This year, Every Neighborhood Partnership (ENP) is celebrating our 15-year anniversary.
As we reflect on the incredible people who have helped us grow, clarified our vision, and partnered with us since the beginning, there aren’t adequate words to express our gratitude. So we’re going to let these thoughts from the ENP team and our partners say it all.
Ashley GoldsmithWhat does 15-years of partnership look like?
I am back. You may not have known, but I took a 9-week sabbatical. Wanted to share publically a couple of reflections, learning lessons, and some takeaways.
General Reflections:
Just want to start off with a big thank you. This sabbatical could only be possible because of the staff, board, and community that supports ENP. This is a new practice for us as an organization and the first time for me. Because of such a professional, knowledgeable, and trustworthy staff, I could leave knowing that things would be handled. Thank you.
The 1 sentence summary is… that I had a lot of fun with my family, deepened the focus on my marriage, learned more about myself, and put into place some spiritual practices that can help anchor me in the next season of work at ENP and life in general.
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.
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
“Most of us are more tired than we know at the soul level. We are teetering on the brink of dangerous exhaustion, and we cannot do anything else until we have gotten some rest…we can’t really engage [any spiritual disciplines] until solitude becomes a place of rest for us rather than another place for human striving and hard work.” ― Ruth Haley Barton, Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation
If you email me from Thursday, June 15th till Monday, August 21st, you will get an away message.
In third grade, Sam reads stories about farm animals, giant peaches, and magical dragons. About 75% of his peers struggle to read at third grade level.
In sixth grade, Sam is a little taller and strong enough to lug around a backpack full of books he will pour over for his history project on Ancient Civilizations. This year, several of his former classmates don’t pass the history class because they’re unable to comprehend the assigned reading making up 85% of their curriculum.
In twelfth grade, Sam tours colleges, sifts through complex financial aid documents, and writes application essays. About 1 in 6 of his friends who weren’t reading at grade level in third grade have dropped out of high school.
Children’s ability to read has profound implications for their lives and their engagement with their community.
Ashley GoldsmithOur Children’s Ability to Read Now Will Have a Lifelong and City-wide Impact
GO Public Schools Fresno has released their 3rd and final report, titled Are The Kids Alright? In this report, they document academic achievement, equity and inequity, behavioral health, and how we move forward as a city for our kids.
Every Neighborhood Partnership is proud of to be highlighted in the report as a crucial and vital part of student’s academic and behavioral health recovery from COVID-19.
“Every Neighborhood Partnership has seen consistent growth with students who participate in their literacy tutoring [programs]….There is a clear benefit to enrolling students in this type of program.”
GO Public Schools Fresno
Read the rest of the report to hear a comprehensive understanding of the current state of Fresno schools in 2023.
Fresno community members were ranked the 3rd most food insecure in the United States according to a 2018 report from the Food Research & Action Center. Many families in Southwest Fresno live in “food deserts,” meaning there is no ready access to affordable, healthy food. A lack of access to and education about healthy, readily-available food contributes to significant and detrimental health effects such as obesity, diabetes, asthma, and autoimmune disorders.
Children are among the most vulnerable community members, and limited access to nutritious foods and education about healthy living make them more susceptible to poor health conditions.
A more hopeful reality is playing out on a sunny afternoon at Kepler Neighborhood School, where nine first-graders sit on the edge of their very own school garden boxes, giggling as they chomp on home-grown celery.
To address food disparity and support children in our city’s areas of highest need, Every Neighborhood Partnership is partnering with King Elementary and Kepler Neighborhood School to design and implement a pilot Edible School Garden project. ENP is working to expand the program to include a garden at every one of our after-school program sites by next school year!
Ashley GoldsmithWhy Every School in Fresno Needs a Garden
Are you working for a non-profit or community organization? Are you a leader in your congregation or ministry? Check out the Learning Leader Cohort, hosted by Fresno faith and community Leaders Dr. Randy White and Dr. H Spees. More information below!
