TCF Summer 2004 Newsletter converted to pdf

Ofrom
the centerO
The Newsletter of The Center Foundation
The Center Foundation ·
Summer 2004
The Power of TEN
· 1994 — 2004
Using the Power of mentoring to foster growth, change and vision in families in our community.
At the Heart of Our Celebration
W
ith the help and support of their mentors, each day our WomenCare partners and YPSN mentees take small
steps toward a new future. Often these steps have guided them toward new successes and challenges, leaving
old struggles behind and helping them write new chapters in their lives and those of their children.
We have shared some of their accomplishments in the pages of this newsletter but in celebrating our Tenth
Anniversary we wanted to bring their unique stories into the heart of our celebration. This spring, The Center
Foundation hosted a Tenth Anniversary Breakfast giving donors and supporters the opportunity to listen to
WomenCare and YPSN women and teens tell their stories “in their own words”.
In Their Own Words
During the Breakfast, WomenCare mentor Susan read from an emotional letter of thanks written to her by her
mentor partner that touched listeners deeply. WomenCare partner Kathy shared how mentoring helped her take the
first steps in learning how to believe in herself. Lizette, a YPSN mentee, balanced her little girl on her hip as she
spoke of just how tough it is to be a parent and a teen struggling into adulthood.
Most of the audience stayed long after the breakfast was over
talking about how moving each woman’s words were. Even
feel that I’ve
long time supporters, familiar with the Foundation and its
gained
quite a bit
work, were drawn in by the impact of each unique story.
from
my
mentor.
Want to be at the heart of our celebration?
Join us on November 15th as we host a Gala Tenth When I think about
Anniversary Breakfast. Invite friends to share in our me now — as opposed
celebration and learn more about how our mission comes alive to me before I entered
through the power of mentoring. Save the date!
the (WomenCare)
I
f
ave the Date – November 15, 2004
Gala Tenth Anniversary Breakfast
Inside This Issue
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
From the Director
What’s New: WomenCare and YPSN
Virtual Stepping Stones
Saying Goodbye
Building Resources
In Their Own Words
Welcome New Volunteers!
Secure Online Donations
program — it’s like
two different people.
— Sandra, WomenCare
graduate 2004 (photo, right)
Where do these stepping stones lead?
Page 4 may help you find your way —
virtually...
F R OM T H E C EN T E R
S u m m er 2 0 0 4 — P ag e 2
From the Executive Director
O The Center Foundation O
220 N. Jackson Street, Second Floor
Media, PA 19063-2807
D
ear Friends,
Someone clever once said, a
vacation is having nothing you have to do,
and all day to do it in.
Recently, I went to Scotland for 15 days
and despite having planned the trip for
months, I “booked”, as the Scots say, only
the first night’s stay and our “hired” car.
The rest of the nights’ and days’ plans
were left to our whims and the attractions
of the guidebooks and signs along the
roads. (Fortuitously, in Scotland, the
Susan K. Garrison
Scottish Tourist Board and their frequently
located Information Centers are quite liberal with both.)
The serendipity of our “holidays”, free to wander without our usual
schedules, was a vacation in and of itself, regardless of weather
(beautiful as it was – one day of rain in 15!), crowds, traffic (both of
which were mostly nil, where we chose to go) or road conditions
(did I mention “single track”, gravelly and hilly?)
Returning to an office soon to be much changed by the departure,
much lamented, of our Program Director – Carrie Miluski, after
almost seven years of service, I immediately noticed serious
changes already in place. First, Carrie’s office floor and desk top
surface were both clear! I was heartened by these signs of the
possibility that, as a new graduate student at Penn that these
surfaces were also visible in her home in Philadelphia, so that she
would be able to find her books, papers and other studying
apparatus.
We are on a new road, as is Carrie, and I am excited for her as I
am for The Center Foundation — as in our Tenth Anniversary Year
we both look to new challenges and opportunities, not knowing what
each new day shall bring. We do know it will bring new people and
connections and we look forward to new collaborations.
We welcome Lauren Weinberg to The Center Foundation, ably
filling in for Carrie for the summer, and adding her own sunny mix
of humor and savvy to the WomenCare program, before she steps
into a new role of MSW intern for the YPSN program in the fall.
