Stories from Harmony Community Cares
Through our programs, we see the power of North Lawndale. From the volunteers who help the food pantry fun to the families that come to us for food, from the tutors that teach our children to the students who aspire to learn and grow, we find the inspiration and energy to pour ourselves into this work. These stories serve as a means of remembering and celebrating our community and the power of our work together.
Food Pantry
From our children to our grandparents, everyone needs movement in their life. For the people in Harmony Food Pantry’s Senior Program, our very first Senior Luncheon was the place to be to learn how to stay loose and limber with some simple exercises. Led by our friend and pantry volunteer, Sharman, our seniors learned how to use a dryer ball and a dish towel to stretch their fascia, engage their muscles, and release their stress. From sitting and standing exercises to the “36 Breath Meditation,” our senior friends left feeling relaxed - and full, after we ended the event with a meal! During the event, one person said, “I’m so happy to have something for us in the neighborhood” — we’re happy to be able to provide these resources to our community and we can’t wait to see them for the next one!
Tutoring
We’re well into second semester and the kids at tutoring have settled into a great routine. They come in, get their folders, get a snack, (try to sneak two), go to their “regular” table and are greeted by their tutor. “How was your day?” is generally the first question posed. And in order to assess how (and if) tutoring affects our kids’ social-emotional well-being, we have the kids circle the “face” above that best describes how they're feeling at the end of the session. Most often, it’s the happy face.
But one day, a child came in and seemed tired and off. When his tutor asked how he was, unprompted the student pulled out the feelings assessment drawings, and circled the angry face. He didn’t want to talk about it…at first. But as the session unfolded he revealed some things that were bothering him. He and the tutor were able to work through some of it. When he filled out his assessment sheet, he crossed out the angry face and moved it to the contented one.
In addition to the weekly feelings assessment, we have implemented a Social-Emotional Assessment Survey adapted from Panorama Education. We surveyed each child (grades 3 and up) at the beginning of the semester. We will conduct the survey again at the end of this school year. The data collected should help us to assess our program, what our children’s needs are and to develop strategies to help them where we can.