Stories of Service
Grandma Evelyn Stephens Makes an Impact on Students and Staff
Evelyn Stephens
Foster Grandparents - Calhoun County - Battle Creek
In the summer of 2011, I had the honor of being a Level 1 Teacher for Freedom School in Battle Creek, MI. I was fortunate to share this experience with many local Kindergarten and 1st Grade Students, as well as my son who was in my class. During this experience, I was given the opportunity to work with my first Foster Grandmother, as well. Grandma Evelyn was such a blessing to me, my son, and my students. She came in everyday with a smile on her face and something to share with the students. She liked reading the Freedom School books to my classroom that went hand in hand with the curriculum. She offered a wealth of knowledge that I could not bring to the table, simply because she came from that era. I was as intrigued by her stories, as the students were. I could listen to Grandma Evelyn all day if given the chance. She also liked to assist the children with arts and crafts and writing stories, and was easily entertained by the skits they would perform. I think Grandma’s favorite part of the Freedom School Day was all the dancing and singing we did each morning at Harambee. You could always find her movin’ and groovin’ with a big smile on her face. I’ll say that was my favorite part too!!! I was sad to say goodbye to Grandma at the end of the summer. Not only was I forever changed by my Freedom School experience, but I was also forever touched by Grandma Evelyn. The following Fall, I took a new position as the Site-Coordinator of the Doris Hale Head Start Center. One day at work, I ran into Grandma Evelyn and she told me that she was volunteering down the road at one of my sister sites, the Munger Center. I was elated to see her again and asked her when I could take her to lunch and catch up. I wanted to hear how her family was doing and share pictures of my kids with her. The following year she was placed at Ann J Elementary School and I continued this tradition of taking her out to lunch to catch up. This school year, I was absolutely thrilled when her supervisor, Hope Rowan, informed me that Grandma Evelyn was going to be transferred to a classroom at my building. I had been asking for her to come over here since I knew she volunteered for Head Start! Now, 5 of my 7 classrooms host a Foster Grandma. They bring a special touch to those classrooms that I simply can’t describe and we so lucky to have each of them. Grandma Evelyn and I just shared our annual lunch together on Foster Grandmother Appreciation Day; this year I treated her to Clara’s. She told me how well she likes the new classroom she works in at my building and how great she thinks the staff is.
-Crista Hilton, Community Action Site Coordinator at Doris Hale in Battle Creek, MI