POPSICLE PROJECT - Harold Beaulieu

2009
POPSICLE PROJECT
The Popsicle Index is the
percentage of people in
any given neighborhood,
who believe that a child
can walk to the nearest
store, buy a Popsicle, and
return home safely.
HAROLD BEAULIEU
ART DEPARTMENT
345 GEORGIA STREET
VALLEJO, CA
October, 2009
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
History of the Popsicle
Frank Epperson invented the “Popsicle” in 1905. Legend says that it resulted as an accident, but notes from his
unpublished memoir state otherwise.
The young inventor enjoyed experimenting and creating new exotic drinks by combining soda powder and a
variety of flavors that he purchased at the local grocery store. One evening, after filling a glass with such a
combination he wrote, "I wonder how it would taste frozen, so I left a little in a glass overnight on the back
porch." That night, San Francisco experienced the "Big Freeze". Temperatures dropped below the freezing point
of 32 degrees Fahrenheit. In the morning, Frank found his mixture frozen with the wooden stirring stick
protruding straight up like a handle. He slid the "pretty pink frozen lollypop" out of the glass and called it an
Epperson Icicle. Later he renamed it the Ep-sicle.
He wanted to produce and sell large quantities of Ep-sicles but didn't have the money to do it. Two other factors
were working against him; freezing temperatures were not common in San Francisco, and the home electric
freezer hadn't yet been invented.
Getting necessary supplies was difficult. Fortunately, one individual told him about a six-inch glass test tube that
proved to be the perfect mold. Frank then invented a machine to manufacture the frozen treat and also stamp
his name on the wooden stick. Later, George, Frank's son, renamed the treat - Popsicle, in honor and with
permission of his dad.
In 1923, Frank applied for a patent that was granted a year later. He never trademarked his product, but another
company did. Frank sold all his rights to the frozen dessert. He late regretted this, but at the time it helped his
family survive.
When the people have the opportunity to express themselves
creatively, and more and more of the positive works of
young people are seen, the entire community is moved to
better health.
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
Richmond, California 2009
The neighborhood surrounding Verde Elementary School in Richmond, California consists of largely low
income and minority families. The neighborhood has many boarded up buildings and a reputation for
high crime. The POPSICLE INDEX, TILE ART, and MURAL PROJECTS will contribute to beautifying the area
as well as to give families and other residents an active role in restoring a sense of safety to the streets
and paths that children must travel on a day to day basis. Through interaction with schools,
neighborhood associations, and project artists, participants will have gained confidence and new skills
with which to identify, and address some of the critical issues that face their children. Children will
recognize their art in a public place as a way of changing blighted areas and boarded up storefronts to
areas that families can look to with pride of place and beautification as the result of children and family
intervention. Children will feel safer because of greater neighborhood attention and involvement
focused on the positive works of children and families. With the involvement and visible support of
local business and city agencies, the project will be a model for other neighborhoods and will serve to
attract positive publicity to counter the frequent negative media attention given to poverty, violence,
and crime.
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
When the people have the opportunity to express themselves creatively,
the community is moved to better health.
When more and more of the positive works of young people are seen, the
community is moved to even better health.
Ultimately, the purpose of arts education and programs is not to produce
more artists, it is to produce more complete human beings, with experience
in using their innate and unique creativity.
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
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Definition
The Popsicle index is the percentage of people in any given neighborhood that believe
that a child can walk to the nearest store and buy a Popsicle and return home safely.
The Popsicle Index is derived from a one question survey that ask” On a scale of one to
ten, how safe is it in your opinion, for a child to walk to school or to the nearest store
and return home safely?” The responses are compiled on a street by street basis.
Outcomes
A map of the general neighborhood with responses summed to form an overall street
by street index of perceived safety.
These pathways will identify the safest routes for children to walk and create a sense
of cohesiveness for children and families within their neighborhood.
Other outcomes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Child safety strategies of the Popsicle Project are understood and adopted by
citizens.
Code enforceable problems receive neighborhood support
Increase in neighborhood confidence that leads to solutions for neighborhood
issues.
Reduction in crime along Popsicle routes.
Established Popsicle routes may now carry enforceable child endangerment
penalties for drug dealing and prostitution.
