What's going on for Halloween?

Bancroft Elementary students got ready for Halloween by making some fun masks during after-school programs! They got to wear these masks during the AALEAD Haunted House, which was hosted by our high school students!

AALEAD participates in Lights On After School!

After-school programs are so important. In the words of some students around the District:

If we didn’t have after school we would have to stay with our parent at work. Who would like that. (Age 8)

Afterschool programs are important. They keep youth off of the street and do great things like clean streets and feed the homeless. Not funding these programs is bad. (Age 15)

After school programs are important because it is something to keep your mind occupied, and not focused on all the negative things in this world. (Age 17)

To support this cause, AALEAD participated in the Lights On Event hosted by the After-school Alliance, DCAYA, and other groups. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan also made remarks!




The event was hosted at the Department of Education.


Our students were able to walk in the parade of students, eat meatballs and cake at the reception, but more importantly, see a different perspective behind the making of after-school programs that they had never seen before!

Guitar Lessons at AALEAD!

Just another day at Thomson Elementary School... Students spent the first hour work on their homework before jumping into their enrichment activity...Guitar!



The older students take guitar lessons on Wednesdays where they learn simple tunes and even simple chords from one of our volunteer teachers! How exciting!

Summer Talent Show!

On Friday, July 31, our Elementary School Summer Program put on a Talent Show! And what a talent show it was! Performances included dancing, puppet shows, skits, yoga demonstrations and more!

Our high school students played a very instrumental role. Each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, they worked with the Elementary school students, even teaching them how to break dance! During the talent show, they assisted with food distribution and other logistics of the program. Thanks guys!

Bancroft Elementary Summer Program

It was just a typical Monday afternoon at our Bancroft Elementary Summer Program. This year, we are serving over 50 students at this site and the program runs every day from 1230-6pm. We are especially lucky to have a diverse and talented staff who make up a great team! One teacher loves the outdoors, another used to work with youth doing playwriting, another is a special education teacher... We also have TAs who have worked with our students before and have developed special relationships with them. I had a chance to observe the last hour of programs, and here is what I found!

Some students were engaged in Yoga class... others were doing role playing (one trying to build an imaginary wall and the other trying to get through it!)... and others were outside playing Asian hopscotch! What fun!

October 29, 2008 AALEAD Halloween Party!

In the spirit of Halloween, our High School Students converted the AALEAD building into a Haunted House for the Elementary Students! 45 high school students and over 40 elementary students participated in the event.

Rosetta Lai (executive director), an AALEAD volunteer, and high school students pose for a scary picture!

Our elementary after-school program manager safely shepherded the students to and from our building to school in the AALEAD van.

Some of our elementary school costumes! Many princesses came to our Halloween Party!

Our youth enjoyed a variety of yummy cookies and cupcakes...They also participated in events like balloon painting!

The high school students set up different activity stations for the children inside the haunted house...One of our youth poses with an AALEAD staff member!

Kids4Kids Summer 2008

In the Summer of 2008, the elementary students started a pilot project which we hope to continue to educate our students about poor Asian countries and encourage them that they can make a difference.

The theme for the project was “At-risk Children Helping At-risk Youth in the Philippines.”

· Education: The project started by educating the students from the two sites about the urban poor children’s plight in the Philippines. The goal of this activity was to raise awareness among Asian-American youth of the realities of much poorer Asians in other parts of the world. On July 23 the Bancroft 1st-6th grade students (total of 20 of 25) attended a presentation about the urban poor children in the Philippines. The students were also given a chance to learn some basic Tagalog words (Philippine language) at this event.

· Fund Raising Initiative: On July 24, all the Bancroft students including the Pre-K and Kindergarten class participated in a Summer Festival. This event was dedicated to raising money for the children of the Philippines. Everyone (staff included) contributed by making different items to sell to raise money. Some of the items sold were pictures and picture frames, beaded jewelry, beaded pins in the shape of the Philippine flag, cotton candy, and snow cones. The pre-k and kindergarten classes provided many of the decorations including one mural done by Ms. Bui and Ms. Danielle’s class. The festival also included fun games and activities including a video presentation which gave the children the opportunity to see those whom they were helping and learning. The students and staff helped to raise almost $200 for the poor children of the Philippines.

· Letter Writing: All 69 students at Chinatown have made cards and corresponding through letters with youth in the Philippines on a weekly basis. The activity is intended to create friendship between Asian at-risk youth in America and Asia, and also to promote creative literacy activities.

Then we received a letter of thanks from the beneficiary!

Dawn for the Poor
Manila, Philippines
4th August 2008

To: AALEAD Team and Students

Dear Friends,

Greetings to you from Manila in the Philippines!
Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity.

We are going to use the money you raised for special classes that are being held in our small Waray Centre that we built in a poor area where families live close to a disused quarry just outside of the Manila.

Here many boys and girls run around in old clothes and bare feet and they live with their families in shacks made out of just scraps of wood, corrugated iron and old sacking. Some of these children do not go to school so we have a program to help them to learn to read and write. Some of our volunteers and young people teach them during the week.

We are so touched that you would be prepared to give in such a generous way to help these young boys and girls here to begin to have a good education. You have made a difference in the lives of these young people.

Thank you once again for what you have done!
God bless you all.

Patrick Hobbs
Patrick Hobbs
(International Advisor for Dawn for the Poor)