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Research & Development
Exploration for Family Swim & Recreation Program
Teri L. Gilmore
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COMMUNITY AGENCY SERVED:
 Braddock Family Swim & Recreation Program (BFSRP)
 Woodland Hills Aquatic Team(WHAT)
 USA Swim Make A Splash
CONTACT INFORMATION:
 Teri Gilmore Family Child Care
 412-271-3808, 412-867-6981 c
 terisblessed@outlook.com
BRADDOCK FAMILY SWIM & RECREATION PROGRAM STATED GOALS:
 To reduce youth drowning, especially among minorities;
 To lessen the barriers to participate in open swim, organized gym, music,
Movement and dance;
 To grow hearty community and schoolrelationships; and
 To promote healthy eating habits and healthy lifestyles through modeling.
 To encourage and support literacy.
SPECIFIC SWIM GOALS:
 Hold breath 7-10 seconds
 Float on back and kick out 7 feet, Float prone and kick out 7 feet,
 Jump from the side of the pool and return to the wall unassisted,
 Tread water with vertical kicking and arm movements to maintain balance and body support,
POPULATION SERVED:
 20/40 participants in Braddock Family Swim & Recreation Program
QUALIFICATIONS OR ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
 Braddock Family Resident
NEEDS MET FOR BFSRP:
 Develop swim techniques & learn water safety
 Improve strength and endurance
 Building strongerbones,muscles & flexibility
 Help prevent child/adult obesity
 Improvement in social, emotional, and physical development
 Improved family, schooland community relationships
FUNDING SOURCES FOR BFSRP:
 Donations 501(c) (3)
 Braddock Lions
 Braddock Redux
 Highmark
HUMAN SERVICE WORKERS/VOLUNTEERS:
 Health, Wellness & Fitness, Swim Instructors
 Community Outreach Specialists, Youth volunteers
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 Life Skills Instructors,Early Childhood Educator
SKILLED VOLUNTEERS;
 Teri Gilmore is Co-developer and Director of a Family Child Care Home. Teri is currently enrolled at
IUP in the Child Development and Family Relations program. Teri has an Associate in Pedology from
CCAC. During the summer Teri is employed as Supervisor of the Braddock Playgrounds Recreation
Education Program, BPREP. Teri is affiliated w/ NAEYC, PAEYC, NAFCC and Hearts on Angels
Wings. Teri is a PAEYC Board of Director and was a Let’s Move Pittsburgh panelist. Teri serves her
community as a Committee woman. Her Certifications include Pediatric First Aid w/Airway, CPR and
Fire Safety.
 T.Z. is Co-developer and The Woodland Hills Aquatics Team Program Director (WHAT). Tori has a
Masterof Health Administration w/a concentration in Health Financial Management and Planning; The
University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor in Economics; Chatham College. Her Certifications include
American Red Cross Life Guard, CPR and AED. Currently, Tori is the Assistant Coach for WHSD
Junior High and High School swim teams. Her affiliations include; membership in Allegheny Mountain
Swimming and Board of Directors for WHAT.
 Ashley,the Dance & Movement Instructor is a 2013 Duquesne University School of Law J.D. candidate,
Secretary of Women’s Law Association, and Chair of The Domestic Violence Awareness Committee.
Ashley has been an AmeriCorps youth mentor, and has worked for an orthopedic sports medicine group.
 Organized Gym Instructor Mike is a 2007 honors graduate of Haverford College and a four-year
letterman. Mike was a three-time member of the Centennial Conference All-Academic Team, and named
to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Star Team as a senior.Mike earned a Masterof Social Service
Degree from Bryn Mawr College in 2009. Mike played basketball in Kuwait and Iceland. He co-founded
DiverseCity Hoops as a means to bring together young people of diverse backgrounds through sports
and education and has had eight summers with high hopes of continued success. Currently Mike is
coaching the Junior High and High School girls’ basketball teams for the WHSD.
 Rachel is another Music and Movement instructor and provides story & craft time. She has an
undergraduate teaching Degree in Early Childhood Education; Edinboro University and is completing
her Master in Education & Curriculum at Duquesne University. Rachel is a Pre-K teacher at Edgewood
Elementary.
 Rosemary is a Food is Elementary Educator, a Natural Health Counselor and Cooking Instructor who
joined our efforts January 2012 and is funded by the Highmark grant. All food used during the Food is
Elementary class has been donated by the East End Food Co-op.
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 2 Certified Life guards; trained and certified through American Red Cross in Life Saving, First Aid and
CPR.
 4 Swim Instructors/WHAT Coaches/American Red Cross Certified in Life Saving, First Aid and CPR.
o Lauren has a Bachelor in Education; Elementary & Special Ed from Mercyhurst College and
is currently working on her Masters at Gannon University. She a Special Education Teacher
at Edgewood Elementary, the Pool Manager at Edgewood Country Club for the past 3 years,
a Swim Coach at ECC the past 6 years.
o Phyllis has a Bachelor in Nursing from Ohio State University and was a member of the varsity
swim team there.
o Kara has a Master in Education from the University of Pittsburgh. Kara is the Director of
North Hills Total Learning Center.
o Elizabeth Z. has a Bachelor in Environmental Studies & Italian from Dickinson College
where she was a member of the varsity swim team.
7 WHAT STUDENT VOLUNTEERS , GOLD CLUB MEMBERS:
 Claire, Davon, Kamau, Londale
 Malik, Riley, Sam
2 WHSD Inter Act Club volunteers help children getting off/on the buses, w/coats and in the locker rooms, set
up/break down snacks.
Bus transportation is being provided by A.J. Myers and Sons and funded by Braddock Redux.
THE BRADDOCK FAMILY SWIM & RECREATION PROGRAM
This exploration (BFSRP) began with an email on September 6, 2011 from Tori asking, “If I were available
for coffee”. This was a follow up on ideas shared during the summer, when I contracted with the Borough ofBraddock
to Supervise the Braddock Playgrounds Recreation/Education Program (BPREP). During the summer of 2011, forty
children of Braddock received swim instruction and water safety through Woodland Hills Aquatics Team (WHAT),
funded by The Lions Club, Braddock Redux and Braddock Council. Consequently Tori and I agreed to meet the next
week, September 13, 2011, at Forest Hills Coffee. Our goal; to dream, possibly plan and map out a program for the
children of Braddock. We didn’t want the swim component from the summer BPREP to stop. That next week, we met
as planned on September 13th equipped with pen and pad. Together we identified the problems we had hoped to
address in Braddock, a low income and predominately African American community.
