A great Tutor-Tutee Day November 7, 2009

Find more photos like this on Earthen Vessels

Successful camp sessions despite the rain

We had three sessions at camp this summer, a week with 11-12 year-olds, a week of Leadership Training, and two weeks with 13-14 year-olds. It was one of the rainiest seasons we've ever had, but we managed to do three mountains during the last session. Camel's Hump was the highlight—it's the most beautiful mountain in Vermont, in my book. We managed to do Mount Mansfield, the highest, but were in the clouds without any view at the top. The traditional stop for ice cream at Ben & Jerry's was some consolation, and the sun came out for swimming by the time we got back to camp. Everybody had a good time and did some serious growing on many levels. We ended the summer with a Family Camp weekend with former counselors, tutors and their kids.

Blog rally for Roxana Saberi and others

Thanks to T at Notes of an Anesthesioboist for getting this going. A group of bloggers is holding a blog rally in support of Roxana Saberi, who is spending her birthday on a hunger strike in Tehran's Evin Prison, where she has been incarcerated for espionage. According to NPR, "The Iranian Political Prisoners Association lists hundreds of people whose names you would be even less likely to recognize: students, bloggers, dissidents, and others who, in a society that lacks a free press, dare to practice free expression." Hearing reports like these has prompted us to do a ribbon campaign. Blue for blogging. Please consider placing a blue ribbon on your blog or website this week in honor of the journalists, bloggers, students, and writers who are imprisoned in Evin Prison, nicknamed "Evin University," and other prisons around the world, for speaking and writing down their thoughts. Also, please ask others to join our blog rally.

EV Chocolate Buffet at the Langham to close auction

Please join us April 30th 7-9pm at the Langham Hotel Boston for a gala Chocolate Buffet—a highly reputed "indulgence"—to help us finish up our online auction in style... and, more importantly, to help us continue Earthen Vessels' essential work with Boston's inner-city young people. The event will be MC'd by one of our 'graduates', Latoyia Edwards. She is also an honors graduate of Emerson College, Miss Massachusetts USA in 2002, and a reporter for New England Cable News. She will be joined by a current tutor-tutee pair who will speak about their experience in the program. You will have the opportunity to bid on several silent auction items reserved for this final evening, including a week's stay in a beautiful apartment in Paris. Check out the auction, live online through April 28th, at earthenvessels.cMarket.com and contact Eric to reserve your ticket for the Chocolate Buffet: atty.ethompson@yahoo.com.

EV Community Event a big success

Earthen Vessels held its annual Community Event at its Tutoring Center in Dorchester March 31st, bringing together Harvard tutors, their tutees, the tutees' families and EV staff for a fun evening of fellowship and sharing. Families brought delicious homemade food to share and the kids put on a terrific presentation, tracing the history of (Black) liberation from slavery to Barack Obama. Several recited texts (beginning with Sojourner Truth), portions of speeches (including Martin Luther King, Jr. and Barack Obama), or their own poems. Another group put on a dance number which they had choreographed (with some help from one of the tutors). Everyone had a chance to get to know one another better and appreciate the talent and creativity of the young people (and their parents!). Thanks to Lauren and Nancy for all their hard work putting it all together.