Aug
100% Graduated – 100% Going to College – Amazing
I’ve said it and I will say it again. Geoffrey Canada rocks our world!
To have a vision of a new way forward in education and to see it through to this point is just inspiring and amazing.
Harlem’s “Promise Academy” has graduated a class of high school students that are all heading to college. Watch the Promise Academy graduation highlights.
Not a dry eye in the house.
A promise made, a promise kept. If only everyone had the same access to this kind of commitment.
Jun
Nonprofits – Stop Digging in Everyone Else’s Goodie Bag
Times are tough and while homeowners might be taking the biggest financial hit, non-profits likely come in a close second. Nonprofits have to be flexible to stay alive, but sometimes I think they take it way too far; sometimes offensively far.
When Applying for a Grant Seems Reasonable
Maybe yesterday a nonprofit offered daycare to homeless children 3-14 yrs and today they have to expand to include infants. Why? Because infants are now a funding priority and the state is now offering grants up the wazoo for agencies serving babies.
Strategy or Greediness?
Expanding the age group seems like a strategic shift; but sometimes I get the sense that some nonprofits are just in the HABIT of applying for grants just for the sake of it.
Please friends in the nonprofit trenches do NOT get offended by these statements. I know you are all working really hard to serve the underserved, but not all grants are meant for YOUR nonprofit.
A Grant Application Gone Seriously Wrong
Not to put anyone on the spot, but a grant writing friend told me about how she was in the process of putting together a grant application for a grant being offered by a large corporate shoe company.
The shoe company was offering brand new shoes for children. My grant-writing friend said she was hopeful they would receive one of the awards so that her agency could offer shoes to the children their agency serves.
I said “yes, brand new shoes or boots as we enter the winter season would be great for the kids AND their parents.”
My friend clarified and said “no, we’ll have the kids keep the shoes at the center to use as slippers, so they don’t track dirt from outside.” (more…)
Sep
All Good Things Must Come to a BREAK!
The family is settling into all that the Fall season brings for us, back to school and back to soccer, and I am enjoying a much needed vacation from ALL projects and volunteerism.
It has been a good thing having my time back for this brief period.
Though sadly, my mentorship with a young pre-teen has come to an abrupt end, something I will discuss at a later date. BUT other than that, I am actually enjoying the family-focus of the last few weeks.
Well as promised, I have added the before and after pics from the CNC project. It was a wonderful journey and I will take all I have learned into the next project of this nature.
*Click to enlarge photos
BEFORE (a little too much on display):
AFTER (streamline, wall-mounted display):
BEFORE (Limited floor space):
After: (Plenty of space for clients to sit – reception window now open to a cubicle where front desk person now sits)
And there you have it! Thank you to all of our donors!
Tags: Final ProjectAug
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
I raised over $1088 dollars towards the CNC Redesign Project. The generosity of family, friends and neighbors has overwhelmed me.
And my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and sister really bailed me out with day care over these last few weekends.
Thank you Mary and Dolores for helping to paint the space.
An even HUGER thank you (no, that’s not a word) to my husband Carlos. The patience and commitment he has shown me with this project is just insane (insert tear). I definitely would have pulled my locks out without his help, as some of the projects were way over my head! 
And let me add my thanks for all the prayer and moral support (care of many of you).
We are finally done and the pics will follow, but for now, please accept my warmest thank you!!!!!!!!!!!
Help with the kiddos
Katharine Thomas
Marisol Thomas
Naiymah Gilliam
Walker & Baby Swing
The Laptop
Donor List
Sheila Speller
Damien Mahaffey
Monica Granadeno
Anne Disorbo
Mary Sheehan
Linda Pacheco
Mary Ellis
Jaqueline Thompson
Teresa Teeter
Naiymah Gilliam
Nicole Marquez
Keisha Turner
Georgia Washington
Luz Rivera
Jo O’Driscoll-Davis
Krishna Maldonado
Melinda Abelman
LaNeia & Carlos Thomas
Deena Segal
Paysha & Edward Rhone
Elisabeth Cole
Margaret Norton
Judith Teeter
Shoshana Hamin
Rachel Lerner
Susan Landsman
Charlene Malarick
Rosalyn Gray
William & Susan Thompson
Pearl O’Rourke
Melissa Frumin
Martha Cregan
Valerie Schiavoni
Stephen Vacirca
Tammy Washington
Andy & Elizabeth Van Hazinga
Aug
Thank You For Your Support
There’s still time to help us reach our goal. Online donations can be made via PayPal (link below). Any donation amount would be greatly appreciated.
Thank YOU!
Jul
The Finish Line is Near….So Very Near
Before I get to the CNC project, I want to send a warm CONGRATULATIONS to my sister-in-law, who just had her little baby boy on Friday!
Welcome Baby Isaiah, I can’t wait to see you!
Beyond the joys of the new baby Thomas, we experienced the joys of nearing the finish line at the CNC. (more…)
Tags: cleghorn neighborhood centerJul
Staying Positive in a Hostile World
• With the debt limit debacle, there is widespread anxiety that the US economy is headed for calamity and you are now debating your 401K strategy.
• Your pre-teen daughter no longer speaks to you, smells of cigarettes and chooses to hang with a girl you later find out is a runaway.
• Your supervisor not only doesn’t appreciate you, he outright can’t stand you. He doesn’t know ‘how’ to do what you do, is of little support and offers only criticism when he speaks to you.
• You have noticed 2 hairs growing under your chin and you’re a woman. (more…)
Tags: positive attitudeJul
Finally Color!
Last Saturday, my work-buddy Mary came out to help with the painting (BIG THANK YOU to MARY).
It was so exciting to finally put some color on the walls. All the other stuff we’ve been doing, though necessary for the make-over, is not as fun as seeing color. (more…)
Jul
Can a Marriage Survive Framing?
Today was ‘install reception window‘ day.
My mother-in-law and sister-in-law made the hour long drive to watch my children; leaving me and my husband free to begin the installation project.
We wanted to get a head start by buying all the necessary supplies BEFORE my in-laws arrived. This way, once they got here, we could head straight to the neighborhood center.
But our plans were foiled.
Since we were buying Eight 2X4s, we had to take 2 cars to Home Depot (one for the kids, one for the 2x4s).
We didn’t even make it to the highway before car #1 began smoking. We had to make an about-face to head home; all the while praying the car didn’t die miles away from the house. (more…)
Tags: framing windowJun
Finished the Floors
Sunday – we finally finished the edges of the floor. A job estimated to take about an hour and a half, of course took 3 hours. But hey, we’re done!
Next up – install the reception window in the 1/2 wall.
Tags: cleghorn neighborhood center