ENP News

You have most likely heard the expression, “It Takes a Village”. We are saying, “It Takes a City”! The story this week is about Cross Sector Collaboration, a very fancy term for ‘all of us working together’.

Our shared goal:  A THRIVING CITY!

Who is “All of Us”? It’s churches, universities, school districts, businesses, organizations, non-profits, parent groups, the city . . . it is literally ALL OF US! When we work together with a vision of a healthy city, great things begin to happen.

EXAMPLE: A few weeks ago, Peoples Church called and asked if we knew of any projects for a group of kids who would be attending a youth camp in late June. At about the same time, the City of Fresno Community Revitalization Department contacted us with a need in the Jefferson neighborhood. There was a home with a potential code violation and rather than giving them a citation, they asked if we might know of a volunteer team who would be interested in cleaning up the overgrown yard. The 1/4 acre lot looked much like a jungle!

It was perfect timing. Thirty kids and a few leaders spent 2 hours at the site and made quick work of a huge project. There is still a bit more to do, so some of the kids plan to find a Saturday when they can go back and finish up. These kids not only had the opportunity to see a need in another part of our city, they also saw first hand what Cross Sector Collaboration looks like (and they may not even know it yet).

In the past 6 years, our mission and vision have remained focused on partnering churches with elementary school neighborhoods, and seeing folks engaged with kids, families and the health of our city.  However, the path to get there has broadened. We not only know it will require ALL OF US, but see that we are simply better together! It will take the entire city working together to achieve that goal.

All of us at ENP are blessed each day to watch that happen and work alongside so many amazing people who share the same vision for our city!

“What do you ASPIRE to be?”  That was often asked of the girls who were part of an after school leadership program at Susan B Anthony. When asked what they want to be when they grow up, some may say teachers or veterinarians, dancers or lawyers. While helping them think about their future education including college and career goals, the main focus of the program was on ways they can be leaders at school, at home and in their community, which will ultimately affect their future!

“What are your strengths?” “What does it mean to be a role model on campus?”  “How do you respond to people who are rude?”   “How do you introduce yourself and greet new people?”  “How can you make a difference in your world?”  Those are just a few questions that were addressed.

This past year these girls also had the opportunity to help at the school carnival, volunteer and serve at campus events; they planted flowers in the school atrium, helped make posters to hang on campus, and decorated for special events.

A couple highlights of the year for the girls were a field trip to Break the Barriers and an end of the year celebration dinner.

At Break the Barriers they learned that each one of us has both abilities and disabilities. They watched veterans practice archery (one of whom was legally blind and another did not have use of his arms).  They were also able to watch the Junior Barrier Breaker team practice for an upcoming performance.  The girls were amazed at the ABILITIES of children who did NOT have both legs, or who used a wheel chair to get around.  They left with a new awareness and better understanding of how God has gifted each of us with different strengths and abilities.

At the end of the year the girls gathered for a special celebration, working in teams to prepare dinner which included salad, fruit kabobs and brownies. They also made place cards and set a beautiful table.  When the dinner was prepared they all ate together. Special guests were Principal Joy Nunes, and ENP Executive Director, Artie Padilla.

In a period of 8 months they became a family and it was hard to see the 6th graders graduate and move on.

Several ladies help lead this program and have found it so very rewarding to be part of these young girls’ lives.  Michelle Walter said, “Working with the Aspire girls makes my heart smile and brings joy and blessings to my life that I could never have imagined.”  The volunteer leaders would all tell you that they give their time, but get SO much in return.

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Fresno Unified  Mentoring Department has established programs at the high school and middle school level with Mens and Young Mens Alliance. ENP worked closely with FUSD this past year to help integrate programs at the elementary level  with “Boys to Men” and “Girl Power”.  The curriculum is provided by Fresno Unified with volunteers from our partnership churches leading programs at four elementary schools: Kirk, Slater, Olmos and Kratt.  We would love to see more partnerships involved in this valuable group mentoring opportunity.

When we invest time in our youth, the return on investment is HUGE!

Spring Break:  

– No school
– A chance to sleep in
– do as little as possible?

 NOT FOR A BUNCH OF FRESNO STUDENTS!

Jr High and High school students from several area churches as well as a group of students from Fresno State spent half of their spring break week serving in our Fresno neighborhoods!  In years past it seems that many groups would go on mission trips to Mexico during spring break, but the opportunities to go on “mission” right here in our city are plentiful!  ENP is blessed each year to help young people from our partnership churches find opportunities to serve right in their own back yard!

Spring Break for them included 3 days of camps with lots of sports, games and craft activities for the neighborhood kids.  This meant that a number of school campuses were open, providing green space for kids to play during their week off from school, and more importantly, a bunch of “big kids” to play with.

It was also an opportunity for young leaders to “lead” and be role models.   Seeing the connections they were making with kids in the neighborhood was truly a highlight.  Watching jr highers and high schoolers perform skits, lead discussions and share their stories was awesome!  They connected in ways the kids could understand.  Such a blessing to see them lead!

In the afternoons the teams worked on a variety of projects in our city, helping at a convalescent home, projects at Animal Rescue Fresno, painting at a small rural church, planting flowers at a school, clean up at a city park and graffiti removal with the City of Fresno.

