The Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans

GIS Teacher and Author

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:30:00 GMT

George I. Sanchez School teacher Matthew Rosas has a second career-author. He is being recognized for this special talent at this year's Latino Book and Family Fun Festival, where he will be one of 50 writers selected to present their books.

During high school, Matt went on a mission trip, stationed in a coastal village in Oaxaca, Mexico. Before the trip, he assumed he would meet people living in despair and poverty. As the experience unfolded, however, he discovered a deeper and more enduring sense of joy and hope that overshadowed any despair.

The connection he developed to the people and the land itself inspired him to write The Legend of Mariquita and Other Short Stories, a collection published this year.

While The Legend of Mariquita is his first book, his writing has also been featured in literary magazines including The Bilingual Review. He will soon publish a second book, Praying Not to Fall, set in the city he called home for five years, New Orleans.

We applaud Matt for the success he has found in the classroom and as an author, and wonder whether we might someday get a chance to read a book based on his experience at George I. Sanchez?

12-Dec-08 3:30 PM

Comcast Partners with AAMA Adelante

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Comcast and AAMA took another step in their ongoing partnership to support AAMA's adult education program, Adelante. Comcast presented AAMA with a $10,000 Comcast Foundation grant aimed at giving adults the opportunity to gain basic workplace, computer literacy, and software skills with the goal of helping to develop a stronger workforce that can compete in today's job marketplace.

"We are proud to sponsor AAMA Adelante," explained Ray Purser, Comcast Vice President of Government and Public Relations. "Houston's dynamic and diverse community is becoming more and more dependent upon knowledge-based jobs as opposed to the manufacturing and oilfield services jobs that drove the city's early growth. By supporting these inspiring students who've come back to school as adults, we're ensuring that our community will continue to thrive."

Houston City Council Member At-Large Melissa Noriega was on hand to thank Adelante students for their commitment to earning an education, telling students "I'm here because you are important to me, and because you are important to Houston."

Noriega also shared the story of her in-laws' return to school once their own children had graduated from college. "From GED to Harvard in one generation," she said. "You can do it, too, and so can your kids."

Comcast initially partnered with AAMA in 2007, donating $10,000 from the Foundation to help complete a technology lab used by the Adelante program.

Comcast strengthens AAMA and the Houston community through various activities and outreach efforts, including grants, in-kind donations, public service announcements, and volunteer projects.

12-Dec-08 3:00 PM

Raise Friends & Funds for AAMA

noemail@aamainc.us — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:15:00 GMT

The more people who support AAMA, the more people AAMA can serve.

Long-time volunteer Drew Wilson decided to throw a party to introduce more people to AAMA. Turns out, it was an easy sell.

Sibila Vargas, Fox 26 Morning News Co-Anchor, immediately signed on as the honorary chair to be sure the event was widely publicized. She had visited the campus several weeks earlier, and was deeply touched by the energy and determination she saw in the faces of AAMA's clients.

Fashion maven Lisa Benitez joined Drew to co-chair the event. Lisa's family is an East End institution, and she'd been looking for a way to reconnect and give back to the community that has given her so much.

Lisa and Drew quickly recruited a strong host committee to make sure a diverse group of people from all over the city would get involved.

Super-connector Stuart Rosenberg from the host committee made one call to the Hotel ICON, securing it's hot new bar and restaurant, VOICE, as the party spot. VOICE is graciously buying everyone who donates one drink on the house.

Why a happy hour instead of a more formal event? Why just $10 to get in?

Drew used to have time in his schedule to volunteer as a technology teacher in AAMA's adult education and literacy program, Adelante, but his career has taken up more and more of his time.

"Not everyone can find the time to volunteer, but everyone wants to connect to organizations doing important work," explained Drew.

"I saw hosting this happy hour as a way to introduce a big group of busy people to a cause they might choose to support in any number of ways. I hope some will become regular donors to the programs, perhaps even graduate to purchasing tables at the fall gala or underwriting the fall concert at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Others might work for a company that can donate the bookshelves and trophy cases the school needs. It will be exciting to get everyone together in one place to find out what we can do to help AAMA."

