community
-Industry
-Nursing Homes
-Clinics
-Doctors’ Offices
-Government
They Can:
-Help you make the best use of medications
-Work with doctors and nurses to find the best meds to treat condition.
-Help keep you safe from harmful drug interactions, reactions, or mistakes.
Herbal Meds count as drugs. Different things affect and interact with each other different ways.
Hospital Pharmacists:
-Can talk to you about medications.
-Can tell you why medications are prescribed, what they do.
-Help you manage medications at home.
-Tell you if medications cause problems
-Tell you how to store, and what to do if forgotten to take medicine.
Role as a Patient:
-List of all medications
-Tell any medications not supposed to take
-Ask how to contact pharmacist at check-in at hospital
-Ask for ant food/drinks to avoid.
-Ask side affects
-Keep written info about medications. (Pamphlets from drugstores)
-Ask questions
-Watch out for change of form of medications when refilling.
-Ask friend or relative for help
Preventing Errors
-Tell provider how you take meds
-Request info on medications
-Ask if you should avoid foods, beverages and things etc.
-Show pharmacist that you understand.
-Ask friend/family for help.
Ho to Use Meds Wisely
-Read package in bag with meds.
-Ask for best over-counter medication for YOU
-Don’t combine meds without pharmacist consultation
-Report side-affects or problems
When having a stroke, can’t lower blood pressure straight away because the brain wants to continue blood flow around the blot through the arteries.
TIA-mini strokes when a blood clot goes to the brain.
Dr. Williams-Women and Heart Disease
-One in 2 women dies of heart disease
-60% more women die of CVD than from Cancer.
-Other races have more risk factors that white.
-If you have hear disease, other races are more likely to die if they have a heart attack than whites.
To Prevent Heart Disease/Heart Attack
-Know your blood pressure
-Get tested for Diabetes
-Don’t smoke.
-Get tested for cholesterol.
-Maintain a healthy weight.
-Don’t drink too much alcohol.
-Find ways to cope with stress.
-Exercise.
When having high blood pressure damages arteries causing them to become stiff and narrow. Can’t get blood to work right can cause a heart attack.
How to Lower Blood Pressure
-Loose weight if overweight
-Exercise
-1 drink per day
-Quit smoking if smoking (cuts life by 25%)
-Reduce stress
-Diet to heart healthy
Cholesterol
-Builds up on walls of arteries and causes blood clots. Stops heart from getting the blood it needs this causes a heart attack.
-Low saturated fat and trans fat. Eat less egg yolks, fats, packaged and processed foods.
-All women age 20 and older should have their blood cholesterol checked every 8 years.
Chronic Disease and Heart Disease are lifelong problems.
What are Signs and Symptoms That Women Have?
-You can present with no symptoms
-Sometimes there are not specific symptoms
-Angena: Chest pain resulting in a heart attack.
Anxiety Attack
-Behavioral
-Sweaty
-Palvatation
Lasts Longer
-They come and go over time
-Meds are different than Cardiac Disease
-Conditions can be different
-Symptoms can be simple
-Can be heart attack.
-Anxiety and heart attack are very similar.
For someone to be in menopause they have to have no period for a year. If wavering you are premenopausal.
Exercise Capacity
-That duration of time is associated with risk of getting heat disease
-Stress test: have patient run on a treadmill constantly, speed and height of machine increasing until patient needs to stop from shortness of breath or fatigue.
Diabetes stiffens arteries exposed to higher levels of blood vessels. High cholesterol causes blood clots.
Organ Donors
-Every day 17 people die from not having an organ transplant.
-50% of families asked to donate say NO.
-One organ donor can save up to 8 lives.
Nutrition and Diet Workshop
High Fructose Corn Syrup: the great Satan of the American diet.
Obesity
-Obesity is largest in African Americans.
-1/3 of black women in America is obese.
-One Big Happy Family show, every family member was over 300lbs.
-BMI greater than 30kg/m2 is unhealthy.
-Survival reduced by 2-10 years.
-All body parts affected by obesity.
-From 1976-2000s, obesity was raising faster
-Babies 2-5 were getting obese from lack of exercise.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
-All soda is sweetened by HFCS.
-When HFCS was going up in 70’s so was obesity.
-We have substituted natural (cane) sugar for fake, manufactured sugar.
-Soda-Pop invented in 1902.
-James Watt and Ronald Reagan are to blame for diet imparities. They created a cheaper sugar from corn call HFCS.
-There is the economical pressure to help corn croppers.
-Stopped importing from the West Indies. Their sugar refineries and businesses were done, beaten. They don’t have a sugar industry anymore.
-Anything that does not go bad isn’t good for you.
-Bacteria are a living organism that feeds off of good food, fresh food that is good for you. Not HFCS.
-Old Coke: Real sugar, still bottles in Caribbean, cocaine.
-New Coke: HFCS, no cocaine.
-Kosher Coke does not have HFCS because it is not kosher to have a grain in a drink.
-When feeling full, technically there is always room for more.
-HFCS does not make you feel full.
-HFCS: Liver does not respond to.
-Table Sugar: Liver responds.
Glycerin
-Fat inside: bad, surrounds organs, HFCS creates.
-Fat outside: better, outside organs, table sugar creates.
-HFCS is not same as honey and not the same as table sugar.
-Is NOT fine in moderation. It’s in everything. WORSE than table sugar.
20 years ago vs. Today (Calories)
| Food | 20 Years Ago | Today |
| Turkey | 230 | 850 |
| Bagel | 140 | 350+butter, cheese etc. |
| Pizza | 500 | 850 |
| Soda | 85 | 250+HFCS |
Carbs are addicting because it turns into sugar.
HFCS is in
-Ketchup
-Fruit Loops
-Kool Aid
-M&Ms
-Twizzlers
Today Kyla, Nora, and I attended one of the reading programs at the McDonald’s on 125th Street. We took the C train up to 125th Street and St. Nicholas Ave. Prior to arrival, I wasn’t sure what we’d be doing. I knew it was going to be somewhere along the lines of reading to kids; but would a couple of picture books really take up two hour’s worth of time? I hoped not. That would’ve been a lot of reading. Luckily, we did much more than read.
We started with singing “The Wheels on the Bus.” Personally, that was a lot of fun for me. It felt like I was back in pre-school. At that very moment, I realized how long it has been since I sang those songs and how much fun it was for me. After that, I was determined to make the experience as enjoyable for the kids as possible. Once that was over, Nora, Kyla, and I shared a song we knew from our toddler days, “Great Big Moose.” At first, it was a little awkward because they had never heard the song before, and weren’t singing, but by the second time around, they were singing and doing the little moose motions.
After the singing, we finally got our chance to read with the kids. There were fifteen of them there and three of us; so each of us had a small circle of five kids. We picked three books, and began reading. Once I began reading, I noticed how excited the kids were about being read to. They asked questions and were very engaged. I never thought that reading a thin little picture book to a first grader could make a difference in his or her life. But now I see that literacy skills develop early, so being read to at a young age exposes the many wonders of reading. Plus, when a kid enjoys reading, they’ll have an easier time in school, and for me, that’s enough to make a difference.
My fourth visit! Today we went to the Waldorf Astoria to package gift bags for people who will be at event we are also going to tomorrow. We met a woman named Amanda Mercep. She works with Lynne Holden for the Go Red for Women Campaigned. There were many medical students volunteering for this too. We also got also got a flash drive that I used and found that it was uploaded with a document on cardiovascular. If you look up it will be on my post along with the pictures(If you can’t read or see the pictures click on it and after another page loads click on it again).