In 2008 a USA Swimming study confirmed 70% of African-American children have little or no swimming
ability and are 2.6 times more likely to drown (Swimming, 2010). And due to inaccessibility, minority families do not
participate in as much swim and organized physical activities, compared to otherraces (Swimming, 2010, p. 24). We
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found that fact true and especially during the colder months in a community like Braddock. The value of physical
activity is fundamental to leading a healthy lifestyle ( American Dietetic Association,2003). According to the Centers
for Disease Control, approximately 17%, (12.5 million), of children and adolescents ages 2-19 are obese. Obesity
increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and some cancers ( Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2011). Based on the above statistics we identified African American children’s inability to swim and
consequently, their high drowning rate as the number one problem to address. Secondly we identified the lack of
opportunity for physical exercise within the Borough coupled with unhealthy eating and the risk of diabetes.Thirdly
we recognized the Woodland Hills School District was not affecting a positive impact with the residents of Braddock.
I expressed how elated I felt during the summer, when the children from the Playgrounds program were goin g into a
District school for a positive experience. They were in the building for swim, not homework, not detention and
definitely not Saturday school. They weren’t going to hear someone tell them their homework was wrong, or they
were late to class and stop running, sit in your chair and etc.
Next we outlined the objectives of the yet named program based on the problems identified. The (BFSRP)
objectives are; (1) To reduce youth drowning, especially among minorities through learning water safety and
developing swim techniques; (2) To lessen the barriers of entry to participate in open swim, organized gym, music
and movement and dance to build stronger bones, muscles & flexibility. While improving strength, endurance and
physical development we will promote cooperation and encourage creative expression among participants ; (3) To
grow healthy community and schoolrelationships through usefulcollaboration between school and community which
promotes learning, helps to improve family & community to schoolrelationships while also improving the social and
emotional development of participating children (University of Nebraska- Lincoln, 2004).; (4) To promote healthy
eating habits and healthy lifestyles through modeling with the goal of preventing child & adult obesity with all the
associated complications.
Immediately after our meeting I went to the Borough Building and to the Mayor John’s house to rally some
supporters.The Borough agreed to continued use ofthe copier and the secretary agreed to be a second point of contact
for families to obtain and/orreturn their applications! Mayor John agreed to fund the transportation and some healthy
snacks through his Non-Profit Organization Braddock Redux! Tori went to the WHSD Administration building to
submit a permit for use of the Junior High school on Evans Street.
We continued to phone, email and meet from September 14th-20th to bring our thoughts and ideas together.
Finally we had a program on paper and thought of a program name; The Braddock Family Swim and Recreation
Program, BFSRP. We decided the program should meet every other Thursday from 5:30pm–7:30pm at the Junior
High. On September 20th we emailed colleagues, family and friends asking for any form of support; time, snacks,
supplies, transportation and, etc. To our surprise Ms. Ashley emailed, expressing her “willingness to support the
program and the children of Braddock with music, dance and movement”. Ms. Ashley was Braddock Playground’s
summer 2011 AmeriCorps Service Member. She is a Duquesne University Law student; 2013 J.D. candidate! And I
received an email from Mr. Mike stating, “I would be honored to join your team.” Mr. Mike is Co-founder of
DiverseCity Hoops Summer Basketball Camp which brings young people ofdiverse backgrounds togetherin an effort
to educate them through sports. During the summer thirty of Braddock’s 5th through 8th graders attended the
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DiverseCity Hoops summer Camp at the WHSD High School. Tori of course encouraged the Woodland Hills Aquatic
Team (WHAT) staff to come aboard!
On September 29, 2011 again Tori and I met at Drew’s Family restaurant, where we saw my friend, Mr.
Ernie Dettore Ed.D. Mr. Ernie is a University of Pittsburgh, Office of Child Development Play Specialist. Mr. Ernie
was already cheering us on, as I had already told him about the project. He emailed Michele of Heritage Community
Initiatives and suggested we meet to explore the potential for collaboration. Mr. Ernie agreed to get the word out to
his friends and colleagues in an attempt to help us gain support! September 30th -October 13th Tori and I continued to
phone and email our ideas as we outline the program timeline.
On September 30th I received an email from Michele of Heritage Community Initiatives. She invited Tori
and I to meet with her to discuss the program’s development. After everyone checked their calendar we agreed to meet
the 18th of October.
From October 13th-18th I emailed and held telephone conversations with Tori about; the volunteers,busing,
location and time and finalizing program decisions.I also telephoned Ms.Ashley to finalize the music, movement and
dance component of the program and to get a list of equipment needed or expected to use. She agreed to download
the music and bring the audio equipment needed. I also informed her of the anticipated format for the program. Mayor
John and I talked to confirm the estimated number of buses and the expected cost based on the summer rates, as well
as the method and intervals of payment.
Meanwhile on October 14, Tori and I met Mr. Mike in the Athletic office of the WHSD High school. We
finalized the organized gym component and informed him of the anticipated format for the program. He gave a list of
equipment he would bring to support the gymactivities planned; Balance, eye to hand coordination,group cooperation,
strengthening and endurance. We were all excited for the fun the children were expected to have.
On October 18th we met with Michele of Heritage Community Initiatives. She encouraged us to seek an
agency or organization to act as a Fiscal for the BFSRP since we were not a Non-profit but rather a Grassroots
organization. Michele agreed to pass along our flyer and info to Braddock families through Heritage Community
Initiative’s many various programs. She also gave us a contact that had the ability to prepare and deliver snacks for
Afterschoolprograms. She thought,since The BFSRP operated during after schoolhours maybe we fit the criteria of
an Afterschool program.
Later that same day, after meeting with Michele, we sat down at Tori’s house to build the flyer. We created
what we thought was a great flyer until; I opened an email from Ms. Ashley and saw what she had comprised. Ms.
Ashley created a flyer with colorful graphics, something we could not do. As a result we joined both concepts into
one great announcement/flyer. Once the flyer was finalized, we forwarded it to Lauren the Borough Secretary. She
printed 100 color flyers for distribution.
I am the only skilled volunteer from Braddock during the first year of programming. Therefore I was the first
point of contact for families. But I did not know a lot of families living in the bottomhalf of Braddock because I live
on the upper top half of the Borough and I was not born nor raised in Braddock. So my next plan of action involved
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getting the flyers into the hands ofpeople who had daily contact with the children and families. As a result some flyers
were placed in the Borough Building, posted at the library, posted in businesses, emailed to Mayor John to post on
Braddock’s website, and handed out by crossing guards and myself at various bus stops. We also snail mailed flyers
to the participants of the BPREP swim program.
