Become a SOHO Mentor!

Interested in making a difference and having fun at the same time?  Become a mentor with Space Of Her Own!  Learn more by attending an informational session this summer.  We will be holding three session, in each of the SOHO areas: Alexandria Old Town, Alexandria West End, and Arlington.  RSVP Here.

A Rainy but Successful Lemonaide Day

It was a chilly May morning, but that didn't stop dozens of kids from setting up tables for Kids Helping Kids: Lemonaide Day on Saturday, May 13. Proceeds from the lemonade went to 6 different Alexandria non-profits, including two AMP programs: Space Of Her Own and Wright to Read.

On King Street, SOHO had its own stand set up, manned by SOHO Club mentees and mentors.  SOHO Club is made up of graduates of the SOHO 5th grade program, and creates events where girls continue to meet with their mentors and fellow SOHO girls.  These girls volunteered their Saturday in order to raise money for future SOHO girls' room makeovers, and to thank those who donated in the past and contributed to their own events and projects.  As the morning turned to afternoon, the sun came out and the day warmed up, bringing a bright end to a great day of kids going the extra mile.

Check out the SOHO Stand, and see more photos of stands from Lemonaide Day on the Kids Helping Kids Facebook.

THANK YOU'S for a Successful Spring2Action

SOHO girls, watched over by Del Ray Program Director Angela,
work hard on their hand-written thank-you notes to Spring2Action donors.

On Wednesday, April 5th, the whole community (Alexandria and beyond!) mobilized to give a total of $1,592,459 to local non-profits, including many AMP programs.  Casa Chirilagua Mentors won the contest of most donations over Casa Kids Club and Casa Bible Study, while the entire organization received 4th place for most overall donors and 2nd place for most overall dollars!  The Alexandria Seaport Foundation received 7th for most overall dollars, while Space Of Her Own had a record-breaking fundraising year and finished 15th for most overall donors and 17th for most overall dollars. Casa Chirilagua, Community Lodgings, Space of Her Own, and Wright to Read all received matching grants from the Mason Hirst Foundation.  BRYCE Project and CCNA: RARE also participated in the event and received substantial donations.  On behalf of all AMP programs, we thank everyone who contributed!  

Thanks is the most important part, as 10 SOHO boys and girls learned this past week.  For an entire day each on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 8 girls from Space Of Her Own and 2 boys from Space Of His Own gathered together to create hundreds of hand-written thank-you's to everyone who donated to their program.  Each wrote about what the donations will be used for, how their mentor helps them, and what their favorite part of SOHO is.  While the task was daunting and left the participants with some cramped fingers from so much writing, each expressed at the end of the day how grateful they were to everyone who had donated to make SOHO possible, and how rewarding it was to be able to express those thanks personally.  

Spring2Action is a yearly day of giving sponsored by Act for Alexandria.  Learn more about this year's fundraising results, and continue to follow AMP to see what amazing future events and projects these contributions support.  

Elodie from Space Of Her Own

Rebecca and Elodie met through the SOHO program back in 2014. On the first day of the program, they were sitting together and immediately had a great connection. Rebecca is from El Salvador originally and is very interested in other cultures and Elodie is from France and loves to share her love for international travel. Rebecca quickly asked Elodie to talk to her about her country, cultural differences and what language people speak in France. Elodie also wanted to find out about Rebecca’s original country of El Salvador. A friendship quickly built from there.

Each Thursday evening, they met through the SOHO program and worked on art projects together, including painting, making pillows, ceramics, and other projects with the objective to create a space for Rebecca in her home. At the end of the program, Rebecca was sharing a room with her brother and made her “corner” her own space with crafts she had worked on all year long with Elodie along with some new fun things they bought together.

After two years of starting the program, Elodie and Rebecca have a close friendship and see each other on a regular basis to see movies, go to coffee, do some shopping or just talk about school, life, and everything in between. As Elodie says, “Rebecca has brought so much more to my life than I had ever imagined. We have a very strong bond that I plan to cherish for life”. Elodie was so happy when Rebecca told her that she had decided to take French in middle school and promised Rebecca to take her to Europe when she graduates from high school.

This article was previously published in the Alexandria Gazette,  http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/feb/10/mentor-week-cross-cultural-connection/

Space Of His Own Open House

In the photo above, Kyle shows the Space Of His Own group how to finish a nail into wood, and prepare the project the boys are working on - a shodowbox - for painting.  

