This winter, you are as likely to find Clara Hasemeier (she/her, Portland Morris, ‘25-26) in the kitchen as in the garden at Serendipity Center. Last winter, Clara was finishing her degree in Sustainability at Creighton University, beginning to look forward to a year of service. She was anticipating the excitement of the big move, building new relationships, but also building a foundation for her life on service. “I serve because I don’t know when I will get another opportunity like this.”
Clara’s role at Serendipity Center requires a Capacity Building Project, a hallmark of our AmeriCorps roles. These projects aim to increase service effectiveness, efficiency, and/or expand a program’s reach at partner sites. Projects are intended to live beyond the presence of any particular JV.
Clara has embraced this challenge by experimenting in the kitchen. “My project will create a baking recipe book with instructions and pictures of students to follow, using as many ingredients from the garden as possible. This project takes the student’s ideas of baking and offers healthier options that teach them life and kitchen skills along the way. I hope to show students that making treats from scratch and with ingredients straight out of garden is not only possible, but fun and just as delicious!”
Just this year, Clara discovered a love for baking. With the hectic pace of college, she found she had more time on her hands to explore what she enjoyed as a JV. She enjoys experimenting with gluten-free baking to include one of her housemates in sweet treats.
Her supervisor encouraged her to consider her passions when designing her Capacity Building Project. “I took this as an opportunity to lean into a new hobby and passion of mine and it has turned out to be educational in many ways! In addition to baking tips and tricks, I am learning how to incorporate nontraditional ingredients, write out recipes and instructions so that students are able to effectively follow them, and teach students hands-on how to bake.”
“We made Carrot Cake Cookies in our Life Skills lab and the students (and staff) loved them! I was surprised with how open my team was to the idea. After proposing the recipe, I was able to test out recipes in my free time, quarter the recipe to make it single serve for students, and then teach the process to students. I was pleasantly surprised with how smooth the implementation of a new recipe was with our students. It probably helped that it was a yummy sweet treat!” Clara has learned how to experiment – not every recipe works on ths first try. But, the process of experimenting is part of the learning and growth for both Clara and the students.
“While learning something new can be intimidating for students, I’ve learned that all they need is someone to believe in them. Being kind and patient seems like a simple thing to do, but I have seen first-hand that giving grace and love to these kids is the most meaningful way to help them learn.”
When Clara leaves Serendipity Center, she will leave behind a recipe book that can inspires bakers for years to come. “I would be honored if one of the recipes I shared was something students requested for cooking days at school.” We are so grateful for the support of Clara’s supervisor throughout this process and are so glad that the students and staff have been so excited about her recipes. While the JVs are the heart of the Capacity Building Project, they couldn’t do it without amazing partner agencies.
