An Easy Way To Support EECM

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Hey EECM Supporters and Friends! There is a new (and easy!) way to support EECM. It's called a charity badge. It's basically a graphic with a link to a donation site. You can see mine over on the right below the list of links. The charity badge is a personal fundraising icon that you can post on blogs, webpages or even include in the signature of your e-mail.* It tells people a little bit about the organization you want to support and then allows them to connect directly to Network for Good to make a donation! Badges are easy to create (you do have to register as a Network for Good user but this only takes a second) and pretty easy to place. Best of all, they're free! You can even borrow mine if you like and not have to create your own at all. So badge away and spread the word about EECM.

* Note: the graphic of the badge itself will not appear in e-mail signatures. You can, however, place a short text version of the badge with a link to the badge on the Network for Good website.

Congrats to a Rockin' EECM Staffer

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Congratulations to EECM ExtraOrdinary Tutoring Coordinator Brad Yoder who took home the grand prize at the Three Rivers Production’s 2006 Fall Acoustic Challenge last week!! Brad is a singer-songwriter and plays a mean guitar. He performs both solo and as half of the Brad Yoder Duo with upright bassist Jason Rafalak, playing all original acoustic folk/rock/pop songs.

You'll find Brad in coffee shops, colleges, and church basements across the city and beyond several nights a week; this year he's played as far as Minneapolis, Boston, Cincinnati, Maine, Rochester NY, and as far south as Charlottesville VA. He has been performing in Pittsburgh for ten years and has sold over 5,000 CDs. His songs have also been featured on CBS's popular show, NUMB3RS, and a Dawson's Creek season DVD, as well as NPR's syndicated radio show, "Car Talk."

Obviously, we think Brad rocks. And we’re not the only ones! Last week, the Pittsburgh City Paper announced the results of its annual “best of” poll. Brad Yoder was voted Best Acoustic Artist for the third time in four years. Congrats Brad!

Gift Wrapping EECM Elves!

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

What’s left on your Holiday Gift List?
a) A tie for dad?
b) Bubble bath for your niece?
c) BOOKS?

If the answer is A or B, we can’t help you (sorry) but if the answer is C -- you’re in luck! East End Cooperative Ministry will be gift wrapping for tips at the new Eastside Borders, on Penn Circle South. When, you ask?

Monday, December 18th

6pm to 10pm.

All proceeds will go to supporting EECM programs. So if you’ve been putting off buying that cookbook for grandma, come on down to the Eastside Borders and get your gift wrapped by the experts* from EECM. Spread the word!

*I use that term loosely and will not be held responsible for odd wrapping!!

My Bus Runneth Over

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Earlier this week, our Volunteer Coordinator Emily Huck walked into my office and said – “Um….Sewickley Academy wants to donate a bunch of toys.” She looked a little concerned, which surprised me, because donations of toys for our Christmas GiveAway program are not usually cause for alarm. “Great,” I said. “We could probably use a bunch of toys for families that missed the original signup.”

Her reply came back: “I think you misheard me. Not a bunch of toys. A BUS of toys. A school-bus full of toys.”

Ohhhhhhh!

Which is how it happened that yesterday we found ourselves unloading 36 industrial-sized garbage bags full of toys from a bright yellow school bus. The students of Sewickley Academy had hosted their annual toy drive and this was the result. Stuffed bears, board games, art supplies, baby dolls, balls, books and more overflowed their bags and filled the bus. It was awesome.

Receiving that donation was great for a lot of reasons but my favorite part was that the elementary school student council had come along to deliver the gifts. About a dozen kids were there, helping to unload – often requiring a team effort to lift bags that probably weighed more than they did. Each pint-sized philanthropist was bouncing with enthusiasm: a combination of excitement at an out-of-school field trip and genuine joy at providing Christmas gifts for kids whose holiday would otherwise have been less merry.

So, to the students and teachers of Sewickley Academy from the staff and clients at EECM:

THANK YOU!!!

EECM Joins the Blogosphere

Greetings! Welcome to the official blog of East End Cooperative Ministry. The East End Edition is intended to be an open forum for communication about EECM issues and events.

All EECM staff, volunteers, council members, board members and clients are welcome to submit blog posts for publication. To submit a posting, e-mail it to eecm@eecm.org. We will edit the posting for size and content (and check for typos) and then put it up!