On October 20th I phoned the Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) recommended by Michele to
negotiate the preparation and deliverance of snacks. When I talked with the woman, she explained the need to charge
a per snack fee since we were neither an official Afterschool program nor a Non-profit. She shared their menu and
unfortunately Tori and I agreed the snacks would not be exactly what we had planned for content and portion size.
Subsequently we decided snacks purchased at Costco or Sam’s club would better meet our health standard;
unprocessed fresh food and ingredients.
Throughout this time I made several attempts to contact Shannon,of A.J. Myers and Sons bus Company by
telephone. Shannon and I had previously negotiated bus rates during the summer for the Braddock Playgrounds
Recreation/Education Program (BPREP) and they were great. My hope was for the same low rates if not lower. My
subsequent contact with A.J. Myers was through a note given to a Bus driver (Sept.13), and by mail (Sept.29) with a
copy of the flyer and again by phone (Sept 18 & Oct. 31). It took some time getting in touch with Shannon. Due to a
death in his family, he had been off! Nevertheless he telephoned me and agreed to provide transportation at an even
more slightly reduced rate than the summer!
In addition, Tori’s husband,an employee of Highmark, applied for a Community Grant through his employer
to help with funding. The Highmark Community Grant helped us purchase snacks,paperproducts and Christmas gifts
for all the wonderful folk who jumped right in with all they had to support this vision!
So now that everyone was on board, the format developed and, the flyers posted, passed out, emailed and
snail mailed by the USPS, it was waiting time. Time to wait for a response from the community! All throughout the
process of planning and waiting Tori and I would wonder if what we were doing was right for the community. And
every time we were in doubt some aspect of the plan would just fall into place. We often laughed and cried as we
referred to ourselves as “Two wives doing something we’ve never done before.”
We scheduled the dates starting Thursday October 27th and continued through with the following 1st and 2nd
Thursdays of every month; November 3&17, December 1&15, January 5&19, February 2&16, March 1 & 15, April
5 & 19 and May 3 & 17th.
Thursday October 27, 2011, The Braddock Family Swim and Recreation Program, (BFSRP) kicked off. I
parked on Braddock Avenue so I could meet the bus and ride with the families. At 5:00pm the first bus arrived at the
Braddock Avenue Playground.Then the bus proceeds to the Washington Street Playground, the Borough building and
the Camp Avenue Playground is the last stop before arriving at the Junior High. I always step off the bus,to personally
greet participants as they board! On Thursday, October 27 we had 10 participants and 3 guardians. All participants
were excited to get on the bus. Unfortunately I had to turn away three females who did not have permission slips.
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The ride from Braddock to the Jr. High, which is located in Swissvale, takes 10-15 minutes. As we were
traveling the children were joyously laughing and talking to one another. Finally, we arrived on Evans Street where
the schoolis situated at the end of the block. As the bus approached the parking lot, the building seemed to rise before
our eyes because it is erected on a down slope. The closer we got the more cars we could see in the parking lot. When
we finally arrived and were parked in front of the building, the volunteer staff came out to greet the bus with wide
smiles and welcome the families with warm hugs. It was great!!! I was so overwhelmed as a result of all the cars in
the parking lot. There were 3 families which drove and that brought the total number in attendance to 17! We had 20
attendees on November 03 and 15 on November 17, 2011.
Typically when we first arrive, at the Junior High school, everyone gathers in the gym. After we take
attendance the children are divided into 2-3 groups by age depending on the numbers. The younger children, generally
4-10years, have swim instruction first. The remaining groups/ participants 11years and up are divided into two groups
according to their desire for dance, music and movement or organized gym. After 30 minutes the dance and gym
groups have snack while the swim group enters free swim. Then all the groups rotate places and the swim group has
snack. Some of the older girls have elected on occasion to remain in dance twice and that has been permitted. We have
welcomed the adults to join in during free swim and to help where there is a need. We have donated suits and towels
on hand if needed.
The music movement and dance component branched into a weekly program. Ms. Ashley met the group of
8-10 at Braddock Redux/Nyiah Paige Community Center every Wednesday at 6:00pm. There was an Autistic child
whom Ms. Ashley compassionately worked with that came to practice regularly. MayorJohn donated the use of space
at the center free from cost.The group was diligent with practice and presented several pieces in a community talent
showcase. Dance as an art form promotes social and emotional development, encourages community engagement,
and ensures impartial opportunity for all genders and ages and abilities; of which encourages academic achievement.
Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill.
Arts learning can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork (The George Lucas Educational
Foundation; Edutopia). Unfortunately, this year Ms. Ashley is extremely busy with work and Law school. However,
she looks forward to rejoining our efforts.
Initially our snacks were bagels with crème cheese and fruit; bananas,oranges,apples, with yogurt, and milk
or juice. Subsequently on October 12, 2011 while a panelist for the “Let’s Move Pittsburgh Symposium”, I met
Rosemary. She is a certified “Food is Elementary Educator”, a Natural Health Counselor and Cooking Instructor.
Rosemary introduced herself and immediately explained her “Food is Elementary” cooking experience to me. She
expressed her eagerness to work with the children in the program. We exchanged email and telephone numbers and
agreed to communicate over the next months, planning several “Food is Elementary” cooking experiences. After
finalizing plans with Rosemary, I contacted Mayor John to schedule use of the Nyiah Paige Community Center
kitchen. Mayor John graciously agreed to use of the facilities without cost. I booked the dates with the building
Supervisor and on January 19, 2012 Rosemary joined our efforts. Thanks to some funding of the Highmark grant
remaining and funding from Braddock Redux we had several “Food is Elementary” cooking experiences . All food
used during the “Food is Elementary” experience was donated by the East End Food Co-op. During the experience,
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Rosemary educated the children on the importance of reading ingredient labels. She taught, “Any ingredient listed
after the 3rd ingredient has less and less nutritional value! Wow! We learned why and how to pick fresh fruits and
vegetables. The children prepared themed meals like, “Soul Stew”, made with ingredients traditional to the African
American culture. They learned “Black eyed peas originated from Africa” and identified the continent, the USA and
Georgia on a map (Traill, 2012). While the stew was cooking, Rosemary and the children alternated reading aloud,
Martin Luther King Day by Janet McDonnell. Eventually the cooking experiences integrated the teenagers prepping,
cooking and serving a full course healthy meal. Unfortunately we no longer have funds available to cover the cost of
Rosemary’s “Food is Elementary” cooking experiences. Nevertheless we have continued to cook with the children.