So we spent about 3 hours packaging 1,000 gift backs. They had their logo on pins that we put in the bags. There was lipstick and chocolate and face creams.
The pictures are of the Go Red for Women Logo. Packing gift bags and walking back in the snow.
Tomorrow we will learn much more about it.
Yesterday Miral, Chase, Jason, Ivo, Bryce, Dennis and I all left school early at 2:20. We went uptown to the Bronx via the subway to visit a school that had received supplies from our organization. When I left the subway station (after a 30 minute subway ride), the first thing I noticed was the bad state of the neighborhood. There were many dilapidated houses and I looked a lot like the bleak slum I had seen in many Hollywood movies. Images from ‘Boys in the Hood’ pooped in my head. I noticed that most of the people walking around were of Latin-American descent. Soon after a short walk we reached the school. It looked so much different from what I had read of poorer public schools. It was in a great condition. It was well decorated and there seemed to be so much vibrant life inside the building. It looked better then most of the schools I have been to in my life, and this was one of the low-income ‘ghetto’ schools I had heard about. Many illusions I had died the minute I entered the school. Next we took a short tour of the building, passing lines and lines of children going to after school programs. The first person we interviewed was the art teacher. Once we started talking to people, I realized that despite the happy colors and decorations, these kids faced tons of hardships everyday. More than I can even start to imagine. My heart started to go out to these kids, it really did. On girl described getting the free school supplies like ‘having a huge door of opportunity open for me. It was like a flame inside me.’ The most moving interview we did though, was with the parent teacher coordinator, who is the link between the school and the parents. There she told us of some of the hardships endured by these brave kids. In fact, she told us when the kids got the supplies at the beginning of the year, most of the kids and parents were moved beyond anything else. ‘They said it felt as if someone else cared for their child, and wanted them to succeed as much as they do. It really moved them.’ We also talked to the assistant principal, and by the time we left, I had a greater understanding a respect for these brave kids and the tough community they live in.
Today we went to the Lower East Side Girls club for the second time and this time we were actually put to work. Last time we met everybody and started to understand what their organization was about, but now we were officially starting. We got there at three thirty right after school and Jenny (the head of the organization) wasn’t there yet but one of the adult workers Luna was. Luna was working on wrapping chocolate bars, another way they receive money for their non-profit organization. There were two kinds of chocolate, bitter sweet and milk chocolate. What they do is like what Carin does, but Carin makes the chocolate while the Lower East Side Girls Club just buys fare trade chocolate. My first job was to take the wrapping paper and fold it so that the chocolate could slip into it. After i folded all of the paper i started to glue (to pre-wraped in tinfoil) chocolate in to the wrapping with Harry and Noel. While i was doing that Jenny arrived and started to speak to us about helping with the second annual Lower East Side Girls Club Walkathon. She talked to us about recruiting people from our school to walk with them or sponsor people from our school including me in the five kilometer walk. After we spoke about that Jenny left us alone for a little bit with two other workers from the girls club to work on the chocolate
We talked to them about how the got involved with the Girls Club and how long they have worked there. For them it started out as community service but turned into an internship and eventually for both full-time jobs. When all of the chocolate was wrapped we marked the chocolate bars bitter sweet or milk chocolate with the two girls. Finally we finished our job and Jenny let us go but she told us to go back to our school and start arranging a group for the walkathon, which we plan on doing as soon as possible.
Today Harry, Josh, and I went back to the Lower East Side girls club for our second visit. When we got there Jenny was explaining to us more about the walk-a-thon that will be happening in May. Today however, we were helping them with fundraising instead of raising awareness for the walk-a-thon. As you may know, the girls club makes there own candies and pastries to sell to help fund themselves. Today there were working on selling chocolates. There were selling two types of chocolates: milk chocolate, and bittersweet (a.k.a dark chocolate). They showed us step by step how to wrap the chocolates. All the profits were going to the Haiti relief. The Lower East side girls club had also collaborated with P.S 34 to come up with a design for the chocolate covers. We also wrapped the chocolates that the girls club was going to sell by themselves. These had pictures of actual Lower East Side girl from the club on them. We were told the designs change every month and the girls help with the designs alot. While we were there this time, we got to meet two girls that worked for the girls club. One of them was 16 and had been working at the girls club for 2 years. The other one was 18 and worked at the girls club for 3 years. We talked to them and found out about their experiences working with Jenny and the Lower East Side girls club. They seemed very enthusiastic and pleased with the job they had. While wrapping the chocolates we came across some that were broken due to how tightly they were packed. (This was one of the best parts of the visit). When we came across any broken chocolate bars we were allowed to eat them. (This was also the tastiest part of the visit). I wonder what activities will participate in them next time. We hope to return to the girls club before spring break.
Today, Niles, Samantha, and I met with a woman named Catherine Green. She is the founder of an organization in East New York, Brooklyn to help bring kids and families together so kids in the neighborhood focus on positive things like art. She spoke to us about her organization and what they do. She has a youth program where she brings social workers and speakers to come talk to the kids about gun violence. She wants to empower the kids to make a difference in their community and focus on what they want to accomplish in life, rather than getting caught up in the dangers happening around them. She shared with us that she is also has started a fashion program for kids to be apart of. I think that what she does is great because it gives the children a safe place where they can have fun, learn, and accomplish goals. Ms. Green also shared with us some statistics. She told us that East New York is the neighborhood that has the second highest gun violence rate in the state. She also told us that already in 2010 there has been three murders in East New York, and it is only February! We interviewed her about how she got started, what she does, and what she would tell someone like the mayor or the president about this issue if she could. We plan on using this interview for our presentation at the United Nations on March 9th. We are going to contact her again to find a time in either March or April when we can go to her organization and see for ourselves what she does exactly. I really look forward to this.
Today, I met with one Catherine Green. She is the executive director of ARTS East New York a organization that helps stop gun violence. Her organization uses the arts to raise money to stop gun violence in her community. She runs a youth program that teaches the kids about the negative things involving gun violence. By getting community leaders and workers to help change the neighborhood as it is. Her aim is to empower the kids to stay off the streets and stay on the path to success. She does this by doing Career Pathfinding and getting professionals to talk to the kids about finding alternatives to gangs and gun violence. She wants to service the kids by getting them something to do after school hours. In her community the children outnumber the adults by far. Her number one goal is to raise money to get a building and consistent afternoon programs to help the community. She wants more political help and proactive activities and support because there are the people who are willing to help. So, without a community center and with murders and gun violence on the rise, Ms. Green pushes forward and fights to get support.
So far, there have been 3 murders in East New York in just two months. Last year there were 24 murders, 678 robberies and 700 grand larcenies. We want to help these people fight on and will help the organization get noticed. She was a great person and we are going to schedule many events in the future with this organization.
This was our longest visit yet. It was from 10-3. I went with Cheyenne, Ruby T and Cheyenne’s mom, Henryne. We went up to The Harlem Hospital on 135th street. It was a long ride on the subway. We had to take 3 different trains and a taxi to get up there.
There were a few people sitting at tables and handing out different kinds of flyers and talking to people about heart disease. We were showed in to this huge auditorium. We sat and listened to a lot of lectures on heart diseases, also called cardiovascular disease.
We met a doctor called Icilma Fergus. She is the chief of Cardiology Department of Medicine at the Harlem Hospital. She had PowerPoint that had a lot of different facts and graphs on it; many of the other presentations were very similar.
