Life Skills Culinary Arts
Donation protected
Friends and family~
I'm contacting you because I have a serious mission and I need your help. As many of you know, I work at Gardiner Middle School In Oregon City, Oregon, in the Special Education department. I coordinate two Life Skills classrooms with Developmentally Disabled students, 39 in total, grades 6-8. My students are impacted by Autism, Communication Disorder, Downs Syndrome, Developmental Disability & other health impairments.
After 20+ years in the Special Education field, I am aware that one of the largest areas of need is programs that teach Independent Living skills, as well as skills needed to obtain meaningful employment. There is a dearth of employment possibilities for these young people following high school graduation. Developing skills at the middle school level is essential in building proficiency to ensure successful adult transition.
This is where I come in. I envisioned my students learning to love the kitchen the way I do. What if we could create a mock restaurant that would provide lunch to our staff one day a week? It just so happened the 3rd period class held before lunch was comprised of all boys. A student with autism came to me with a picture he had drawn of a cowboy on horseback with his whip forming the name of our project. He said "this should be the logo for our cafe." "Dude Ranch" cafe was born. We have obtained an Oregon Food Handlers card, learned about kitchen safety and proper food handling. Under the umbrella of Culinary Arts, our students have become adept at reading recipes, preparing shopping lists, comparative price shopping, making purchases and counting change, and restaurant serving etiquette. We have learned how to navigate mass transportation by taking the city bus to the grocery store.
We have served 6 lunches so far, ranging from Fish Tacos with fresh Cabazon, Cuban sandwiches with moros cristianos, and Chanterelle mushroom risotto. To put it simply and humbly...we have received rave reviews! The opportunity to provide these meals has branded our program more positively. The really cool piece is that our school community is able to see my students as "able" rather than disabled. My kids have learned to try new foods, and have learned to understand how food is transformed from grocery store to tabletop. This is remarkable given that many of my students come from homes where there is food scarcity, and much of what they eat comes from a box.
The good news is that one of our classrooms is equipped with a kitchen. Although it is functional, it is ill-equipped. My program budget is $30 a month or $270 annually. This includes all program costs, including consumables, as well as public transportation costs.
This is where you come in. I am raising funds to outfit our kitchen with a dishwasher, pots and pans, aprons, quality knives, as well as local farm-to-table foods. Having the security of knowing we have reliable equipment and the ability to procure healthy food would allow the program to flourish. I imagine this program will establish roots and endure, benefitting future generations of Developmentally Disabled students. It will allow them to develop tangible skills which they can carry with them to adulthood. Having culinary and related skills could make the difference between my students living an Independent life with meaning and purpose, or having to depend on government services.
Please consider making a donation to the "Dude Ranch."
On behalf on my Life Skills students, I thank you for your time and generosity. Stay tuned. A "Dude Ranch" cookbook is in the works.
I'm contacting you because I have a serious mission and I need your help. As many of you know, I work at Gardiner Middle School In Oregon City, Oregon, in the Special Education department. I coordinate two Life Skills classrooms with Developmentally Disabled students, 39 in total, grades 6-8. My students are impacted by Autism, Communication Disorder, Downs Syndrome, Developmental Disability & other health impairments.
After 20+ years in the Special Education field, I am aware that one of the largest areas of need is programs that teach Independent Living skills, as well as skills needed to obtain meaningful employment. There is a dearth of employment possibilities for these young people following high school graduation. Developing skills at the middle school level is essential in building proficiency to ensure successful adult transition.
This is where I come in. I envisioned my students learning to love the kitchen the way I do. What if we could create a mock restaurant that would provide lunch to our staff one day a week? It just so happened the 3rd period class held before lunch was comprised of all boys. A student with autism came to me with a picture he had drawn of a cowboy on horseback with his whip forming the name of our project. He said "this should be the logo for our cafe." "Dude Ranch" cafe was born. We have obtained an Oregon Food Handlers card, learned about kitchen safety and proper food handling. Under the umbrella of Culinary Arts, our students have become adept at reading recipes, preparing shopping lists, comparative price shopping, making purchases and counting change, and restaurant serving etiquette. We have learned how to navigate mass transportation by taking the city bus to the grocery store.
We have served 6 lunches so far, ranging from Fish Tacos with fresh Cabazon, Cuban sandwiches with moros cristianos, and Chanterelle mushroom risotto. To put it simply and humbly...we have received rave reviews! The opportunity to provide these meals has branded our program more positively. The really cool piece is that our school community is able to see my students as "able" rather than disabled. My kids have learned to try new foods, and have learned to understand how food is transformed from grocery store to tabletop. This is remarkable given that many of my students come from homes where there is food scarcity, and much of what they eat comes from a box.
The good news is that one of our classrooms is equipped with a kitchen. Although it is functional, it is ill-equipped. My program budget is $30 a month or $270 annually. This includes all program costs, including consumables, as well as public transportation costs.
This is where you come in. I am raising funds to outfit our kitchen with a dishwasher, pots and pans, aprons, quality knives, as well as local farm-to-table foods. Having the security of knowing we have reliable equipment and the ability to procure healthy food would allow the program to flourish. I imagine this program will establish roots and endure, benefitting future generations of Developmentally Disabled students. It will allow them to develop tangible skills which they can carry with them to adulthood. Having culinary and related skills could make the difference between my students living an Independent life with meaning and purpose, or having to depend on government services.
Please consider making a donation to the "Dude Ranch."
On behalf on my Life Skills students, I thank you for your time and generosity. Stay tuned. A "Dude Ranch" cookbook is in the works.
Organizer
Bret Born
Organizer
Portland, OR