Success Stories
The Sprouting of a Seed
Melva Moore is one of those rare individuals who has a well-defined mission in life. Melva retired in 2003 after 34 years as an elementary school teacher. She then went to work at HomeFront's shelter for homeless moms and their children—the Family Preservation Center. She created an after-school tutoring program for the children of the homeless families who live there. She helps the children complete their homework—and tracks their academic progress, continually urging them to work harder and do better.
“When I first started, we did not have the classroom space on the second floor,” Melva said in a recent interview. “We started out with them doing their homework in the cafeteria (community room). Now, we are fully equipped.”
In general, the children of FPC families have not done well at school. Typically, the children of homeless families have poor attendance records and low grades. Melva works tirelessly to set them on the path to academic success. She has a “Star Student” program that provides gifts and gift cards to reward good grades and good attendance records. She ensures that the children have calculators, reference books and other school supplies they need.
Wilmeris Matias is one of Melva's star pupils. Melva recently worked with her to complete a science fair project. Melva worked additional hours to help Wilmeris learn research skills, document the process and prepare reports.
“She is in the third grade,” Melva said. “I was just so happy at how far she came working on this project and how much she learned. I spent some extra time teaching her now to form a hypothesis, make a little outline, set up a project, make notes and write a report. She took to the whole process like a duck to water.”
“She decided to plant eggplant seeds in different environments and see what conditions make them grow best,” Melva added. “Wilmeris had four cups. She had one little cup in her closet, she placed one on top of her dresser, she had one under a lamp and the last one was placed on her window sill—in the sun.”
“I went in her room to see how she had it set up,” Melva said. “I told her that we had to take pictures of the setup—so I did. What really made me happy was how seriously Wilmeris took this and how hard she worked at it. She was looking at it, taking notes every day and acting like a real little researcher. Wilmeris worked on that project every day for three weeks, observing the seeds. I helped her type up her report and prepare her display for the science fair. I was so proud of Wilmeris.”
At this point in the interview, Melva made a typical teacher's move, turned the tables and asked the interviewer which of the cups she thought showed the most growth. Based on a dim memory of a science class fifty years ago,s he guessed “the one under the lamp.”
“Her hypothesis was Plant D—the one on the window sill,” Melva laughed. “It turned out to be Plant A—the one in the closet. It is not what I expected either, but it could have been because the plant on the window sill and the ones on the other ones out in the room were too dry. She had to keep watering them. And the room was a bit cold.”
“I was just so proud of her, the way she stuck to it and finished the job—and Wilmeris is on the honor roll now and has perfect attendance,” Melva concluded, “She is going to do well. Wilmeris had a beautiful little project. Her mom got her two baskets for her daughter to transport the plants to school, and she was so happy. The mom just kept kissing her daughter. My volunteers helped Wilmeris get ready to present her project too. Everyone was just so proud of that little girl.”
It turned out that the pride was justified. Wilmeris’s project won the grand prize and she received a trophy, three certificates, a digital camera, a pass for eight people to go to the Philadelphia Franklin Institute, and a ribbon with a medal. If Wilmeris writes a report on the Franklin Institute, she has the opportunity to win a laptop.
Sometimes a seed can sprout and grow in a closet—and a promising young scholar can develop at a shelter for homeless families.