Dr. Fergus taught us that one in 2 women die of heart attack and 60% more will die of CVD than from cane.
Cardiovascular Disease. Cardio means any disease of the heart and vascular means blood vessels. The public does not understand the current danger of heart disease.
Some facts of CVD
-Caused 40% of deaths in a year
-Expensive medical care
-27% if men, 44% of women will die within a year
-Responsible for 100,00 lives
-It is 80% preventable
-Leading cause of death for African Americans
-Rick Factors
Overweight/Obesity
Physical inactivity
Diabetes
Smoking (cuts your life by 25%)
-Smoking is a higher risk of CVD or stroke than lung cancer.
High blood pressure/cholesterol
Age <Non Preventable
Family History <Non Preventable
Heart Attack: Symptoms
-Pressure at center chest
-Discomfort in arm, shoulder, neck, jaw, stomach, and back
-Shortness of breath
-Fatigue
-Getting a cold sweat, nausea, weakness
What are Signs and Symptoms That Women Have?
-You can present with no symptoms
-Sometimes there are not specific symptoms
-Angena: Chest pain resulting in a heart attack.
To Prevent Heart Disease/Heart Attack
-Know your blood pressure
-Get tested for Diabetes
-Don’t smoke.
-Get tested for cholesterol.
-Maintain a healthy weight.
-Don’t drink too much alcohol.
-Find ways to cope with stress.
-Exercise.
We also heard Olajide A. Williams speak his is the Associate Director of Neurology at the Harlem hospital. He showed us a video called Hip-Hop Stroke. It is an organization where they teach kids about what to prevent having a stroke, to be healthy and exercise. It uses children for first responders and teaches them about health. A stroke is a shortage of oxygen traveling to the brain. It’s like a brain attack. Its causes are mainly unhealthy food and lack of exercise. Something they taught was called FAST, it stands for Face, Arms, Speech and Time. Face and Arms is when they can control their face and arms. Their speech becomes slurred and time stands for time to call 911. From this experience many kids have saved lives. http://hiphoppublichealth.org
From Reba Williams, Adrea Card and Vickie Powell we learnt about Hypertension, Diabetes, and Cholesterol.
Hypertension is when someone has really high blood pressure. When it is over 140/90. 50-65 million people in the US have high blood pressure. High blood pressure is bad because it is the number one cause of CVD. When having high blood pressure damages arteries causing them to become stiff and narrow. Then it can’t get blood to work right can cause a heart attack.
How to Lower Blood Pressure
-Loose weight if overweight
-Exercise
-1 drink per day
-Reduce stress
-Diet to heart healthy
Diabetes is a progressive disease in which your body doesn’t make or respond properly to insulin. In other words your body doesn’t let sugar turn into energy. Diabetes doubles the risk of second heart attack in women but not in men. 65% of diabetes will die of a heart disease or stroke.
Cholesterol builds up on the walls of arteries and causes blood clots. It stops the heart from getting the blood it needs so this causes a heart attack.
We then had lunch and after went back to the auditorium. We chose to go to a workshop called Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles by Joan Culpepper-Morgan, who is the Chief of Gastroenterology at the Harlem Hospital. She taught us about high fructose corn syrup and about food in general.
Dr. Culpepper-Morgan describes High Fructose Corn Syrup as the great Satan of our diet. She taught us about obesity and its fast growing rate. She told us that when James Watt made High fructose corn syrup in the 70’s it was also the time when the obesity rate was increasing rapidly. Now one 1/3 of women in America is obese. It can reduce your life by 2-10 years.
Almost everyone has eaten its because its in almost everything its in all sodas, in ketchup. The reason why companies use it so much is because its in the form of liquid so its easy to mix, its cheap and it also increases the shelf life of an object, which already tells you its bad. Anything that doesn’t go off for years means its bad. If something doesn’t rot or get moldy its because bacteria and mold don’t want to grow on it because its bad food. Unlike sugar it isn’t ok in moderation it shouldn’t be consumed at all. It produces bad fat. There are two different types of fat good and bad. Bad fat it’s created by high fructose corn syrup it surrounds the organs and is creating less space for them. The good fat is on the outside of your organs and is created by regular sugar.
After our workshop it was time for us to go. We had an extremely informative day. And it had many connections to Fast Food Nation and the growing obesity of America. It also related to science and learned a lot about the circulatory system.
Today Viviane, Kyla and I went to a McDonalds in Harlem where we met with children who work with LINC. We had a lot of fun! First we started out by singing a song. Next we broke up into groups of about five and read to the kids. They were really loud, and were ready to have some fun reading. We were wondering why they had separated the boys and the girls in the groups. We read them stories that we recognized from when we were their age, if was fun to read those books again. After we read them a couple of short books we went on to sing a couple more songs.
We interviewed the main volunteer for the night, her name was Mrs. D. We asked her a couple of questions including these:
How long have you been working with LINC?
“10 years.”
What made you want to get involved with this organization?
“I believe the community should be responsible for children becoming good readers. And I wanted to take part in it.”
Are there events everyday?
“Yes, but they’re not always in Manhattan.”
I had a lot of fun on this visit, and I am excited for the rest to come.
On Friday, Samantha and I went to meeting where people were planning an annual ‘Mothers Day Walk’ to make awareness for gun violence, which will be held in The Bronx. Most of the people that were at the meeting had personal experiences with gun violence. Many of them also now have their own non-profit organizations for this cause. At the meeting they discussed how the event is going to work. What is going to happen is that everyone will walk to a park, where there then will be a stage with speakers and performers. Samantha and I mostly just listened during the discussion, but afterwards we got to interview many of the people there. One of the people we interviewed was the person in charge of this event, Gloria Cruz. She shared with us how she got involved with the issue of gun violence, and what she does exactly to help. Gloria said that she got involved after September 5th, 2005, the day her niece was shot and killed. She started an organization in The Bronx so she could raise awareness to get guns off the streets. She goes and speaks to schools and churches about this issue. We also interviewed Yvette Forehand who had lost her son, Rory, to gun violence. She started a foundation called the Rory A. Forehand Foundation. After her son passed away she felt the need to help. Doing anything she can to help with this issue gives her more comfort. These were just two of the many inspiring people we met and interviewed. Hearing all these peoples stories and what they do for this cause makes me want to do more to help. Tomorrow we are going to an organization where a woman named Catherine Green runs an arts program to keep kids and young adults off the streets and more involved in things like art. I am also going to a memorial for Yvette Forehands son, because tomorrow is the three year anniversary of his death. I am very excited and motivated to do anything I can to help or learn more about the issue of gun violence.
This was my 4th visit!
This was a very long visit, but it was extremely informative. Parker, Ruby and I met in front of the school, yesterday, then got in the subway. They trains were all messed up so we took the A to 59th then transferred to a train I don’t remember. We took 3 trains total to get to Harlem Hospital. We arrived and waiting for us on another floor were a series of about 5 booths max. We walked around and my mother took a picture of us.