We hope you will come, bring friends, and meet some new people while raising funds and friends for AAMA. The donation at the door is only $10, 100% of which will benefit AAMA's programs.

Thanks to Drew, Lisa, Sibila, and our fantastic host committee for pulling together such a great evening.

Jerry Acosta
Chris Brown

Christina Cabral

Isabel & Danny David

Marcy DeLuna

Luis Elizondo-Thompson

Nick Espinosa

Mike Fernandez

Giovanni Garibay

Allen Hill

Veronica Juarez

Michelle Lewis

GloriaLuna

Alex & Carla Martinez

Wendy Montoya

Katherine Orellana

Stuart Rosenberg

Marissa Saenz

Scott Silvas

If you can't join us on May 20th, get in touch to find out when the next event will be. Or, don't wait! Bring your own group of friends together to learn more about AAMA and contribute to the cause. Call the development office at 713.967.6700 to set up your own event, and help AAMA continue to inspire Latinos through education.

19-May-08 8:15 PM

Carlos Mencia - Join the Party

noemail@aamainc.us — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Join the Party & Benefit AAMA!

AAMA will be selling a limited number of passes to the VIP section at the Saturday, May 3rd party. Passes allow guests to meet and mingle with

Carlos Mencia and his friends.

To reserve a VIP pass, which you can pick up at the door on Saturday between 5 and 6 p.m., please contact Andrea Greer by 5 p.m. this Friday, May 2, 2008.

Call 713.967.6700 between 8:30 and 5:30,

or email agreer@aamainc.us

Payment by credit card by phone, or by cash or check at the door.

We will NOT be able to accept credit card payment at the event.

30-Apr-08 4:00 PM

Bayou City Boys Club Sponsors AAMA

noemail@aamainc.us — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:00:00 GMT

The Bayou City Boys Club has named AAMA one of eight agencies that will benefit from their annual fundraiser.

AAMA MAP - Minorities Action Program - will use the money for a conference on HIV and substance abuse in Latino populations. The conference will be a time for service providers in Houston and across Texas to share experiences, discuss challenges, and learn about best practices.

AAMA’s Health & Human Services programs have a long record of success engaging a population that can be difficult to reach—low-income Latinos, both US-born and immigrant. MAP is an outreach program focused on individuals at high risk for contracting HIV, Hepatitis C, and other STIs. MAP outreach staff seek out out people re-entering the community after serving time at the Texas Youth Commission, Harris County Juvenile Detention Center, and various other jails and prisons; people living on the streets; and people who are known drug abusers not in treatment.

AAMA would like to provide volunteers the night of the fundraiser, on Saturday, March 22, 2008. JUNGLE 16 is a fun and fantastic dance party. This year's entertainment will be DJ Mark Anthony, jetting into Houston from his home in Montreal.

Volunteer shifts run from 10 to midnight, and midnight to 2 a.m., and you can come in jeans and comfy shoes. (If you aren't a late-night party person, this may not be the volunteer opportunity for you. Don't worry, there will be others that happen during daylight hours!)

To learn more about the Bayou City Boys Club and their Jungle 16 benefit, visit http://www.bcbc.info./

To be part of AAMA's volunteer team, email agreer@aamainc.us.

AAMA thanks the Bayou City Boys Club for their support, and congratulates the other agencies benefiting from this year's event.

13-Mar-08 8:00 AM

Adelante Spelling Bee

noemail@aamainc.us — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:00:00 GMT

Below you may view some snapshots from the Adelante Spelling Bee. A summary of the event can be found below:

On Wednesday, September 26 the Adelante Semi-Annual Spelling Bee was held at AAMA Adelante. Over 50 participants in the beginning, 36 in the Intermediate and 29 in the Advanced category represented their classrooms to win the right to represent Adelante in the Greater Houston Adult Spelling Bee competition to be held at AAMA on November 14 at 6:30 p.m.

