760 7th Street SEWashington, DC 20003 202. 548. 4021www.littlelights.orgCFC# 89156

LITTLE LIGHTS TIMESACT JUSTLY. LOVE MERCY. WALK HUMBLY WITH GOD.

LETTER FROM STEVE

I have been looking at a lot more grass lately. My family purchased a new home in Anacostia last year and I have been cutting and trim-ming my yard instead of hiring out. At the Little Lights ministry house, where many of our staff reside, Tiffa-ny Gibson and her husband Nathan led the charge to lay down sod in the front and back yards where grass stubbornly refused to grow.

Most significantly, Little Lights has taken over the management of the Clean Green Team, a landscaping training program which provides professional job training as well aspart-time employment for adults.

The program was started inside Potomac Gardens last year by Faith-works, another non-profit organi-zation. Little Lights introduced Dave and Blake Dunlevy, long-time friends of our organization and owners of D & A Dunlevy Landscap-ing, to Faithworks to help with the training. Faithworks negotiated a contract with DC Housing Authority for this new team, called the Clean Green Team, to provide the land-scaping work for Potomac Gardens and nearby Hopkins public housing facility. Shirley Ford and Antonio

Smith, who both work part-time with youth at Little Lights, were in the program from the beginning. They are now the managers of the Clean Green Team and lead the training and landscaping work that is accomplished.

Unfortunately, in the difficult eco-nomic climate Faithworks could no longer sustain the program. Faithworks asked Little Lights to step in and help the burgeoning team continue. Antonio, Shirley, Dave, Blake, and the rest of the team had worked very hard to build the team and the Housing Authority was happy with their work.

The Clean Green Team (left to right) : Blake Dunlevy, Shirley Ford, Antonio Smith, Joseph Whitley, Brian Watson, Gary Sams Jr., Mary Park, Rubin Davis, Bryan Byrd. Not pictured - Thomas Rice

TO CONTRIBUTE THROUGH CFC, PLEASE DESIGNATE

IN THIS ISSUE

CALENDAR

LETTER FROM STEVE

CONNECTING WITH SCHOOLSBETH DEWHURST

FALL ACADEMIC UPDATEBETH DEWHURST

IGNITE THE LIGHT BANQUETJOSIE ORTEGA

DONOR SPOTLIGHTPAUL & ELIZABETH KIM

G.E.M.THADDEUS

BOARD SPOTLIGHTNANCY HARLANRYAN PEMBERTON

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHTSAM MOORE

NEW STAFF

NOVEMBER 21

VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION PARTY

NOVEMBER 23-25

THANKSGIVING BREAK

DECEMBER 10

CHRISTMAS PARTY

DECEMBER 14

LAST DAY OF FALL PROGRAMS

DECEMBER 19 - JANUARY 02

OFFICES CLOSED

Fall ‘11.

I ALSO TRULY FEEL THAT

GOD IS CONTINUING TO

GROW THIS GARDEN

CALLED LITTLE LIGHTS –

PRUNING AND

NOURISHING US TO GROW

INTO GREATER THINGS!

Our leadership prayed about the decision to help the program under the Family Center umbrella. In the end, we made the decision to go forward. We are now very excited about the Clean Green Team! DC Housing has given us additional contracts for additional work as well as the contract for leaf and snow removal!

So, everywhere I drive and walk around, I’m more appreciative of nicely cut and trimmed grass as well as the work that goes into landscaping. I also truly feel that God is continuing to grow this garden called Little Lights – pruning and nourishing us to grow into greater things!

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORTSteve Park, Executive Director

Breaking ground at Potomac Gardens.

We are breaking new ground on behalf of our students this year in a concerted effort to connect with each of our students’ principals and teachers. We paved the way with a special Little Lights cup filled with chocolate, print materials, and a letter sharing how we are eager to engage with teachers as a way of supporting our students’ academic progress this year.

We targeted the schools at which we have the most students and will continue until we have visited each school where our students attend. We are being intentional with our Program Coordinators

“Are programs staring tomorrow? When can I come?” We heard these questions over and over again in August as staff canvased Potomac Gardens with student applications for our fall programs. Getting out to talk with kids and parents early

in these meetings, and emphasiz-ing that here are the key people teachers can call or email to ensure homework is completed and to address any behavior or other stu-dent needs. This was our second year of connecting with the Tyler Elementary School leadership and staff; last year, I visited them during a faculty meeting and their Assis-tant Principal, Mr. Bender and key student-support staff held regular “office hours” in our Family Center in Potomac Gardens.