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
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Description of items
Posters and Flyers
Posters and flyers will identify the project to the community Both English and
Spanish versions will be placed throughout the neighborhood and at all
community centers, schools, and other highly visible locations.
Tee-Shirts and Caps
Tee-Shirts and Caps will identify the interviewers as they go door to door to
conduct the survey.
The Survey Card
The Popsicle Survey consists of one question. “On a scale of one to ten with ten
being the safest, how safe is it in your opinion for a small child to walk to the
store, school, or community center, buy a Popsicle and return home safely in
this neighborhood?” In addition, the street name, house number, race, and
gender of the respondent will be recorded.
Intercept Cards
The intercept Card is an 11 x 17 inch laminated poster with the basic survey
question in English on one side and Spanish on the other. This card will allow
interviewers to present the question to Spanish only speakers.
The Popsicle Route Map
The Popsicle Route Map is a map of the general neighborhood derived from
existing city maps. The object is for children to see their home in relation to the
entire neighborhood and identify a safe route to the nearest store or school.
Maps should be large enough for a child to color in features found in that
neighborhood.
The Popsicle Index Sign
The Popsicle Index Sign is a 4-foot by 8-foot depiction of the Popsicle logo.
The sign starts out in outline form and as the neighborhood index rises, the
outlined Popsicle is filled in to reflect the increase. Much the same as fund
raising thermometers.
The Popsicle Route Sign
The Popsicle Route sign is a city issued sign designating the Popsicle Route as a
city sponsored route in much the same way as bicycle lanes are posted and
enforced.
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
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“Popsicle Project”
Presentation of the “Popsicle Project” to The Family Association of Verde School. The Family
Association and the staff of Verde School have committed to 100% participation in
“The Popsicle Project.” Additional presentations are scheduled for the month of May 09, at The
Shields-Reid Community Center, M.A.C regular meeting, Families at the Y.A.E.C. and Project Pride.
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
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The projects posters and all materials
are produced in English and Spanish.
A Power-Point presentation
introduces the concept at community
groups meetings.
The survey instrument is printed and
the door to door interviewing will
start in late May. The project expects
to complete the “Popsicle Index” by
mid June 09.
The Popsicle Survey
The surveys are being
distributed at Verde
School, Shields-Reid
Center, YAEC, Child
Development Center,
Project Pride, and
several local residents.
The survey card is
printed in English and
Spanish
Every child returning a
completed survey to
any of the above
locations will receive a
free Popsicle.
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
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“Thank You” cake for Verde teachers accepted by Ms. Barron, Verde’s After
School Coordinator and Ms. Moulden, Verde School Principal.
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
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The Popsicle Event
Verde School Students
line up for popsicles, the
reward for returning the
completed survey card.
Popsicles were
distributed at the ShieldsReid Center and at
several “Snack Shops”,
operated by local
residents during after
school hours.
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
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Survey responses from Verde School are entered into the database by Y.A.E.C. youth who will
also do follow up surveys for residents who have not filled out a survey card.
“Popsicle Shirts, Caps and the
laminated intercept card, worn by
Y.A.E.C. Data collector’s Theo
Wooten and De-Vondre Shumake.
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
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Youth from the Center for Human
Development in North Richmond
prepare for more “door to door”
interviews.
Teams of two go door to door with
the intercept card. English on one
side and Spanish on the other
make it easy to communicate with
Spanish only speakers.
Fourteen North Richmond youth
were involved in the data
collection phase of the Popsicle
Project
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
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Carla Dorton, Y.A.E.C. staff person and “Popsicle Project” team
leader, has served the project as Data Manager. She has been
responsible for the accuracy of the data collected and insuring that all
available houses have been surveyed.
Also, she instructed the data collection teams in how to set up Excel
Spread Sheets and enter the information they have collected.
Each data collection team was responsible for obtaining the interview
as well as entering the information into Excel Spread Sheets. These
records were checked against a map and the various spread sheets are
now being compiled to produce the “Popsicle Index”.
On average, each youth interviewer visited between 40-60 homes.
The project is initiated at Verde School and our project partners
include, Young Adult Empowerment Center, Center for Human
Development, Project Pride, Shields-Reid Community Center, Ms.
