Providing New Ideas and Relationships
Broadening the
knowledge
of our community
Workforce Development
Placement at Roberti Culinary Pathway and Roberti Community House offers professional internship placement opportunities related to a student’s field of study or career interest.
Students learn in an interactive small cohort format to gain skills they can immediately apply in their organizations. We provide a wide range of internship opportunities in community health workers, culinary and hospitality, social work and psychology, and master gardening.
Our programs
Gardening
— Nourishes our senses and connecting us to our food
Gardening is one of the most rewarding hobbies you can do, with long-lasting positive effects to yourself, your community, and to the world at large.
Every spring, we host our annual kick off to summer by cleaning up the gardens at RCH, the community garden at the Holy Family Food Pantry and Roberti Culinary Pathway. Numerous neighbors and volunteers join together to clean up and prepare the planting beds and gardens for planting.
Roberti Community House invites our neighbors and volunteers to help us tend our three gardens at RCH, the community garden at the Holy Family Food Pantry and Roberti Culinary Pathway. Neighbors are encouraged to bring the whole family.
We help engage the the kids in planting and caring for the garden, provide crafts, and offer samples of foods from the gardens.
The Junior Green Youth Farm provides middle-school age youth with the opportunity to learn about sustainable agricultural practices, healthy food preparation and the value of nutritional eating habits and exercise. The JGYF offers a daily hands-on gardening experience, cooking, art and yoga classes as well as various educational field trips. Team building and group activities are successfully integrated with individual goals so that youth gain self-confidence and interpersonal skills.
Through the donation of seeds, seedlings, and soil, Roberti Community House has successfully worked with and encouraged neighbors to grow their own fruits and vegetables in small family gardens or container pots. In collaboration with the University of Illinois Extension, Chicago Botanic Garden, and Elawa Farms, we have provided neighbors with gardening opportunities each spring.
RCH serves as a critical hub collecting fresh produce from area farms and farmers markets. We not only connect the local community to nutrient dense food, we prepare, distribute and educate our recipients. Our ultimate objective is to improve health outcomes by long-term changes in access to fresh food in underserved communities.
Youth enrichment
— Improving academic and social skills, and making new friends
Roberti Community House youth programs provide children with educational programs and activities when children are out-of-school. Enrichment programs are designed to address youth needs in many areas such as academic, cultural, social, emotional, and recreational.
September – May
Throughout the school year, and during holiday breaks, RCH Out-of-School Youth Support Programs offer a safe and welcoming place for our community children. Free, drop-in programs offer homework help, crafts, yoga, and a healthy meal. All ages are welcome, kids that often are caregivers for younger siblings benefit from time to focus on themselves. Most importantly, our volunteers provide a consistent, caring presence to role model how we build a community.
Roberti Community House keeps the fun and learning going all summer long. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings, a team of energetic volunteers and master gardeners engage children in fun activities such as art, science experiments, music and gardening.
June – August and School Breaks
Young chefs learn about nutrition while preparing different recipes each week. The class then enjoys their lunch together in the Roberti Community House kitchen.
Offering one on one instruction, kids are encouraged to create age-appropriate projects. From cut & tie fleece pillows to learning how to use our two donated sewing machines, volunteers help kids develop a new interest.
Thanks to many generous donations and our dedicated volunteer librarian, our community kids are encouraged to embrace the joy of reading. We also have a “Little Lending Library” that is located in our front yard. This enables children to borrow and return books even when the community house is closed.
Adult enrichment
— Providing opportunities for adults to gain new skills and knowledge
Helping build skills for success by providing adults with the opportunity to acquire and improve functional skills necessary to enhance the quality of their lives as workers, family members, and citizens.
After developing connections within the community through gathering at RCH, our neighbors initiated this English class in order to achieve greater proficiency in the English language. This is a popular class for both men and women. Conversations are always lively and have served as the basis for new friendships.
Gathering Thursday mornings, this weekly drop-in class began as an opportunity for neighbors to build connections. As relationships and confidence strengthened, the focus of this group turned, naturally, to after school and out of school youth programs. Sharing recipes, culture and nutrition advice, local participants and volunteers all learn something new each week.
Sewing classes have proved to be extremely popular. Both talented volunteers and participants have helped neighbors pursue a wide variety of projects. Using sewing machines and supplies generously donated by many, the class is becoming proficient at making skirts, dresses, blouses and other articles of clothing as well as undertaking various home improvement projects. This group also likes to use their skills to give back by knitting hats, scarves, making aprons and purses for others.
With every season and holiday, RCH offers special adult activities, such as wreath making and container planting. New ideas are embraced with enthusiasm.
Health and Wellbeing
— Helping to balance physical, social, emotional, and intellectual well-being of our community
All aspects of health builds confidence – emotional, physical, and overall well-being. Our health and wellness programs are designed to improve and support our community for a healthier, more productive life.
Using traditional yoga postures and breath awareness, yoga serves to build a participant’s strength, increase their self-esteem, reduce stress, promote flexibility, and improve balance. Classes at RCH focus on core strength and can accommodate all levels of participation. When needed, instruction is translated into Spanish so that each detail is easily understood and individuals are able to freely express themselves through the various postures.
The best way to add exercise to your life is by doing it with a friend! RCH encourages our community to get active incorporating stretching and meditation throughout all our programs.
Hand drumming has increasingly gained recognition for its role in contributing to the wellness movement. Playing drums is a physical activity that brings together people of all ages and cultures. A drum is an instrument everyone can play – it is a medium of non-verbal communication – and it’s fun! RCH offers monthly drumming sessions conducted by Helen Bond, a dynamic teacher who teaches the healing power of drumming with the use of Djembe, authentic West African drums. Drum circles at RCH increase individual well-being, reduce stress and provide neighbors with an opportunity to get to know one another better and to relate in new ways.
Roberti Community House encourages our neighbors to enjoy the free outdoor programs available in our area. In partnership with Lake County Nature Network, local health clinics and Rosalind Franklin University, RCH organizes events and chaperones field trips to various organized forest preserve walks.
become a volunteer
— Help Foster a Sense of Community!
Programs at Roberti Community House are only successful with the help of many generous volunteers. Help foster our sense of community in Lake County by empowering those living in this distressed area. By offering your time at RCH, you will have the opportunity to see the immediate impact of your contributions, being connected with those in need. You will also make connections with other like-minded people, our over 360 dedicated volunteers!
