2015-2016 Annual Report

RENEWING,
REVITALIZING,
TRANSFORMING
ANNUAL REPORT
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2015-2016
From the President
THANK YOU! GRACIAS! MERCI BEAUCOUP! ASANTE! DANKE! GRAZIE!
In whatever language you use please know that the board and staff of Called To Serve are deeply
grateful for the support that we have received in 2015-2016.
Appreciation is extended to the following supporters:
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Zion Baptist Church members and staff. Zion is our base of operation and is an integral
part of our work at Bethune Elementary.
City of Philadelphia Commerce Department: Their support has helped us move the
needle ever so slightly on the Germantown and Erie Commercial Corridor.
Members of the burgeoning Germantown and Erie Merchants Association and the growth
that you represent.
Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke and staff; Councilwoman Cindy Bass
and staff.
Our food providers: Katherine Phillips Catering, City View Pizza, Dwight’s Southern
Barbeque, Caribbean Feast Restaurant and Philly Steaks.
Philadelphia Police Department 25th and 39th Districts.
City of Philadelphia Agencies: Streets Department, CLIP, Parking Authority and License
& Inspection.
Community partners and stakeholders: Community Legal Services, Nicetown Branch of
the Free Library of Philadelphia, Shriners Hospital, Temple University Health Systems,
Nicetown-Tioga Improvement Team, Tioga United, New Visions United Methodist
Church, and The Center for Returning Citizens.
Our financial donors played a very critical role in Called To Serve’s ability to serve and help the
children, families and businesses of the Tioga community. We are thankful for the individual
donors, the Patricia Kind Family Foundation and van Ameringen Foundation (New York).
Special thanks to two hard working individuals Amelia Price, Called To Serve’s Corridor
Manager and Officer Marcus Salas Commercial Corridor Footbeat Patrol Officer 25th Police
District for their personal sacrifices and constant efforts to serve the Tioga community.
I conclude by offering thanks to God that Called To Serve is able to be a practical manifestation
of His love for humanity.
Regards,
Regards,
Rev. Michael A. Major
President
Called To Serve Community Development Corporation
Highlights from our work at the Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary
The principle goal of education is to create men and women who are capable of doing new
things, not simply repeating what other generations have done.
- Jean Piaget
Called To Serve (CTS) has a partnership with the Mary Mcleod Bethune Elementary School
designed to foster the Philadelphia School District’s goal of creating of great neighborhood
schools.
STEM is the acronym of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – a space
underrepresented by women and minorities. The Hour of Code is a subset of STEM, designed to
introduce computer programming to these underrepresented populations. Bethune’s entire
student body (750+ children participated).
Students learn computer programming at 'Hour of
Code'
Samaria Bailey Tribune Correspondent | Posted: Saturday, December 19, 2015 12:00 am
http://www.phillytrib.com/students-learn-computer-programming-at-hour-of-code/article_6a6011a9-6b44-513a-b60d0f55ce8b6008.html
Mickeem Watson, left, and Khalis
Robinson are pictured here
participating in "Hour of Code."
Tribune Photo by Samaria Bailey
Mary McCleod Bethune School recently participated in the global “Hour of Code” event that teaches
computer programming to students, through grade level exercises.
Bethune’s students, first through eighth grade, took part in the event, under the guidance of the Called to
Serve Community Development Corporation (CDC), an organization founded by Michael A. Major, who is a
software development manager and Associate Minister of the historic Zion Baptist Church. Called to Serve
helped coordinate the Hour of Code activities and recruited volunteers.
“This is the second year we are doing this,” Major said. “When the current principal [Dingle] took over, she
approached me about doing Hour of Code and I said ‘this is a no brainer’ because this is what I do.” Major
noted the Hour of Code event “is about discovery, trial and error.”
Major recruited colleagues and partnered with organizations such as Americorps and others to bring in
volunteers, who worked with the students on the coding activities.
More highlights from our work at the
Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary
Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best.