We then headed into the room, where a podium stood on the left side in front of a stage. There were two introverted booths on the stage sitting opposite each other. In the middle hung a screen with the projected image of the flyer that we had gotten a week or two earlier by email. We met a woman named Dr.Furgus. She was quite nice and very polite and spoke with eloquence and intensity. She wore a red turtleneck dress and lip gloss, her hair strait, with a single wave in them middle. She seemed like she was skeptical of our abilities to remain professional, since we were all wearing jeans. The last symposium had been severely casual. I had worn a black skirt and red sweater. Violet wore jeans and Uggs with a bright pink shirt. It was the closest thing to red that she owned. I didn’t bother to wear red, because no one was wearing red at the last event. But we were surrounded by doctors in white coats and nurses in scrubs, students in jeans and others in dresses. There was no dress standard. Though all of the speakers were moderately formal.
. We were told to sit in the front seat. We then walked around the booths out front, gathering T-shirts, pamphlets, pen and refrigerator magnets from various sponsors. The morning half was interesting but all we did was listen and pass out index cards for people to write down questions. Lunch was okay, quality wise. They served pizza at the last visit. But it would have been extremely contradictory to serve pizza after talking about health and what’s good for your heart. Though they did serve Snapple and sandwiches. We went back and listened for about 30minutes more. Then we went to a workshop about health. There were two ladies leading the workshop. One was hearing a cord sweater and slacks, the other in a red suit with white stockings and sneakers.
The lady in the slacks had a slide show and a table of junk food and had us guess the calories, showing us how much HFCS has gone up in the last 20 yrs and how obesity is the result of it. She showed us these graphs of Obesity and HFCS. There was a slide of good fat vs. bad fat. She then passed around plates showing us the portions people should be eating and we got handouts on the portions and calories and amounts of sugar in all of the foods and compared all these different kinds of cereals and juices and sodas. When we left at 3, she was starting to ask a woman what her favorite candy was out of a series of M&M’s, Twizzlers, sour patch etc. This was a very informative and decently engaging workshop and was much more interesting than the first Go Red visit. Amanda, our head contact, was not there, she had another event to attend, but the next, larger event she will be attending. I’m very excited and am looking forward to finally meeting her.
Here are some of the thousands of new things (in note form-they are part of the 11 pages of written notes we took) I learned about Heart Disease:
Cardiovascular Disease (Heart Disease)
-Any disease of the heart (cardio)
-And blood vessels (vascular)
CVD Facts
-40% deaths
-Expensive medical care
-27% of men, 44% of women will die within a year
-Leading cause of death for African Americans in US
-100,000 lives
-Can be prevented
-Expensive
Other things about CVD (Heart Disease)
-Racial and minorities receive lower quality health care.
-Less likely to receive needed medical care.
-Barriers include insurance and race
-Physicians are almost 75% white.
-Number one Healthy Heart Tip: Stay spiritually active, must be in touch with some sort of spiritual side.
This was my 3rd visit. 2nd for Positive Exposure.
Today, Violet, Parker, Ruby T. and I shared a Taxi to go to Positive Exposure. We left school and went to the Deli to get snacks, then got in a taxi and we were on our way. I didn’t know exactly what we were doing but Violet had said something about stuffing envelopes. When we got there, we were bombarded with Rick’s dog, Buster. We sat down at a table and Miche, Violet’s mom, greeted us with our assignment. We were given a large metal file bin of Thank You letters, cards, invitations, certificates, and other letters. Miche also gave us labels, pens, sharpies, labels and two bags to put the envelopes that did not have cards and vice versa. It took us a while to do all the letters, we did about 150 cards. When we first started we each did one and put it in the pile. It was going to slow that we formed a production line instead. I took out the mail, and sorted the mismatched from the matched cards and envelopes, then put the cards with their matching envelopes into a pile, then Parker, Ruby and Violet wrote on the date and return address on the plastic sleeves. Afterwards we took a break and played with Buster. Rick actually was not at the apartment, but we met someone named Trishka who helped us to understand the directions and was there along with Miche to answer our questions. After taking a short break, we folded some boxes and wrapped them in plastic tape to take them out for recycling.
I didn’t learn as much in this visit as the first with Positive Exposure, but it was fun. I did learn that working in a Production Line is so much easier than each person doing the whole process. Similar to the Slaughterhouse, though not nearly as dangerous and gross. Before I was sorting the mail, each of us would have to pick through it to find a card with it’s envelope mate. I don’t have a picture for this post but I do for the next one!
For my third visit I went with Max, Josh, Ruby G, and Taliana. When I got there we immediately put out the bread onto platters, so we could make sandwiches. It was funny because we kept on finding platters when we didn’t think we had enough. Then we unpackaged baloney and turkey. They were going to be the middle of sandwiches. Max and Josh then went to Trader Joe’s to get more bread and desserts and then to Knickerbockers for corn bread. During that time Taliana, Ruby, and some other kids from UNIS were making sandwiches. I would bag them and put them in a basket. Once the basket becomes full it goes into brown bags. We made about 240-260 sandwiches. It didn’t seem like we made that many, but I’m not surprised that we did make that many. After the sandwiches were made Max, Josh, and I cut the cornbread into small pieces. Then we peeled and cut carrots for the soup that they make and cut some onions. I did have to take a break for a few minutes because of how strong the onions were. After that we took the plastic bags that you find at a supermarket, when you are getting vegetables and grapes, and put three rolls of bread in each bag. We then set the table and finished everything up. I learned how many sandwiches can be made in about 30 minutes when everyone is working together.
After the literary festival we all met in the library (Dennis, Chase, Jason, Miral, Ben, and I). This time Carin was there also. We spent all of the visit formulating plans to raise money and supplies to send to the school. Carin offered to make the chocolate bars she has made in the past for other fundraisers. We tried to come up with other ideas to help raise money for binders (our most needed supply) which Dennis can get from a supplier for about half the price you would pay at Staples. Dennis wanted to try something called stuff the bus were we would rent a bus and then kids could throw binders and school supplies in the bus to try and fill it. I pointed out it would probably cost more to rent the bus than just buy the materials. We came up with one idea to have a competition between the classes to see to see who could raise the most money. We also came up with ideas for prizes like a study group pass or a weekend without homework. Dennis said it should be called bucks for binders. Our biggest concerns were that someone would bring in a check and the competition would become to cutthroat or become unfair. To counter this we came up with the idea of one set goal; although it was argued that there would then be a complete lack of competition. We also talked about having a bake sale to raise money. Miral offered to knit scarfs. We also assigned each other tasks. I was assigned to make posters and chocolate bar wrappers. Ben and Bryce said they would bring in cameras to record our meetings and our trip to a school who recently received binders for its 5th grade. Dennis had chosen the school because it gives breakfast free to over 90% of its students because they cannot afford it. Dennis said he would contact the vice principle of the school to ask about our visit. He also said he would contact Mark about the competition. Please go to the website or to the new facebook page and join. Also donate binders and supplies to the box in the lobby, last time we checked it was almost empty.
