Serving Our Schools

How to Serve Your Community (No Matter Your Life Stage)

Developing a Heart of Service at a Young Age

Mary Avigliano knew when she grew up, she wanted to help others. As a child, Mary developed relationships with volunteers of local urban ministry organizations who left a life-long impact on her and her family.

“If it weren’t for a group of people who were passionate about urban ministry knocking on my family’s door when I was a kid, I wouldn’t be sitting here.”

~Mary Avigliano

In 2008, when Mary was a recent college graduate with a little extra free time, she became one of Every Neighborhood Partnership’s first volunteers.

Ashley GoldsmithHow to Serve Your Community (No Matter Your Life Stage)
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Our Vision is Growing! Learn more and Fall in Love with Fresno on September 22.

Learn more about Every Neighborhood Partnership’s growing vision and important things taking place in our city at our Fall in Love with Fresno event on September 22.

Over the last 14 years, Every Neighborhood Partnership (ENP) has been on a growth trajectory. Yes, our staff and programs are growing, but so is our vision.

ENP began as an organization focused on helping churches connect relationally with schools in central Fresno. Over time, with God’s guidance and the support of incredible partners, we have expanded our vision to equipping and mobilizing residents to be leaders who have the tools they need to make sustainable, long-lasting change in their neighborhoods.

Communities are being changed from the inside out.

Through literacy mentoring at elementary schools, Saturday Sports camps, Latin Dance Fitness classes, women’s support groups, workshops and coaching for other nonprofit leaders, and neighborhood associations, our vision is growing… and it involves YOU too.

Join us on September 22nd to learn more and celebrate the GROWING taking place in our city at ENP’s annual Fall in Love with Fresno event! You won’t want to miss this.

Ashley GoldsmithOur Vision is Growing! Learn more and Fall in Love with Fresno on September 22.
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How One Woman’s Love for Reading Initiated a Lasting School-Church Partnership

Ayer Elementary School & Butler Church: How the Partnership Began

Since she was a little girl, Debra Brensinger has loved reading. Under the protection of her covers, she would squint her eyes as she read late into the night.

Several decades later, Debra was looking for ways to be more involved in her local community. When Debra heard about Every Neighborhood Partnership’s Literacy Mentoring program, she knew she wanted to serve as a mentor. Sharing her passion for reading by teaching elementary students literacy skills seemed like the perfect way to invest in her neighborhood.

But Debra didn’t stop there. 

Ashley GoldsmithHow One Woman’s Love for Reading Initiated a Lasting School-Church Partnership
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60 NEW Positions Available for Students to Make a Difference while Paying for College

Fresno State and Every Neighborhood Partnership Collaborate to Launch #CaliforniansForAll College Corps Program

Through a new State initiative, Every Neighborhood Partnership will host 60 Fresno State students (in addition to 40 Read Fresno students) who will serve as literacy mentors in classrooms, run after-school reading intervention programs, and support Saturday Sports at eight local K-12 schools.

The #CaliforniansforAll College Corps initiative is the first of its kind, designed to create opportunities for low-income, first-generation college students to graduate college debt-free while empowering them to serve in their communities. College Corps Fellows will receive up to $10,000 for a total of 450 hours of community service hours during the academic year.

Fresno State was chosen as one of the 48 partner colleges for the College Corps program and has selected Every Neighborhood Partnership as one of the organizations their students will work with. 

Students who complete the College Corps program will receive:

  • $10,000 ($7,000 living stipend broken into monthly distributions during the academic year, plus a $3,000 Education Award)
  • Academic credit
  • Real-world job experience to add to a resume
  • Training, networking and professional development opportunities

The first cohort of College Corps Fellows will begin in August 2022. Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled. Learn more and apply to be a College Corps Fellow by visiting the Central Valley College Corps website here or contacting Mellissa Jessen-Hiser at mjessen@csufresno.edu.


Ashley Goldsmith60 NEW Positions Available for Students to Make a Difference while Paying for College
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Resilience Based Community Development through Parent Cafes

In 2021 Every Neighborhood Partnership received a $50,000 grant from Kaiser to increase community resilience and trauma-informed behaviors by providing resident-led workshops.  ENP trained facilitators working in 3 different neighborhoods in Fresno to run Parent Cafe workshops and support groups.  The Parent Cafes were run by leaders from each neighborhood with participants from the community with whom they were already in relationship.  99 individuals went through these Parent Cafes.  Participants expressed through post-session surveys that they want to go through the course again and invite new friends to attend, as well as have the group continue beyond the original length of the course.  As a result, 4 out of 5 of the groups have been continuing to meet beyond the designated timeframe for the sessions because of the supportive relationships that developed through their time together.  

The 8-session Parent Cafe curriculum was developed by Brainwise Solutions with the goal of equipping parents and caregivers with tools to develop Resilience, Relationships, and Rebuilding in a supportive group environment.  It was created with the intent of having leaders from the community facilitate groups with a preventative approach rather than as a response after a family has gone through a specific traumatic incident.

Gabrielle PicenoResilience Based Community Development through Parent Cafes
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Alfabetización Digital

Mondays and Wednesdays from February 8 – March 4 ENP staff members Suzzy Pinal and Angie Conde led ENP’s first Spanish digital literacy class. COVID-19 has highlighted the need for basic training in computers and technology, especially among our Spanish-speaking neighbors. For 4 weeks, 12-30 students met over zoom to learn basic computer skills. The excitement as new skills were learned was palpable and the instructors enjoyed watching the students’ eyes light up as they understood new things.

All of the participants said they would recommend the course to a friend and many are eager to re-take the course to become more comfortable with their device. Some participants even bought a computer after going through the session, feeling more comfortable in their ability to navigate it. Below is some of the feedback from the post-course survey.

Gabrielle PicenoAlfabetización Digital
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Double Dose of Mentoring

When we embarked on this semester, I had an idea of how Literacy Mentoring might work virtually, but honestly, I was skeptical. However as the first semester came to a close, floods of sweet stories came pouring in. The overall theme is relationships. Literacy Mentoring 2020: light on the literacy, double dose of mentoring.

Jenessa CheemaDouble Dose of Mentoring
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How’s “Homeschool” Going?

We want to support those of you who are trying to navigate a new “homeschool” reality, while still juggling work and all of your other responsibilities…bless your heart. Whew.

Below are some of the most useful reading websites and resources we’ve found, feel free to share!

Hoping we all come out of this a little more well-read 🙂

Jenessa CheemaHow’s “Homeschool” Going?
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