Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center to host ‘Lights On Afterschool’

Congresswoman Jackie Speier, D-San Francisco, to join celebration of afterschool program’s recognition as national finalist for the MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Award

(SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.) The Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center (SNBC), which offers a safe and educational place to go afterschool for more than 700 elementary, middle and high school students each day, was recently recognized as one of the country’s best afterschool programs by the Afterschool Alliance and MetLife Foundation.

SNBC is a program of Aspiranet, which offers a statewide network of services through a variety of creative community partnerships.  SNBC, one of just a few MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Award finalists from across the country, provides daily afterschool programming at five middle and elementary schools and a recreation clubhouse in the Sunset District of San Francisco.

The MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Award recognizes afterschool programs that provide students with multiple benefits, promote health and wellness, and prepare students for college and careers. SNBC offers children and teens a variety of educational and enrichment-based afterschool programming that includes the MOUSE Squad, a program providing youth access to technology education, Urban Dance, Cartoon and Anime Art, Peer Resources, and much more.

SNBC will celebrate their recognition on October 21 by hosting a Lights On Afterschool event.  Launched in October 2000 by the Afterschool Alliance, Lights On Afterschool is celebrated nationwide to call attention to the importance of afterschool programs for America’s children, families, and communities. Congresswoman Jackie Speier, D-San Francisco, will announce SNBC’s recognition as a finalist for the MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Award. SNBC’s Lights On Afterschool celebration will also include a demonstrations and highlights of SNBC afterschool clubs and programs, as well as live music provided by the SNBC Urban Music Program, youth performances, raffle prizes, and refreshments.

The Lights On Afterschool event will take place from 6:30 - 8:00 pm on Thursday, October 21, at A.P. Giannini Middle School, 3151 Ortega Street at 38th Avenue, San Francisco, California.

For more information about SNBC and the Light On Afterschool Celebration, visit www.snbc.org.

About Aspiranet

Aspiranet, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity, supports foster children, siblings, families, and the community with 35 core programs offering specialized services through 44 satellite centers within California.

Founded more than 30 years ago as a six-bed group home for young boys in Moss Beach, California, Aspiranet is one of the most diverse nonprofit social service agencies in the state. With a statewide network of innovative services, Aspiranet has touched the lives of over 10,000 families and children since its founding.

Aspiranet’s vision of bringing families together and helping foster children, siblings, and parents thrive is realized through six areas of expertise – Family Services, Foster Care, Adoption, Education, Afterschool Programs, and Community Partnerships. For more information, please visit www.aspiranet.org.

About Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center

SNBC was established in 1996 in an effort to provide community-based services for youth and families in the Sunset District of San Francisco. 

SNBC is committed to providing supports and opportunities to ensure the healthy development of children, youth, and adults in the Sunset community. SNBC’s purpose is to connect people to their passion, potential, and community.

Mouse Squad featured in San Jose Mercury News

The San Jose Mercury News reporter Mike Cassidy recently featured MOUSE Squad of California! The story follows several students and details how the program enables students to learn not only computer repair but also build life skills.



MOUSE Squad provides youth access to technology education and training necessary to be successful in today's information society while assisting schools to realize a vision for 21st century teaching and learning.

Carla Haakma, principal at Los Arboles Elementary School in San Jose stated:

"I think the best thing about the Mouse Squad is what it's done for the kids themselves...it's built a lot of confidence. It really does a lot for their self-esteem."

Click here to read the full story.

The Mouse Squad kids Kevin Ly,11, and Mehta B. Singh12, work on a computer board... ( Josie Lepe )

More Flu Tips for our Foster Parents

The Centers of Disease Control recommends the following 4 steps to prevent the flu, including H1N1.

1) Hand hygiene: Wash hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing and sneezing. Alcohol based hand cleaners also work.

2) Cover mouth and nose: Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow or shoulder.

3) Stay home when sick: Keep the sick person (including you) home at least 24 hours after there is no longer a fever or signs of a fever (without use of fever reducing medicine).

