Hey Vinny!!

Hello! My name is Vincent Caputo. I'm excited to get started with this program. Ok, so about me: I'm the youngest of four children. I have two older sisters and one older brother, all who live in different parts of the country but we are all very close. I was raised in upstate New York but moved to Portland, OR just after I graduated high school. I attended undergraduate school at Portland State University where I majored in Film production/studies and minored in Spanish. In 2011 I lived in Querétaro, Mexico for six months as a way to improve my spanish speaking ability and to experience living in a different culture. I am currently in the Master's in Humanities program at the University of Chicago with a focus in Cinema and Media Studies (which basically means I really like movies and am gonna try really hard to make a career out of it).

The main reason I was interested in volunteering for the Service Match program is that I feel like if I have the time, the inclination, and the ability to try and help people out, I don't know why I wouldn't. My mom was a teacher for nearly her entire adult life and I've always admired the ethic that comes with the role of a teacher or a mentor. I gained experience with teaching while I was in college and most likely will continue on that path when I graduate from uchicago. When you're young, having positive adult influences in your life can make all the difference. I know it did for me, and that's what I'm hoping to be a part of with S.I.S.T.E.R.S. Inc.

Who I be!!

An introduction can be a funny thing. Do you go with the classic format, "Hi I'm (insert name here) and I am..."? The" I am" portion puzzles me, do I inform you of my current profession or who I am at the core? Considering my current profession doesn't elude much about me. Or do I go with a more non-traditional route, "Hi I'm (insert name here) (because come on you have to at least know my name, can't move to far from the intro of the introduction). "What do you think about (insert current event)?" Essentially, I look at introductions as an opportunity to identify how I can relate to the person. Now that you had the chance to formulate an opinion on who I am, let me formally introduce myself.

Hi, I am Asia Miles, a thrill seeker, explorer, lover of learning about life & a woman who likes to have fun. I'm a graduate of Northern Illinois University, obtained a Bachelor of Science in Organizational/ Corporate Communication. I am the youngest of four sisters, so I know the importance of "sisterhood". I eagerly anticipate our journey together and all that it will bring as we learn and grow from one another. Of the many quotes that can describe me I believe this one answers the questions, "Who is Asia?" and "Why do I volunteer with S.I.S.T.E.R.S. Inc.":

"One hundred years from now
It won't matter
What kind of car I drove
What kind of house I lived in
How much money I had in the bank
Nor what my cloths looked like
BUT
The world may be a little better
Because, I was important
In the life of a child."

--
Asia L. Miles The"Go-To" person, providing solutions and service with a smile.

Not just an assistant!

I am a recent college grad of the International Academy of Design & Technology. I have a bachelors in Merchandise Management. I am proud to say that I am a former member of Sisters Inc. (previously known as 'Big Sister Little Sister') from King College Prep, and because I believed in this program so much, and have adopted Phoenix Charleston's vision as my own I have continued to work with the program after graduating high school for five years.

In the past I have been a facilitator, volunteer and the end of the year fashion show coordinator but most recently I am assistant to Mrs. Charleston. Sisters Inc is a program that I value and am sure that parents, students, and anyone who comes in daily contact with young ladies will see the need of this program in urban communities and will surely see that we are committed to helping our members become better leaders, supportive friends and overall realize the importance of sisterhood.

-Kyla Manuel 

Hey Stephanie!!

Hi! My name is Stephanie Bonaroti. I am 22 years old and originally from Pittsburgh, PA. I studied music and math in college at the University of Notre Dame. Now, I’m getting my masters at the University of Chicago, focusing on music.
I joined S.I.S.T.E.R.S. Inc. for a few reasons. First, I like being around teenagers, which you don’t see a lot of at a university. So, I really wanted to do something that would let me be around younger people, especially girls! Secondly, I like school. S.I.S.T.E.R.S. was a way for me to be involved with schools without being the one who had to give you homework and tests. Third, I’ve always enjoyed being a part of my community, wherever that is in each part of my life. Just moving to Chicago, I’m excited to get to know the local neighborhood, most importantly the people that live in these neighborhoods, and hopefully feel like I’m part of the community, too!
For me, the most important thing to achieve by volunteering with S.I.S.T.E.R.S. is to make a positive difference in the lives of these girls. That could be helping one girl apply to college, giving someone more confidence, or even creating new friendships. There will be a lot of things, as a volunteer, that I am hoping to communicate to the group of girls that we work with. Through our meetings, though, I think the girls will have things to teach me, too. I hope that S.I.S.T.E.R.S. will be a sisterhood not only for them, but also for me.

It's Laura Lee!!!