This was the first time DCPS edu-cators came to the Gardens in this capacity. We worked together to

resulted in our programs filling up in record time this fall, with students in Kindergarten through 8th grade enrolled and wait lists for elemen-tary and middle school Homework Clubs, Reading Heroes, and Math Heroes. Also in August, we began

connect the Tyler staff with parents of our common students. Often, this was the only school contact the par-ents had all year. Mr. Bender was great in going out to find parents to come to the Family Center office hours and in just building relation-ships with residents in general.

This year, we have 19 elementary students attending Tyler, and Mr. Bender and his staff are back in the Family center every other week meeting with parents. It’s also been helpful to ensure our efforts align with those of the school staff on behalf of our students who struggle the most. We will also work with the Tyler staff to support parents during the DCPS open enrollment season in January, working side-by-side with parents to use our computer labs to enroll their children in Tyler or other schools.

A new relationship this fall is with our other neighborhood school, Friendship Chamberlain Elementary and Middle School, a public charter school where 15 of our students attend. Dr. Stephenson, principal, and his office manager, Ms. Williamson, gave us a warm welcome and are on board to

our literacy testing for our Read-ing Heroes students to get a jump on recording this important data on a spreadsheet so tutors can see student needs and progress, but also to get ahead in creating 44 individualized reading plans for our students to use with their tutors this fall. We also saw our volunteer recruiting grow steadily each week and are now fully equipped – sooner than we have ever been in recent

cooperate with us this year. They are also considering how to best utilize our Family Center in an effort to connect with the parents of truant students.

As of early November, we have met with Ms. Young, Principal of Eliot -Hine Middle School and have setup communication with each of our students’ teachers there. Our next school will be Ceaser Chavez PCS.

We welcome your prayer support as we seek to build relationships with staff and teachers who have very tight schedules and much to do; pray that they see the value of connecting on behalf of our students in common.

memory. That said, we can always find a spot for volunteers willing to help students from 3:30-6:00 pm in Homework Club, Tuesdays - Fridays, or to be a substitute tutor!

Another big step forward for this fall was the roll out of our web-based data management system, Sales-Force. Our Program and Devel-opment teams collaborated with consultant, Charise Van Liew, who has helped us move from several isolated databases to an integrated, customized information system.

CONNECTING WITH SCHOOLS BETH DEWHURST / ACADEMIC AND PROGRAM DIRECTOR

OUR TOP STUDENTS IN

HOMEWORK COMPLETION

WILL ALSO BE TAKING

MONTHLY TRIPS AGAIN

THIS YEAR AS PART OF

OUR INCENTIVES EFFORT.

FALL PROGRAM UPDATE BETH DEWHURST / ACADEMIC AND PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Ms. Debbie with Lashawn.

Middle School boys captured in discussion over the bible during Boys’ Night.

Mr. Bender, Tyler Elementary Assistant Principal.

2 LITTLE LIGHTS URBAN MINISTRIES FALL 2011

WE TARGETED THE SCHOOLS

AT WHICH WE HAVE THE MOST

STUDENTS AND WILL CONTINUE

UNTIL WE HAVE VISITED

EACH SCHOOL WHERE OUR

STUDENTS ATTEND.

We have new capabilities and increased efficiency in managing our fall enrollment process, tracking student interventions across sites and programs, timely access to our ever-expanding collection of home and school-related contacts for each student as we meet principals and teachers, merging donor and volun-teer data, and more. Looking ahead, we want to continue to expand our integration efforts, such as an online volunteer application process linked to SalesForce and increased custom-ized reporting that will help drive even more collaborative decision-making across our organization.

In Elementary Homework Club this year, we will continue to provide one on one homework help, made possible only thanks to dedicated volunteers. Students have been creating a dance as they learn the books of the Bible (available on our

website) as part of our Bible activity, and are enthusiastically creating art and music in their other stations.

In Middle School Homework Club, students enjoy the music room, arcade room, and Wii / Xbox on the Chill side and receive personal homework help – and $2 per day if its completed with a good attitude. Students in both programs also have access to our new web-based math software, IXL.com, which allows them to work on school-based standards and tracks their progress. Students also have access to a large library of novels and non-fiction books, which they use in a journal activity if they finish their homework early. Our top students in homework completion will also be taking monthly trips again this year as part of our incentives effort.