We’ve made salad and our version of Stone Soup with each child bringing an ingredient from home to contribute to
the soup.
Since the first cooking experience we have developed a literacy component. The goal to encourage literacy
was influenced by the children’s expressed excitement when Rosemary came with her books and their eagerness to
read aloud during every “Food is Elementary” cooking experience. Ms. Rachel a Pre-K teacher at Edgewood
Elementary provides the literacy experience when she is available. And when all else fails I read books from my
library. As an Early Childhood Educator, I know reading to and with children is beneficial to language and cognitive
development. According to the PA Learning Standards reading to children helps in building vocabulary which aids in
the development of communication skills (OCDEL, 2009). We have not tracked the academic progress ofthe children
because that is not our focus or goal. Nevertheless we are informed by the children and parents of their academic
standing when report cards are distributed and promotion to the next grade is official at the end of the academic school
year.
The Braddock Family Swim and Recreation Program concur with the academic school year. To help the
children transition from the BFSRP and the school year, on May 17, 2011 we had a cookout on the Camp Avenue
Playground. The children enjoyed chicken hotdogs, cheese, fruit salad, yogurt, granola bars, apple juice and water.
We cleaned in and outside the playground and planted annual and perennials near the entrance of the playground. The
children living the closest to the playground vowed to water the plants regularly when they came to the Braddock
Playground Recreation/Education Program (BPREP). BPREP operates June thru August while the children are out of
schooland most children in the Borough are not enrolled in an organized program. And at that time the BFSRP again
returns underthe umbrella from where it was birthed! Starting June 27, 2012 through August 1, 2012 the children of
Braddock had twice weekly swim instruction, prearranged by Tori and I.
On Friday, October 5, 2012 The Braddock Family Swim and Recreation Program (BFSRP) entered its 2nd
year of programming. We changed the meeting day from Thursday to Wednesday. Tori and I met several times to
plan and map out the program. The WHSD has O.K.’d the application for use of the Junior High schooland Braddock
Redux gave the, “ok”, to use the community center. We mailed flyers to The Braddock Family Swim and Recreation
Program, (BFSRP) participants from last year along with children who participated in the 2012 BPREP during the
summer. The BFSRP officially kicked off Wednesday, October 10, 2012 at the Junior High pool. On the second
Wednesday of every month, we met at the Junior High for swim and tennis instruction. This year tennis was added
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thanks to USA Tennis’ donation of racquets and balls. The fourth Wednesday the Braddock Family Swim and
Recreation Program, (BFSRP) met at the Nyiah Paige Community Center in Braddock for cooking, reading, group
games and activities. On May 8, 2013 the BFSRP held its last session of the season.And again just as last year The
Braddock Family Swim and Recreation Program, (BFSRP) returns under the umbrella of the Braddock Playgrounds
Recreation/Education Program.
I am the Director of the BFSRP, which entered its 3rd year on Wednesday September 25, 2013. Most often I
communicate with participants with reminder text messages the week before, the Monday before, and the day of the
program. On program days, I keep attendance, monitor the time and I assist the groups when moving from one area
to another. I’ve continued to network with agencies,organizations and individuals with the goal to further develop the
program. While attending the 2013 Let’s Move Pittsburgh Symposium I met a representative of Kayak Pittsburgh,a
project of Venture Pittsburgh, who is eager to introduce Kayaking to our program.
Tori continues to supervise the WHAT volunteerstaff and WHAT student volunteers as well as maintaining
the pool. She shops for the program and lovingly bakes cookies and muffins for us using healthy ingredients. Tori
continues to produces all flyers and postcards on her computer.
The major results of the first year, 2011 were; 75% of enrolled families attended regularly. All enrolled
children and parents/guardians learned water safety. Ten children learned various swim techniques such as jumping
into the pool and returning safely to the side of the pool unassisted.Four parents expressed an interest in learning to
swim. The children are bonding with one another and the volunteers while strengthening community and school
relationships.Parents/guardians acknowledged improved social skills and improved confidence in their children. They
also noticed their children were more active compared to previous winters. One parent noticed her children were
sleeping earlier and uninterrupted through the night on program nights!All parents/guardians mentioned a noticeable
difference in the children’s snacking. I recognized a steady decline in children boarding the bus with unhealthy corner
store snacks.
Tori and I agree this program ultimately should be housed within the Borough of Braddock and only bused
out for swimming and various other activities! With that in mind we are documenting as we develop the BFSRP in
order to present the program to the Braddock Borough Council as a model for future consideration and funding. So
prayerfully we’ll continue as two wives doing something neither has ever done before. And we’ll remain the newest
Social Entrepreneurs offering direct and organized support to the children and families of Braddock in an effort to
promotes Social and cultural reform (Bornstein, 2007)!
COMMUNITY SERVICE LOG
 September 6, 2011, emailing .30hr
 September 13, 2011, Forest Hills Coffee to dream, plan and map out the program 3hrs
 Networking at the Borough Building and the Mayor’s house 1hr
 September 14-20, emailing and phone calls 3hrs
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 September 20, 2011, emailing to colleagues and friends 3/4hr
 September 29, 2011 Drew’s Family Restaurant; talked with Mr. Ernie 3hrs
 September 30-October 13, phone/email w/Tori 6hrs
 October 14, Tori, Mike and myself; finalize organized gym 2hrs
 October 13-18, phone/email w/Tori, Ashley, Mayor John 2.5hrs
 October 18th, met with Michele of Heritage Community Initiatives 2hrs
 October 18, building the flyer 1.5hrs
 October 19-21, distributing flyers 3hrs
 October 20, telephoned a CACFP 1hr
 A.J. Myers by:
o Note through a driver (Sept.13),
o Mail (Sept.29) w/a copy of the flyer
o Telephone (Sept 18 & Oct. 31). 1 ¼ hrs
 October 25, attendance telephone calls & emailing Tori 1.5hrs
 October 27, phone/email with Tori and staff 2hrs
 October 27, 2011 at 5:00pm the first bus to the BFSRP! 3 1/2hrs
 November 03, the BFSRP. 3hrs
 November 17, the BFSRP. 3hrs
 December 1, the BFSRP. 3hrs
 Total Community Service hours 46.5
I enjoy knowing the children will have the opportunity to learn to swim and to keep moving. I am honored to have
played a role in forming this program and I look forward to further opportunities for Research and Development
toward sustaining underserved children, families, and communities.

