The Council of Congregations

If you've looked at the EECM website or read much in the blog, you've probably heard references to "member congregations" or the Council of Congregations. Everyone who works closely with EECM is very familiar with the Council but I'm guessing that this knowledge does not extend too far beyond our hallowed halls. So today we'll do a crash course introduction to the venerable Council of Congregations.

From its inception in 1970, East End Cooperative Ministry has worked collaboratively with a variety of congregations throughout Pittsburgh. As an interfaith ministry, EECM partners with adherents to a variety of religious paths, although the laws of demographics dictate that most of our participating congregations fall within the Judeo-Christian spectrum. The initial member congregation headcount was 18 and that number has grown to more than 40 over the last four decades. For a complete list of the member congregations, click here.

Each congregation designated one of its members to serve as the liaison between that congregation and EECM. Until recently, those representatives also made up the EECM Board of Directors. Two years ago, the agency restructured its Board – a board of 40 was proving unwieldy – and the representatives from the congregations now constitute the Council of Congregations, an advisory body to EECM. The president of the Council serves on the Board of Directors to provide a connection between the two bodies.

Okay, so that's the history. What does the Council do? The Council of Congregation's primary function is to serve as advocates of EECM within their congregations. These congregations support EECM financially, provide volunteers, and allow us to use their space for our programs. Their Council rep keeps them informed as to the goings on at EECM and lets them know about specific needs we might have, publicizes upcoming events, etc.

The Council also lends its support to a variety of activities throughout the year including:

* An annual interfaith celebration of the work and life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King;

* Congregational food drives during the Have a Heart for Hunger Campaign;

* An annual "Off to College" drive to collect school and dorm supplies for EECM's Children & Youth participants who are heading off to college and life away from home;

* The Houses of Worship Architectural Tour (more details about this fabulous event will be forthcoming at the end of the summer);

* An annual fall Coat Drive to benefit the men in our emergency shelter;

*The Kristallnacht Memorial Gathering – an interfaith service that remembers those lost in the Holocaust which takes place in November;

* Holiday Gift Giving – each year EECM provides Christmas gifts to nearly 700 individuals throughout our programs. The Council participates in providing these gifts.

This is just a brief overview of all the fantastic work done by our Council of Congregations. EECM was, is, and always will be a community-based organization and we would not be able to accomplish all that we do without the dedicated service of our member congregations.

Why We're Here

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

I’ve been working on a grant this week, an application for funding for a new elementary school program we’re building. It’s called Project Lifting, Learning, Literacy, Life and Love (Project L-5 for short). The focus of the program will be on about 60 students, grades K-5, from a local public school; the goal is provide them with much-needed early intervention.

I will admit that I am not deeply familiar with all of our Children & Youth programs. I know that we have a lot of them and that the kids in our neighborhood need a lot of support to counteract the often-overwhelming challenges that they face. But it wasn’t until I was writing the “needs assessment” portion of the grant that it really hit me just how vital our programs are.

At this particular school, more than 90% of the students qualify for the free or reduced lunch program – a commonly used poverty indicator. The district average itself is high – 70.8% -- and this school’s percentage is well above that. The students are classified as being at high risk of educational failure, and many of them are already falling far behind their peers across the state and country. In 2006, 74.2% of the fifth graders were not proficient in reading and 70.9% were not proficient in math, based on their scores on state-wide standardized tests.

The obstacles to learning that these kids face are truly staggering. Poverty. Turbulent family lives. Systemic drug and alcohol abuse. Community violence. They are literally struggling to make it through each day and it’s no wonder that academic achievement isn’t their primary concern.

And that’s why we’re working on Project L-5. The program recognizes that in order to help these kids succeed in school, we need to provide holistic support that mediates the impact of the other destructive forces in their lives. The program focuses on character education and life skills development, alcohol, tobacco and other drug use prevention, nutrition, conflict resolution, and recreational and cultural exposure in addition to more traditional educational support like tutoring and homework assistance. It’s a good program. And it will make a difference if we can get it funded.

It’s weeks like this and projects like these that make you really realize the work you do is important.

Introducing GoodSearch

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

I think that perhaps one of the greatest things about this Internet Age in which we live is how easy it has become to support good causes. With the click of a button you can donate to your favorite charities, fund free mammograms, find somewhere to volunteer or contact your congressman. And now, you can support EECM every time you search the web.

Introducing: GoodSearch! GoodSearch is a search engine, powered by Yahoo, which raises money for non-profits. And it’s really really easy. Super easy. Incredibly easy...Did I mention it was easy?

1) Go to http://www.goodsearch.com/

2) Select East End Cooperative Ministry in the “Who do you search for” section.

3) Search the web.