Our Reading and Math Heroes pro-grams are back and stronger than ever. We have continued to improve how we train tutors on students’ developmental needs, behavior management, and research-based best practices for getting the most out of their tutoring sessions–pack-ing as much interactive learning as we can into our training sessions. We have also infused our tutoring programs with hand-on learning tools: students will be working on their school-based standards using anything from pretend eggs in an egg carton, “pop corn” sight words, and letter “necklaces” to snap cubes, scales, plus our UberSmart math computational software and

our web-based IXL.com standards-based software provide students with the very best resources every week as they work staff and volun-teers who care deeply about their academic progress.

Last, our Choir students worked hard to prepare another show-stopping set for our Auction event on October 22 and our Middle School Boys’ and Girls’ Night Bible Studies are enjoying favorite group games and are using David C. Cooke’s Echoes curriculum.

As you can see, our amazing staff continue to push forward in a vari-ety of ways to bring the very best to our volunteers and especially to our students. We are grateful for your support this year!

Ms. Martha and volunteer Christy with Nia during Girls’ Night.

Trevon and Makayla enjoy their time at Homework Club from 3:30 - 5:30.

Tatiyana during Fall Orientation.

FALL 2011 LITTLE LIGHTS URBAN MINISTRIES 3

CATALOGUE FOR PHILANTHROPY

The Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington has recognized LLUM as one of the best small charities in the Washington, DC region!www.catalogueforphilanthropy-dc.org

Little Lights Urban Ministries is a part of the Catalogue for Philanthropy 2011-2012 class.

Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington • 1899 L Street, NW, Suite 900 • Washington, DC 20036

4 LITTLE LIGHTS URBAN MINISTRIES FALL 2011

IGNITE THE LIGHT JOSIE ORTEGA / FUNDRAISING COORDINATOR

Our 2011 Ignite the Light Banquet took place on Saturday, October 22 at the Hilton Arlington. It was our most successful event ever with a capacity crowd of 215 attend-ees that raised over $42,000! We enjoyed powerful testimonials from dedicated volunteer Robert Granados, student Heaven Watson, and Antonio Smith, an adult from the community who works for Little Lights and the Clean Green Team. The program started off with an exciting performance from the Little Lights Gospel Choir, and we heard wonderful music by Paul Frankie Lee and Ramzy & The Brothers Hand-some throughout the evening.

We want to thank our keynote speaker Pastor Glenn Hoburg from Grace DC, our MC and auctioneer Pat Haggerty, and event planner Amy Lau; as well as all of our sponsors: Hilton Arlington, U.S. Plants, Exhibit Imaging, Photoria, and SolarCity.PHOTO CAPTIONS: (top to bottom) Heaven with Ms. Shirley. Speaker Pastor Glenn Hoburg, Antonio, Steve Park parents and kids, The Clean Green Team with the Dunlevys, Bryan, Melissa Voorhees and Heaven, Ms. Bonita, Ms. Linda and the Little Lights Choir, Niya and choir in background.

IGNITE THE LIGHT is Little Lights Urban Ministries’ monthly partnership program, made up of committed supporters who understand the value of investing in the future of the children we serve. Without these committed supporters, our work would not be possible. To learn more, visit www.littlelights.org and click DONATE!

BECOME A MONTHLY PARTNER!

Help us continue to grow and strengthen!

FALL 2011 LITTLE LIGHTS URBAN MINISTRIES 5

DONOR SPOTLIGHTNAME: PAUL, ELISABETH, ANNA AND KATIE KIMAGES: 34, 35, 3 AND 1OCCUPATION: ACCOUNT MANAGER AT A TECHNOLOGY COMPANY (PAUL) AND FULL TIME MOM (ELISABETH)

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED WITH LITTLE LIGHTS, AND HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED?We’ve primarily supported Little Lights financially over the last 5 or 6 years after hearing about the organization through Carol Hwang (Mary Park’s sister) who Elisabeth knew while we lived in Chicago.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A REGULAR SUPPORTER?We met Steve Park at Carol’s wedding, got to know Little Lights’ work better and also Steve’s heart for the ministry. When we moved to DC in 2005, we saw the need in Southeast DC firsthand and better understood the challenges that Little Lights faced on a daily basis. We decided the best way we could help at the time was financially.

