Improving the quality of life for children infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS through enriching programs, unforgettable experiences, and connections to the community. |
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Your monthly news & updates |
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H.E.R.O. VIRTUAL COOKING CLASS |
On Saturday, February 27th, H.E.R.O. for Children, Inc. and Yes, Chef! Atl hosted a virtual cooking class for our HERO children. The kids had the opportunity to learn how to prepare Chicken Alfredo.
This event began with an introduction from Chelsea Deprimo, a member of the Yes, Chef! Atl team. She provided an outline of the day’s event, and introduced founding Chef – Chef Bill. Chef Bill started the class by educating the kids on the importance of safety and sanitation in the kitchen. First, he discussed the need to wear gloves and masks while cooking - especially during the pandemic. Then he spoke about various aspects of kitchen safety- from the importance of having fire extinguishers and first aid kits handy, to putting out grease fires with baking soda. Next, Chef Bill addressed kitchen sanitation, cooking cleanliness and best practices to avoid cross contamination when handling chicken. He provided the kids with 4 food safety tips: 1) clean your hands and cooking surfaces, 2) don’t cross contaminate meat with fruits and vegetables, 3) cook food above 140 degrees to avoid the “danger zone” (the range of temperature where bacteria rapidly grows), and 4) chill food below 40 degrees, also to avoid the “danger zone”. Chef Bill went on to discuss setting up your cooking space beforehand – gathering all the ingredients, cooking instruments, and foods you are going to prepare. Then the cooking commenced, where Chef Bill step-by-step instructed the kids on how to season and sear chicken breast in the pan, boil pasta correctly, and make fresh, creamy Alfredo sauce. Throughout the demonstration, Chef Bill stopped to answer questions that came, up including:
- How do you know the temperature of the food? You can tell the temperature of the food by either using a food thermometer (making sure the food is over 140 degrees), by touching the food (testing its pliability), or by sight (there will be a shimmer or sheen on top of the meat which tells you that the inside is cooked to temperature, as it is pushing the moisture to the surface of the meat).
- How long do you let the chicken rest? There is no set time, but it can rest for as little as 5 to 10 minutes. Roast beef is the exception; you would let that rest for 30 minutes.
- Why is it important to constantly stir the cream? It is important to consistently stir the cream to prevent the cheese from sticking to the bottom of the pot/pan.
As he continued to prepare the chicken and pasta, Chef Bill spoke about using your senses during cooking. For example, listening to the searing of the chicken to hear when it is near ready to be flipped, and tasting to check if it is seasoned well. Once the chicken was ready, Chef Bill moved it to a plate to allow it to rest, and explained that resting the meat keeps the juices and flavors within prior to cutting it. As the chicken rested, he demonstrated how to prepare the creamy Alfredo sauce for the pasta. Once the sauce and pasta were done, Chef Bill illustrated how to bring the final dish together by combining the pasta and sauce, chopping the chicken, nicely plating everything, and garnishing the entrée. In closing, Chef Bill shared a little about his professional rise with participants, noting that he did not attend culinary school, but worked his way up from the bottom.
H.E.R.O. for Children was so excited to provide our children with yet another “unforgettable experience”! The children not only learned how to prepare a delicious, easy meal, but also discovered new cooking terms, such as “cutting on the bias” – cutting at an angle, and “Bon Appétit!” – Good eating! We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Yes, Chef! Atl, team - Chef Bill, Linda DePrimo, and Chelsea DePrimo, for volunteering their time, talents, skills, and kitchen to children. We look forward to partnering with them in the future for another wonderful cooking event!
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UGA HEROS - VIRTUAL ESCAPE ROOM EVENT |
On Sunday, February 21st, UGA HEROs hosted a virtual escape room for our HERO children, the first UGA HEROs kid event in over a year, due to the pandemic. Over 80 UGA HEROs members joined and were able to interact with the children in attendance. The escape rooms included a fairytale land, a space mission and a spy apprenticeship. UGA HEROs members worked collaboratively with the kids to navigate and escape the rooms successfully with plenty of laughs in between! The children and UGA HEROs philanthropists had a wonderful time with each other during this fun activity. |
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HERO SHARES OPPORTUNITIES WITH FAMILIES |
In early February, H.E.R.O. shared information on a “one-of-a-kind experience” – the Hot Wheels Ultimate Drive Thru at Six Flags. This event allowed visitors to drive through a large showcase of Hot Wheels Monster Trucks, robots, and more! H.E.R.O. for Children offered to reimburse families that opted to take advantage of this amazing opportunity. |
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H.E.R.O. is openly recruiting volunteer tutors to assist our students in the areas of math, science, social studies, language arts, and reading. We would prefer volunteers who are at least 25 years old, and have prior teaching/tutoring experience. If you are interested, please email our Match and Development Coordinator – Nadia Eliacin – at nadia@heroforchildren.org.
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Super HERO Mentors Needed |
The Super HEROes Mentoring Program is a community-based, one-on-one mentoring program serving children infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS. The program provides these children with the opportunity to have a positive role model through a mentor and to strengthen their life skills, self-esteem, communication skills, goal-setting and academic performance.
Volunteer mentors needed to:
- Spend one-on-one quality time with a child at least twice a month, a minimum of two hours each time (virtually during the pandemic).
- Participate with the child in a bi-monthly group activity organized and sponsored by H.E.R.O. for Children (virtually during the pandemic).
- Be a positive role model for the child.
- Contribute to strengthening the child's self-esteem, social adjustment and life skills.
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NEXT STEPS! MIDDLE SCHOOL TO HIGH SCHOOL & BEYOND (VIRTUAL WORKSHOP)
Saturday, March 20th, 2021
UGA HEROS 2021 SPRING EVENT #2 (TBD)
Sunday, April 11th, 2021
CAMP HIGH FIVE 2021
Fall 2021 (Tentatively)
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