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Gilmore Exploration for Family Swim & Recreation Program

  • 1. 1 Research & Development Exploration for Family Swim & Recreation Program Teri L. Gilmore
  • 2. 2 Research & Development COMMUNITY AGENCY SERVED:  Braddock Family Swim & Recreation Program (BFSRP)  Woodland Hills Aquatic Team(WHAT)  USA Swim Make A Splash CONTACT INFORMATION:  Teri Gilmore Family Child Care  412-271-3808, 412-867-6981 c  terisblessed@outlook.com BRADDOCK FAMILY SWIM & RECREATION PROGRAM STATED GOALS:  To reduce youth drowning, especially among minorities;  To lessen the barriers to participate in open swim, organized gym, music, Movement and dance;  To grow hearty community and schoolrelationships; and  To promote healthy eating habits and healthy lifestyles through modeling.  To encourage and support literacy. SPECIFIC SWIM GOALS:  Hold breath 7-10 seconds  Float on back and kick out 7 feet, Float prone and kick out 7 feet,  Jump from the side of the pool and return to the wall unassisted,  Tread water with vertical kicking and arm movements to maintain balance and body support, POPULATION SERVED:  20/40 participants in Braddock Family Swim & Recreation Program QUALIFICATIONS OR ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:  Braddock Family Resident NEEDS MET FOR BFSRP:  Develop swim techniques & learn water safety  Improve strength and endurance  Building strongerbones,muscles & flexibility  Help prevent child/adult obesity  Improvement in social, emotional, and physical development  Improved family, schooland community relationships FUNDING SOURCES FOR BFSRP:  Donations 501(c) (3)  Braddock Lions  Braddock Redux  Highmark HUMAN SERVICE WORKERS/VOLUNTEERS:  Health, Wellness & Fitness, Swim Instructors  Community Outreach Specialists, Youth volunteers
  • 3. 3 Research & Development  Life Skills Instructors,Early Childhood Educator SKILLED VOLUNTEERS;  Teri Gilmore is Co-developer and Director of a Family Child Care Home. Teri is currently enrolled at IUP in the Child Development and Family Relations program. Teri has an Associate in Pedology from CCAC. During the summer Teri is employed as Supervisor of the Braddock Playgrounds Recreation Education Program, BPREP. Teri is affiliated w/ NAEYC, PAEYC, NAFCC and Hearts on Angels Wings. Teri is a PAEYC Board of Director and was a Let’s Move Pittsburgh panelist. Teri serves her community as a Committee woman. Her Certifications include Pediatric First Aid w/Airway, CPR and Fire Safety.  T.Z. is Co-developer and The Woodland Hills Aquatics Team Program Director (WHAT). Tori has a Masterof Health Administration w/a concentration in Health Financial Management and Planning; The University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor in Economics; Chatham College. Her Certifications include American Red Cross Life Guard, CPR and AED. Currently, Tori is the Assistant Coach for WHSD Junior High and High School swim teams. Her affiliations include; membership in Allegheny Mountain Swimming and Board of Directors for WHAT.  Ashley,the Dance & Movement Instructor is a 2013 Duquesne University School of Law J.D. candidate, Secretary of Women’s Law Association, and Chair of The Domestic Violence Awareness Committee. Ashley has been an AmeriCorps youth mentor, and has worked for an orthopedic sports medicine group.  Organized Gym Instructor Mike is a 2007 honors graduate of Haverford College and a four-year letterman. Mike was a three-time member of the Centennial Conference All-Academic Team, and named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Star Team as a senior.Mike earned a Masterof Social Service Degree from Bryn Mawr College in 2009. Mike played basketball in Kuwait and Iceland. He co-founded DiverseCity Hoops as a means to bring together young people of diverse backgrounds through sports and education and has had eight summers with high hopes of continued success. Currently Mike is coaching the Junior High and High School girls’ basketball teams for the WHSD.  Rachel is another Music and Movement instructor and provides story & craft time. She has an undergraduate teaching Degree in Early Childhood Education; Edinboro University and is completing her Master in Education & Curriculum at Duquesne University. Rachel is a Pre-K teacher at Edgewood Elementary.  Rosemary is a Food is Elementary Educator, a Natural Health Counselor and Cooking Instructor who joined our efforts January 2012 and is funded by the Highmark grant. All food used during the Food is Elementary class has been donated by the East End Food Co-op.