Winners of the Adelante competition were as follows:

Beginners category

1st Place - Irazema Carreon
2nd Place - Blanca Reyes

Intermediate Category

1st Place - Nohemi Turrubiates
2nd Place - Georgina Castro

Advanced Category

1st Place - Tameka Griffin
2nd Place - Margarita Villanueva

During the city competition, they will compete against participants from:

Houston Community College
Houston Read Commission
Community Family Centers
Research and Development Institute
Chinese Community Center
Meadowbrook Learning Center
Houston International University
Gulf Coast Community Services Association
Avance

In presence to award trophies were Interim CEO Ken Stallman, board member Cris Garza and Great Center Director Tina Washco along with staff volunteers and participant families.

9-Oct-07 10:00 AM

Pre-K Hispanic Heritage Event

noemail@aamainc.us — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 18:00:00 GMT

Nuestro pre-k estara celebrando La Herencia Hispana este Miercoles 26 de Septiembre en el parquesito de nuestra escuela. Daremos principio a nuestra celebracion ala 2:00 p.m. El proposito de este evento es compartir y aprender de otras culturas; porlotanto, cada padre de familia compartira su propia cultura con todos los presents atravez de su vestuario tipicos, comida tradicionales, fotos, musica, y mas. Tendremos la representacion de muchos paises como Colombia, Venesuela, Panama, Hounduras, Salvador y Mexico , cada pais tendra su propio espacio en nuestro parque. Todo sera para todos sin ningun costo. Gracias padres de familia por traer su tradiciones y compartirla en nuestra escuela.

28-Sep-07 1:00 PM

Pablo Montero Concert

noemail@aamainc.us — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:00:00 GMT

Pablo Montero is a hit in Houston! Adelante con AAMA en el 16 de Septiembre, our free concert at Miller Outdoor Theatre, drew a crowd of over 6,000 on a Sunday night. Accompanied by Mariachi Sangre Mexicana, Pablo thrilled the audience with his singing, dancing, and spirit of celebration.

We weren't surprised at having one of the biggest crowds the theater has seen on a Sunday night. Pablo is one of Mexico's hottest stars, recognized worldwide for his ranchero music and admired on nearly every TV screen on one of Mexico's most popular telenovelas.

AAMA is grateful to the Miller Theatre Advisory Board and JP Morgan Chase for sponsoring the evening. Univision 45, Telefutura 75, and Univision Radio joined forces to run numerous public service announcements and calendar listings to be sure the community would know about the show. Employees of Reliant Energy and Mi Carnal also got involved to guarantee the night would be a success.

Like any rock star, Pablo had made plans to fly into Houston, perform, and then quickly head on to the next show. He was so energized by the crowd and inspired by the cause, however, that he delayed his flight for a day so he could visit students at AAMA Adelante and the George I. Sanchez School.

We are looking forward to celebrating the 16 de Septiembre again next year. Pablo even asked if he could come back, so stay tuned!

27-Sep-07 8:00 AM

Sanchez High School Enrollment

noemail@aamainc.us — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 19:30:00 GMT

George I. Sanchez Charter High School is currenly enrolling Grades 7 - 12 for the 2007/2008 School Year beginning August 27, 2007.

While the 9th grade is approaching our capacity, there are still some openings for 7th and 8th Graders as well as grades 10 -12. Please contact us soon to assure that your child receives placement.

For your convenience we are making some of our application forms available for download in English and Spanish (see links below).

Please go to Building T4 at our main location at 6001 Gulf Freeway to enroll your child and complete additional necessary forms.

27-Jul-07 2:30 PM

Dino Summer Camp

noemail@aamainc.us — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:00:00 GMT

AAMA DINO prevention Program under HHS located at 204 Clifton held a summer camp for children ages 4-12, in the month of June. The children enjoyed many educational and fun activities. Many of our children in the community lack constructive use of their time in the summer break. The camp served to provide them with mentors, and supervised and constructive fun to the children of the east end community. The children enjoyed activities such as bowling, movies, museums, and Kemah, as well as many water and other fun activities on site.

