High Street Neighborhood Newsby Adelle Foley |
Positive Loitering |
On a bright late-October day a group of Melrose/High Hopes NCPC members gathered on Fairfax Ave. between High and Courtland to try out the concept of positive loitering. Some people picked up trash along Fairfax and Courtland Creek Park. Others explained why we were there to curious neighbors and encouraged them to join in. Maxwell Park residents came by to show their support. Someone pumped up a basketball, and the group wandered over to the basketball court for a game of horse. In between, we observed, chatted about the neighborhood, and
munched on the cookies that someone brought. The canine contingent Shasta and Jake played in the park. Organizer Josh Singer defined the new outdoor sport as hanging out to make the neighborhood better. The idea is an extension of this summer's successful block party. It's a work in progress, and the only certainty is that we'll do it again. Holiday Giving and Planting
The Melrose/High Hopes NCPC broke out the holiday spirit early with a November potluck and collection of food for Horace Mann School families. Combining efforts with the Oakland Police Department, the group sponsored holiday meals for five families. The group also helped to make the vision of 200 daffodils blooming next spring a reality at Horace Mann and created raised-bed gardens where students will grow native plants and apply their reading, math, and science skills. Help the Kids or Lose Them
When I dashed into the Melrose Branch Library one Saturday to return a book, I stopped to talk with Library Assistant Keith Wilson. "Mr. Keith's" training in teaching and the teenaged mentors' bilingual ability and writing skills help them to enrich the PASS homework assistance program at Melrose. The youngsters get a chance to participate in group activities from ultimate Frisbee (with sponges) to creating a bulletin board of poetry. Some of the illustrated cut-ups I saw used recycled folders to celebrate Los Angeles (a favorite place) and
Milton the leopard. Keith also works with a child struggling with second-grade reading and English a kid you help or you lose. He's particularly pleased to see kids checking out books in both English and another language to read with their parents. On Tuesday, December 6, the Fratello Marionettes Performance Company will present The North Pole Review at 3:30 p.m. Youngsters from preschool through elementary grades and their families will enjoy the show. When you go, bring along some unwrapped new toys to fill the Melrose/High Hopes NCPC collection box. Boys and girls from Rich Bolecek's Discovery Center painted the colorful box. Toys will be donated to the Fire Department's holiday program. Meet Jose Ortiz
Brookdale Rec's new Director, Jose Ortiz, is kicking off a "Senior Citizens Breakfast Club." His first guests are from the Excel Health Care Center, up High Street, but he intends to provide a place for seniors to get out of the house and meet people. He'll also be bringing kids to visit the seniors, read books to them, and benefit from role models. Overall, he wants to create a safe place and help youth to excel. He's barely jogging
One hand clutches his iPod
The other, his child
Little legs moving
Backpack bobbing up and down
Keep up with Poppy
Adelle Foley can be reached at jandafoley\@sbcglobal.net.
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