Thank You
This was my second visit at PEN and it was both fun and educational. This time my group and I went to the PEN American Center offices to be student helpers for a writing activity that PEN was hosting. This particular event pertained to imprisoned writers and how teens can help make a writer’s life less of a struggle. My group and I came half an hour early to help set up table and supplies for the small workshop. We did small jobs like putting pens on a table, standing up greeting cards so that the design would show and placing photos of imprisoned writers on the surrounding walls. Before the workshop started Stacy Leigh (I have mentioned her in a past post) told us a bit about the imprisoned writer and what the letters that would be written in the workshop would do for them. As I said before an imprisoned writer is one who is in jail, a guest to the state and one who is trapped by their own words. These imprisoned writers wrote something that evoked something, usually for the positive. These writers are people who make change through their words, big or small. Stacy told us of a foreign writer who wrote a poem for Valentine’s Day and was published. The poem had a hidden message that said a general was sick with power. But this is just one example of writing that caused a stir. Then Stacy talked to us about what we could do to help these writers. As young adults we can’t just fly half way across the world to talk to these international prisoners about their writing. But as teens we can write letters in support of these writers. They don’t have to be extensive, they just have to say I know your alive, I am acknowledging how great you are and i want to know how you are. Just to hear someone say they care is all they want because after you have been told nobody remembers you or cares about you, this is salvation in writing. This PEN event was specifically for 5th through 8th graders. Kids from the Bank Street School came to the offices to write cards and discuss the same topics I have just discussed above. My group and I helped the students write cards and got to participate in inscribing ourselves in PEN’s democracy wall. Democracy walls were huge in the 60’s and 70’s. All you need is a passionate subject where whoever wants to can write something that relates to the topic at hand and depicts a piece of themselves. The topic we wrote about was what does freedom of expression mean to us. I wrote a short poem (5 lines at most) that showed what I thought freedom of expression is. (If I can find the photo I will publish it). It felt great to get my words out there and it felt great that I got to help a writer stay sane. Over all, this was a great visit.
Kyla, Naomi, Viviane, and I made our first visit to LINC (literacy incorporated). On our way over to the office, we were confused as to what we would actually be doing. When we got to the office this visit turned out to be more of a meeting with the coordinators of LINC.
We learned that this organization’s goal is to promote literacy at an early age for children. They told us about different activities and programs that are done. These programs give them time to read before they start school, and allow them to get excited about reading. Deborah Mulrain, (our contact person) told us about a program called, Pajama Night. On this night we play games with the children, and then read to them. This is supposed to encourage reading before they go to sleep. We are hoping to go and participate in this program on Thursday. There was also a program called the Lobby Reading Program, where we read to kids in small groups, this event takes place in lobbys of different buildings.
This meeting got us excited to start working with LINC over the course of this project, and we can’t wait to go to our first visit. I am looking forward to helping this organization in the time ahead, and I’m sure this will be a great experience for all of us.
On Wednesday Jason, Chase, Miral, Bryce, Ivo, Karen and I all met up with Dennis Kitchen again in the library. This time we disscused the need to promote awarness about the organization, and to raise money for the expensive binders that we desperately need. We brainstormed ideas for most of the session. I recorded all the ideas we came up with into my Writers Note Book which I still had with me from the Lit Fest that was right before it. We decided to make posters and post them in strategic places around the school to remind people to donate, and we agreed that we wanted to make some sort of competition where the class that donates the most gets a prize (undecided as of yet). For the last ten minutes we worked out some scheduling issues and decided to make a video to show during a Middle School Meeting about our cause and our efforts so far.
Yesturday, Nora, Kyla , Viviane and I went to our first visit to an organization called LINC. This organization’s goal is to “further literacy in less advantaged communities.” They realized that kids who don’t master reading skills by a young age; have a very little chance of catching up. So in order to change this, they open book clubs, have teen tutoring programs, and try to reach out to the parents to encourage them to read to their children etc.
So, yesturday we went to their office and they told us possible things we could do during the time period we will be spending with them, and we introduced ourselves to everyone. We were given a schedule of activities for the rest of February and March and a book that explains the organization in more detail.
Some of the activites that I’m really excited to do is “PJ Night” which is this Thursday; where we will read to little children, dressed in our pajamas and just interact with the kids; which seems really fun. Another activity is “Lobby Reading Program” where in the main building of the organization; we will read to little kids in small groups.
We all really can’t wait to begin working with this organization and we’re really looking forward to this experience.
Today, Kyla, Naomi, Nora, and I took the subway to LINC’s (Literacy Incorporated) office on 27th street and 7th avenue. Before arriving, none of us had a single idea of what we were going to be doing during the visit. Would we get to work with kids? Maybe do office work? Something else? We were all eager to find out.
Turns out, this visit was more of a meeting. We finally got the chance to meet Debora Mulrain (the person we had been contacting through email), who very kindly told us about what LINC does and the mission of the organization. LINC’s goal is to promote literacy as early as possible in children’s lives. This is important because kids that have the opportunity to practice reading (or at least be read to) before they start school have a better chance of succeeding. But what exactly does LINC do to expose these kids to the joy of reading? Well they organize many events where they partner with many neighborhood resources (such as libraries, health centers, shelters, schools, etc.) to show kids that reading can be fun. One event, that Debora told us about was something called Pajama Night. LINC partnered with NYPL (The NY Public Library) to organize a night where kids can come in their pajamas to listen to stories and play games. I really like this idea because it seems like a very fun way to promote reading before bed time.
During yesterday’s visit, I learned so much that I didn’t know about the LINC. I had a good time and hope to be able to work with them in the near future.
Today Max, Taliana and I went to Village Temple. We didn’t end up staying that long (10:00-11:00), but we still got a lot of work done. The three of us first went to Knickerbocker’s, a store that donates corn bread every Saturday to Village Temple. I was surprised that a lot of the common grocery stores donate different types of food (Knickerbocker’s-corn bread, Trader Joe’s-bread).
When cutting the corn bread, the lady was very strict about the shape and size of each piece. She said that you should present it how you would like to eat it. This way they feel like they didn’t loose anything and they are still “someone”. At first I didn’t really understand it because I didn’t think they would care about the appearance of the cornbread. They would just be appreciative to get it. But I still understood that it should look nice as well.
This was my last visit at Village Temple. I am going to have my 5th visit at HUC next monday and I am also considering going more than twice. When I visit HUC, I am planning on interviewing one of the adult volunteers that I talked to a lot during my first visit.
Today Miral, Ben, Ivo, Chase, Bryce and I met Dennis Kitchen in the library to discuss different was to fundraise for the organization. Dennis brought along a surprise guest which was none other than our very own Carin Cohen. She is very well known for her famous chocolate that she sells at bake sales. The theme of the meeting was fundraising. The one supply that the organization needs the most is binders. Sadly binders are the most expensive and we thought of a couple of ways to get some money to purchase these items. We first thought of the obvious, which is to hold a bake sale in front of the school. We wanted to do something different. Everyone really was orbiting around the idea of doing something like a “Pennies for Peace” drive. So we came up with the idea “Bucks for Binders”. This is going to be a competition, every homeroom for themselves. Every child in each class can bring in a few dollars and the homeroom that raises the most money will win a prize. The prize we still have to figure out, we would like it to be that the winners get no homework for that weekend. We all loved this idea including Dennis. We figure if every child brings in 10 dollars we can get up to 800 dollars and that will be more than enough to reach our goal for binders. Miral and Carin also felt like we should do a bake sale. Miral offered to make Rice-Crispy treats and knit and sell some scarfs which I think is great. Carin will make chocolate bars with the wrapper showing the Tools for City Schools logo and some information about the organization. We believe that we can make a good profit from all of these ideas. Dennis suggested that we should maybe record some of our meetings and make it into a iMovie. We can educate people about what we do and the organizations message. We can also use it in our teach-in. Ben and Bryce volunteered to video type. Ivo also volunteered to make some signs and posters to put up around the school. I look forward to next weeks visit and check out Dennis’s website. http://www.gettingtoolstocityschools.org/home
Today during our last period Jason, Ivo, Bryce, Ben, Chase and I spent time with Dennis Kitchen. We talked about different ways to raise money and make people and students bring in more supplies. Carin Cohen, our art teacher, was also there. She gave some good ideas and helped us to come up with some ideas of our own. Because she knows how to make chocolate, she said that we should perhaps do something like a bake sale. So we thought maybe it could take place at one of the basketball games or another event. I offered to make Rice Krispie Treats. Since I know how to knit, I also offered to make scarves to sell. I think people would be really into buying the scarves because they are homemade and the materials that I use are soft and colorful. This will actually be a fun project for me because I enjoy knitting. Dennis thought it was a good idea. Then the guys in my group came up with various thoughts on how to encourage students to bring in more money. They thought that with a little bit of competition between the classes that people would have fun giving. Ivo also thought that because we are such a big group, 6 people, that maybe we should divide into smaller groups so we could get more done at the same time. Ivo offered to make posters. Ben and Bryce, because they own cameras will make the videos. Dennis also said that he would take us on a field trip to one of the school’s that his organization helped. This will be inspiring for me to see. I am looking forward to our meeting next Wednesday. Dennis is very helpful and I think we came up with some great ideas this week.
