planting seeds, empowering youth

December 2012 Dear Friend of CommunityGrows: Jada, Mohamed, Alberto, and Nia are just four of the more than 1,000 youth who will participate in CommunityGrows programs this year and none of them would be served by us without the support of our generous donors. Thats because almost all of the youth we serve live in public housing in San Franciscos Western Addition, a neighborhood with pockets of deep poverty among houses of affluence. CommunityGrows provides free programming for youth ages 5-18 to cultivate healthy lifestyles and positive decision-making. We do this through our three core programs: Seed to Mouth cooking classes, Environmental Education (offered at two public elementary schools and as after-school enrichment) and BEETS (a green jobs training program for teens). As you can see, were much more than urban gardens! CommunityGrows provides essential life experiences for underserved youth from the kindergartener who tastes broccoli for the first time (and likes it!), to the 5th grader who examines a honeybee leg through a microscope, to the teen who designs and builds a raised garden bed. One such youth is Alberto, a 5th grader who started attending our programs three years ago. From the start, Alberto has challenged us due to his severe behavioral issues. We worked diligently with Alberto, encouraging him to focus during science lessons and apply himself in the classroom. He recently took his garden post-test, which includes a difficult question about the definition of photosynthesis. Not only did Alberto answer that question perfectly, he scored 100% on the test! Albertos behavior also improved significantly. We are proud that our Environmental Education program was a positive influence on this challenged young boy who increased his science knowledge and is now poised for success in middle school.

We have many stories like Albertos. In fact, more than a thousand this year alone. Each one of them illustrates the strong impact CommunityGrows is making in the lives of young people struggling with serious realities, such as household poverty, neighborhood crime and violence, and lack of employment. The good news is that we are making a difference! But we need your help if we are to continue to serve youth like Jada, Mohamed, Alberto and Nia in the coming year. Your donation of any size will bring much-needed skills and education to youth in need. Thank you so very much! Barbara L. Wenger Executive Director and Founder P.S. This past year weve compiled the best recipes from our Seed to Mouth cooking class. Donations of $100 or more received before December 31st will be given a copy of our cookbook, Kids Cookin.