Our search committee will bring news in the next issue of a new
Program Director and perhaps some new directions for the
WomenCare program. Our new Chester satellite office, housed on
the third floor of the YWCA of Chester, will allow us space to better
serve our teens in YPSN and also WomenCare participants in the
Chester area. Thanks to our supporters who keep making these new
directions possible!
Stay tuned for new developments as we navigate the twists and
turns of our Tenth Anniversary Year, always moving forward, with
hope for the future, not always knowing what the next sharp turn will
bring, but brave nonetheless, just like the folks in WomenCare and
the Young Parents Support Network, who are what it’s all
about.
The Center Foundation
the Power of TEN
Phone: 610-565-6171
Fax: 610-565-3684
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.thecenterfoundation.org
Board of Trustees
Michael J.J. Campbell, Chair
Retired Clergy
Michele Claybrook-Lucas
President, Career Mosaic Consulting
Hans Dietze
Chair, Center for Resolutions
Susan K. Garrison
Attorney, Garrison Law Offices
Carol Goertzel
Executive Director, PathwaysPA
Larry V. Smoose
Pastor, Reformation Lutheran Church
Advisory Board
Lisa Bradley
WomenCare Senior Partner
Sallie-Elizabeth Clayton
Program Coordinator, Project ELECT
Jennifer Filla
YPSN Mentor
Joyce Jefferson
Case Worker, Delco Dept. of Public Welfare
Susan Lowry
Executive Director, TOVA
Lizette Ortiz
Mentee Representative
TCF Staff
Susan K. Garrison
Executive Director
Marcelle Banks-Blair
YPSN Program Coordinator
Lauren J. Weinberg
Program Associate
Michael J.J. Campbell
Factotum
OOO
T
he Center Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization
founded in 1994. Its purpose is to empower people
to fulfill their potential as productive, caring and
supportive members of our community. WomenCare®, a
mentoring program for women going through difficult
life transitions, has been a program of The Center
Foundation since 1997. Young Parents Support
Network (YPSN) is a mentoring program for teen
parents in cooperation with Project ELECT, a program
of the Delaware County Intermediate Unit.
OOO
Newsletter designed and edited by:
Wording It Write
1994 — 2004
P ag e 3 — S u m m er 2 0 0 4
F RO M T H E CEN T ER
Valentine Foundation Grantee Luncheon
Lauren
Weinberg
Program Associate
A
warm welcome to Lauren Weinberg who
joined The Center Foundation staff at the
beginning of the summer as a Program Associate
for the WomenCare program. She brings with
her experience working as a SCOH (Services to
Children in their Own Homes) social worker at
Northern Home Children and Family Services in
Philadelphia.
During the last two years there Lauren worked
with at-risk children, visiting them in school, going
to court and monitoring their mental health and that
of their parents.
In the fall Lauren will wear a “new hat” at The
Center Foundation, contributing her enthusiasm
and energy as an intern for the YPSN program as
part of her graduate studies in clinical social work
at Widener University.
C
ynthia Jetter (photo, middle), the Chair of the Board
of Trustees of the Valentine Foundation joins Susan
K. Garrison (right), Executive Director of The Center
Foundation and Marcelle Banks-Blair (left), YPSN
Coordinator, at a Grantee Luncheon in May. The Valentine
Foundation holds special luncheons to enable organizations
whom they fund to meet, network, celebrate and share in
their work.
We extend our sincerest thanks to the Valentine
Foundation, whose funding supported the inception of the
YPSN program, now beginning its third year of bringing
together mentors and teen parents.
YPSN Technology Workshop
E
arlier this year YPSN held a popular Technology Workshop at
Pennsylvania Institute of Technology (PIT) taught by Olivia
Thorne and Joyce Ellis, helping mentors and mentees alike get
comfortable with computers, the mouse, Windows and even email and
the Internet.
Some of the women who participated had never used a computer
before and talked about being nervous at the start. By the end of the
session their excitement about all that they had learned took over:
•
•
•
I learned so much today!
Being here is a really big
thing for me.