For my second visit, I went to the Village Temple Soup Kitchen again with Max. When we got there we unpacked bread and turkey onto platters to get set up to make ssandwhiches. Then we went out to the closest Trader Joe’s which is on 14th Street and 3rd Avenue. We got free bread and found out that Trader Joe’s gives bread to some organazations. I thought that this was great because it was their opputunity to help out the needy and letting people who know how to help do it for them. Then we broght the bread back and set it up on the platters. It was so much bread, I couldn’t believe that they would use all of it. But, they did and we made around 240 sandwhiches. After that, we went out to Knickerboxers and got a huge box of cornbread. When we brought it back we cut it into small and bite-size pieces. When we finished that everything else was also done and all we had to do is bag bread. This time I learned that Trader Joe’s helps the soup kitchen out.
Getting Tools To City Schools is an organization devoted to delivering donated school supplies to unprivileged city schools. People can volunteer to collect school supplies and/or help unload and deliver the supplies to needy schools. Each student the recives supplies will get a brand new three-ring binder, lined paper, pencil, pens, pocket divider folders and a pencil pouch.
Here is a link to the site: http://www.gettingtoolstocityschools.org/home
The International Action Network on Small arms (IANSA), is an organization that works against gun violence. IANSA is apart of a network that works in 120 countries to stop gun violence and their goal is to make people safer from gun violence by raising society’s awareness of the threat gun violence has on one’s life. My group and I will be attending meetings about issues related to gun violence at the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women, in March. We hope to learn new information about stopping gun violence in New York City, as well as America.
On Saturday my group went to The Village Temple for our third visit. When we arrived I decided to ask the main lady who worked their some questions:
Max: How long have you been working here with the Village Temple?
Worker: I have been working here for about 7 years
Max: why did you start to work here?
Worker: I didn’t have much to do on Saturdays and I thought what better then to help out the hungry at my local temple.
Max: Do you enjoy working with this great organization?
Worker: Yes, I look forward to coming here all throughout the week.
After I interviewed her, my group and I cut up some carrots and onions. I felt really good when I was there. There is no better felling then seeing the workers getting help from students. They where very appreciative of our help. Something that I learned when I was there is that The Village Temple soup kitchen organization is a 100% volunteer foundation which accepts money and donations from everyone. Other then the crying from the onions it was a delightful visit.
For my third visit, I visited HUC again. However, this time was very different than the time I had gone before. A large group of kids from Long Island came to visit and help out, and for the first time, I sat in on the meeting. I learned that the organization was founded more than twenty years ago and the soup kitchen had never been advertised one. Therefore, all of the people that come to eat there have found out from word of mouth. Today, while I did help out with food, I focused on giving out clothing. They have a small area called the clothing closet in which they give out underwear, socks, hats, gloves, socks and toiletries. It was very different from serving food because it was easier to make eye contact and talk to the people. While it was a very positive experience, I did encounter a few problem people who made inappropriate comments which are too vulgar to be posted here. However, I still enjoyed the process, and I hope to return again.
Instead of going to the Village Temple, I decided to go to the organization that Julian is going to, Hebrew Union College (HUC).
What the organization does:
“The student-run HUC-JIR Soup Kitchen welcomes over 100 homeless and hungry guests for a nutritious meal. In autumn, winter and spring we serve a hot meal – main course, side dish, bread, fruit, peanut butter, jelly, cookies, milk, juice and coffee – and after the second semester we serve take-out sandwiches, fruit, and something to drink. Volunteers from around the New York area – secondary school pupils, college students, and adults – help us prepare and serve the meals. The Soup Kitchen offers our guests not only meals but also free legal counseling by NYU Law School students, free clothing, and toiletries, as well as a sewing service.”
From 4-6, Julian and Taliana and I helped serve the hungry. They start at 3 and end at 6:30 but you are open to begin and leave whenever. There were several other teenagers volunteering, just like Village Temple. At first I was a little skeptical considering it was my first visit and I didn’t know much about it. Unlike the Village Temple, we would also be serving. Before the dinner begun, all of the volunteers had a meeting. The lady talked about how you don’t need to have a conversation with any of the people, but it makes it makes the experience more interesting for you. You will get more out of it. Once we started serving, it was very laid back.
We first placed salad, spinach & other vegetables, and macaroni and cheese on plates and set them on tables. Once the people arrived, everyone was assigned a task. My task was to hand out tangerines. After that was done, there wasn’t a set task. You would basically just go around the room and ask if anyone needs anything.
Compared to Village Temple, I feel that I had a better experience at HUC. Instead of just preparing food, I also served it. This made me understand the whole purpose of the organization. I also enjoyed HUC because the adults that lead the soup kitchen are more interested in getting to know you. Some of the women there asked where we went to school. When they heard that we went to LREI, they knew some kids that went there. I had more personal connections at this organization.
I plan to continue volunteering at this organization as well as Village Temple (Saturday mornings) on Mondays.
On January 25, Parker, Ruby T, Cheyenne, and I took a cab to 20th and Park Ave. to go to Mr. Guidotti’s studio. When we arrived we were greeted by Miche Griffin, she gave us a packet, containing many facts about the organization (Positive Exposure). Some of the facts included were, when he started it, why he started it, and where he has been.
Our first visit was more an introduction to the program, then a “working” visit. Other than reading the packet, we were shown a video, about how some people with albinism, by witch doctors, for their limbs. Most of the people who were slaughtered didn’t survive, but in one of the videos we saw, she did survive, but now has no arms. This woman was about 30 or so, and she had to live with her parents, because she couldn’t do much by herself.
We were also shown pictures of his work, we saw many pictures from his trips to Tanzania. There was this one child, who was born with albinism, but his mother and father thought their child was “cursed,” so they put him out in the sun, by them doing so, this boy began to get brown spots on his skin-skin cancer.
Also, quickly, I would quickly like to clear up exactly what albinism is:
• It is refers to a group of people with little or no pigment in their eyes, skin, or hair.
• One in 17,000 people in the U.S.A have some type of albinism
• Albinism affects people from all races, most people with albinism are born to parents with “normal” hair and eye color for their ethnic backgrounds.
• Many people think everyone with albinism has red eyes. But, this is not true, some have reddish, violet, hazel, or brown eyes, but, most have blue eyes. But, all forms of albinism are associated with vision problems.