26-Jul-07 12:00 PM

GIS Students DC Trip

noemail@aamainc.us — Wed, 23 May 2007 14:00:00 GMT

In late April, 21 students and 6 parents made their maiden journey on Southwest Airlines to our nation's Capitol. Led by Social Studies Teacher Sean Haardt, the group toured the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, the White House, the U.S. Capitol and other key DC sites.

As part of a history lesson, the students also visited Arlington Cemetery and the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Mt. Vernon (Washington's home) and the Antietam Civil War National Battlefield. They also found time for a colonial ghost tour in Alexandria, Virginia, a dinner cruise on the Potomac River, three Smithsonian Museums and the International Spy Museum.

Wow, and they only had three days to see it all.

Visit to White House - A small group of Senior students met with Sonya Medina, Projects Director for the First Lady, Laura Bush. Sonia spoke to the students of her journey to the White House. Sonia who is originally from San Antonio started as an intern with President Bush in 2000 and has steadily moved her way up the ranks. She incidentally is a cousin of a famous movie star, the amazing Eva Longoria of "Desperate Housewives" fame.

U.S. Capitol - Being treated royally on a visit to Congress is not usually the treatment a guest receives. It normally is the other way around as the constituent must constantly wait for an appointment, and rarely will they see their Congressional member.

Thanks to U.S. Congressman Gene Green, the visiting Sanchez students got the red-carpet treatment instead. Gene now in his 7th term spent significant quality time as he took individual photos with many students and discussed such key issues as immigration, rising gas/oil prices, and his familiarity with southeast Houston, Denver Harbor, and areas where many of the kids are from. He noted his prior to AAMA and his appreciation of the agency and its efforts. You could see how impressed the students were when he mentioned their neighborhoods and understood the many community problems. He spoke about HR # 4437, the Immigration bill and his problems with it. He indicates he instead supports the McCain-Kennedy Senate bill instead. The students took a tour of the Capitol, visited his office and thanked Congressman Green for his wonderful hospitality.

Latino Leaders Luncheon - Students visited with Janet Murguia, President of NCLR and other Latino Leaders at a luncheon hosted by AAMA. She thanked the students for visiting the Capitol and NCLR at this historic time. She added that NCLR has recently purchased the "Raul Yzaguirre Building" which is only two blocks from the White House. She noted that La Raza has now grown to be an "American Institution" and is one of the leading national organizations that work on behalf of Latinos here in the U.S. Janet answered questions on the immigration bill, education initiatives and NCLR's overall advocacy efforts. Other key guests included Lourdes Tijerina from the Cuban National Council, Rita Jaramillo from the National Education Assoc. (NEA) and Charles Kamasaki, Policy Director for NCLR, who is originally from Texas.

Mr. Moreno subsequently received a call from one of the leaders above who noted how impressed she was with the George I. Sanchez students and especially one boy who spoke about his humble "low-income" background, but that this would not stop him from succeeding in life.

23-May-07 9:00 AM

Día del Niño Recap

noemail@aamainc.us — Wed, 09 May 2007 17:00:00 GMT

El Dia de los Ninos is a national celebration of all children who represent the hope and dreams of their families and Communities held on April 30th.

AAMA's Project DiNo is a prevention program implemented to aid in the revitalization of "grass root" community-based prevention services to neighborhood schools and communities. Project DiNo is funded by DSHS and has been in existence for over 10 years. Project DiNo has two basic goals: To increase the resiliency and protective factors for youth and their families, and to promote the need for children to learn to make positive choices at an early age.

