Clumsy Girl Attacks

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

*CRASH* BANG! *CRUNCH*

What’s that?

BOOM! *SMASH* THUMP!!!

Oh no! It’s…Clumsy Girl! Look out!

There’s nowhere to run and nowhere to hide from the rampaging destruction that is Clumsy Girl.

She trips, she stumbles, she runs with her shoelaces untied! She never wears appropriate apparel and she spends much of her time careening into unsuspecting bystanders and generally wreaking havoc.

What can we do? Who will protect us? We’re doomed!

But wait…what’s that? Up in the sky… It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…SAFETY GUY!

That’s right. Safety Guy is here to save the day. He’ll defeat Clumsy Girl without even breaking a sweat.

Thank you, Safety Guy.

You’re probably furrowing your brow at the screen and scratching your head, but you’re still reading, and for that you have my gratitude. You’ve just had the privilege of peaking in on a typical afternoon of fun and learning at our after-school Elementary program.

Clumsy Girl (aka Alicia) and Safety Guy (aka Richard) joined the kids yesterday to demonstrate the importance of being safe, particularly when undertaking physical activity. Skits, role-playing, and humor are all important components to our youth programs, providing education and support while having fun and building relationships.

PS: And in case you’re wondering about the giant fly swatters, they’re for swatting disobedience (note that I did NOT say “swatting children”). You figuratively “swat” negative behaviors. So if Johnny is pulling Suzy’s hair, a staff member will say “swat that!” and it means stop and makes everyone giggle.

Anesthetists Unite!

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

You may not be aware, but the week of January 20-25 isn’t just any old week. No, it is National Nurse Anesthetists Week. To be perfectly honest, I had never actually heard of a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) until today, but now my horizons have been broadened and I’ve officially learned my “something new” for the day.

What brought about this enlightenment? Why, the presence of more than 20 fabulous CRNAs who have been volunteering in our Hunger Programs this week as part of National Nurse Anesthetists Week.

CRNAs and students in CRNA programs across the country are participating in a variety of local community service projects as a way of celebrating the national recognition week and giving back to their communities. The University of Pittsburgh has a Nurse Anesthetists program and students in this program, as well as nurses in the city, have been donating their time to us.

Our CRNA crew has been coming every day this week in teams of about 5, arriving at 9am and staying through early afternoon. They’ve been a blessing during a busy week, cheerfully performing any and all assigned tasks and generally bringing enthusiasm and good humor with them. They also brought grocery donations to our Food Pantry and collected financial contributions from Pitt faculty, friends, and other students and nurses who were unable to come with.

Many thanks – you guys were great!

Celebrating Martin Luther King

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

As an interfaith organization, EECM seeks to find opportunities for our various supporting congregations to come together. One of our most longstanding traditions of interfaith celebration is the annual Martin Luther King Celebration Service. Each year on the Sunday before MLK Day, we host an interfaith worship event, celebrating the life and ministry of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

It’s a neat service because it really does bring together a broad range of people. Borrowing from an article in Monday’s Post-Gazette: Ladies in mink hats mingled with those in Muslim head scarves. Men in sweater vests and borrowed yarmulkes talked to others in suits with shiny shoes. This year, our 24th, the service was held at the Jewish congregation, Tree of Life, and co-hosted by Lincoln Avenue Church of God.

Altogether, representatives from more than a dozen congregations and community organizations participated in the service. There were musical performances, scripture passages on the theme of justice, readings from speeches by Rev. Dr. King, and liturgical dance. My favorite performance was by the VoKols – a Jewish youth a cappella group that performed two fabulous pieces in Hebrew. They were great!

Our keynote speaker this year was the Rev. Dr. Ronald Peters, a professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, director of the Metro Urban Institute, and member of EECM’s Board of Directors. He spoke on the theme of the “Beloved Community” and reminded us that we still have work to do to make Rev. Dr. King’s dream a reality.

We ended the service by singing “We Shall Overcome.” The much-loved hymn was given a new feel by a cantorial soloist from Congregation Rodef Shalom who sang the first verse in Hebrew before we all joined in in English.

A Different Kind of Gift

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Admit it. Not every gift you got this holiday season was “just what you’ve always wanted.” Aunt Mary’s taste in sweaters is appalling and the necktie from your in-laws just isn’t your style. And to be honest, you probably gave a few questionable gifts, too – did your co-worker really need (or want) yet another trinket for her house?

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could give a gift without having to worry about whether it’s the right size or the right color?

Well, the Middle School Service Committee (MSSC) at the Falk School is helping people do just that – and helping EECM at the same time.

Since 2004, the MSSC kids have offered an Alternative Gift Shop each holiday season. Alternative Gifts are gaining popularity around the country – maybe you’ve heard about people who gave or got chickens for Christmas or a water buffalo for Hanukkah. The premise is simple: instead of spending money on a tangible object, you make a donation to a charitable organization in honor of your giftee. You feel warm and fuzzy. They feel warm and fuzzy (and secretly relieved that you didn’t buy them a nose hair trimmer). And somewhere out there, a person in need has been helped. It’s cool.