My name is Laura Lee (the two names are my first name, because it’s a weird Southern thing). I’m 25 and, three years after graduating from college, just started studying at the University of Chicago. I was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, and Chicago is maybe the only other city that I love. This is my second go-around at living here, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

I’m pursuing my Master’s degree in public policy, which means that I spend a lot of time thinking about what governments and other organizations can do to make people’s lives better.  There are lots of ways to go about it: People who study policy go on to do everything from really technical number crunching to running organizations like S.I.S.T.E.R.S Inc. 

My degree requires that I learn how to do a lot of statistics and economics – the number crunching stuff. That stuff is necessary so that I can do things like analyze surveys, but it isn’t my strong suit. I was an English major in college, so I’m really excited to stretch my writing muscles at S.I.S.T.E.R.S.Inc. this year in service of a great organization that seems like it is itching to expand and deepen its impact in the community. 

I joined the University’s service match program because it’s easy to focus so much on lectures and papers and textbooks that you forget the real life, human consequences of all the theory; working with y’all is a way to keep a hold of what I want to do with my life beyond school. More importantly, I’m specifically excited to be matched with S.I.S.T.E.R.S. Inc. because, basically, the sisterhood of being a woman rules. I don’t think there’s a more powerful force in this world. My mom died when I was a teenager, so now – without ever asking or trying – I have six or seven moms that I answer to. So many aunts and friends’ moms and teachers claim me as their own that sometimes it’s overwhelming. And no matter how great any romantic partner is, there’s nothing more calming or healing or uplifting than a really quality girls’ night. Women, for centuries and around the world, have stopped violence and wars just by organizing their influence and power. S.I.S.T.E.R.S. Inc.  is a part of that power, and I can’t wait.

 

It's Lucy!!

My name is Lucy Bryan and I am from Denver, Colorado. I left Colorado to explore the East Coast and went to college in Connecticut. I enjoyed living near water for the first time, but decided to move back to Denver after graduation. I have been in Denver since, working as a pastry chef/cake decorator, a bookseller, and a tutor at a Kumon Learning Center. I still love both reading and baking, which I have been doing a lot of this fall.

 A belief in the importance of education led me to Service Match. I want to give back to the Hyde Park community as I experience it this year. Since my graduate program only lasts a year, I want to get as much out of it as possible. I know that that goes beyond the campus. S.I.S.T.E.R.S.Inc. is such a fantastic program and I am so excited to be involved with it. I am interested in how the program has evolved since its conception and what that experience looked like. Mostly of all, I am looking forward to meeting the students and forging new connections with them and my co-workers. 

This Year's Team!!!

So as I stated in the previous post, we have so much to catch up on. First deal of business was to let you know about one of our biggest projects going on this year!! "Bianca's Shoes" Shoe Drive, Happening this Saturday BTW!!!Go to www.sistersincleadership.org for the exact location and time of this project! The Second, and still Big Deal is our awesome team of volunteers! We were fortunate enough to partner with the University of Chicago Community Service Center  to get a group of awesome students from their Service Match program to help us out last year and this year we are fortunate enough to continue that partnership! We have four awesome volunteers from the Service Match Program and I would love  for them to introduce themselves to you! We also have three fabulous women that have dedicated their time to our organization and I would also like to have them introduce themselves!

The team that we have this year is a very diverse and creative group of individuals that have a lot to offer our young ladies and I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with and mentor them and they do the same for me!

Check out the pics below of some of our volunteers in action and tuned for the posts from the volunteers!

From the Founder.

Bonfire Party October 2013

Bonfire Party October 2013

First Meeting of the year!

First day of Programming!

First day of programming!

Lucy and the girls!

Vinny and the girls!

I've missed you! Welcome back!

Hey readers! Welcome back to our blog project! Its been awhile, pretty much an entire year since I last posted a blog..yes an entire year..where has the time gone??? Well there's plenty for me catch you up on...let's see,  the last time I posted we had just announced our new philanthrophy project called Bianca's Shoes Shoe Drive in honor of my late cousin Bianca Renee Hill. The purpose of the shoe drive is to collect new or gentle used shoes for men, women, boys and girls in order to help those in need for the holiday season. We would provide a day of service where people could come to Holy Angels Catholic School and receive the shoe donations and the remainder of the shoes would go to varies shelters across the city of Chicago.  Well let me tell you, our first event was above a success! We raised over a 1000 pair of shoes in donations. We were able to donate to five families and the remainder of the shoes went to Aunt Marthas youth services, two women shelters and a church!!! What blessing it was to be a blessing!  And guess what??? We're doing it all over again this year and our goal is to double the amount of shoes we raised last year! Our day of Service is November 23rd this year and we'll be meeting ay Holy Angels Catholic School located at 740 E. 40th Street, Chicago Illinois 60653. Time is from 10am- 3pm. Deadline for shoe drop-off is Friday,  November 22nd. Please see our website for drop-off locations at www.sistersincleadership.org.

You have been blessed all year, so now it time to be a blessing!

Hope to see your donations! Stay tuned for more blog posts!

-From the Founder