I feel so much more
comfortable…now I can go
home and work on my
computer for the first time.
Our special thanks to Allie Hartry, Swarthmore College intern,
who helped make this program an overwhelming success.
610-565-6171
B
A Room of Our Own
eginning in the fall, The Center
Foundation will have “a room of its
own” at the Chester YWCA. This small
satellite office, right in the heart of town,
will make it easier for Marcelle BanksBlair, YPSN Program Coordinator to meet
with Chester High
School students to
discuss
their
progress in the
YPSN mentoring
program.
WomenCare
staff will also use
this space to meet
with
pro gra m
partners and mentors who live in the
community of Chester and will make
connecting with them — just a step away!
www.thecenterfoundation.org
F R OM TH E C EN T E R
S u m m e r 2 0 04 — Pa g e 4
Celebrating The Power of Ten
www.thecenterfoundation.org
Our Web site has a new look – and it’s just a click away!
How much we’ve grown
A
s we celebrate our Tenth Anniversary we are thrilled to unveil our Web site — which has a new look — that has
brought rave reviews from all our virtual visitors. Now when someone asks you about The Center Foundation
you can also tell them about our site, which is not only fun to visit, but shows just how much we’ve grown in ten years!
Spread the word – virtually
But before you send your friends and family to our site — why not take a peek yourself? — you just might be
surprised to learn something new about us. But you’ll also feel right at home when you click on:
www.thecenterfoundation.org because we’ve made sure to include lots of familiar faces and information and resources
that you can count on.
Make yourself at home at: www.thecenterfoundation.org!
And follow the stepping stones throughout this and future newsletters
to learn what’s new on our Web site.
Alum Nanci Tesauro Receives Web Design Award at PIT Graduation
T
Nanci Tesauro (right) and her WomenCare mentor, Rosemarie, celebrate as
Nanci graduates with her degree in Web Design from PIT.
The Center Foundation
he
Center Foundation family applauds
WomenCare alumnus Nanci Tesauro who
completed her Associate Degree from
Pennsylvania Institute of Technology (PIT) this
spring. She was honored by PIT again, when she was
chosen from among all the Web Design majors in the
Department to receive a special award recognizing
her accomplishments.
Nanci enjoys designing advertising materials
and brochures and produced and designed the
current Delaware County Women's Resource
Guide, which is currently published as a part of the
county's Web site. Nanci works as an administrative
assistant, while also freelancing as a web designer for
business and non-profit clients.
The Power of TEN
1994 – 2004
P ag e 5 — S u m m e r 2 0 0 4
w
F R OM T H E C EN T ER
hen we give from our hearts...
During our Tenth Anniversary Year we are celebrating the Power of Mentoring as we do every year,
through the day-to-day hard work and steadfast commitment of our mentors, partners, mentees, staff, Board
members, volunteers and supporters.
During this time we have shared in events that are
familiar to us, and we have embraced transition and
change. In late June, during our annual WomenCare
graduation (see photo on back cover), partners and
mentors looked back on a year of wonderful
accomplishments and shared experiences.
Earlier the same month six new pairs of YPSN
mentors and teen parents met for the first time at a
“Meet Your Match” special event, where everyone
shared in the excitement of planning a summer full of
activities, goal-setting (and fun!).
Saying Farewell
B
ut this Anniversary Year has also brought with it
change and transition. It was with mixed emotions
that we said goodbye to Carrie Miluski, long-time
WomenCare Program Director this summer, as she
opened a new chapter in her life beginning work on a
graduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania.
In saying farewell, Carrie shared these thoughts
with us:
Carrie Miluski (photo, above: front, second from right) shares in one
of the first Creative Catalyst workshops with WomenCare partners and
mentors in 1998. Michael J. J. Campbell, Susan K. Garrison and
Carrie (photo, below: left to right) celebrate a recent WomenCare
graduation.
Although I am looking forward to the new challenges ahead of me, I will miss you all!
I
feel incredibly privileged to know each of you and to
have had the opportunity to work with you throughout
my tenure at The Center Foundation. I wish you success
and fulfillment in all of your endeavors, and I will carry
with me the inspiration that I have received from knowing
each of you and witnessing firsthand what can be
accomplished when we give from our hearts, and when we
believe in ourselves and others.