- Bob Talbert
Bethune Elementary supports Flint water effort
Samaria Bailey Tribune Correspondent | Posted: Tuesday, April 5, 2016 5:12 pm
http://www.phillytrib.com/metros/bethune-elementary-supports-flint-water-effort/article_568600e1-1186-58c2-b1f254a0434dbabb.html
Bethune students pack water donations for schools and other organizations in Flint. — Photo provided by
Bethune volunteers
Last week, Bethune Elementary School students collected an estimated 1000 packs of water in an effort to
provide clean drinking water to students in Flint, Mich. schools.
The water was collected on March 31 and delivered on April 1st..
“It really is something else,” said principal Jamina Dingle. “I was in conversation with students about doing a
service project and they brought the idea to do something for children like them.”
Dingle continued that the students may not understand the “politics” of such a situation but that they do
understand something so basic as water.
“It’s not outside their scope,” she said. “It makes them think, ‘what do they drink?’”
Dingle said the youth raised money on their “Dress Down Day,” and donated money and water for the Flint
effort. They also conducted research, watching news reports on the struggles of people dealing with the water
contamination. about 25 to 30 youth helped pack the water in the trucks.
***
.Minister Mike Major, president of Called to Serve, works with Bethune on different service projects. He
connected the drivers and other organizations that supported the effort, to the school. Those that supported
with resources or water donations included Save-A-Lot, Zion Baptist Church, Bible Way Baptist Church, the
25th Police District, Penske Truck, District Council 47 AFSCME, businesses from the Germantown and Erie
Business Association and Graterford Prison.
More highlights from our
work at the Mary McLeod
Bethune Elementary
Now in its fourth year Café Bethune is a “Student of the Month”
project. As part of our partnership with Mary McLeod Bethune
Elementary, CTS sponsors a catered lunch for students who have
been identified as “Student of the Month”. These students are
identified by their classroom teachers for exhibiting Bethune Bear
Best! Bethune Bear Best are students who are Brilliant,
Extraordinary, Accountable, Responsible and Safe. (B.E.A.R.) Each
teacher is encouraged to submit the names of two students. One who
goes above and beyond and one who has shown improved behavior.
Principal Mrs. Jamina Dingle states, “Bethune has what is known as
a heat and serve kitchen. Food is delivered a couple times a week and
then heated in the morning.” She went on to say “Sometimes it gets
heated all the way through sometimes it’s still cold or frozen.”
Naturally, this explains why the kids chosen for Café Bethune are so
excited. They not only get rewarded for academic achievement and
positive behavior but they receive a hot, well cooked meal.
September 9, 2015 – The First Day of Public Schools
Called To Serve’s President Rev. Mike Major was joined by men from
Zion Baptist Church including Deacon’s Chairman Frank Richardson
and New Vision United Methodist Church’s Pastor Rev. Gregory
Holston to welcome the students of Bethune
A City-wide effort to have all
Philadelphia students reading on
grade level by the 4th grade. Called
To Serve recruits volunteers who
spend at least one hour per week
reading to or tutoring to the children
in grades Kindergarten-2nd grade.
Highlights from our work on the
Broad, Germantown and Erie Commercial Corridor
Supporting our businesses
“Vibrant commercial corridors or “Main Streets” contribute to strong neighborhoods. They
provide a place to work, shop, and meet your neighbors. What strong corridors have in common
is a corridor manager that provides assistance to businesses…” Philadelphia Commerce
Department “Improving Neighborhoods Revitalizing Corridors.”
Called To Serve’s Germantown and Erie Commercial Corridor Manager Amelia Price helped:
GEMA’s own Caribbean Feast
Restaurant 1338 Rising Sun Avenue
secure a spot at 2015’s Wawa
Welcome America
… And a Benjamin Franklin Parkway
location when Pope Francis visited
Philadelphia for the World Meeting of
Families in September 2015
GEMA’s Dwight’s
Southern Barbeque
secured a spot at the
upcoming DNC.