•More detailed facts about albinism
Not only does Positive Exposure deal with albinism, it also deals with many other genetic conditions. I was honored enough to meet two people who have genetic conditions. One actually passed away. But, when I met Pauline (quite a long time ago-probably about 5 years) it didn’t seem like she was different, she was as normal as anyone else, she just looked different. I was also lucky enough to meet another girl, who must have been at most only 7 years older than me. Although, when we did meet, it was at a photo shoot and we did not talk much, but I could tell, that by Mr. Guidotti taking pictures of her, it made her feel pretty.
The video we watched about the people getting slaughtered in Tanzania is quite graphic, but it is worth watching, to me it was a wake up call to another big problem that’s currently happening in the world. Albinism in Tanzania
Wednesday February 3rd Ivo, Ben, Jason, Bryce and I did our first visit. We were at school and at 4:00 PM we meet Dennis Kitchen in the library, he was very nice and clear explaining us what he and the organization do and why. He also showed us a video of this teacher taking about the school she was teaching in and how the organization helped them and their students. He patiently answered our questions. The organization asks students in schools like our to bring in supplies that they don’t use anymore to than give, when they are enough to the students in public schools that otherwise wouldn’t have the money to buy but not any school they choose the schools to give the supplies to from the amount of students can’t afford to pay for hot lunch at school (usually they choose schools with 90% of the children or more) . We also talked about things we cold do during our visits and ways to raise money and make people bring more stuff in. Every one gave very good ideas. Than we looked in the different rooms to see where there was some space to put the stuff we had already. After that we took the box with the stuff that the people took and it was very heavy we took it from downstairs in the lobby to Sarah’s room where we found some space that we could use. When we but mostly Ivo and Jason made it with the box each one of us had to count and divide the pencils, folders,pens, and dividers and we wrote the numbers on the board and and on paper to keep them. they were more than we thought but we still need more. in the end it ended earlier than i thought at 5:20. but after i was very happy i learned a lot about the organization and the situation in some schools in america from Dennis and plus we even had fun making oder. During next visit Dennis had the idea that maybe we might go to one of the schools that the organization donates to i really can’t wait for the next meeting.
Rivalta Miral
AID for AIDS is a nonprofit organization that helps people in other countries who are coping with AIDS and do not have access to medical help. On Friday I visited AID for AIDS with Lenny, Adam, Alma, Olivia, and Katharine, and Sarah it was very interesting. We took the subway up to Wall Street and walked to the building. To get in we all got student ID’s for security purposes. When we got there we were given a tour of the facility, we saw a room filled with Medicine to help treat HIV and AIDS. We saw a mailroom where medicine is sent from around the world. When people are on prescription drugs often their prescriptions change and the medicine is thrown out, but at AID for AIDS they take that medicine that people do not need anymore and they send it to people in other countries who do not have access to proper medical care. They also have a room filled with wheel chairs, walkers, and crutches that were going to be sent to Haiti. There were many offices in the facility and each ones had its own unique purpose. After the tour, Olivia, Adam and I were put to work folding posters and putting them together with pamphlets to be sent to other charities that help them. We had a lot of fun helping AID for AIDS and I am really looking forward to our next visit there because it felt really good to help.
On Friday Morning, Danica, Josh, Catherine, and I went to one of the PEN America Branches in New York. We weren’t sure at first if anyone would be there because it was so early. And then, coincidentaly, we saw Stacey Leigh in the elevator carrying the supplies upstairs. As soon as we got upstairs, she gave us a quick tour of the place and what the organization does. Also about many other imprisoned writers Such as Liu Xiaobo, Zhao Shiying, and why they were imprisoned. We then helped set up chairs for the Bank Street Schools session with Stacey. We also gave them ideas to write about.
For my first visit, my group and I went down to 120 Wall Street to volunteer with Aid for AIDS. Aid for AIDS NYC is an organization that collects donations from the public such as medicine and wheelchairs and uses them to support people living with HIV/AIDS and provides services for Latin American and Caribbean immigrants. It also serves as a liaison between these individuals and the social workers adept ant providing medical care and assistance. Since there were seven of us (plus Sarah), we were split into groups of three and four and shown around the building before we were given individual jobs. The woman showing us around was named Hannah McDurmont. She first showed my group and I the medicine storage, where they kept the medication donated by people from all around the world. We were shown the packages that the medication arrived from and looked at the addresses of each of them. Hannah then showed us to a room which was crowded with wheelchairs and crutches, all being organized and made ready for shipment to Haiti.
After the tour was finished, my group and I were given the task of folding posters and sorting flyers that would be mailed to supporters in envelopes. The aim was to spread the word of what Aid for AIDS was doing and get people to donate. The other group was given a stack of miniature pamphlets that they would fold to also be mailed in the hopes of getting others aware. In all, the visit was very informative and interesting and the people were both inviting and kind.
On Friday, Sarah, Lenny, Alma, Olivia, Adam, Jasper, Katherine and I went to the New York office of Aid for AIDS. As we came in, we saw a room where there were organized and stacked medicine jars, a closet filled with crutches, wheelchairs, etc. and a few people having a meeting about what to do with and help third-world countries. They were all speaking in spanish, and it was unfortunate that most of us did not know quite a lot of spanish other than “uno,” “senior,” “seniorita,” and “hola.” At the moment, they were focusing on delivering medicine and other aid to help people in Haiti. The task that we were trying to complete at the office was folding posters and pamphlets with information about AIDS. In order to qualify for getting help from the organization, one either had to be HIV positive, or have AIDS. We were split into two groups, one folding posters, with Adam, Olivia and Jasper, and the other folding and placing pamphlets with information about how to prevent AIDS through a tool used during intercourse between two people, to put it into a non-derogatory way, with Lenny, Katherine, Sarah, Alma and I. This is probably the most often referred to way of getting AIDS. Anyway, that took us about an hour or so until we were done with our task, and had been able to leave. This organization was one of the top organizations having to do with helping with AIDS victims. It sends a lot of medicine and every possible form of aid that they can get their hands on through donations. What they do is distribute donations coming from many caring people to the people in the world with HIV or AIDS. They really try to help people in need, and it obviously shows from their warm and welcoming attitudes.
Organizing donated material, particularly medicine:
The person we worked with (Hannah McDermott):
Donated wheelchairs, crutches, etc:
Last Friday, I went with my group (Olivia, Matan, Alma, Katherine, Jasper, Lenny) to an Aid for Aids clinic on Wall Street. We learned about how the organization was run and their mission. The organization gathers donations, medicine, and wheelchairs for people in 3rd world countries, which can’t afford treatment for health-related illnesses and diseases such as aids. We took a tour of their facility and helped distribute posters and pamphlets. It was truly an amazing experience.
Today Taliana and I arrived at the Village Temple around 9:15 and met Will and Max there.
We basically did the same thing as last time, but instead of making tuna sandwiches, we made ham and baloney sandwiches. It started off exactly the same: Stacked loaves of bread onto trays, made the sandwiches, then bagged them.
I was surprised that there were less people than last time. This visit was better than the last because of this. During the first visit, I found myself sitting down because there wasn’t much to do because of all the chaos that was going on. But this time, I was standing up the whole time. Even though there were less people, I saw some familiar faces and ended up talking to some of them while working. Most of the kids there were from UNIS, trying to get their hours of community service.
