Saturday Sports

Working with Elementary Kids Changed This College Student’s Life

Before working with Every Neighborhood Partnership (ENP), Sheng Xiong says she felt she was at her lowest point in life. Her job at a fast food restaurant made it difficult for her to balance her college and work responsibilities.

When Sheng received a message to her Fresno State email about an opportunity to work with elementary-aged kids through ENP, “it felt like fate.” 

Ashley GoldsmithWorking with Elementary Kids Changed This College Student’s Life
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How Free Saturday Lunches are Addressing Hunger among Fresno Children

Hunger is a reality for many families in Fresno, California, and children are among the most vulnerable community members. The Fresno Mission and Every Neighborhood Partnership are working to change this.

Although the Central Valley produces a quarter of the country’s food supply, Fresno was ranked one of the most food insecure communities in the United States. Homes with children are about one-third more vulnerable to hunger than homes without children.

While children can eat school lunches throughout the week, some kids in our city may not have access to nutritious food on the weekends.

To help address this need, Every Neighborhood Partnership incorporates a snack or lunch in every one of our Saturday Sports programs, and this year, the Fresno Mission came alongside ENP to pack and provide the meals for every kid attending Saturday Sports.

Ashley GoldsmithHow Free Saturday Lunches are Addressing Hunger among Fresno Children
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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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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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A Generation That Did Not Know Saturday Sports

The Bible reveals that leadership shapes the heart, mind, and actions of entire generations. The book of Judges reveals the complex and dynamic interrelationship between our collective human nature with leadership and God’s divine purpose. It is with this wide-angled perspective that I would like to discuss the ministry of Saturday Sports and its crucial role in the leadership of the Next-generation.

Brian SemsemA Generation That Did Not Know Saturday Sports
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From Volunteer to Staff

“This is Amy, the Saturday Sports Coordinator for ENP.”

You’ve probably read that if you’ve ever gotten an email from me. Since I am relatively new here (hired in August ‘18), I would bet that a majority of those reading have no idea who I am. Hopefully, some have at least seen me out and about leading an SS Orientation or assisting our staff at equipping events. The majority of what I do for ENP is coordinating Saturday Sports volunteers, leading out SS Orientations, and the planning and paperwork to keep SS organized. However, I also facilitate our Social Emotional hand-drumming program, Beat the Odds, at a couple of schools around Fresno. This is work that, sadly, most people don’t get to witness.

Amy SavageFrom Volunteer to Staff
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Play: What Is It?

I have been working on a blog about Play for some time now.  However, I hadn’t been able to narrow my focus well enough to share some of the things I have come to know about play in a concise and effective way. That being said, my intent is to simply share bits and pieces of the things that I have come to know about play. I’ll begin with an attempt to answer this question: “What is play exactly, anyway?”.

Brian SemsemPlay: What Is It?
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5 Fun Saturday Sports Activities! (Oct 2017)

Hey Saturday Sports Leaders & Volunteers!

At our last 20/Twenty event, I committed to trying to send out five new game ideas each month. Some of these activities you may already be familiar with and some may be new ones!

My hope is that we are sharing new game and activities ideas with each other so that we can Build A Saturday Sports Learning Community! In this community, we continue to develop and grow each of our Saturday Sports ministries.

Brian Semsem5 Fun Saturday Sports Activities! (Oct 2017)
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