YOU’VE INVESTED IN LITTLE LIGHTS. HAVE YOU SEEN A RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENT?While we don’t expect anything back when we give, we do experience joy seeing the fruit of kids learning how to read better, teens earning a pay-check while serving at Little Lights, and Christ’s love being faithfully administered by Little Light’s staff and volunteers. There is no better reward than hearing that lives are being changed.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE FUTURE FOR THE KIDS AND FAMILIES AT LITTLE LIGHTS?Enacting change, real life altering generational change, is hard work. Our hope is that Little Lights would be just that, a little light in a dark place for the kids to see that there is hope for them.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO ADD:We are grateful for the staff and volunteers at Little Lights and their commitment to the community. We see you as the hands and feet of Christ and are thankful for your passion!!

DECEMBER 103:30 PM - 6:00 PMChinese Bible Church4414 Muncaster Mill RoadRockville, MD 20853

The annual Christmas Party is a long-standing tradition at Little

Lights Urban Ministries. Our students and their family members

enjoy a great meal, a festive program that includes a performance

from the Little Lights choir, and of course, opening presents!

WANT TO HELP?! Contact Tiffany Gibson at volunteer@littlelights.org

6 LITTLE LIGHTS URBAN MINISTRIES FALL 2011

MENTORING SPOTLIGHT

BOARD SPOTLIGHT

NAME: RYAN PEMBERTON

I started volunteering at Little Lights in in the fall of 2009. My involvement began as a Reading Tutor. One thing stood out: the amazing sense of community. I immediately sensed the caring bonds between the staff, volunteers and kids. I began working with one fantastic young man, Marquelle, and felt called to serve Marquelle and Little Lights in a deeper way. Today, Marquelle and I continue to work together during Reading Heroes and the mentoring program. I feelblessed and excited to serve on the Board of this amazing organization.

The last three years has found me living and working in the DC area. I currently live just down the street from Little Lights near the Nationals Stadium. (Go Nats!) Before DC, I spent a two years in Ithaca, NY where I earned an M.P.A. at Cornell University. I received my B.A. at Hampden-Sydney College. After graduation I spent six years giving back to the school where I worked in the College’s development office.

NAME: LINDSAY PHIPPS

It all started in the fall of 2010 with a big grin, a squeeze, and a “Hello Miss Lindsay.” My heart sunk immediately, and we bonded over that first night of Reading Heroes. I was impressed by her maturity, respectfulness, and light-hearted spirit. As I began to get to know Lauryn, I realized the Lord had His hand on her, that He had a special purpose for her life. God intertwined our lives together throughout those first few months and Lauryn eventually asked me to be hermentor. How could I resist this beautiful heart with such potential to be a big impact for the Kingdom of God?

I have been mentoring Lauryn for the past few months now. We’ve had a blast spending time together, making cookies, going to Nationals games, visiting DC’s great museums, walking by the river at National Harbor, and even getting to know her Mother, Tiffany, who is awonderful woman. But the times I look forward to most are being intentional with Lauryn, encouraging her in the Lord, pushing her to be a leader in her community, and disciplined in her studies. God has called me to invest into our next generation, to provide consistencyand a Godly example, and just to simply love her as the Father does. Why? Because she is worth it and she deserves the best, just like every precious child that God has made in His image. I pray for her often, for protection and guidance, because she like all of us have the evil one plotting against us, but God has overcome and we too shall overcome! - MARK 10:13-16

NAME: NANCY HARLAN

After retiring in the spring of 2009 from my position as a speech-language pathologist in the Arlington, VA Public Schools, I prayed for God’s guidance regarding how best to serve Him in the DC area. Through various people, He led me to Little Lights and its tutoring program. I began by helping with Homework Club and then learned about and participated in Read-ing Heroes. Last year (2010-2011) I was asked to lead a 15-minute phonics program for the younger children at the beginning of each Reading Heroes session. This was a wonderful, fun opportunity to use my professional skills in a very real way and to see amazing growth inthe children’s abilities. My desire to participate in Little Lights programs was strengthened by seeing how well organized they were and how the staff sincerely loved and cared about the safety, welfare, and nurturing of each child. I was also astounded by the number of teens who took a leadership role in the programs and the many young professionals who participated regularly in Reading Heroes. I soon knew that Little Lights was where God wanted me to put my efforts and skills.