  • 4. 4 Research & Development  2 Certified Life guards; trained and certified through American Red Cross in Life Saving, First Aid and CPR.  4 Swim Instructors/WHAT Coaches/American Red Cross Certified in Life Saving, First Aid and CPR. o Lauren has a Bachelor in Education; Elementary & Special Ed from Mercyhurst College and is currently working on her Masters at Gannon University. She a Special Education Teacher at Edgewood Elementary, the Pool Manager at Edgewood Country Club for the past 3 years, a Swim Coach at ECC the past 6 years. o Phyllis has a Bachelor in Nursing from Ohio State University and was a member of the varsity swim team there. o Kara has a Master in Education from the University of Pittsburgh. Kara is the Director of North Hills Total Learning Center. o Elizabeth Z. has a Bachelor in Environmental Studies & Italian from Dickinson College where she was a member of the varsity swim team. 7 WHAT STUDENT VOLUNTEERS , GOLD CLUB MEMBERS:  Claire, Davon, Kamau, Londale  Malik, Riley, Sam 2 WHSD Inter Act Club volunteers help children getting off/on the buses, w/coats and in the locker rooms, set up/break down snacks. Bus transportation is being provided by A.J. Myers and Sons and funded by Braddock Redux. THE BRADDOCK FAMILY SWIM & RECREATION PROGRAM This exploration (BFSRP) began with an email on September 6, 2011 from Tori asking, “If I were available for coffee”. This was a follow up on ideas shared during the summer, when I contracted with the Borough ofBraddock to Supervise the Braddock Playgrounds Recreation/Education Program (BPREP). During the summer of 2011, forty children of Braddock received swim instruction and water safety through Woodland Hills Aquatics Team (WHAT), funded by The Lions Club, Braddock Redux and Braddock Council. Consequently Tori and I agreed to meet the next week, September 13, 2011, at Forest Hills Coffee. Our goal; to dream, possibly plan and map out a program for the children of Braddock. We didn’t want the swim component from the summer BPREP to stop. That next week, we met as planned on September 13th equipped with pen and pad. Together we identified the problems we had hoped to address in Braddock, a low income and predominately African American community. In 2008 a USA Swimming study confirmed 70% of African-American children have little or no swimming ability and are 2.6 times more likely to drown (Swimming, 2010). And due to inaccessibility, minority families do not participate in as much swim and organized physical activities, compared to otherraces (Swimming, 2010, p. 24). We
  • 5. 5 Research & Development found that fact true and especially during the colder months in a community like Braddock. The value of physical activity is fundamental to leading a healthy lifestyle ( American Dietetic Association,2003). According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 17%, (12.5 million), of children and adolescents ages 2-19 are obese. Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and some cancers ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). Based on the above statistics we identified African American children’s inability to swim and consequently, their high drowning rate as the number one problem to address. Secondly we identified the lack of opportunity for physical exercise within the Borough coupled with unhealthy eating and the risk of diabetes.Thirdly we recognized the Woodland Hills School District was not affecting a positive impact with the residents of Braddock. I expressed how elated I felt during the summer, when the children from the Playgrounds program were goin g into a District school for a positive experience. They were in the building for swim, not homework, not detention and definitely not Saturday school. They weren’t going to hear someone tell them their homework was wrong, or they were late to class and stop running, sit in your chair and etc. Next we outlined the objectives of the yet named program based on the problems identified. The (BFSRP) objectives are; (1) To reduce youth drowning, especially among minorities through learning water safety and developing swim techniques; (2) To lessen the barriers of entry to participate in open swim, organized gym, music and movement and dance to build stronger bones, muscles & flexibility. While improving strength, endurance and physical development we will promote cooperation and encourage creative expression among participants ; (3) To grow healthy community and schoolrelationships through usefulcollaboration between school and community which promotes learning, helps to improve family & community to schoolrelationships while also improving the social and emotional development of participating children (University of Nebraska- Lincoln, 2004).; (4) To promote healthy eating habits and healthy lifestyles through modeling with the goal of preventing child & adult obesity with all the associated complications. Immediately after our meeting I went to the Borough Building and to the Mayor John’s house to rally some supporters.The Borough agreed to continued use ofthe copier and the secretary agreed to be a second point of contact for families to obtain and/orreturn their applications! Mayor John agreed to fund the transportation and some healthy snacks through his Non-Profit Organization Braddock Redux! Tori went to the WHSD Administration building to submit a permit for use of the Junior High school on Evans Street. We continued to phone, email and meet from September 14th-20th to bring our thoughts and ideas together. Finally we had a program on paper and thought of a program name; The Braddock Family Swim and Recreation Program, BFSRP. We decided the program should meet every other Thursday from 5:30pm–7:30pm at the Junior High. On September 20th we emailed colleagues, family and friends asking for any form of support; time, snacks, supplies, transportation and, etc. To our surprise Ms. Ashley emailed, expressing her “willingness to support the program and the children of Braddock with music, dance and movement”. Ms. Ashley was Braddock Playground’s summer 2011 AmeriCorps Service Member. She is a Duquesne University Law student; 2013 J.D. candidate! And I received an email from Mr. Mike stating, “I would be honored to join your team.” Mr. Mike is Co-founder of DiverseCity Hoops Summer Basketball Camp which brings young people ofdiverse backgrounds togetherin an effort to educate them through sports. During the summer thirty of Braddock’s 5th through 8th graders attended the
  • 6. 6 Research & Development DiverseCity Hoops summer Camp at the WHSD High School. Tori of course encouraged the Woodland Hills Aquatic Team (WHAT) staff to come aboard! On September 29, 2011 again Tori and I met at Drew’s Family restaurant, where we saw my friend, Mr. Ernie Dettore Ed.D. Mr. Ernie is a University of Pittsburgh, Office of Child Development Play Specialist. Mr. Ernie was already cheering us on, as I had already told him about the project. He emailed Michele of Heritage Community Initiatives and suggested we meet to explore the potential for collaboration. Mr. Ernie agreed to get the word out to his friends and colleagues in an attempt to help us gain support! September 30th -October 13th Tori and I continued to phone and email our ideas as we outline the program timeline. On September 30th I received an email from Michele of Heritage Community Initiatives. She invited Tori and I to meet with her to discuss the program’s development. After everyone checked their calendar we agreed to meet the 18th of October. From October 13th-18th I emailed and held telephone conversations with Tori about; the volunteers,busing, location and time and finalizing program decisions.I also telephoned Ms.Ashley to finalize the music, movement and dance component of the program and to get a list of equipment needed or expected to use. She agreed to download the music and bring the audio equipment needed. I also informed her of the anticipated format for the program. Mayor John and I talked to confirm the estimated number of buses and the expected cost based on the summer rates, as well as the method and intervals of payment. Meanwhile on October 14, Tori and I met Mr. Mike in the Athletic office of the WHSD High school. We finalized the organized gym component and informed him of the anticipated format for the program. He gave a list of equipment he would bring to support the gymactivities planned; Balance, eye to hand coordination,group cooperation, strengthening and endurance. We were