Every time you use GoodSearch, they make a donation to EECM! As an organization, GoodSearch donates 50% of their advertising profits to the organizations registered with them – this means that using GoodSearch is free both for the users and the non-profits themselves. The advertisers are footing the bill.

Each time you search, about 1 cent will be donated to EECM. This doesn’t sound like a lot by itself but think about how often you search the web – looking up addresses, confirming movie times, guiltily checking the calorie count on that mammoth muffin you just ate – it adds up! If 500 EECM supporters were to perform just four searches a day for a year, EECM would receive about $7,300.

You can also download the GoodSearch toolbar so it’s always right there whenever you need to search. I also recommend putting a brightly colored post-it note on your computer that says “GoodSearch Not Google!” At least for the first few weeks – old habits die hard.

Seriously, this is a fabulous concept but it only works if lots of people use GoodSearch and designate EECM. So forward this blog on to everyone you know – there’s a link at the bottom of this post that allows you to e-mail it to your friends and neighbors (look just below where it says “Posted by East End Cooperative Ministry at…” There is a small icon of an envelope with an arrow on it. Click there).

Global Positioning System

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Allow me to begin this post by saying that although I am of the techie-generation (my favorite label is "Echo-Boomer") and use computers, gadgets, widgets, ipods, PDAs, and other space-station-level devices as comfortably as I breathe, I do not understand how any of them work. At all. Therefore, I am utterly entranced by them with a sort of mystic awe usually reserved for beings from beyond the human realm. Which explains why I have spent the better part of this morning playing with (by which, of course, I mean diligently programming to achieve maximum efficiency) a fabulous new EECM toy – 5 GPS units. That’s right. We are now the proud possessor of five – count them five – Garmin StreetPilot c330 portable car navigation systems. We’re big time now.

The GPS units were a gift from a loyal EECM supporter and the plan is to use them to make our Meals on Wheels delivery system as volunteer-friendly as possible. As anyone who has ever spent more than about 30 minutes in Pittsburgh is aware, this city is not the easiest place to navigate. I think this is due to a variety of factors including the hills, the waterways, the fact that the same names get used over and over again, and the fact that our city government has decided not to label some streets at all. Because really, who needs street signs? Granted, if you drive around long enough you will eventually run into a bridge or a tunnel and since those are usually marked, you can thereby regain your bearings. But on the whole, it’s shockingly easy to get lost in Pittsburgh.

Enter our snazzy new GPS systems! Our Meals on Wheels program is entirely volunteer-based – from preparing the food, to packaging the meals, to delivering them to our clients. These clients, about 90 of them, are divided into 5 routes, based on address and the GPS units have each been assigned to a route and programmed with all the addresses for that route. The volunteers drive their own cars so we’ll just sign out a GPS system to the driver and away they’ll go!

And…if they get hungry along the way, that’s no problem at all! You can ask the GPS for restaurant locations, divided by type – American, Asian, British Isles, Barbecue, you name it! So if you suddenly get a Thai food craving, you can be at one in minutes. Not that we encourage our volunteers to make Thai food pit stops while on their routes. I’m just saying it would be possible…and I’m thinking I should probably test the capabilities of these fancy shmancy gadgets by tracking down the nearest hot dog shop. According to my unit, there’s one under a mile from here…

10 Questions For...Janice Rivers

Check back often for regular installments of the smash-hit-blog-post “10 Questions For…” We’ll be asking all the staff of EECM the same 10 Questions, designed to give you a more thorough (though not necessarily deeper!) insight into the people who make the EECM world go round.

10 Questions For Janice Rivers, Emergency Homeless Services Supervisor & Case Manager

1) How long have you been at EECM? In what capacities?

I have been here for almost 5 years and have worked as a Monitor at the Orr Center, Case Manager and now Emergency Homeless Services Supervisor.

2) If you could be any superhero, who would it be and why?

I would be Kathryn Kulman because she had a great healing ministry.

3) What do you do when you're not at EECM?



I enjoy interior decorating and gardening, reading inspirational books, and spending time with my family and grandchildren. I attend church regularly to preach and teach God's Word and I volunteer my services at women's shelters.



4) What is your favorite Pittsburgh restaurant?



The Georgetowne Inn & Red Lobster



5) List the three adjectives that best define your personality:



Compassionate

Loveable

Unique



6) What do you like best about working for EECM?



Seeing people's lives change



7) Who is the best TV/movie villain of all time?



Note from the editors: as you may have surmised from her list of things to do outside of work, Janice is generally too busy for TV and movie watching!



8) List four previous jobs you've had:



Beautician

Entrepreneur

Groupleader/Supervisor for the City of Pittsburgh's Rodent Control

Wedding Coordinator



9) What is your favorite book?



The Holy Bible



10) What is your favorite (and least favorite) thing about Pittsburgh?



Favorite: the beautiful scenery

Least Favorite: gang violence and shootings

Flavor Results!

