It is hard to believe it, but after this week the Warwick Area Farmworkers Organization will be half way through its Dulce Esperanza Summer Enrichment Program for the 2021 Summer Session! We thought we would take a look back as we head into this week to catch you up on some events we held so far that we posted to our Facebook and Instagram accounts, but did not put up on our website just in case you might have missed it over there. The team who runs the FB and IG accounts are “insiders” as they work also as volunteers in the WAFO programs throughout the year. So this means they get you a great inside sneak peak into the WAFO programs as they happen.

Meanwhile our website and Twitter team handles the more formal press releases and things that normally are more formal in announcement nature. Every now and then though we like to make sure we synch the two sides up to make sure you are seeing everything that is going on– sometimes it is hard to believe how much happens in a week of at the WAFO programs!

WAFO FAIRY BOOK FUNDRAISER

On June 13, 2021 the WAFO held a launch party for the book Dulce Esperanza Fairies. Each of the fairies featured in the book and their families were present. Along with the fairies and their families the illustrator of the book, Angela Michaels was also present.

At the fairy book launch party there was a live reading of the book for the fairies and the other guest present. The book was read aloud by (Letica Gutierrez and Maryann Hanisch ). The fairies were so excited to see themselves in the books and stood alongside as their part of the story was read aloud.
At the launch party the kids got to have their faces painted by volunteer Katie Bendykowski and her mother. There was a scavenger hunt for the kids. The kids followed the clues of the scavenger hunt to win a prize!

At the end of the party each of the fairies got to take home their own toy fairy that were made by Claire Gableman who also made all the food for the event.
If you are interested in buying the book please check it out Dulce Esperanza Fairies here!

You can also find the book by going onto Amazon and searching for Dulce Esperanza Fairies. Purchases of the book go to our summer program and other programs we hold throughout the year.

2021 BIENESTAR SPRING PHYSED PROGRAM

In the Springtime for 8 weeks we held a Physical Educations (physed) program called Bienestar. 11 kids attended between the grades of 2nd to 5th grade. The program was run by Emma Sinkoff and Emily Welch. They worked with the kids on learning about healthy eating and staying active and healthy.

The kids followed the curriculum from “My Plate” and the kids learned about each food group. Each week the kids got to try a new healthy snack. The kids were also taught different ways to stay active, through soccer games, yoga, and jump rope games. Each week the kids prepared to run a mile around the pine island park.

The last week the kids were given t-shirts and together ran or walked a mile! The kids were able to take home their own reusable water bottles and some healthy snacks. They were all given certificates to say they completed the program.

They had so much fun and the program led right into Dulce Esperanza where the kids now continue to learn and have fun this summer.

2021 WAFO PROGRAM HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES CELEBRATION

Each year WAFO celebrates the graduation from high school of those students who participated in programs throughout their years growing up in our community and participating in our programs. Three students graduated this year (Brianna Sanchez, Giancarlo Sanchez, and Yaneli Gutierrez) and we got to hold a celebration to mark this momentous milestone in these young adults lives this past June 2021. They all have big plans for the future from nursing to accounting. Some of the students are starting college in Fall 2021. All of the agencies that have been involved in the lives of the children join in the celebration. The Alamo, Migrant Education, Migrant Headstart and many of the volunteers working with the children join WAFO for this celebration. Congratulations and best of luck with all your future endeavors– we are so proud of you all!

BACK IN THE GAME CONSIGNMENT DONATES SPORTS EQUIPMENT

This summer some of our sports equipment was donated by local sports store Back in the Game Sports Consignment based in Florida, New York. They donated a variety of sports equipment: soccer balls, birdies for badminton, footballs, and so much more. The new equipment gives the chance for the kids to learn new sports and stay active this summer. The kids have had so much fun playing with all the equipment and getting active this summer! Thank you to Back in the Game Sports Consignment for the generous donation and for your continued support!

WICKHAM WORKS FACILITATES EXCITING ART CLASSES AND PROJECTS

Over these past half year of Summer Enrichment Program sessions; local art group Wickham Works in Warwick, New York has been working every Monday and Friday with each group of students on a variety of art projects. The first week they worked with the kids to make their own screen printed t-shirts. They brought a screen print and the new WAFO logo. Each of the kids learned to screen print on their t-shirt. Each age group was able to screen print from the little ones to the oldest group. Now each of the kids has a brand new WAFO t-shirt that they can tell people they made themselves!

COBLY THE DOG LOVES READING TIME WITH THE KIDS

Cathy Heimbach continues to visit each Tuesday of our Summer Enrichment Program with Colby (her dog) to read to the children. The students take turns reading their books to Colby. They love this activity and look forward to seeing Cathy and Colby each week.

 

Thank you to all who have supported our program this past first half of the Summer Session– we greatly appreciate your continued support. If you would like to help make programs like these happen for children in need please donate whatever you can online here.

All donations go directly towards supporting our program and offsetting the costs associated with running them such as insurance, materials for projects, educational resources and materials, transportation costs associated with busing, food for breakfast and lunch in order to make sure the children have at least two nutritional meals a day, support for food and basic necessities for those families who need additional help beyond the two meals, and money to offset costs associated with buildings and grounds to allow us to hold programs in/at throughout the year. No dollar is wasted and we are fully transparent about all costs to those who want more info on them.

We also appreciate all our volunteers who so generously donate their time throughout the year at no costs. Because of these selfless individuals we can keep our program costs to a bare minimum and make sure every dollars goes directly towards helping the children of migrant farmworkers who directly benefit from the opportunities offered by our programs. We are greatly appreciative for all these people and their assistance/support. If you have not donated please consider doing so today. Once again, please donate whatever you can online here.

Finally, thank you again to all our 2021 Summer Enrichment Program Benefactor level donators for their support. You can read more about these wonderful champions of childhood educational support here.

We look forward to a successful second half of our Summer Session and have many exciting things to tell you about in the upcoming weeks as our Summer Enrichment Program heads into August 2021– be sure to subscribe to our Twitter, IG, and FB accounts (if you have not already) so you can see what we are up to this week! Amazing things are happening at Dulce Esperanza and we do not want you to miss out on it!