This year the Project DiNo celebrated the children of the east end community on April 27th by providing fun and exciting activities which included sack and balloon races, gold fish game, cake walk, ring toss, art and crafts, and piñatas. Activities were centered around children's interests. The activities were to:

Raise Self Esteem
Involves families and the community
Reflect cultural diversity
Capture children's dreams and hopes
Involve families and community
Reflect cultural diversity
Inspire and empower new generations of achievers
Create advocacy for children's issues

9-May-07 12:00 PM

AAMA Learning Center

noemail@aamainc.us — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 21:00:00 GMT

ALC Construction Update

The stage is set for construction of the AAMA Learning Center. The three-story facility will soon become the new home for the AAMA Administrative Offices, Adelante and George I. Sanchez Charter High School.

The Learning Center will provide space for four new computer labs equipped with the latest technology, 22 new classrooms for both Sanchez High School and Adelante students as well as administrative offices for AAMA programs.

At this time we are targeting completion of construction in time for the 2008 Fall Semester.

27-Apr-07 4:00 PM

HHS "Day of the Child" / "Día del Niño"

noemail@aamainc.us — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 20:00:00 GMT

AAMA's Dino Program
Invites you to celebrate
"Day of the Child"
with us on
Friday, April 27th 2007
3:30-7:00pm
We will have Games, Pinatas, Prizes, and Snacks for the children

Event: Dia De Los Ninos Celebration
Time: 3:30-7:00
Location: 204 Clifton
Program: DINO Prevention Program
Contact Info: 713-926-9491

10-Apr-07 3:00 PM

Texas Children's Opens New Project Medical Facility at AAMA

noemail@aamainc.us — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 17:00:00 GMT

Texas Children's Hospital on Thursday, February 15, 2007 unveiled its fourth Pediatric Associate Project Medical Home. The new facility is located on the campus of the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans.

Read the Houston Business Journal Article

Read the Houston Chronicle Article

20-Feb-07 11:00 AM

AAMA Evaluation

noemail@aamainc.us — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 21:00:00 GMT

Dr. William Weber, professor at the College of Education - University of Houston, is an authority in educational and health programs, generously accepted to conduct an evaluation on the programs operated by AAMA. His review was based on the available information of the programs' performance and the state benchmark information. Three types of evidence were considered to be indicators of success: Program Longevity, Number of Clients Served and Achievement of Stated or Implicit Goals.

We are very proud of Professor Weber's overall assessment. He notes, "When these three types of evidence were examined in evaluating AAMA's educational and health and human services programs, the conclusion is clear: Given the very challenging populations Agama's programs are designed to serve, those programs are remarkably effective."

"AAMA operates two charter high school programs-the George I. Sanchez Charter High School in Houston and the George I. Sanchez Charter High School in San Antonio. Since its founding in 1970, AAMA's vision has focused on providing education and assistance to the most disadvantaged and most at-risk youth in Texas and on transforming them into the community's future leaders. Through its charter high schools, AAMA does indeed serve those students who are most at-risk. Although both schools accept any student who requests admission, over eighty percent of the students served by these schools are at-risk according to the risk factors identified by the Texas Education Agency and over fifty percent of the students are at-risk for two or more of those factors. Most of these students have a history of having been unsuccessful at other schools. Nearly eighty percent have been held back at least one grade, have failed the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, or have failed two or more core subjects. In spite of this, AAMA is passionately dedicated to the proposition that by giving students a more personal learning environment with smaller classes, dedicated teachers, extensive counseling, and an wide array of support services its schools can create and maintain a climate in which the most at-risk students can become productive learners-and productive citizens. The clear intent is to change would-be dropouts into high school graduates who are prepared for college or a family-wage job. Because data regarding the George I. Sanchez Charter High School in San Antonio were quite limited, this evaluation focused on the George I. Sanchez Charter High School in Houston only."

For a copy of the report, please contact Patricia Bulla at (713) 967-6700 x156.

21-Nov-06 3:00 PM

AAMA Pearls Event

noemail@aamainc.us — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 18:00:00 GMT

You are cordially invited to a Pearl and Jewelry Extravaganza

To help support

AAMA

Sunday, December 3, 2006

12:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.