We've done some number crunching and bean counting and it looks like the first annual A Flavor of the East End raised more than $35,000 for East End Cooperative Ministry! Not too shabby for our first try, if I do say so myself. We don't have a 100% formalized number yet as a few bills are still coming in, but unless someone has zany outstanding expenses that we don't know about, that is the rough figure.

Thanks, merci, gracias, danke, and dhanyavad to everyone who helped, came, donated and sent good vibes. We did it!

Flavor Pictures!

For those unfortunate souls who were unable to attend A Flavor of the East End (and for those of you who were there but just want to relive the magic)...a few photos!

The Stunning Silent Auction

The Patio...with Peacock!

A Proud Mystery Box Winner

Little Things

Written By: Kathy Lockard, A Flavor of the East End Attendee

Sometimes, it's the Little Things that make a Big Thing extra special. Like Saturday night at EECM’s gala, A Flavor of the East End. It was a lovely evening and I think a big part of the reason that the atmosphere of the event was so enjoyable was the attention paid to the little things.

Little things, like the colors blue and green -- the same green that EECM uses on their website and newsletters. It was on the invitation and program. It was on the posters that lined the aquarium walkway and the banner hanging from the balcony. It was the color of the patio table covers. It was one of the colors of the shiny mystery boxes. Even some of the staff and special guests wore green! It's possible, of course, to go overboard with a color theme. But they didn't. Because the green was complemented by an ocean blue (Aquarium - remember?). The same blue that was also on the invitations and programs and inside table covers. When we entered the Aquarium, we were met by wait staff carrying trays of vivid blue drinks in martini glasses with a lime slice that looked surprisingly like the invitations.

Little things, like the glass block lights on the auction table and the glass block vases with flowers on the inside tables -- flowers that were carefully arranged by enthusiastic (and skillful) volunteers. Little things, like the colorful item description cards at the silent auction that so perfectly complimented the rest of the décor. Little things, like the fabulous iced polar bear cookies everyone received as they left the party (the work of another dedicated Friend of EECM and polar bears).

So, what do these little things have to do with the mission and passion of EECM? Does a polar bear cookie really make EECM special? Perhaps not, but to me, it says several things about the staff and volunteers at EECM. It says they enjoy what they do. It says they are willing to invest themselves in their work. And most importantly, it says they understand that what may seem like Little Things to some of us - like a clean kitchen in the men's shelter, or a bowl of soup on a cold day, or book of your very own, can make a big difference in someone's life.

A Flavorful Event

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Well, I am thrilled – no, perhaps an even bigger word, ECSTATIC – to report that East End Cooperative Ministry's first annual A Flavor of the East End was a smashing success. My deepest and most profound thanks to all of you who performed anti-rain dances; they worked brilliantly. It was cloudy but dry which provided a nice relief from the heat and allowed party-goers to lounge happily about the patio, sipping their drinks and nibbling on tasty treats.

We ended up hosting the event in the PPG Aquarium rather than the Water’s Edge exhibit itself due to concerns about whether the latter would be finished in time. Lucky for us, the Aquarium itself is a gorgeous venue and provided wonderful ambience to the evening. Who doesn’t like being greeted by a tank full of friendly sea dragons upon arrival at an event?

If my nose-counting is correct, we had just over 250 attendees at the event and it was a wonderful mix of people – volunteers, staff, board members, loyal donors, friends of friends, representatives from our sponsors, and few others that no one at EECM recognized at all! It was grand.

Music for the evening was provided by the ever-talented Brad Yoder, accompanied by two friends and EECM’s own Children & Youth staffer Terry Levels. The band was positioned on an upper level of the Aquarium, allowing them to send the music wafting out over the event from on high. Down below, guests mingled, ate, chatted, bid furiously on more than 40 silent auction items, and drooled shamelessly over the prizes being raffled off through our Mystery Box Drawings.

This was one of my favorite things about the evening. Mystery Boxes are basically a glorified raffle. We had 200 little glossy multi-colored round boxes artfully arranged on a table (a certain alarmingly clumsy Executive Assistant managed to knock over about 50 of them at one point, but we recovered and I won’t tell if you won’t). Inside each box was a poker chip with a number and inside some lucky boxes there was an additional little prize like a gift certificate to a local restaurant or an IOU for a yummy chocolate basket. You buy your box, check for an immediate prize, then clutch your numbered chip to your heart and hope fervently that it’s the winner of one of three larger prizes – two round-trip plane tickets anywhere on AirTran, a very sexy Trek Lime Lite automatic shifting bicycle, or a three-hour cruise on the Allegheny River complete with food and beverages. Pretty fun, huh?

All in all it was a great evening and perhaps the highest compliment that I heard anyone bestow upon us was to remark “I would never have guessed this was the first time you were doing this event.” Success!!