(1) The before and after school programs at HMCRA were funded by government grants as well as monthly donations from parents, keeping the programs available for all students at no cost. The after school program included many clubs: Chess, Tae Kwon Do, Hip Hop, Gardening, Science, Drama, Digital Design, Passion for Fashion, Knitting, Photography, Robotics, and Sports.

After School Tae Kwon Do Club with DeLonzo Pope

(2) Every classroom received science education, workshops, presentations, and supplies, thanks to a grant from the Google Community Grants Fund of Tides Foundation. Mission Science Workshop and Tree Frog Treks provided education, workshops, and presentations. A 2nd grade parent, Allison Adams, was our Science Coordinator, scheduling science activities for every classroom and purchasing science supplies, including books, magnets, science kits, globes, bugs and insects, a manual planetarium, a stream kit, and other supplies for teachers.

(3) Thanks to a donation from Michael Vanni, FoHM sent the 5th grade to participate in Hostelling International’s Cultural Kitchen. They stayed overnight at a hostel, learned about China, and made fried rice with veggies, chicken and vegetable skewers marinated in peanut sauce, pot stickers, mini egg rolls, and green beans with black bean sauce.

(4) Thanks to a generous grant from the Sam Mazza Foundation, and donations from individual donors, FoHM sent the 4th grade to Camp Mosaic, a week long outdoor school focused on teamwork and conflict resolution, by The Mosaic Project. 4th grade teacher Will Fewell described the camp:

Over the course of the week spent at The Mosaic Project, the students from Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy worked in “sharing groups.” These groups are strategically designed to tap into challenging topics, and engage students in serious discourse about their experiences at school and in their families.  They make connections with other students, from differing backgrounds, which helps build empathy.  The signal for quiet at camp is a peace sign, and through song, dance, discussion and campfire that mission of peaceful existence is driven home as a primary objective of the week.  The kids were heard walking around camp signing one of The Mosaic Project’s signature songs, and saying, “Don’t laugh at me. Don’t call me names. Don’t get your pleasure from my pain. Deep inside we’re all the same.”  The spirit of the song and energy of Mosaic staff carried the students through the week’s challenging work.  They were led to a reflective, positive place of heightened awareness.

4th grade at Camp Mosaic, April 2012

(5)  Thanks to generous donations from the William J Smith Trust, hundreds of new books were purchased for our school libray.

(6) FoHM funded development of civil rights curriculum, compiled and organized by educator Jessie Blundell. The curriculum is currently being reformatted into a web-friendly format for easy access.

Thank you to everyone who donated time, resources, and money in 2011-2012. We, the board of Friends of Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy, as well as the students and teachers and parents and staff of the school, are very grateful.

We have 3 new board members: Vincent Leddy, Susan Tramontana, and Brandon Lew.

Our board member Vincent is our new science coordinator. He will be working with the school teachers and administrators to schedule and fund science for every classroom and every student. In the past, FoHM has funded science programs with Mission Science Workshop, Academy of Sciences, and Tree Frog Treks, as well as purchasing science supplies when requested by the teachers.

Working with The Mosaic Project, whose Camp Mosaic outdoor school has been attended by our 4th graders every year for several years, we will be funding Camp Mosaic for this year’s 4th grade class. This is a part of the school’s civil rights education. We will also fund The Mosaic Project workshop(s) and assembly for the whole school community, so that everyone can learn about the focus of their curriculum.

We raised $$$$$ for programs at Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy. For the upcoming 2012-2013 school year, we will not be running the before and after school programs at the school. We will continue to raise funds to support programs in the school that meet our mission: Outdoor Education and Athletics, Visual and Performing Arts, Science in the Schools, Civil Rights, Reading, and Health & Nutrition.

Thank you everyone who attended and sponsored and donated and spoke! Thanks to two of our board members who coordinated and managed and staged this fantastic event: Michelle Lutz and Marcus Stevens!

Event photos and gratitude and thank you’s all on the school’s web site.

Come Out and Celebrate Harvey Milk Day!

Buy Tickets Online! http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/233452

A special screening of the movie MILK (starring Sean Penn and Josh Brolin) at the Castro Theatre on Harvey Milk Day 2012 (Tuesday May 22) with guest speakers Cleve Jones and Dustin Lance Black.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Doors open at 6:00pm
Program starts at 7:30pm

Buy Tickets Online! http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/233452
VIP tickets are $50. ($52.74 w/ service fee) – includes pre-show appetizers and drinks at an exclusive VIP reception (on the mezzanine level) plus reserved seating (on the main level) in the Castro Theatre.
Regular tickets are $15. ($16.52 w/ service fee)

Tickets w/ no service fee also available at:
Human Rights Campaign Store, 575 Castro Street, San Francisco (between 18th/19th)
All proceeds benefit Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy‘s all-inclusive after school program, plus science and arts and nutrition and civil rights education programs for all of the students at the school.
Buy tickets early as this event is expected to sell out.

Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy is a public elementary school in San Francisco. Friends of Harvey Milk is a 501(c)3 nonprofit who raises funds solely for the benefit of the school.

Much gratitude to the people and businesses and organizations who are helping us with this event:
Human Rights Campaign San Francisco Action Center and Store
Cleve Jones
Scott Wiener
Ron McGowan
Jennifer Bergeron
Ivy Drip
Swirl
440
Southern Wine
Mollie Stone’s
Kasa
La Med
4505 Meats
Destination Bakery
Shoe Shine Wine
Brian Hexum
Stu Smith

Most of the parents signed their children up for the Before/After School Program at the Back to School Picnic on August 14. It was a gorgeous sunny San Francisco day!

10am-Noon
Hotcakes for Harvey (join us for brunch of pancakes, fruit, bacon, eggs! $10) in the school cafeteria

11am-5pm
19th Street between Collingwood and Diamond will be closed
We’ll have Carnival Games, Bouncy House, and Entertainment by Harvey Milk Hip-Hop, Mommas Boyz, Funk-Shun, Mixtress Page Hodel, Mysdefy, G-Star

BBQ and fixings

Book fair to raise money for the school library

6pm-8:30pm
Drag Café Dinner show hosted by Ivy Drip, kid-friendly and just $15 adults, $7 kids for pasta dinner and salad and show!

All events raise money for the programs that Friends of Harvey Milk funds at Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy.

On Saturday, May 21, 2011, the Cruisin’ the Castro tour from 10am-Noon will donate 50% of the tour proceeds to our school! The tour meets at the rainbow flag pole (Castro/Market) at 10am. Cost is $35 adults, $25 children 5-12years, under 5 years are free.

“The student body is getting bigger but the resources necessary are not. In terms of resources to support the dynamical types of students we serve, absolutely not,” said the school’s principal, Christina Velasco.

With the school’s parent population unable to afford the burden by itself, it is reaching out to the larger LGBT community and corporate donors for help.

We’ve determined that recurring donations, of as little as $25 per month, would sustain our programs in the coming year. Jennifer Dunn, one of our board members, promised:

“We would love it if we had 200 people sign up for recurring donations at the $25 or $50 level. Our treasurer would get up and do a little dance,” said Dunn.

Seriously? Donate some Milk Money here!

This year the state has cut our budget again and we face losing more of our educators and staff — even the ones you’ve already helped save!

As a result of devastating budget cuts across public schools in San Francisco, we were forced to eliminate 6 existing positions from our school’s budget last year. With your help, we were able to save 3 of those positions.

Now help us keep them by signing up for a recurring donation. With a pledge of just $25-50 a month, we can give our students the education they deserve.

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