Visiting RBJ & Future Ideas

Recently, the YAB visited the R.B.J Center to meet with the Volunteer Coordinator to discuss what projects EAPrep can put together. We didn't really know what to expect so when we arrived we were surprised with how large the building is. RBJ holds up to 250 residents ages 60 and up. These residents are elderly and some are disabled. We were able to meet a few and they were all so nice! I think they were very happy to see young faces visiting the center! Ms. Farah informed us that sometimes they dont get a lot of visitors so the residents light up when they see new faces.Ms. Farah showed us the garden (it needs work!) and the library that desparately needs to be organized, and also all the space we would have for future projects


After meeting, we made a list of all the things we plan on doing and ways to recruit EAPrep students and staff for Saturday activities.We thought about teaching residents how to do origami, paint and color. Also, organizing the library.Other mini projects include Sing-A-Long, Putt-Putt Golf, and just talking with them. We realized that the one thing these residents need is companionship and we (along with other EAPrep students) can provide this! Visiting the R.B.J center has made us realize that the residents don't get to see many young faces and when we visited, there were so many smiles everywhere!

 An idea we have for our very last project would be to bring back the life in the people and make them feel young by creating one of the best moments in a teenagers year, Prom. We have also thought about a Spring Festival with lots of great activities. We are still deciding and we will ask other students for input.

For Christmas we are thinking of activities we can do and hopefully recruit other students and staff to participate. One thing we realized is that RBJ residents need compassion, love, and people to visit with them. 

RBJ Center!

Upcoming Events

November 2012

Tour of Rebekah Baines Johnson ( RBJ )
Scavenger Hunt part 1

December 2012

EAPrep at MLK Campus Grand Opening 8:30-12:00 (Free Breakfast)

Safe Driving Presentations to Jain Lane!

Volunteer at Southwest Key Food Pantry Distribution

Scavenger Hunt part 2

January  2012
Recruitment to participate in service-learning activities held at the RBJ Center on Saturdays

Food Hunt: HEB vs. El Rancho

Recently the YAB surveyed students at EAPrep and asked where their families purhcased groceries. We selected the top two stores and decided that we would put together a list of items for our upcoming scavenger hunt!

On Saturday, we visited local stores such as H-E-B near Springdale and El Rancho (these stores were selected based on survey results!) and studied the way food is organized, the different kinds of food that are ofference, and the prices. Based on our study we found out that both stores appeal or attract low-income people in the area and provide them with low quality food. Everything that was a "good deal" was high in sugar and unhealthy.

The YAB noticed that H-E-B accepts the WIC program which supports healthy produce such as fruits and vegetables. Shockingly the WIC program did not support Kashi cereal but supported alternative cereals that are high in sugar. H-E-B also put the organic items for a certain type of food in the bottom corner and it was to be priced expensively! For example: one organic product that was marked at 6.99 and the same product was placed next to it at 3.99. We thought this was strange.  H-E-B organized the food by letting the junk food overpopulate the whole aisle.

The second store, El Rancho, supported a mixture of fresh produce and deli but also supported cheap and not so healthy foods like Takis, Lucas candies, and processed deli. Overall El Rancho was a supersized grocery where everything was cheap and huge. Our study shows that we need to step up our game and fight back.

Here are a few of pictures that we took while touring:

This add for Taquis really did not sit well with the YAB