919 8th Street, Waukegan, Illinois 60085 | roberticommunityhouse.org

The Scoop!

Roberti Culinary Pathway Graduation We proudly congratulate our first two graduating classes of the newly-launchedRoberti Culinary Pathway (RCP)! 75% of our graduated students are alreadyhired in food service.

The inaugural class began January 8 and graduated March 9

May 11, we celebrated our second class graduation

The nine-week classes were packed full of professional instruction, productivefield trips, diverse guest speakers, and many opportunities to give back. Thecarefully planned curriculum included everything from food preparation tosanitation to learning how to prepare gourmet meals like spinach gruyerequiche, beef brisket shepherd's pie, chicken cacciatore, and smoked turkeymacaroni salad—just name a few! Of course, in true RCH spirit, these mealswere donated back to the community.

Guest speakers from a number of active restaurants and establishmentsadded depth to the curriculum. Students spent a day in the kitchen with ChefJay Lovell of Jay Lovell’s restaurant in Highwood; Vade Sankar, owner of BeMarket in Lake Bluff; Linda and Alex Meyer of Veganosity; Mike Forcier andJosh Bernicchi of US Foods. Professional employment consultants KatieMichalak and Jan Victor provided strategies on how to get ready for theinterview, present yourself to a potential employer, and finally land the job!Students even got to role-play and practice their newly learned interview skillsin real time.

Throughout the program, students not only prepared for a career in thefood/culinary industry, but also forged meaningful relationships with each other,received long-lasting mentorships, and became empowered with the skills totake a strong hold of their future. We are confident that with these gifts, ourgraduates will achieve what they once thought improbable.

We wish them the best in their endeavors!

Annual Community Clean-Up

Our Annual Community Clean-Up event was a success! Under beautifulweather, everyone came together to clean and weed our gardens at theRoberti Culinary Pathway, the Holy Family soup kitchen, and the RobertiCommunity House in preparation of a bountiful season.

After hours of toiling away, we gathered for a scrumptious meal prepared byour dedicated Wednesday morning RCH cooking community members andstudents from the Roberti Community Pathway. The feast included a widearray of Mexican specialties complemented by some American favorites, andwas eaten outdoors, surrounded by our day's work. We all came away fromthis day well nourished.

The Roberti Community House extends special thanks to Uline and DK

Organics for donating supplies that will benefit our gardening programsthroughout the season.

Youth Sewing Teaches More Than Stitching

Jan, one of the Youth Sewing volunteers, with a student and his new scarf

Every Tuesday, while students wait outside the door of the Roberti CommunityHouse for afterschool programs to start, Jan and Mary Kay are inside, quicklypreparing sewing stations used in the Youth Sewing program. The red sewingfolder is filled with 100+ projects students have completed under thesupervision of volunteers like Jan, Mary Kay, Marie, and others throughout the

2017-2018 school year. The project portfolio includes pillows, pillow cases,scarves, bags, and more.

While students learn the practicality of knowing how to sew (one of ourstudents was able to fix his backpack that had a ripped strap), they also absorbmuch more than that. The sewing room is quiet, calm, and filled withconcentration. The environment gives students a chance to be fully engaged,without excess stimulation or distraction.

For some students, the Youth Sewing program provides a much-needed senseof pride and accomplishment. When they finish projects, they parade aroundthe house with their creations.

For others, the Youth Sewing program is a much-needed escape from a roughday. As they work closely with our sewing volunteers, students’ only concernsbecome which fabric to pick out for a pillow, or whether their stitching isstraight.

While we can quantify the number of projects students have completed, wecannot begin to measure the benefits Youth Sewing brings to the kids.

Volunteer Graduates

On behalf of all of us at the Roberti Community House, we would like to extendcongratulations to all of our volunteers graduating from 8th grade, high school,internships, and college. We are so thankful to have such greatvolunteers/interns who are surely going to do great things in the years to come.We have been proud to have you as a part of our progam.

RCH Gives Back

Food preparation for the Most Blessed Trinity Easter Retreat

In March, we were asked if we could prepare a day of meals for the three-dayretreat hosted by Most Blessed Trinity. They hosted over 250 students for 3days, and our RCH community worked to plan, prepare, and assemble avariety of dishes for the students. Dishes included ceviche, chicken tinga,salad, rice, beans, pasta salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, and rice pudding.Everyone worked hard to come together and prepare the meals, but did sosuccessfully to rave reviews from students who attended the retreat.

RCP Students Give Back As of January 8, 3,500 meals have gone to those in need. Recipients includeHouse of Peace, Staben House, P.A.D.S., Holy Family Church soup kitchen,the Waukegan Police Department, and even our very own RHC afterschoolprogram.

Summer Programs

With the end of spring coming soon, our summer programs will be taking offshortly. Join us this summer for some of our youth programs!

Community GardenWhile families visit the Holy Family soup kitchen, we provide a fun distractionfor the kids out in the community garden. We help engage them in planting andcaring for the garden, provide crafts, and offer samples of foods from thegardens. Tuesdays 10-12, June 5 - August 14.

Junior Chefs (Boys and Girls Ages 6-8)Students will prepare a different food item (or recipe) each week that they willhave for lunch that day. Volunteers needed for food prep, student assistance,and clean-up. Thursdays 12-1, June 19 - August 1.

Master Chefs (Boys and Girls Ages 9+)Students will prepare a different food item (or recipe) each week that they willhave for lunch that day. Volunteers needed for food prep, student assistance,and clean-up. Thursdays 12-2, June 21 - August 2.

Summer Reading & MathHelp lead community kids of all ages in activities and crafts related to variousreading themes and math levels. Tuesdays & Thursdays 1-3, June 19 - August9.

Please contact volunteerRCH@gmail.com or leave a message at (224) 209-3717.

Save the Date

Come see all the hard work our students have put in over the past 8 weeks.The students look forward to sharing their new knowledge of gardening,nutrition, and teamwork with you.

August 1, 11:30-1:30

Roberti Community House 919 8th St. Waukegan, IL 60085

(224) 209-3717

Wish List Our needs are many and your assistance is always appreciated. Our wish listincludes:

Vacuum cleanerVitamix industrial-sized blenderOutdoor shed (approx. 10' × 12')Disposable half and full-size pans with lidsCordless microphoneLawnmowerWeedwhacker/trimmeriPad

Some of the above culinary products are available through Federal SupplyUSA.

We appreciate your continued interest and support! Please consider donating.Thank you!