Cesar Chavez - A Role Model for Service

By Christina Markle Editor's Note: This post was originally posted on the National Service Blog and on the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation Blog.

Cesar Chavez (1927 – 1993) was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist. His birthday, March 31st, is a state holiday in California and a number of other states and is also celebrated by many as a day to promote service to the community in honor of his life and work.

Markita Fortune, a Bay Area Youth Agency Consortium AmeriCorps member from California, incorporated Cesar Chavez’s core values into the work she does with 5th graders at a school in Menlo Park, CA. Most of the youth are of African American and Latino descent and often experience bullying at school.

"I thought that teaching them about the Core Values of Cesar Chavez might help them realize that it is better to work together than against each other,” said Fortune. When asked if they knew of Chavez, a few of the 5th graders raised their hands but many simply shook their heads no. After taking a quiz and learning more about Cesar Chavez, the young people began to notice a connection between themselves and his work. “When they started going over the answers, the youth were really excited and asked lots of questions about the things that Cesar Chavez did for the community,” said Fortune.

“They realized that he worked in communities that were similar to theirs.” Fortune then introduced her students to Cesar Chavez’s core values. The group discussed how the values could be used in their after-school program and decided to focus on three values a week, beginning with Acceptance of All People, Celebrating Community, and Non-Violence. When asked why they selected those values, the youth conveyed a hope that these core values would help address the bullying problem. “I have definitely noticed a change in the youth since we began the Cesar Chavez curriculum,” noted Fortune. “They have become kinder to one another and have been helpful around the school. I am grateful that I have this as a tool to strengthen my youth development skills.”

On January 12, 1990, shortly before the MLK Day holiday, Cesar Chavez said, “My friends, today we honor a giant among men: today we honor the reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was a powerful figure of destiny, of courage, of sacrifice, and of vision. Few people in the long history of this nation can rival his accomplishment, his reason, or his selfless dedication to the cause of peace and social justice. Today we honor a wise teacher, an inspiring leader, and a true visionary, but to truly honor Dr. King we must do more than say words of praise. We must learn his lessons and put his views into practice, so that we may truly be free at last.”

You can serve on Cesar Chavez Day and honor Dr. King together, by making it part of the MLK 25 Challenge, an ongoing initiative to honor the 25th anniversary of the King Holiday.

Christina Markle is a former part-time AmeriCorps Bonner Leader and a current John Gardner fellow from UC Berkeley at the Corporation for National and Community Service

Senior Companion Program: Enriching Lives - and Saving Them

By Christina Markle The original blogpost can be found here. For Anita, the Senior Corps Senior Companions program was a life saver. Ninety-year-old Guadalupe "Lupita" Trujillo has participated in the Senior Companions program through Christian Senior Services for several years. During her hours of service she saved the life of 86-year-old Anita Avalos. On the morning of January 31, Lupita arrived at Anita’s senior home and found her in her wheelchair, eyes open but unable to speak or move. Lupita immediately went to the home’s main office and let them know about the problem. Anita had experienced a stroke. Without Lupita’s daily visits, she would have been left in her condition, unattended and untreated. As a result of Lupita’s actions, Anita was rushed to a nearby hospital and was treated. Anita is not the only one who has benefited from Senior Companions. Senior Companions is designed to foster civic and community engagement for older volunteers, as well as independence and the opportunity to spend some time in the company of people their age. For active seniors, it is a great way to stay alive and healthy. "I think it is important to be a part of Senior Companions, because the program offers many opportunities for us at a senior age to feel healthy and productive," says Lupita,"while also giving us some money to help, which allows us to pay for things we need.” All across the country, Senior Companions are making a difference by providing assistance and friendship to adults who have difficulty with daily living tasks such as grocery shopping and bill paying. They typically spend from 15 to 40 hours a week helping two to four adult clients live independently in their own homes. Senior Companions also often provide relief to primary caregivers and alert doctors and family members to potential problems. In 2010, more than 14,000 Senior Companion Program volunteers delivered 12.2 million hours of service in their communities and took care of the in-home needs of more than 66,000 older adults and others with physical or other limitations. Become a Senior Companion or learn more about the program by contacting a participating organization in your state. Christina Markle is a former part-time AmeriCorps Bonner Leader and a current John Gardner fellow from UC Berkeley at the Corporation for National and Community Service. The original story appeared in La Prensa.