Gwedolyn Powell, and Las Deltas Child Development Center, all
involved in the data collection phase of our project.
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
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Popsicle Project puts North Richmond safety in the
spotlight
By Shelly Meron
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 10/10/2009 01:59:03 PM PDT
Updated: 10/11/2009 08:42:43 AM PDT
For one day at least, Cynthia Barrone didn't have to worry too much about the children
walking from school to a nearby community center.
Several dozen students from Verde Elementary in North Richmond walked together on
International Walk to School Day on Wednesday with parent volunteers, who helped the
kids cross the street and hurried them away from the snow-cone vendor.
But parents can't be there every day, and many community members such as Barrone, a
volunteer coordinator at Verde, worry about children making their way alone through the
streets of this often-dangerous unincorporated community in West Contra Costa County.
"It's not safe to walk," Barrone said, listing loose dogs, gun violence, people under the
influence and reckless drivers among the dangers.
Enter the Popsicle Project and local activist Harold Beaulieu.
Seeking to find the safest routes for kids to walk in the neighborhood and to start a
community conversation about safety, Beaulieu teamed with Richmond-based nonprofit
Center for Human Development, the Richmond Youth Student Empowerment center,
Contra Costa Supervisor John Gioia's office and volunteers at Verde Elementary to create
the project.
Its name derives from the "Popsicle Index," which refers to the percentage of people in a
particular area who feel that a child can go to a nearby store, buy a Popsicle, and return
home safely.
"No one has ever conducted a safety survey in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods
in the nation," Beaulieu said. "No one has ever gone around and asked these people what
they think about their neighborhood."
With help from the Human Development Center and RYSE, Beaulieu recruited about two
dozen young adults between the ages of 15 and 23 to go door to door to about 1,000
houses over a 21/2-week period. They asked one question: On a scale of 1 to 10, how
safe is it for a child to walk to a local store in North Richmond, buy a Popsicle and get back
home unharmed?
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
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According to the informal data collected by the group, residents perceived Battery Street
as the safest, and Castro Street as the least safe.
Giaramita Street appears to be the safest direct route from Verde to the Shields-Reid
Community Center, where many children attend an after-school program or play at a
park, Beaulieu said.
Surveyor Cameron Williams, a 16-year-old volunteer at the Human Development Center,
said collecting the data was challenging at times; some people didn't want to answer the
question, while others wouldn't even open the door.
But many who did respond told Williams they feel their neighborhood is not as scary as
some perceive it to be.
"There's a negative stigma that it's hard-core and violent, but a lot of people here feel it's
safe for them and their kids," Williams said. "It does have a high crime rate, but blaming
what a few people are doing on a whole neighborhood is not right."
For Barrone and others in the area, keeping the streets safe is an ongoing effort. On
Giaramita Street on Wednesday, a neighbor read a flier about the Popsicle Project.
"I live on the safest street! Cool!" he called out to Barrone.
"Make it safer!" Barrone replied with a smile.
Reach Shelly Meron at 510-243-3578. Follow her on Twitter @shellymeron.
safest streets in north richmond
The Popsicle Project surveyed 1,000 homes in North Richmond about how safe residents
perceive their streets to be on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "not safe" and 10 being
"very safe."
• Five safest streets
Jade Street (only 1 response): 10
Battery Street: 7.81
Silver Street: 7.36
Giaramita Street: 7.05
Gertrude Avenue: 6.95
• Five least safe streets
Castro Street: 3.36
Alamo Avenue: 3.68
Fourth Street: 3.85
York Street: 3.92
Stanford Street: 4
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
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Verde School students
and parents prepare for
International Walk To
School Day.
The walk is from Verde
School to the ShieldsReid Community center
along Garamita Street,
one of the safest routes
between the school and a
community center.
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
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Participants
Waste and Recovery Mitigation Committee
Community Housing and Development Corp. of N. Richmond
Contra Costa County Housing Authority
Young Adult Empowerment Center
Center for Human Development
Verde Elementary School
Las Deltas Child Development Center
Kendra Hutchins, U.C. Davis School of Business Administration
Harold Beaulieu
Kimberley Simmons
Catherine Austin Fitts
Harold Beaulieu 345 Georgia St. Vallejo, Ca. 94590
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