Included in their December 2015 employee mailing
a brochure featuring 15 Germantown and Erie
commercial corridor businesses.
More highlights from our work on the
Broad, Germantown and Erie Commercial Corridor
CLEANING – Keeping Commercial Corridors is essential to promoting shopping on the
Germantown and Erie corridor. While waiting for our Commerce Department Cleaning Proposal
to be reviewed (Note it was accepted) Amelia Price, CTS’ Corridor Manager coordinated several
volunteer cleaning efforts.
75 AmeriCorps Vista Students At Work
SIMON GRATZ MASTERY
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
VOLUNTEERING TO KEEP
THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD
CLEAN
Officer Marcus Salas, Jack Johnson,
Ameila Price, CTS Corridor Manager
and Gratz Students
More highlights from our work on the Broad, Germantown and Erie Commercial Corridor
SAFETY & JOBS
Captain Michael Cram, 25th Police District has assigned
Officer Marcus Salas as the Footbeat officer for the
Germantown and Erie corridor. Here Officer Salas is working
with CTS Corridor Manager Amelia Price and students from
Mastery Simon Gratz to clean an alleyway.
“…one of my favorite people in 2015 - Amelia Price.”
Every now and then I recognize a stellar community
development worker, organizer or thinker, what we
affectionately call SafeGrowthers. In 2009 it was Sarah
Buffie in Africa. In 2012 it was Andy Mackie and his
harmonicas in Washington State.
At the close of 2015, there are so many to recognize that
electing one leaves an unpalatable choice. It's an
embarrassment of riches!
Hosted by Philadelphia LISC on Thursday
October 8th Called To Serve along with 7
other teams participated in phase one of the
pilot initiative of the Philadelphia Commerce
Department and Police Department to reduce
crime, enhance safety and strengthen the
police-community relationships crucial to
making neighborhoods safer. The pilot
initiative was led by internationallyrecognized safety expert Gregory Saville
with the 8 teams participating in the pilot.
They demonstrated how SafeGrowth® and
Crime Prevention Through Environmental
Design (CPTED) methods and tools are
being applied along selected commercial
corridors.
But today I choose one from Philadelphia. Amelia Price
emerged as a leader and role model worth signaling out for
accolades.
Amelia is a commercial corridor manager and she was a
member of the Philadelphia SafeGrowth training.
International Criminologist Greg Saville 12/20/2015
January 19, 2016 CTS hosted a Job Fair in conjunction with Save-A-Lot at Zion
Baptist Church. Attendees completed applications and some received pre-screening
interviews on site. Fourteen people obtained jobs as a result.
More highlights from our work on the
Broad, Germantown and Erie Commercial
Corridor
April 13, 2016 we hosted Mayor Jim Kenney on a tour
of the Germantown and Erie Avenue commercial
corridor with the Community Life Improvement
Program (CLIP).
Dwight’s Southern Barbeque
Dwight Nelson Jr., Amelia Price,
Mayor Kenney, Dwight Sr., Joe
Krichelli & Mike Major
Mayor Kenney with Paul Lim Top’s
Beauty Supply
Mayor Kenney, Michael DeBardinis,
Managing Director, & Mike Major
May 11, 2016 CTS hosted a strategic planning session with Harold Epps Commerce
Department Director and other City of Philadelphia representatives. The day also included a
tour of the Germantown and Erie commercial corridor.
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. ~William James
Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. ~Muhammed Ali
The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this
man, what will happen to me?" But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: "If
I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?" ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
Past the seeker as he prayed came the crippled and the beggar and the beaten. And
seeing them... he cried, "Great God, how is it that a loving creator can see such
things and yet do nothing about them?" God said, "I did do something. I made
you." ~Author Unknown
You must be the change you wish to see in the world. ~Mahatma Gandhi
3600 N. Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19140
215-588-4940
www.calledtoservecdc.org
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Called To Serve Community Development Corporation is a tax exempt organization as described
in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code all donations are tax deductible. Support our
work at www.calledtoservecdc.org/donate.html