northwest echo

Lake Avenue Community Foundation – STARS

New STARS Program Brightens Children’s Summer

It’s just after lunch and the children in the STARS summer program are about to begin a fun-filled afternoon. Some are going swimming at the Villa-Parke Community Center while others will remain at the Lake Avenue Church and participate in various activities such as arts and crafts, sports and a musical.

In arts and crafts, the students are making little baskets for eggs out of straws and Scotch tape for an egg dropping competition. As they drop their baskets out of a second floor window, the children eagerly watch to see which eggs survive. The concrete floor below is filled with egg yolks and straws that have been scattered by the fall. A few eggs do survive to the delight of their owners. The children run up and down the stairs from the second floor to the terrace outside. The entire event is caught on camera by Program Director Anna Espinal. Afterwards, student interns hose off the floor.

Simultaneously, other children practice a dance routine inspired by the film High School Musical that is choreographed by STARS intern, Kristy Hirata. In the gym, children play dodge ball and baseball.

STARS (Students and Tutors Achieving Real Success) is a program of Lake Avenue Community Foundation, a faith-based nonprofit organization committed to transforming Pasadena/Altadena by providing programs and services for at-risk youth, low-income families and the homeless. STARS was founded in 1996 with the mission to “Provide resources and programs to the community in our neighborhood to create college bound students.” STARS accomplishes this by working with elementary school children in grades one through five. STARS’ faith-based after-school program provides academic support through homework-based tutoring, reading literacy, technology training and enrichment activities. STARS also helps families through parenting classes, counseling, support groups, nutrition education and other learning opportunities like ESL and technology classes, in addition to the summer program.

“By working with children at a young age, we can be more effective. Once they reach junior high and high school it becomes more difficult to affect a student’s identity and value system,” Espinal said.

The summer program serves children who live in Northwest Pasadena, and all faiths are welcome. The first half of the day is dedicated to educational activities and the second half to enrichment. The educational component consists of reading groups and studying subjects, including math and English on computers. The only religious aspect is one week of Bible School, where games and activities center on Bible instruction. On Fridays, there are field trips. The children have visited the Aquarium of the Pacific, La Brea Tar Pits and Camp Trask, a Boy Scout camp in Monrovia, where they enjoy swimming, canoeing and archery.

“We try to make the summer program fun and engaging,” Espinal said.

Six interns create the lesson plans and serve as teachers. The interns are from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, a worldwide college and university ministry established in the United States in 1941. They are on a mission project, which requires them to spend six weeks living in Northwest Pasadena, experiencing life as an urban youth while teaching at the STARS program. The interns are not allowed to use cell phones or Internet technology and live on a budget of $30 per week. They gain a deeper understanding of what it is like to grow up without luxuries that are inaccessible to the poor.

“I have been able to build relationships with the kids and get to a place with them where they really trust us and share about their families and home lives,” said Jessica Wong, an intern and 2006 graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles. She serves as team leader for the interns, which has been an equally inspiring experience.

“I’ve learned that leading a group of college students is challenging, but it’s also been really rewarding to see them being changed by what they’ve been learning and experiencing,” Wong said. The interns are assisted by two tutors, former STARS students who now attend Pasadena City College and three junior staff, two of whom are former STARS students.

STARS’ summer program has been a great success and a positive experience for all involved. Espinal, who has worked for STARS for six years, knows that to have a long-term impact, the work must be ongoing. She hopes that the children from the summer program will continue their learning by becoming a part of the after-school program.

In addition to STARS, Lake Avenue Community Foundation serves children and youth through Neighborhood Student Mentoring, a high school mentoring program; a prison ministry program for youth in juvenile hall; Metro Kidz, a high-energy outreach to public school campuses and city parks; a summer camp program with trips to Lone Tree Bible Ranch in Wyoming; a trip to Louisiana to rebuild homes and bring new hope and new life to the area; and a week-long summer camp for foster children called the Royal Family Kids Camp.