Our warmest wishes to you, Carrie!
C
arrie is much missed, more than she can know, by the WomenCare mentors and mentor partners to
whom she always lent a ready ear and open heart; by the local agencies and institutions for whom
she has been the smiling face of WomenCare for so long; and by all of us who worked with her every day
who were blessed by her consistent creativity and positive outlook in resolving issues, her sincere caring
and respect for everyone she dealt with, and her enthusiastic devotion and energetic dedication to the
ideals of WomenCare.
— Susan K. Garrison, Executive Director
Using the Power of Mentoring to foster growth, change and vision in families in our community.
F R OM TH E C EN T E R
S u m m er 2 0 0 4 — P ag e 6
Building Resources
New and Continuing Grant Support
We just received a grant from the Garrison Family
Foundation for $18,500 for general support of both
WomenCare and YPSN. We are very grateful for the long
term support we have received from the Garrison Family
Foundation for our programs, which help people help
themselves.
The YPSN programs in the Chester-Upland School
District are expected to continue to expand with renewal
funding from the PA Department of Education. The
Center Foundation has just received notice of the award
of its first federal grant of $25,000 from the
Department of Labor for a pilot mentoring program to
D
O
N
O
R
S
assist unemployed low income persons in Delaware
County to better access services of the Career Link
Centers.
A Pledge of $100,000
We are pleased to announce a pledge of $100,000 to
The Center Foundation from former TCF trustee Pamela
Phelan and her husband, Lawrence T. Phelan.
Mrs. Phelan said in making her gift: WomenCare and
YPSN are such worthwhile programs! We are thankful to
be able to make a real difference as these women chart
new courses in their lives.
Individual Donors
Elizabeth P.S. Anthony
Marge and Timothy Barnard
Helen and Paul Brink
Sally Burkam
Michael J.J. Campbell
Mona Bowman Harmon
Lorraine Gross
Debra Krzywicki
Phyllis and Manley Mincer
Amy L. Myers
Robin and Eric O’Brien
Nicole J. Perfege – in Memory of Mom
Margaret Copie Smith
George and Maureen Beebe
Carol Ann Dougherty
Charlene Flanagan
Susan K. Garrison
Carol S. Goertzel
Jayne and Walter Garrison
Joseph Miluski
Dorothy M. Reichardt
Pamela and Lawrence Phelan
Alexander T. Farley and Almerinda A.
Thomas
Mary Lynne and William F. McConville
Constance and Thomas Rosenberger
Robert and Beth Hosier
Heather and Mark Garrison
Charles and Lois Uebele
Thomas and Barbara Biedekapp — in
Honor of the Rev. Larry V. Smoose
Alfred and Eleanor Hurd
Patrick W. McGuffin
Corporate Donors
B. Gross Menswear, Inc.
BeGlobal Business Services, Inc.
Brodeur’s Country House
Col-Dar Electric
The Center Foundation
Commerce Bank
The Country Press
Deals Variety Store
Donald R. Duck & Son
Earth and State
Federman and Phelan
Garrison Law Office
Golden Impulse Jewelers
The Hartford
Hilliard Lyons Inc.
Hometown Wellness Center
Honey, Fix It, Inc.
Joie De Vie Inc.
Kenny’s Flower Shoppe
Mayers Meats
Mutzel & Wesner, L.L.P.
On A Roll
PathwaysPA
Terstappens Bake Shop
Turning Point
United Way of Southeastern PA
Volpe's Auto Body
PA-WIPP
Stone Crafts & Waterview, Inc.
Wording It Write
YIKES, Inc.
Your Custom Shop
Foundation Donors
Garrison Family Foundation
Wal-Mart Foundation
W
omenCare and YPSN are such
worthwhile programs! We are thankful
to be able to make a real difference as these women
chart new courses in their lives.
The Power of TEN
Donors Pamela and Lawrence Phelan
1994 – 2004
P ag e 7 — S u m m er 2 0 0 4
F RO M T H E CEN T ER
I
n Their Own Words
As we celebrate our Tenth Anniversary we wanted to find a special
way to share with you what The Center Foundation has meant to our
graduates and their mentors.
