helping kids - United Way of Greater Rochester

A PUBLICATION OF UNITED WAY OF GREATER ROCHESTER
SPRING 2015
Connect with the Community Fund
IN THIS ISSUE
Through Their Eyes p. 2
Finding a Foundation p. 4
No Longer Alone p. 6
Supporting United Way’s Community Fund is the opposite of
selfish—your donation is helping us change the world and make
a real, measurable difference for local people. You’re helping to
prevent poverty, provide a healthy start to life, support those
who are homeless and much more. Look inside to connect your
donation with the people you’re helping.
#Unselfie
2
Through Their Eyes
Gabby adjusts her glasses to focus on a challenging puzzle. Josiah’s eyes light up as he
mixes the final ingredient into his virtual soup on a glowing iPad. Alivia looks around
with glee as she bounces on a mini trampoline. Five Star Bank team members AG,
Beth, Dan, Josey and Ryan watch with awe as a world of possibilities, opportunities
and progress unfolds before their eyes at Community Fund-supported Mary Cariola
Children’s Center.
Dan sits down with a group of preschoolers as they eat lunch, practicing how to feed themselves with special utensils,
plates and modified cups. For some, mastering this skill may mean hitting a milestone that allows them to go on to
kindergarten. Each student insists on feeling Dan’s silky tie and giving him a hug—or three—before he leaves.
Ryan and AG help two students master virtual cooking and driving on an iPad, as they observe just some of the
assistive technology and adaptive equipment that the Community Fund provides. “I didn’t realize that when I’m asked to
help United Way in my workplace campaign or to round up my total at the Wegmans checkout, those dollars translate
into real help for kids like this,” Ryan said. In addition to technology and equipment, Community Fund donations also
provide specialized staff training, early screenings and family support services for kids at Mary Cariola.
The group walks into a lesson about taste, smell and touch sensations. When a favorite song comes on the radio,
Westin and Matthew are so excited that their teachers lift them out of their adaptive chairs for an impromptu hip-hop
dance party. Josey dances, too, as she remarks on the teachers’ patience, skill and energy. “There is so much more
than just learning going on here. It’s a place filled with love!”
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3
1
4
5
In the next classroom, Beth and the group jump into a “movement break” where
students are wiggling out their energy after successfully completing a threeminute activity. Evidence-based measures of success are carefully tracked for
each child, showing who is ready to move on to a longer task. “I’m thinking about
my own kids’ abilities,” Beth said. “It makes sense that they need to be able to
do this for three minutes before they can do it for four, and that’s progress.”
“There are no one-size-fits-all solutions,” said Christine Sheffer, Superintendent
and Director of School Programs at Mary Cariola. “Every child has different
abilities and challenges that we address individually so that they get exactly
what they need to learn and grow.”
When asked how support for the Community Fund came to life for him, AG said,
“It’s incredible to see what progress looks like for each individual student.
I didn’t realize how inspiring it could be to see each child improve and succeed
in different ways. We’re proud to be a part of it.”
United Way’s Community Fund supports programs that give 2,400 local little ones
the best possible start to life. Look around and you, too, will see how your gift is
making a difference. n
Thanks to the students and teachers at Mary Cariola for sharing your school for the day, and to the
Five Star Bank team: Daniel Strom (1), AG Cutrona (2), Ryan Frantz (3), Beth Miller (4) and Josephine
Boscarino (5).
Five Star Bank believes in sharing
its time, talent and treasure with
the Greater Rochester community.
Join the Five Star Bank Community
Fund Challenge with a new or
increased donation and your gift
will be matched, dollar for dollar,
up to $100,000.
Visit uwrochester.org/challenge for
other challenges and ways to make
your donation help even more.
4
“Coming to the
shelter was the
best thing that
could have
happened to
me. It opened
up so many
opportunities
that I wouldn’t
have had
before.”
5
Finding a Foundation
Kendra was on track to graduate from high school a year
early and had dreams of getting a degree from RIT. But
that all came crashing to a halt when her father passed
away. She had to move in with her sister and brother-inlaw who expected her to skip school to watch her nieces
and nephews during the day. Family and home issues
caused her grades to slip, along with her dreams for early
graduation. Kendra didn’t know what each day would
bring—if she would be able to go to school or if there
would be enough food for dinner—but she also didn’t
know where she could go. She thought about going to
a shelter, but could only picture a cold, dark room with
lots of beds, and so many people that some are sleeping
on the floor. That vision kept 15-year-old Kendra from
seeking help.
She knew she couldn’t stay with her sister anymore,
so she took a leap of faith and found herself at the
Community Fund-supported Center for Youth. At its
shelter for homeless teens, Kendra found what she began
to describe as home. Her own bed, a dresser all to
herself and structure and support to help her thrive.
“I didn’t just get a bed, I got a foundation,” said the
27-year-old confident, fast-talking Kendra. “Coming to
the shelter was the best thing that could have happened
to me. It opened up so many opportunities that I wouldn’t
have had before.”
Most teens don’t choose to be homeless—a bad situation
at home forces them to leave. And according to Elaine
Spaull, Executive Director at Center for Youth, most of the
teens that come to the shelter are facing abuse, neglect
or both at home. This can cause them to do poorly in
school, making them more likely to live in poverty.
Being at the Center for Youth shelter allowed Kendra
to focus on school. She improved her grades, entered
a long-term housing program to live on her own and
eventually fulfilled her dream of becoming an RIT graduate.