The sound of hammers ring out from the workshop classroom at George Washington Middle School.  Not an unusual noise, except for the fact that it's 6 p.m., long after school has ended.  But the shop teacher Kyle remains, acting as instructor and program leader of Space Of His Own.

Every Tuesday, 5th grade boys gather to meet with their mentor, learn life skills, have dinner, and engage in construction projects.  As a part of Alexandria Mentoring Month, AMP hosted an open house yesterday, where interested guests could stop by and see what Space Of His Own is all about.  

One visitor was matched with a young man whose mentor could not make it this week, and quickly stepped up to the task of holding the nearly completed shadowbox while the student finished hammering in the nails.  

Space Of His Own is open to observation any Tuesday - contact sarah.maroney@alexandriava.gov to plan your visit!  

Ashley, 2009 SOHO Graduate:

My older sister Diamond was in SOHO last year. She said it was fun, and she was right. I got to go ice skating for me first time. I only fell once. We got to do cool art projects for our rooms. I got to pick all me colors my favorite project was the banner because I did it all by myself.

When it was time to do my room I got to help paint. I got all over my hands and feet, but it was fun. I was so surprised when I saw my room. There was so much more space and it was beautiful. My favorite part is the new bunk bed. I get to sleep on the top. I have all these new pillows and pretty sheets. Sometimes I sit in my new chair and pretend I’m in a fantasy world. My sister and I are so happy and excited in our new room.

The best part is that when I first came to SOHO I didn’t knew a lot of the girls but now I am friends with all of them!

Taja and Ta’Janae, Sisters and 2009 SOHO Graduates:

We liked SOHO because it is fun and you can learn lots of skills, like painting and sewing.We also learned about important parts of our body, how to eat healthy food, and proper etiquette.

Once you become close with your mentor and other SOHO sisters, you don’t want to let them go. We both hope to still come back at visit next year’s SOHO group.

SOHO helped me change for the better and grow more mature. It helped teach us responsibilities and how to take care of yourself.

We loved SOHO and are thankful for our new bedrooms because it helps sleep more soundly in our rooms. We are also thankful for SOHO because it keeps us focused on positive things rather than negatives.

Ariel, 2009 SOHO Graduate:

What SOHO did for me:

• SOHO made my room look pretty;
• I learned art and etiquette;
• I met new friends;
• I learned about nutrition, the human body, making wise choices and interacting positively with others;
• I went ice skating and loved it (even though I fell a few times);
• I went to a fancy Tea Party and practiced all of my etiquette skills.

I really, really, really like SOHO. I haven’t missed a SOHO meeting all year. Coming to SOHO on Thursdays is the highlight of my week. SOHO has been an awesome program and I really love my room.

Becky, Ariel’s Mentor:

What SOHO did for me:

• SOHO introduced me to 14 wonderful 5^th grade girls and their equally wonderful mentors – a fun, smart, talented diverse group of women and girls that I will never forget;
• One SOHO girl in particular, Ariel, has taught me to notice the small things in life- the brilliance of colors, the innocence of youth, and the wonder of our imaginations;
• Thanks to SOHO staff and volunteers like Linda and Anne, I was reminded that through the collective efforts of many caring folks, a program like SOHO can exist and can make our community a better, safer and more hopeful place that is blind to race, color, income or age;
• Thanks to out volunteer art teachers like Leslie, Kathleen and Malone – I learned many new art skills;
• SOHO reminded me that, just like the SOHO girls, I was about their age, I too learned how to sew (although most of the SOHO girls are better at it then me);
• I went ice skating and to a fancy tea party, but most importantly, I became part of a very special group. For two plus hours each Thursday night, my cell phone and blackberry were turned off, and all that mattered was the mentoring, bonding, fun and art projects taking place inside The Art League’s Annex in Alexandria.

I really, really, really like SOHO. Coming to SOHO on Thursdays has been highlight of my week.

Diana, 2009 SOHO Graduate:

All the people at SOHO are really nice and very open. The art projects were really creative; my favorite was making the quilted pillows, and I loved learning to sew.

Jen, my mentor, is kind of like a big sister to me. I look up to her because she is strong, outgoing and just so bright to be around. My mom has been in the hospital for three months and having Jen to talk to has been like having a best friend. She is someone I really open up to. I can talk to her like I’ve known her for years.