The Falk School Gift Shop includes items like:

2 Meals at the Soup Kitchen
A New Picture Book for a Child
One Week of Meals for an Elderly Neighbor
Two Full Bags of Groceries

The students encourage their families and neighbors to purchase alternative gifts during the holidays, and they supply donors with a sweet holiday card, explaining the purchase that has been made and the group that is benefiting from it. Donors can then give these cards to whoever is receiving the gift.

And it’s lucrative! The Alternative Gift Shop has been raising 4-digit donations for EECM for several years, and its organizer estimates that this year the donations totaled more than $4,000.

I love alternative gifts in general but I find this project particularly inspiring because it involves young people. The holidays have become such a commercial time of year, with lots of focus on getting “stuff,” that it is refreshing to see a group of students instead focusing on philanthropy and trying to make a positive impact on their community.

From Our Clients

Written by: EECM Clients and Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

In addition to the wonderful phone-call I received last week, I have had the pleasure of reading many thank-you’s from our clients who participated in the Christmas Gift Program this year. I wanted to share them with you because they are such a testament to the impact EECM’s friends and supporters have on the people we serve. The generosity of all of our 2007 Christmas Gift Program donors was really inspiring and we cannot thank them enough.

We thank you for all of the things you have done for all of us. May God bless you in the near future. And remember we love you. May God shower you with blessings and the answers to your prayers.

~ Kara (12), Sasha (11), and Keisha (10)

You have given me and my children a lot of support. When we needed food, we were able to come to the food bank and receive what was there for us. You were our blessing in time of need. Our Christmases have been very blessed because of your thoughtful programs. Most people take what they can get from generous people. I was taught to give then take only what’s needed in return. Thank you for being our blessing from God!

~Melissa

It has been years since the gifts for my children under the Christmas tree were actually from me. Thank you for making Christmas possible this year.

~John

I am so thankful and blessed for the EECM Christmas program. Every year, the EECM program helps my family with donations of gifts and donations of food. I wish everyone and the staff a blessed and safe holiday.

~Abigail

Thanks, thanks, thanks, thank you for my gift.

~Lorraine

A Phone Call to Change Your Day

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Today is dreary and bleak and my computer was being dumb and I was just generally feeling a bit grumpy when the phone rang this morning. I glared at it and contemplated not picking it up but then grudgingly answered. It was Phyllis, our case manager at the Food Pantry. She told me that one of the participant’s from the Christmas Gift Program was in her office and wanted to say thank-you in person for the gifts her son had received.

And so I spoke for a few minutes with Adrienne. Her son, Anthony, is 14 and his requests were simple. A sweat shirt. Socks. A watch. A sports book.

Thank you, she said, from the bottom of my heart. I cried when I saw all the gifts that were provided for my son. No one has ever done anything so special for him in his life. Everything he asked for he got and I am just so grateful. I wish I could give a big hug to the person who made his Christmas so wonderful.

And, just like that, it was a good day.

Changing the World One Candy Cane at a Time

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Yesterday, we received a donation from the Student Service Learning Center at Quaker Valley High School. The students of the Center had come to EECM in November to tour our facilities and learn more about the work we are doing. They went away inspired to educate their peers about the problem of homelessness and to do what they could to help.

They turned their enthusiasm into a creative and fun holiday fundraiser. During the week of December 10th, the group sold candy-cane grams to the student body. Students paid a dollar to send two candy canes to their friends, delivered by Santa and his Elf. The candy canes had a ribbon and tag attached to them. The front of the tag displayed the sender, receiver, and a brief message. On the back of the tags, they presented facts about homelessness to get the student body thinking about the problem, and to pave the way for projects to come.

What a wonderful project!

And the candy-cane gram project was only the beginning. The Service Learning Center group is also planning to host a poverty simulation in the near future and are hoping to get more students and faculty interested in working with EECM.

The EECM Earmark

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Well, this new year got off to an exciting start as, this morning, I found myself milling around a room populated by politicians and media folk as I attended my first-ever press conference. The purpose of the event was to announce that EECM will be receiving nearly half a million dollars ($470,000 to be exact) in federal funding as part of the FY08 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill. Wahoo!

This amazing grant is coming our way thanks to the dedication and hard work of U.S. Senator Bob Casey, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, and Congressman Mike Doyle. These three championed EECM’s inclusion in the Appropriations Bill and without their support, it never would have happened.

The funds will be used to support EECM’s Children & Youth programs, particularly our PHYSED (Points of Healthy Youth Sustainability, Education and Development) program for extremely high risk youth.

It was a pretty cool event to witness. There were three television cameras, a couple radio folk and several reporters from the major news outlets in Pittsburgh. Impressive! And Mayor Ravenstahl, Senator Casey and Congressman Doyle all came in person to participate in the press conference.

I don’t know about you, but I know where I’ll be tonight – glued to the television, waiting to catch a glimpse of our 15 minutes of fame!