After we were done with the sandwiches, I started to put rolls of bread into plastic bags. I was told that right after the “home less/needy” eat the sandwiches, they each get one bag of bread for the whole week. I was surprised by how much bread Village Temple had. I was told that Trader Joe’s donates bread to different organizations and Village Temple happens to be one of them. There were about 5 huge bags in a corner. When I tried to pick up a bag, the lady insisted that a guy had to do it…
While working, I noticed that the adult volunteers/runners of the soup kitchen were all women. Most of them were really sweet but there was one that was cranky. I guess it’s hard to wake up early and arrive there at 9:00 every saturday. At least it was for me. We ended up leaving at around 11:00 so we were at the organization for 2 hours. The time went bye quickly because there was a lot to be done. I overheard someone saying that over 200 sandwiches are delivered each saturday. Even though this seems like a big number, when actually making the sandwiches, the work is fast and easy.
I’m planning on coming back next saturday and possibly going to Julians organization after my basketball game on monday (2/8).
Adam, Lenny, Olivia, Matan, Jasper, Katherine, Sarahand I all went to the organization AidForAids on 120 Wall Street.
What the organization AidForAids does is that when people change perscriptions the hospitals used to throw out the medicine that people don’t need anymore because they changed perscrition. But now instead the hospitals gives the medicine that isn’t used anymore to AidForAids instead of throwing it out.
We all got our own I.D’s before going there. Here is mine
When we got there we were split up into two groups. Lenny, Katherine, Matan and I had to fold handouts that talk about HIV and AIDS. They tell the three ways one can get transmited, one can get transmitted by sharing needles, blood, sexual contact and before and after giving birth (prenatal).
The little handout also talked about how on can tell if one is living with HIV or not, how to protect yourself and how it is not transmitted.
Here is the process of folding the handouts
This is the handout before we fold it
On Friday, February 5, me Sarah, Adam, Olivia, Matan, Jasper, and Alma, all went downtown to an organization called Aid for AIDS. Once we arrived inside the building, we each were given our own I.D and we soon found ourself on the the elevator on the way up to the organization itself. when we arrived, we were greeted by a very friendly girl named Hanna who gave us a tour of the area. I think that the most motivating and incredible part of the tour was when she showed us the room full of medical supplies that people all over the country had sent to them in honor of what they were doing. The fact they were able to rebottle, and relabel everything, showed that they were organized and prepared to help anyone in time of disaster. After the tour, we were split in to two groups. In my group, was Matan, Katherine and Alma. Our job was to efficiently but carefully fold pamphlets giving important information about the dangers of AIDS and HIV. Once folded, these pamphlets would be packaged with condoms and the condoms would be sent to people in need. I learned from the folding that basic safety information can be very important to many different people. I also had fun spending time with my peers and we all enjoyed helping out a cause. Before we started, I felt excited and curious to see how Aid for AIDS had their goals accomplished. When I left I felt that I had this question answered. They achieved their goals by being organized, and by focusing their power into different branches of world issues. If I had to ask my group members a question, it would be what they hope to do next time we visit the orginization.
Josh, Harry, and I went to the Lower East Side Girls Club. It is located on 1st St. between 1st and 2nd Avenue. The head executive, Jenny, was very informative and at the same time inviting and laid back. She gave us background information on the Lower East Side Girls club, founders, motives, etc. She answered all of my questions and more. She made it clear that the mission of the Girls Club, was to build independence in the girls that attended. The Girls Club has many buildings all over Alphabet City (Lower East Side). They have their own bakery, which we visited. They also have a spot for poetry sharing and other performances. The profits from the bakery go to the Girls Club funds. They also have fun fundraisers to raise money. For example, they are having a Mardi Gras masquerade ball. Lower East Side is very independent itself, about one third of all its money that they use to fund projects or buy supplies, are from their own businesses. In May they will be having a fundraiser walk, similar to the Aids Walk. Josh, Harry, and I are supposed to raise awareness for this events by making poster, flyers, making announcements, etc. Later on in the year, when the Woman’s Rights Walk, is closer, we will be making announcements at Middle School Meeting and in afternoon or morning homeroom. We don’t have a set time for a second visit, but I think I can speak for my group when I say were excited to go back.
For our second visit, we actually visited the Pen Building, on 588 Broadway. We helped Stacy set up her materials for the activity she would be doing with the Bank Street School (Put out pens and markers on each table, taped up pictures of the writers on the walls, brought out orange juice and cups, set out cards, etc.) The activity was basically them choosing one or two of the imprisoned writers on the lists, based on their stories and which one they felt most connected to, and writing them a letter. There were a few native french speakers who decided they would write their letters to the writer in Syria. Stacy told them some of the stories she knew about the writers before they started writing. One of the stories that I found really interesting was the one about the man who wrote a love poem. He wrote an eight-line poem, and it got published in some sort of magazine for a special Valentines Day edition or something, and then he was imprisoned. He was imprisoned because if you took the first letter of each word, it said something about his General being crazy with power. This was one of the writers that we couldn’t write to, because whenever they received a letter they were punished. After we helped with the activity, we (Danica, Nathaniel, Josh C and I) got to add to the “Democracy Banner” and write/draw about what freedom of expression meant to us. This visit was really fun, and I learned a lot and I can’t wait for tomorrow’s visit.
Our first visit was really a meeting more than a visit, but we learned a lot about the organization and what they do. Basically, Stacy, the director of readers and writers at the organization, told us about some examples of the imprisoned writers that they help, and why they were imprisoned and how they help. PEN is an important organization for many reasons. One would be that the cause they help is something that’s not widely covered through the world. They are probably one of the only organizations that helps imprisoned writers. She asked us why we were interested in this organization, if it was because we loved to read or write, or for any other reason. She also told us about some of the workshops they do with schools or just students that are interested on the weekends.
Dear Blog,
Today I went to Aid For Aids with my group: Alma, Lenny, Adam, Olivia and Jasper, Sarah tagged along this time to say hi to her friend Eduardo. Eduardo is her Mom’s helper for her Aids Clinic in Nigeria, I think. We took the train down to a big building on Wall Street. We took the elevator up to the 22nd floor. The elevator doors opened and we were greeted by a woman with a nose ring who brought us in to an office. She then explained what their mission was at Aid for AIDS was. She explained how Aid for AIDS tried to get condoms and AIDS information to people who need it some of these places include: Venezuela, South Africa, and South Asia. Aid for AIDS also gives medication to people who need it and can not afford it. These people are usually from the listed places above, They just sign up for a program where they can get the medication. She gave us a tour of the office, she showed us the place where they empty pill bottles to repackage the other pills in to new bottles. She also showed us a closet which was filled with wheel chairs and crutches. I asked why it was filled with these items, because it did not make sense to me why they would have wheel chairs and crutches at an Aid for AIDS office. She said they where to donate to Haiti. I didn’t get why this related to AIDS but it is still important. I started thinking about the medication and how they got it, I decided to ask the lady why it was there. She said that it was part of the Medicine Recycling Program you can check out the link here: http://www.aidforaids.org/index.php/site/programs_services/category/recycling/. This program was one where medication was being recycled from other people which they did not use. She then gave us our jobs: Lenny,Matan and I where put on pamphlet folding duty, while Olivia, Jasper and Adam where put on some other job. The pamphlets held facts about AIDS and HIV. I learned that AIDS can be transferred through oral sex though there is a very low risk. I really learned a lot from this visit. I really learned a lot about my people skills and how to improve them, I started to ask questions and help out with little things that I thought would not help, but they did. Next time I go I want to find out how the organization gets their funding because it seemed like a lot of money would go in to the upkeep and day to day operations of a foundation like this.