all excited for the fun the children were expected to have. On October 18th we met with Michele of Heritage Community Initiatives. She encouraged us to seek an agency or organization to act as a Fiscal for the BFSRP since we were not a Non-profit but rather a Grassroots organization. Michele agreed to pass along our flyer and info to Braddock families through Heritage Community Initiative’s many various programs. She also gave us a contact that had the ability to prepare and deliver snacks for Afterschoolprograms. She thought,since The BFSRP operated during after schoolhours maybe we fit the criteria of an Afterschool program. Later that same day, after meeting with Michele, we sat down at Tori’s house to build the flyer. We created what we thought was a great flyer until; I opened an email from Ms. Ashley and saw what she had comprised. Ms. Ashley created a flyer with colorful graphics, something we could not do. As a result we joined both concepts into one great announcement/flyer. Once the flyer was finalized, we forwarded it to Lauren the Borough Secretary. She printed 100 color flyers for distribution. I am the only skilled volunteer from Braddock during the first year of programming. Therefore I was the first point of contact for families. But I did not know a lot of families living in the bottomhalf of Braddock because I live on the upper top half of the Borough and I was not born nor raised in Braddock. So my next plan of action involved
  • 7. 7 Research & Development getting the flyers into the hands ofpeople who had daily contact with the children and families. As a result some flyers were placed in the Borough Building, posted at the library, posted in businesses, emailed to Mayor John to post on Braddock’s website, and handed out by crossing guards and myself at various bus stops. We also snail mailed flyers to the participants of the BPREP swim program. On October 20th I phoned the Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) recommended by Michele to negotiate the preparation and deliverance of snacks. When I talked with the woman, she explained the need to charge a per snack fee since we were neither an official Afterschool program nor a Non-profit. She shared their menu and unfortunately Tori and I agreed the snacks would not be exactly what we had planned for content and portion size. Subsequently we decided snacks purchased at Costco or Sam’s club would better meet our health standard; unprocessed fresh food and ingredients. Throughout this time I made several attempts to contact Shannon,of A.J. Myers and Sons bus Company by telephone. Shannon and I had previously negotiated bus rates during the summer for the Braddock Playgrounds Recreation/Education Program (BPREP) and they were great. My hope was for the same low rates if not lower. My subsequent contact with A.J. Myers was through a note given to a Bus driver (Sept.13), and by mail (Sept.29) with a copy of the flyer and again by phone (Sept 18 & Oct. 31). It took some time getting in touch with Shannon. Due to a death in his family, he had been off! Nevertheless he telephoned me and agreed to provide transportation at an even more slightly reduced rate than the summer! In addition, Tori’s husband,an employee of Highmark, applied for a Community Grant through his employer to help with funding. The Highmark Community Grant helped us purchase snacks,paperproducts and Christmas gifts for all the wonderful folk who jumped right in with all they had to support this vision! So now that everyone was on board, the format developed and, the flyers posted, passed out, emailed and snail mailed by the USPS, it was waiting time. Time to wait for a response from the community! All throughout the process of planning and waiting Tori and I would wonder if what we were doing was right for the community. And every time we were in doubt some aspect of the plan would just fall into place. We often laughed and cried as we referred to ourselves as “Two wives doing something we’ve never done before.” We scheduled the dates starting Thursday October 27th and continued through with the following 1st and 2nd Thursdays of every month; November 3&17, December 1&15, January 5&19, February 2&16, March 1 & 15, April 5 & 19 and May 3 & 17th. Thursday October 27, 2011, The Braddock Family Swim and Recreation Program, (BFSRP) kicked off. I parked on Braddock Avenue so I could meet the bus and ride with the families. At 5:00pm the first bus arrived at the Braddock Avenue Playground.Then the bus proceeds to the Washington Street Playground, the Borough building and the Camp Avenue Playground is the last stop before arriving at the Junior High. I always step off the bus,to personally greet participants as they board! On Thursday, October 27 we had 10 participants and 3 guardians. All participants were excited to get on the bus. Unfortunately I had to turn away three females who did not have permission slips.
  • 8. 8 Research & Development The ride from Braddock to the Jr. High, which is located in Swissvale, takes 10-15 minutes. As we were traveling the children were joyously laughing and talking to one another. Finally, we arrived on Evans Street where the schoolis situated at the end of the block. As the bus approached the parking lot, the building seemed to rise before our eyes because it is erected on a down slope. The closer we got the more cars we could see in the parking lot. When we finally arrived and were parked in front of the building, the volunteer staff came out to greet the bus with wide smiles and welcome the families with warm hugs. It was great!!! I was so overwhelmed as a result of all the cars in the parking lot. There were 3 families which drove and that brought the total number in attendance to 17! We had 20 attendees on November 03 and 15 on November 17, 2011. Typically when we first arrive, at the Junior High school, everyone gathers in the gym. After we take attendance the children are divided into 2-3 groups by age depending on the numbers. The younger children, generally 4-10years, have swim instruction first. The remaining groups/ participants 11years and up are divided into two groups according to their desire for dance, music and movement or organized gym. After 30 minutes the dance and gym groups have snack while the swim group enters free swim. Then all the groups rotate places and the swim group has snack. Some of the older girls have elected on occasion to remain in dance twice and that has been permitted. We have welcomed the adults to join in during free swim and to help where there is a need. We have donated suits and towels on hand if needed. The music movement and dance component branched into a weekly program. Ms. Ashley met the group of 8-10 at Braddock Redux/Nyiah Paige Community Center every Wednesday at 6:00pm. There was an Autistic child whom Ms. Ashley compassionately worked with that came to practice regularly. MayorJohn donated the use of space at the center free from cost.The group was diligent with practice and presented several pieces in a community talent showcase. Dance as an art form promotes social and emotional development, encourages community engagement, and ensures impartial opportunity for all genders and ages and abilities; of which encourages academic achievement. Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill. Arts learning can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork (The George Lucas Educational Foundation; Edutopia). Unfortunately, this year Ms. Ashley is extremely busy with work and Law school. However, she looks forward to rejoining our efforts. Initially our snacks were bagels with crème cheese and fruit; bananas,oranges,apples, with yogurt, and milk or juice. Subsequently on October 12, 2011 while a panelist for the “Let’s Move Pittsburgh Symposium”, I met Rosemary. She is a certified “Food is Elementary Educator”, a Natural Health Counselor and Cooking Instructor. Rosemary introduced herself and immediately explained her “Food is Elementary” cooking experience to me. She expressed her eagerness to work with the children in the program. We exchanged email and telephone numbers and agreed to communicate over the next months, planning several “Food is Elementary” cooking experiences. After finalizing plans with Rosemary, I contacted Mayor John to schedule use of the Nyiah Paige Community Center kitchen. Mayor John graciously agreed to use of the facilities without cost. I booked the dates with the building Supervisor and on January 19, 2012 Rosemary joined our efforts. Thanks to some funding of the Highmark grant remaining and funding from Braddock Redux we had several “Food is Elementary” cooking experiences . All food used during the “Food is Elementary” experience was donated by the East End Food Co-op. During the experience,
