Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Student Jasmine Rios, 12, boards a bus at Columbia Middle School in Sunnyvale with the rest of her Young Heroes team for a ride up to San Francisco to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.
Kids take 'heroic' actions
Local middle school students started series of community service projects on Jan. 21
By Amy Jenkins
Even though Jan. 21 was a school holiday, close to 150 devoted middle school students gathered in the gymnasium at the Columbia Neighborhood Center in Sunnyvale. The young people, who all looked very excited, chatted with friends as they stood in newly assigned groups, as a part of the Young Heroes program.
One reason for the gathering was for an Opening Day Ceremony for Young Heroes 2002--to kick off five months of community service projects. The Young Heroes Program is a community service and leadership development program for youth that is part of City Year, an AmeriCorps program. For 14 Saturdays, the students will aid the community through events such as planting trees or visiting elderly people at retirement homes.
The keynote speaker at the ceremony was Mayor Fred Fowler. He gave the students an inspirational speech about the importance of service and about a hero in his own life. When he came to California from the East Coast 22 years ago he needed a job very badly, he said. A woman named Josie Peralta, who worked in an unemployment office, helped him get an assistant accountant job the day after he talked to her, and thus, she became his hero, he said.
"When people think of what it means to be a hero they often think of great warriors," Fowler said as he started his speech. "You don't have to be big and strong, brilliant, or have a college degree to be a hero. Being a hero could just be saying something simple to someone who needs it."
Another motive behind the meeting was to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Fowler referred to King as his other hero. He said he recalls King's message about "having a dream that someday all people would be judged, not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
After the ceremony, the students piled into seven school buses to participate in a march in San Francisco called "Keeping the Dream Alive."
"The march is a powerful way to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. and for the kids to see older generations and see how dedicated they are in preserving his beliefs," said Veronica Salenda, service manager of Young Heroes.
The youth joined members of the community of San Francisco in the largest MLK march on the West Coast, said Shannon Andrews, Service Director for the Young Heroes Program. While marching for two miles the students sang freedom songs and asked each other questions about civil rights.
"The students remained engaged the whole time, asking each other questions like, 'What if Rosa Parks had given up her seat on the bus?'" Andrews said.
The students were all divided into teams named after a hero and an inspirational figure in the community. The seven Sunnyvale teams were John Vascancellos, Sandra James, Alana Maury, Fred Fowler, Sasha Esposito, Derek Hanna and Judy Nadler.
"These are people the kids can look up to and follow in their footsteps," said Christine Sato-Hall, director of marketing and development for City Year.
The student participants said they have a variety of reasons they are involved in the program.
"It is a great experience to learn stuff about people and to keep your community clean," said Jessica Salazar, 14, a student at Herman Middle School in San Jose and member of the San Jose Matthew Henry team.
"It's cool to do things to help the environment and to help other people," fellow teammate Stephanie Ramalho added. "I like planting trees the most."
Members of the Susan Hammer team had their own reason for their involvement in Young Heroes. Lea Hoffman, 13, said, "It is very rewarding to know you can help the community." Teammate Olivia Valentino, 13, added, "The march is very positive, and we are showing we encourage [Dr. King's] beliefs."
As for Phedra Hopkins, 12, she "likes that we have something to do on Saturday." While Maria Flores, 15, says "It keeps me from getting in trouble."
Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
