Category: Our Community
AURORA – Thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley, Triple Threat Mentoring has recently acquired a new, full-service printer/fax machine. The Foundation awarded the grants to Triple Threat in May, and the Aurora-based non-profit purchased the printer in March.
“We’re really grateful for this grant from the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley,” said Caleb Luper, executive director of Triple Threat Mentoring. “The more support we receive from the community, the more we are able to help under-resourced youth.”
The organization purchased a Xerox Phaser 8560 with the $3,000 grant.
Triple Threat Mentoring is in its fourth year of operation in Aurora and recently started offering its events and programming in select Chicago neighborhoods.
The non-profit’s mission is ‘empowering urban youth to develop confidence, character and life skills.
For further information on the Community Foundation, please see www.CommunityFoundationFRV.org
The Edge Church, Triple Threat and some of their community partners spread a little extra joy this Christmas. Some 40 volunteers from the Edge, as well as Triple Threat staff put on a huge holiday party for residents at Jericho circle the day after Christmas. There was toys and food and games. Oh my.
Toys for Tots donated about 170 toys for children at Jericho. Also, The Orchard Church donated photo frames for families who had their photos taken in an earlier Triple Threat event. Thanks to all sponsors and volunteers for making such an incredible time possible!
For more about the Edge, check out their Web site.
The small group of students at East Aurora High School saw past her name. It wasn’t about her status, her influence or her fame.
Rather, they saw Helen Rosburg – the CEO of a publishing house and member of the famous Wrigley family – as a friend. A teacher. A mentor.
Rosburg returned to Chicago on Tuesday to help the group of students along as they prepare to be the first-ever group from Aurora to compete in Louder Than a Bomb, the world’s largest poetry slam for teens.
“You’re all so in touch with who you are,” Rosburg said, pausing as she looked at the group of five circled around her in the small classroom. “And you have such an ability to express it.”
Rosburg helped the students hone that ability. As an award-winning author, poet and CEO of Medallion Press, she intently lent an ear to the aspiring poets, injecting short life lessons along the way.
If anyone, Rosburg knows. It took more than a household last name to get her to the point to where she is today.
Rosburg told students of her own life struggles, how she overcame them and even recounted stories on how she worked less-than-glamorous, odd-end jobs just so she could write for a living.
Students seemed to take notice. Especially Yolanda, a senior at East.
After receiving feedback on one of her poems from Rosburg and others, Yolanda delivered another performance from one of her poems.
“What do you see when you look at me? I’m not a book, so no you can’t read me,” she said firmly, as volunteers, the mayor of Aurora and a state representative listened in. “You’re like a satellite, you only get an outside look at me. … do you see me happy, full of possibilities? A young girl, short, with big dreams. What is it, huh? What do you see when you look at me?”
Rosburg saw potential in Yolanda and the other students. So much so that Rosburg said that if students stuck with it, Medallion Press would publish an anthology of their work.
“Boy we have some talent in this room,” Rosburg said.
To track the students’ progress, check triplethreat.org
With the demolition of Jericho Circle just months away, Triple Threat Mentoring recently offered families from the Aurora Housing Authority’s largest housing project a lasting holiday keepsake. Knowing many families would be moving to other areas and some families even being split up, Triple Threat aimed to create a memorable way for residents to preserve a strong sense of family.
So we teamed up with local businesses and more than a dozen volunteers to shoot family photos for Jericho residents while sprinkling in plenty of music, food, fun and holiday cheer. More than 200 Jericho residents showed up earlier this month to have professional family portraits taken in the community center. What an awesome time!
Thanks so much to Calumet Photographic, Walgreens, Subway, Jimmy John’s and Jewel-Osco for their support. Also a big shout-out to Donnell, Monica, The Edge church, volunteer photographers, AHA management and everyone else who helped out along the way!
If you have Triple Threat on your mind and holiday spirit in your heart, then here’s a perfect opportunity.
Tiny Candle is a commemorative collection of holiday music recorded over a five-year span at Aurora’s Backthird Audio. Students from a Triple Threat arts program designed the original album covers. All profits from CD sales go to Triple Threat. CDs are available at www.tinycandle.com and are up for pre-order.
Want to know more? Visit the Tiny Candle Web site or check it out in the press — here’s a story from Triblocal and another from the Beacon News.
A typical Triple Threat program brings youth together for 8 weeks.
But what can happen in that amount of time? Can you change the course of someone’s life and steer them down the right path?
Enter David Hill.
David admits that he used to make mistakes. He would sneak out of his house and talk back to his mom. That was the old David Hill.
So who’s the new David Hill?
Watch this YouTube video to find out
It’s softball time!
Usually in the spring, this year’s annual softball tournament is set for the fall.
Triple Threat will partner with Aurora School District 131 to sponsor the 5th grade East Aurora Boys and Girls Softball Tournament Saturday, October 16th. The event will be held from 9:00am – 4:00pm at the East Aurora Softball Fields. Teams from all 12 elementary schools of East Aurora will participate. The tournament provides young athletes a positive experience of team building and structured competition through sports. Triple Threat sponsored crafts, games and prizes, face painting and fun tattoos are all part of the family fun being planned for the event. Volunteers needed as umpires, score keepers, check-in and Kids Games area.
If you’ve ever witnessed a Triple Threat program, then you know there’s a lot of work and supplies required to make everything work.
Target helped tremendously with a grant to help Triple Threat run Academic programming.
Thanks to Target for sponsoring programming for the 2010-2011 year!
Do you know Triple Threat partners with some awesome musicians to offer music lessons?
Lessons are starting soon and will be held at the Fred Rogers Community Center in Aurora.
If you’re interested, please contact Triple Threat’s Art Director, Nate Miller.
It couldn’t be easier to help Triple Threat Mentoring.
Simply shop at the JC Penny in North Aurora between August 4th and August 14th. When you check out, you’ll be asked if you’d like to round up your purchase to the nearest dollar, with that change going to Triple Threat.
So if you have some back-to-school shopping to do, make sure to head over to the JC Penny right off of Interstate 88 at Orchard Road. Your contribution will go a long way in helping us empower under-resourced youth.