  • 9. 9 Research & Development Rosemary educated the children on the importance of reading ingredient labels. She taught, “Any ingredient listed after the 3rd ingredient has less and less nutritional value! Wow! We learned why and how to pick fresh fruits and vegetables. The children prepared themed meals like, “Soul Stew”, made with ingredients traditional to the African American culture. They learned “Black eyed peas originated from Africa” and identified the continent, the USA and Georgia on a map (Traill, 2012). While the stew was cooking, Rosemary and the children alternated reading aloud, Martin Luther King Day by Janet McDonnell. Eventually the cooking experiences integrated the teenagers prepping, cooking and serving a full course healthy meal. Unfortunately we no longer have funds available to cover the cost of Rosemary’s “Food is Elementary” cooking experiences. Nevertheless we have continued to cook with the children. We’ve made salad and our version of Stone Soup with each child bringing an ingredient from home to contribute to the soup. Since the first cooking experience we have developed a literacy component. The goal to encourage literacy was influenced by the children’s expressed excitement when Rosemary came with her books and their eagerness to read aloud during every “Food is Elementary” cooking experience. Ms. Rachel a Pre-K teacher at Edgewood Elementary provides the literacy experience when she is available. And when all else fails I read books from my library. As an Early Childhood Educator, I know reading to and with children is beneficial to language and cognitive development. According to the PA Learning Standards reading to children helps in building vocabulary which aids in the development of communication skills (OCDEL, 2009). We have not tracked the academic progress ofthe children because that is not our focus or goal. Nevertheless we are informed by the children and parents of their academic standing when report cards are distributed and promotion to the next grade is official at the end of the academic school year. The Braddock Family Swim and Recreation Program concur with the academic school year. To help the children transition from the BFSRP and the school year, on May 17, 2011 we had a cookout on the Camp Avenue Playground. The children enjoyed chicken hotdogs, cheese, fruit salad, yogurt, granola bars, apple juice and water. We cleaned in and outside the playground and planted annual and perennials near the entrance of the playground. The children living the closest to the playground vowed to water the plants regularly when they came to the Braddock Playground Recreation/Education Program (BPREP). BPREP operates June thru August while the children are out of schooland most children in the Borough are not enrolled in an organized program. And at that time the BFSRP again returns underthe umbrella from where it was birthed! Starting June 27, 2012 through August 1, 2012 the children of Braddock had twice weekly swim instruction, prearranged by Tori and I. On Friday, October 5, 2012 The Braddock Family Swim and Recreation Program (BFSRP) entered its 2nd year of programming. We changed the meeting day from Thursday to Wednesday. Tori and I met several times to plan and map out the program. The WHSD has O.K.’d the application for use of the Junior High schooland Braddock Redux gave the, “ok”, to use the community center. We mailed flyers to The Braddock Family Swim and Recreation Program, (BFSRP) participants from last year along with children who participated in the 2012 BPREP during the summer. The BFSRP officially kicked off Wednesday, October 10, 2012 at the Junior High pool. On the second Wednesday of every month, we met at the Junior High for swim and tennis instruction. This year tennis was added
  • 10. 10 Research & Development thanks to USA Tennis’ donation of racquets and balls. The fourth Wednesday the Braddock Family Swim and Recreation Program, (BFSRP) met at the Nyiah Paige Community Center in Braddock for cooking, reading, group games and activities. On May 8, 2013 the BFSRP held its last session of the season.And again just as last year The Braddock Family Swim and Recreation Program, (BFSRP) returns under the umbrella of the Braddock Playgrounds Recreation/Education Program. I am the Director of the BFSRP, which entered its 3rd year on Wednesday September 25, 2013. Most often I communicate with participants with reminder text messages the week before, the Monday before, and the day of the program. On program days, I keep attendance, monitor the time and I assist the groups when moving from one area to another. I’ve continued to network with agencies,organizations and individuals with the goal to further develop the program. While attending the 2013 Let’s Move Pittsburgh Symposium I met a representative of Kayak Pittsburgh,a project of Venture Pittsburgh, who is eager to introduce Kayaking to our program. Tori continues to supervise the WHAT volunteerstaff and WHAT student volunteers as well as maintaining the pool. She shops for the program and lovingly bakes cookies and muffins for us using healthy ingredients. Tori continues to produces all flyers and postcards on her computer. The major results of the first year, 2011 were; 75% of enrolled families attended regularly. All enrolled children and parents/guardians learned water safety. Ten children learned various swim techniques such as jumping into the pool and returning safely to the side of the pool unassisted.Four parents expressed an interest in learning to swim. The children are bonding with one another and the volunteers while strengthening community and school relationships.Parents/guardians acknowledged improved social skills and improved confidence in their children. They also noticed their children were more active compared to previous winters. One parent noticed her children were sleeping earlier and uninterrupted through the night on program nights!All parents/guardians mentioned a noticeable difference in the children’s snacking. I recognized a steady decline in children boarding the bus with unhealthy corner store snacks. Tori and I agree this program ultimately should be housed within the Borough of Braddock and only bused out for swimming and various other activities! With that in mind we are documenting as we develop the BFSRP in order to present the program to the Braddock Borough Council as a model for future consideration and funding. So prayerfully we’ll continue as two wives doing something neither has ever done before. And we’ll remain the newest Social Entrepreneurs offering direct and organized support to the children and families of Braddock in an effort to promotes Social and cultural reform (Bornstein, 2007)! COMMUNITY SERVICE LOG  September 6, 2011, emailing .30hr  September 13, 2011, Forest Hills Coffee to dream, plan and map out the program 3hrs  Networking at the Borough Building and the Mayor’s house 1hr  September 14-20, emailing and phone calls 3hrs
  • 11. 11 Research & Development  September 20, 2011, emailing to colleagues and friends 3/4hr  September 29, 2011 Drew’s Family Restaurant; talked with Mr. Ernie 3hrs  September 30-October 13, phone/email w/Tori 6hrs  October 14, Tori, Mike and myself; finalize organized gym 2hrs  October 13-18, phone/email w/Tori, Ashley, Mayor John 2.5hrs  October 18th, met with Michele of Heritage Community Initiatives 2hrs  October 18, building the flyer 1.5hrs  October 19-21, distributing flyers 3hrs  October 20, telephoned a CACFP 1hr  A.J. Myers by: o Note through a driver (Sept.13), o Mail (Sept.29) w/a copy of the flyer o Telephone (Sept 18 & Oct. 31). 1 ¼ hrs  October 25, attendance telephone calls & emailing Tori 1.5hrs  October 27, phone/email with Tori and staff 2hrs  October 27, 2011 at 5:00pm the first bus to the BFSRP! 3 1/2hrs  November 03, the BFSRP. 3hrs  November 17, the BFSRP. 3hrs  December 1, the BFSRP. 3hrs  Total Community Service hours 46.5 I enjoy knowing the children will have the opportunity to learn to swim and to keep moving. I am honored to have played a role in forming this program and I look forward to further opportunities for Research and Development toward sustaining underserved children, families, and communities.