Across town, Warren is returning home to the Salvation
Army’s Community Fund-supported Genesis House after
school. He has been staying there for four weeks, unable
to face the stepfather who recently became so violent
that Warren feared for his life. After spending years in
fear, he is relieved to be at the shelter. He aspires to do
what Kendra has done—to finish school and start a new
life free from violence and constant struggle. Warren
speaks softly about his situation and doesn’t divulge
many details, but he gets excited when he talks about his
future. He wants to become a pastor so he can help other
people, and acknowledges that Genesis House has given
him the foundation to accomplish great things.
Community Fund-supported shelters require teens to
follow rules and be accountable for their actions. To
continue staying at the shelter, teens must go to school
or work, come home for dinner, keep their rooms clean
and follow a curfew. These rules create a structured,
stable environment for teens who have spent much of
their lives facing uncertainty.
Your annual donation to the Community Fund helps more
than 4,700 homeless youth build their own foundation for
a better future. n
Left: Kendra at the Center for Youth; Below (left to right); A bedroom at a Center for Youth shelter, Kendra with Executive Director Elaine Spaull;
Warren at Genesis House.
6
YOUR GIFT TO
THE COMMUNITY FUND
IS HELPING:
1,400 get hot meals
and see a friendly face
No Longer Alone
With no family to help with everyday activities and no driver’s license to
get out and about, Ann used to sit at home alone all day, isolated from
the world around her. When she connected with Catholic Family Center’s
Support to Aged Residents (STAR) program, she got her life back.
“They don’t make me feel bad about needing help,” Ann explained. She
said that the program is helping her stay at home and out of a nursing
home facility. Community Fund-supported STAR keeps Ann and other
local older adults eating healthy, provides transportation, offers respite
care and helps them remain active with visits and errands.
20,000 seniors have access
to elder abuse prevention
services
Jerome was struggling, too. He had trouble with daily chores like
changing lightbulbs and doing laundry. He was also feeling lonely,
as his children and grandkids lived out of state.
Jerome turned to Catholic Family Center’s Expanded In-Home Services
for the Elderly (EISEP), a Community Fund program that gives him
stability and support. EISEP provides an array of case management,
home care and support services to older adults—including depression
screening to help with emotional well-being—so they can remain safe
and independent in their own homes.
2,400 receive transportation
to medical and personal
appointments
Thanks to your gift to the Community Fund, more than 29,000 older
adults receive help through United Way’s Community Fund-supported
programs. Thank you for easing the challenges of aging for so many
local people and families. n
“I don’t have a family, but I
do have the STAR program.”
800 regularly visit our
multi-purpose adult
resource centers
7
DAY OF CARING 2015 will take place on May 14. Last year, more than
350 organizations were helped by nearly 7,000 volunteers! Join us again this year
to change the world for Rochester’s not-for-profits.
New this year!
Submit your photos for the Day of
Caring Before & After contest.
Post a picture of your project site to
Facebook before work begins, and
then show what you accomplished
in an “after” photo. Be sure to tag
United Way of Greater Rochester
in the post. Find all contest info at
uwrochester.org/DayofCaring.
BEFORE
AFTER
A New
Location
for New
Friends
We Need Your Help!
Lauren Dixon and Mike Schwabl, 2015 United Way Campaign Chairs, announced
that our community will be working together to raise $24 million to help local people
in need this year.
We want to see how you’re being #Unselfie. Take a photo of yourself doing a good
deed (for example, gardening for a neighbor or volunteering at a food pantry) or
write about a good deed you did and include a selfie. Post it on Facebook, Twitter
or Instagram, tagging United Way of Greater Rochester and using the hashtag
#Unselfie. Three entries will be randomly selected, and the winners will each receive
$
500 to give to the charity of their choice. n
United Way’s third
Multipurpose Adult
Resource Center will open
in May at the Eastside
Family YMCA in Penfield.
This center, much like the
two that are already
established, will provide
local older adults with
exercise, nutrition, health
screenings, evidence-based
wellness programming,
socialization, educational
programs, opportunities for
volunteerism and caregiver
education. The three local
centers are a collaborative
partnership of United Way,
Lifespan and the YMCA.
If you have already made your donation to support United Way’s
efforts in 2015, thank you! If not, please give today in your
workplace campaign or online at uwrochester.org/give.
NONPROFIT ORG.
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United Way of Greater Rochester
75 College Avenue
Rochester, NY 14607
ROCHESTER, NY
PERMIT NO. 992
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
This publication is made
possible by George Eastman’s
original gift to the Greater
Rochester community, and
all of the people who have
supported United Way’s
endowment fund to improve
local lives for decades to come.
Please recycle or pass along this newsletter. We publish LIVING UNITED in both electronic and printed
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STAY CONNECTED WITH UNITED WAY:
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Fighting Poverty Together
This January, Peter Edelman, lawyer, policymaker and law professor at Georgetown
University, passionately discussed why so many people in our country, and in
Rochester, live in poverty. “It’s been 51 years since the war on poverty, and
45 million people are still encountering hardships,” he said. Edelman spoke at the
Rochester Business Journal’s Power Breakfast on January 29, which was sponsored
by United Way and others. He began with encouraging words about the work that
has been done so far to help those in poverty, and ended with solutions for
Rochester and beyond.
United Way is convening the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative to
work toward eliminating poverty in our community. Learn more at
uwrochester.org/RochesterMonroeAntiPovertyInitiative.
“We need good jobs,
strong families,
excellent schools
and a criminal
justice system that
is truly just.”
– Professor Peter Edelman