Regarding my background, I was born and raised in western South Dakota. I earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Wyoming and a Masters from Western Michigan University; both in Speech-Language Pathology. I currently have a private practice in Virginia, serving young children with communication disorders.

Ryan with his mentee Marquelle.

Lauren and Lindsay during Nationals Game.

Nancy and Ronald enjoying time together

during Homework Club.

FALL 2011 LITTLE LIGHTS URBAN MINISTRIES 7

NEW STAFF MEMBERS

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

JONNY MOY • FELLOWGod led me back to Little Lights after interning here last summer. Most of the time I work with the development team, but I get to hangout with our elementary students twice a week at our chill station. I was born and raised in Oak Park, IL, ten minutes from downtown Chicago, and graduated from Wheaton College in May. I will have to adjust to the reality that the majority of sports coverage will be on east coast teams but I’m excited to root for my Chicago teams in “hostile territory.” Go Bulls!

MEG BUSTER • FELLOWI am 23 years old and from San Clemente, CA. I just graduated from California Baptist University with a B.A. in Christian Studies. I found out about Little Lights while researching urban after-school ministries online. I am so excited this year to have the opportunity to be a fellow and to be working with the elementary students in Homework Club and in Reading and Math Heroes. I love playing soccer and basketball and I am looking forward to my first “real” winter this year!

LASHAWN KYLE • PROGRAM ASSISTANTI am 40 years old and I’m from Washington, DC. I’m a program assistant for Little Lights and cook the kids’ dinner during Homework Club throughout the week. I love Little Lights, the staff and the kids!

NAME: SAM MOORE

AGE: 30

OCCUPATION: APPELLATE GOVERNMENT COUNSEL, US MARINE CORPS

HOW DID YOU GET INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH LITTLE LIGHTS?One of my good friends works for Little Lights and told me about the opportunity to work with a great group of kids and help give them some of the educational opportunities that I had growing up. So I jumped at the chance and started working with the Homework Club once a week.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF THE HOMEWORK CLUB PROGRAM?I was immediately impressed with the kids’ good attitudes and manners, particularly for their age, and the discipline that the staff instills.

WHAT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU’VE HAD TO OVERCOME AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME IT? Of course the kids are sometimes distracted – as they would rather be doing anything other than reading or learning their multiplication tables – which can be difficult for me as a volunteer because I am trying to help them concentrate. But I have learned that they do want to learn, and once you help them break down their homework to the point where they understand the question, they are much more dedicated and open to learning new things.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF VOLUNTEERING AT LITTLE LIGHTS? When students learn new concepts and skills that they will use for the rest of their lives, whether they realize it or not – this has been the most reward-ing part of volunteering at Little Lights.

Volunteers are the backbone of our after-school programs. We could not provide the same quality after-school and summer programs without the help of caring and compassionate individuals such as yourself! Consider joining our fun and supportive Little Lights’ family in helping out with any of the programs that we offer, and make a difference in the life of a child, a community, and a city.

INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING? Contact us at 202.548.4021 or email volunteer@littlelights.org.

Nancy and Ronald enjoying time together

during Homework Club.

Sam with Matthew and George.

760 7th Street SE • Washington DC, 20003

A ONE HOUR TOURDo you want to learn more about Little Lights? Or have friends, family, or colleagues who are interested? You're invited to Little Lights LIVE!

Twice a month, we hold one-hour tours to let people see our work �rst hand and get the word about LLUM out into the community. Little Lights LIVE takes place at the Little Lights Center, usually on the second Monday of each month at 6pm, and the fourth Saturday at 10am.

What to expect: You'll be given a mini-tour of the mission of Little Lights, hear testimonials from Potomac Gardens families, and get the latest info on di�erent programs and happenings around Little Lights. We won't ask for �nancial support, but will follow up with you to hear feedback, answer any questions, and see whether you'd like more information about particular programs.

HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO RSVP? Contact live@littlelights.org.

LITTLE LIGHTS LIVE DATESMonday - December 12, 6pm

Saturday - December 17, 10amMonday - January 9, 6pm

Saturday - January 28, 10am