What better way to do that than to let you read their own
words? Jaya (photo below, right) and her mentor Linda (left) talk about
what mentoring and the WomenCare program have meant to them.
To my friends at The Center Foundation:
I
was welcomed warmly to The Center Foundation.
I remember two years ago when I talked to Carrie.
She told me to send in my application form right
away so that I would have a spot in October. I was
going to India at this time and I sent the form from
the airport.
I wanted to go to school, find a job, and be able to
find out what it is I really wanted to do. I wanted to
make myself feel comfortable around people and be
able to make conversation.
(My mentor) Linda helped prepare me and guided
me… She helped in looking for the college that would
help me in my job. I feel a lot more confident and
comfortable around people.
Last year, I was a nervous wreck...I needed
someone that I could talk to and somewhere to go that
wasn’t home. All of last year was a great help to me.
The Center Foundation is a safe place that I know I
can turn to for help. It is like a home to me and I
know that if I am in need of any future help and
guidance, I can always go there.
Jaya — WomenCare Class of 2004
W
hen I first met my WomenCare partner, Jaya, I knew that
our lives would come together.
When I received the call from Carrie that I had been matched
with Jaya I was truly excited. Jaya and I became instant friends
— I listened to her; she listened to me. We shared so many of
the same interests and as time passed, it became clear to me
that we shared the same character and values — to be honest,
trustworthy, kind and respectful of others.
In every activity we shared together we enjoyed every
moment....it was from this time together we were able to talk
about anything — happy situations, as well as sad.
The journey we have traveled has made a difference in my life
— one that I will always reflect on with fondness and joy. Thank
you very much, Jaya.
‘The Center Foundation is
a safe place that I know I
can turn to for help.’
I would like to join the Circle of Caring:
Partnership Circle Donation
Empowerment Circle Donation
Advocate Circle Donation
Encouragement Circle Donation
Friendship Circle Donation
$ 500
$ 250
$ 100
$ 50
$ 25
◊ Did you know that 94% of your gift to The
Center Foundation goes directly to program
services?
◊ To donate, please enclose a check in the donation
envelope made out to: The Center Foundation.
◊ Your donation is fully tax-deductible within IRS
regulations.
◊ For information about how to make a donation of
stock or securities contact Susan Garrison at
610-565-6171.
Thank you for your support!
Linda — WomenCare Mentor
The Center Foundation is a tax-exempt organization under IRC 501(c)(3) and is registered with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Charitable Organizations. The official
registration and financial information may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration
does not imply endorsement. The WomenCare logo is a registered service mark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
610-565-6171
www.thecenterfoundation.org
O The Center Foundation O
NONPROFIT
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MEDIA, PA
PERMIT NO. 208
220 North Jackson Street
Media, PA 19063-2807
Phone: 610-565-6171
Fax: 610-565-3684
E-mail: [email protected]
www.thecenterfoundation.org
W
ant to learn more about becoming a
mentor? Have a friend who wants to
find out about WomenCare or YPSN?
Information about becoming a
WomenCare or YPSN mentor
(and so much more) is — just a
click away — at:
www.thecenterfoundation.org.
WomenCare Graduation 2004
Click and contribute
Did you know? Now you can make a
donation to The Center Foundation by
credit card through our secure online
service, PayPal®, when you visit our website:
www.thecenterfoundation.org.
John Anshant
Tameka Bailey
Nancy Baulis
Susan Bierman
Ethel Boleware
Courtney Chominski
Kathy Crane
Marissa Deitch
Jen Filla
Welcome
New Volunteers!
Eileen Freeborn
Frances Freitick
Virginia Graham
Allie Hartry
Marjorie Hipps
Kathy McCleary
Freda Montgomery
Robin O’Brien
Amber O’Brien
Lizette Ortiz
Annette Payton
Kathy Plennert
Sarah L. Shepherd
Lisa Stewart
Rebecca Stipdonk
Strath Haven High
School service club
Ki’Shelle Walker