4) Vaccination: Contact your foster child’s doctor regarding the seasonal flu and 2009 H1N1 fl u vaccines. If your foster child’s doctor recommends the H1N1 flu vaccination, please notify your Aspiranet Social Worker prior to your foster child receiving the vaccination. Your Aspiranet Social Worker will assist you in obtaining the necessary permission for your foster child to receive the vaccine.

SNBC Newsletter - November 2009 Edition

Get the latest SNBC news in our bilingual November 2009 Newsletter (pdf). Download it now!

The fall edition of Westside Wave: News from SNBC features two exciting full-length stories. Gordon Lim, an instructor in SNBC's afterschool progam at Sunset Elementary, shares the story of how and why he's been a part of SNBC for 9 of the 19 years he's been alive. SNBC's West Sunset Rec Connect is taking environmentalism to a whole new level, infusing envrionmentally-friendly practices into all of Rec Connect's programs. Read all about it in the newsletter and click here to learn more about West Sunset Rec Connect.

Sign up here to learn about future SNBC news, programs, and events.

SNBC is part of the Aspiranet Network.

An H1N1 (Swine Flu) Guide for our Foster Parents

With daily news reports regarding the H1N1 (Swine) flu, we’d like to take this opportunity to address this important public health issue with you. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the symptoms of H1N1 flu are similar to seasonal flu and include: fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and fatigue. Some individuals may also experience diarrhea and vomiting.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that children with chronic health problems such as asthma, diabetes, and heart problems, are at higher risk of having complications from the flu. Young children under the age of 5 are also at higher risk for flu complications.

As foster parents, you may be caring for children who are new to your family and/or for whom you may not know all their medical history. For this reason it is especially important to recognize and watch carefully for the signs and symptoms of flu or unusual behavior that may be a sign that they are sick.

Due to this being an especially active flu season, please contact your foster child’s doctor and notify your Aspiranet Social Worker should your foster child show any signs of illness or flu-like symptoms. If your foster child or anyone in your family is diagnosed with the H1N1 flu, please notify your Aspiranet Social Worker immediately.

The CDC recommends that if a child is in a high risk category and is showing signs of the flu, to contact the child’s doctor immediately, as the doctor may prescribe medicine that will work best within the first 2 days of getting sick.

If your foster child does become ill, as foster parents, you may not give your foster child any over-the-counter medications that are not first approved by a doctor.

Therefore, please refer to the child’s home file for the Prescription for Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medications form (RF-45) for information about OTC medication for your foster child. If this form is incomplete or outdated, you must obtain direction from the child’s doctor regarding the type and correct dosage of over-the-counter medication for your foster child. If in doubt, please contact your Aspiranet Social Worker for assistance, before giving any OTC medication.

As always, please contact your Aspiranet Social Worker or District Director with any concerns or questions. Please notify your Social Worker if you are in need of assistance in caring for your family due to your or their illness. We are here to support and partner with you in caring for your family.

School Volunteers Discover Fountain of Youth Experience Corps Bay Area Seniors Gain Improved Quality of Life

From Grantee Magazine, a California Wellness Foundation publication
By Cathy Curtis

San Francisco-based Aspiranet (formerly Moss Beach Homes, Inc.)—which established the Bay Area site of the national Experience Corps program in 1998—received a three-year, $150,000 grant from TCWF in June 2006 for core operating support for an intergenerational, volunteer-based tutoring program that concurrently improves senior health.

“The goal behind creating a team of volunteers is that they see each other on a daily basis,” said Kaleda Walling, ECBA director. “This is a way for them to connect and share similar interests.”

Studies of Experience Corps volunteers show that the program provides multiple health and social benefits. The Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine and Public Health surveyed volunteers who had participated in the program for four to eight months. These seniors said they were more active (63 percent) and felt stronger (44 percent). They had also made new friends and spent fewer hours watching TV.

• Read full article in Grantee Magazine
• Visit Experience Corps Website

Experience Corps® Bay Area Featured on ABC-7 Bay Area TV

Retirees Inspire Inner-City Kids to Thrive
Experience Corps® Bay Area volunteers were featured on the evening news, demonstrating their engagement with children at San Francisco’s Malcom X Elementary School. Mentors, like Amanda Prescott and Barbara Thomas, explained that they enjoy helping children learn.