2121 Kirby Drive (The Huntington Lobby)

Houston, TX 77019

AAMA is embarked on a capital campaign that will allow for the construction of a state of the art youth campus at its current Gulf Freeway location in Houston’s diverse East End. We need your help to raise funds for our much needed programs and to support this new building effort.

For over 35 years, AAMA has responded to the needs of at risk Latino youth and families with innovative programs that include the George I. Sanchez School and other comprehensive “wraparound services” that are truly working.

Amylin’s Pearls and Jewelry

Pearls of Distinction for a style that’s uniquely yours. Highest quality pearls with a wide selection of classic and creative designs.

You can’t find values and quality, like this.

Join us for this special event to raise funds to Help Support AAMA’s kids.

For information call 713-967-6715 or email us at

aama-events@aamainc.us

10-Nov-06 12:00 PM

AAMA Community Report

noemail@aamainc.us — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 18:00:00 GMT

AAMA has published its Community Report and we would like to invite you to download the report to learn a little bit more about AAMA and the people we serve.

Download the Community Report

18-Sep-06 1:00 PM

GIS High School Graduation '06

noemail@aamainc.us — Wed, 24 May 2006 21:00:00 GMT

AAMA's George I. Sanchez High School will celebrate its 32nd graduation on Saturday, May 27th (1:00 pm) with 114 graduates expected to "walk the stage".

Many of these students probably never expected to reach this goal as some struggled to avoid dropping out, some had children in their teen years, and others experienced severe academic problems.

Zayda G. graduates after six years in high school, years that have been filled with challenges that would overwhelm most people. Zayda came to GIS since it has a program that caters to the needs of pregnant youth and student-parents.

She gave birth to her first child during that first year at GIS. Her family lived far from the school campus, so for the next several years, Zayda managed traveling across town with her child to GIS and slowly accumulated credits. Sometimes she would try enrolling in a school closer to where her family lived, but she always ended up returning to GIS since GIS was able to cater to her needs better than other schools. Zayda had a second child and was able to move to the apartments next to the school campus, which improved her attendance and the number of credits she was earning each semester. Even though she faced challenges with being a student-parent and had transportation problems which delayed her steady progress toward graduation, Zayda graduates this year and is known as a congenial, optimistic, dedicated, and diligent student, a true role-model for any student who faces unique challenges to his or her completion of high school. We would also like to add that her two children are doing very well in their elementary school.

24-May-06 4:00 PM

Project Cinderella at GIS High School

noemail@aamainc.us — Wed, 24 May 2006 17:00:00 GMT

On Saturday, April 8, 2006, George I. Sanchez (GIS) high school students as well as other high schools, including Davis, Wheatley, Reagan, and Sam Houston High Schools, participated in Project Cinderella, an event coordinated by Communities In Schools (CIS) Houston. This event achieved its goal of providing the students, graduating young women, an opportunity to obtain a new formal dress for their prom and/or senior banquets, as well as other special occasions. For this event donations totaling more than 650 dresses were made to CIS by Ventura's, Foley's and St John's School.

All the students who participated were able to choose a dress. At GIS twenty students registered for the event. The CIS Project Manager Shubhra Endley, LCSW and Joanna Jeschke in collaboration with GIS were available at the event to greet and guide the young women through the process of choosing a dress. Despite the large selection, there were a few girls who were unable to find a dress at that event. For them, referrals were made to "A Night To Remember", another event for matching young women with formal dresses.

The community participation was also strong. There were twenty volunteers (Jr. League & Episcopal HS, etc.) who worked Friday night preparing the dresses for Saturday's festivities and then on Saturday sixty volunteers (Jr. League, National Charity League, Episcopal HS, etc.) participated. This event involved a high level of community participation: racks were donated by Fallas Paredes, dress bags from Foley's, rolling racks and delivery, some snacks were received from the Food Bank at no cost, The Home Depot donated $200 towards mirrors, the dressing rooms were built by the Phoenix Design Group free of charge, and door prizes were donated by a CIS staff member.

24-May-06 12:00 PM