It gave them a chance to become acquainted with different parts of our city and the needs and opportunities we all have to serve and engage with people . . . not just during spring break, but throughout the year.  (advantages of serving so close to home)

This week truly made an impact on the neighborhood children (and families).  It gave them something to look forward to during a week off from school.  But the impact made in the lives of the youth who were serving seems to go a bit deeper.  This is a week of serving, but it more a week of learning; about our city, the people who live there, and maybe even more important, about themselves.  We love watching the wheels spinning in their heads as they process their role in our world and the ways God may be leading them to serve in the future.

We feel privileged to help them connect with opportunities to serve and bless our city. Weeks like this are exhausting . . . but such a blessing to so many!

There was a sea of bright green shirts in the West Fresno Neighborhood on Earth Day 2014!

Each year, Cargill invites their employees to spend the morning serving the neighborhood. Habitat for Humanity and Darling Industries also participated in the day as well as students from ACEL, Orange Center Elementary and Fresno State.

Teams worked on a playground project at Orange Center.  At Mary Ella Brown Community Center you could see one team fixing the planter boxes while others raked leaves and cleaned up around the playground. The biggest projects were at West Fresno Elementary, where volunteers planted and cleaned throughout the campus. Parents from the school also helped run a Saturday Sports program for the kids.

At the end of the morning Cargill served lunch to everyone. It was a great day!

Earth Day is just one day of the year, but this was more than just a day of service. This was an opportunity for businesses in this neighborhood to get acquainted with other parts of “their” neighborhood. Some folks made an investment in a school they may not have been aware of before. The parents who helped run the Saturday Sports Program had so much fun, the want to do it again.

This is why we do what we do! ENP helps coordinate the day, bringing people together with opportunities and tools so they can make a personal investment in their neighborhood. We love to see businesses come alongside the churches who are partnering with one of our neighborhoods.  Sometimes, like West Fresno, it’s the businesses who take lead in that partnership. Either way, we are working together and have the ability to make our city a better place to live. Not because we spend one day a year serving, but because we see the importance of investing in our neighborhoods throughout the year.

If your business or organization is interested in doing something in your neighborhood, we would love to connect with you. Check out the ways you can “GET INVOLVED”

City Summit is an annual weekend gathering held in Fresno each year.  It was started originally to equip those already engaged in Christian Community Development work, but has now become a conference that invites a new generation to become engaged in the work God is doing in our city.

This year’s theme was “Imago Dei: Seeing in New Ways.”  Guest speaker, Rev. Dr. Soong Chan Rah, from Chicago Illinois gave a challenge to mourn and embrace the struggle in our city, yet see the rebuilding God is doing amidst the rubble. Attendees were encouraged to focus on the assets and gifts of our city, coming in as partners and support systems where God is at work.

The 2 day conference also included networking and breakouts sessions with topics such as “No More Slumlords”, Reimagining the War on Gangs”, “Beyond Immigration: Uncover a Biblical Point of View”, “Addressing the Issue of the Hardcore Homeless”, “Urban Farming and Community Gardens”, “Responding to Human Trafficking in our Community” and many more.

More than 300 attended this year’s event with folks of all ages and ethnicities from churches throughout Fresno. It was exciting to see a gathering of so many with a heart to “seek the peace and prosperity of our city”!

Lunch was prepared by several groups representing Fresno’s rich cultural diversity.  ENP had the privilege of inviting one of our parent leaders, Sandra from Jackson Elementary, to serve her delicious tacos!

We are confident that City Summit will continue to be a support for the work that God is doing in Fresno.  If you missed it, we invite you to consider attending next year.

Be sure to check out the FRESNO CITY SUMMIT website, and facebook page so you don’t miss it next year!

The core mission of ENP is to partner local churches with the 80+ elementary schools in the Fresno community.  Since our inception in 2008 we have seen significant growth. Currently there are 48 schools with partnerships, and 65 churches investing in these schools and neighborhoods in a variety of ways.  We are certainly on a good path.

This past year, however we have received calls from several principals who have expressed a desire for ENP to find a church partnership for them.  They would love to invite folks from the church to volunteer on campus during the week or host a Saturday Sports Program (or  both).

If your church isn’t currently serving at a school and you would like to know what that could look like, please contact us.  We would love to talk to you and share how ENP can support you in that role.

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Currently these schools are hoping a church will want to partner with them; Wilson, Del Mar, Williams, Mayfair, Ericson, Burroughs, Greenburg, Bethune, Yokomi and Easterby.

Artie Padilla

On March 6th several buses of Fresno Christian students “ditched” school for the day and went out on a mission to bless our city!  They served in 9 different locations including:

Victoria Park (Clinton & 99) where they raked leaves and painted picnic tables; Raintree Convalescent Home where they blessed the residents by spending time with them, painting nails, drawing, and just hanging out; Graffiti Clean-Up (Marks & Ashlan) working alongside the City of Fresno; Community Food Bank, packing food boxes; Neighborhood Thrift: handing our flyers in the Tower District;  New Life for Girls: yard clean-up; Kepler school where they just made themselves available to help where needed.

It’s AMAZING what a bunch of kids can accomplish in a few hours!  They blessed and beautified our city and at the same time were able to get a glimpse of some of the needs, challenges and opportunities to continue investing in Fresno in the days, months and years to come.

ENP was pleased to work alongside Fresno Christian and help coordinate their Serve Day.  We look forward to the opportunity and look forward to working alongside them in the future!

Check out the short video Fresno Christian students created with highlights from their day.