Grossed Out Learning

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator; Photographs by Joshua Franzos

The students crowded around the table watched with wide-eyed revulsion as EECM staffer Cedrice held up the beaker of thick, viscous, brown liquid. A chorus of "ewww" and "gross" and "sick" could be heard throughout the room.

And that was just the reaction he'd hoped for!


This particular science experiment was designed to demonstrate the terrible impact of cigarettes on your lungs. The activity was part of EECM's Project Rediscovery program, an ATOD (alcohol, tobacco and other drug) and violence prevention curriculum woven throughout all of our Children & Youth Programs.

The target audience for this project was a group of elementary school students, so the demonstration was simple -- and graphic. Cedrice created tissue paper lungs, through which he poured first plain water (which symbolized regular air) and then the tar water (which simulated cigarette smoke). The results were plain to see -- the tissue paper lungs became clogged and corroded almost immediately by the cigarette water. Yuck!


A second piece of the lesson focused on dental impact. Cedrice showed the students a model of a set of healthy human teeth and gums, and then one that showed the impact of smoking. More shouts of "nasty!" ensued.


Project Rediscovery is an important part of EECM's Children & Youth programs. Drug use is all too common in the neighborhoods we serve and the kids in our programs are bombarded by social messages to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and dabble in drugs. Our goal is to educate them from an early age as to the risk of these behaviors, in the hopes of helping build up their resistance and ability to refuse.

And if the looks on the kids' faces after that particular science project were any indication, we're on the right track!

A Wii of a Good Time

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development & Donor Communications Coordinator

On Monday afternoon, the walls of EECM's generally-serene Orr Compassionate Care Center reverberated with shouts, cheers, groans and applause. When a staff member poked her head into the common room, the reason became clear: an intense game of Wii Bowling was underway and one of our guests had just bowled a strike!

The afternoon's fun was a wonderful treat for our clients, made possible by a group of dedicated volunteers from the L.I.V.I.N.G. Ministry, a Christian ministry on the Northside. One of their standing projects is a weekly shelter outreach program through which they offer fellowship to homeless men and women at a variety of organizations in Pittsburgh.


On Mondays, you'll find them at EECM's Orr Center, playing cards, enjoying snacks, or leading a rousing game of Deal or No Deal. This week, they came bearing ice cream! We are thrilled to have this group of volunteers participating in the our programs.

"We are so thankful for the opportunity to do outreach on a weekly basis in the shelters. It is hard to put into words how much it has meant to the men and women that we serve to have us come on a weekly basis. The homeless are one of the most rejected people in our society. There are countless stereotypes held against them, and most people look down upon them. But Christ would not. The homeless would be exactly who Jesus would minister to."
~ The L.I.V.I.N.G. Ministry

What's for Lunch?

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

When you think of Meals on Wheels, what kind of food comes to mind? Be honest. I confess that before working here, I pictured dry chicken breasts and limp green beans and always felt a bit bad for people who "had" to get Meals on Wheels.

If that's your mental image, too, it's time for a readjustment! The menu for EECM's Meals on Wheels program is excellent, featuring fresh foods and a wide variety of flavors. Here's an example:

Baked Penne with Creamy Cheese Sauce, Tomatoes and Zucchini

Tossed Salad (Romaine Lettuce, Onions, Green Peppers, Radishes, Cucumber and Croutons) with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Honey Wheat Bread

Raspberry Sorbet

Let me just say, that meal sounds noticeably better than what I brought along for my lunch!

The Gift of Speed Pitch

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

One of the many fun "things to do" at A Flavor of the East End was the Speed Pitch activity. That's right. When we have a baseball-themed event, we take it seriously. This included renting an inflatable speed pitch booth.

The basic premise is simple. You throw two pitches and the machine clocks and displays your speed each time. Before you make your third throw, you guess how fast it will be. If you're within five miles per hour, you win!

What do you win? Well, in our case, you won entries into a drawing for round trip tickets on Southwest Airlines. The male and female guests with the fastest overall throw also won additional entries and the competition was stiff.

(Let me say as a side note that I now appreciate major league pitchers even more. I gave it my all and I think my top speed was somewhere in the upper 20s. Seriously. How on earth do they get it up to 90 mph?)

We drew the winning name in the week following the event and contacted our winner, a young woman who attended the event as a guest of one of our sponsors. And here's where we got a wonderful surprise back in the form of an email from our winner.

"YAY!!! This absolutely made my week! (actually more than my week!). My husband and I had literally just decided we couldn’t go on vacation this year so now this has made a vacation possible! YAHOO!!!!!!"

How's that for awesome? It adds a smile to my day to know that the winner was so excited about her prize!

A Flavorful Evening

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

It's going...going...GONE!

East End Cooperative Ministry's annual fundraiser, A Flavor of the East End, was officially a home run! I may be biased, but I think we could even call it a Grand Slam.

Because, really, what's not to love? Highlights from the event included:

1. Funky Environs -- Engine House No. 25 itself is way cool. A former firehouse converted into a private museum, with a basement wine cellar and second floor photography studio. We took the baseball theme and ran with it. From a beer tasting featuring craft brews from Major League cities, to a Dixieland Jazz Band, to a Speech Pitch activity, to vintage ball players sharing lore from the 1860s, the night was all about the game.

Even the attire was "ballpark chic."


2. Awesome Food -- guests were treated to a fabulous ball-park inspired menu put together with flare and panache by the Common Plea. Note the great uniforms on the servers, who presented appetizers (such as pizettes, mini-franks, and hoagies) in stadium carriers.


And the baseball display for the free form apple pies and stuffed chocolate chip cookies? Sensational. Those are our caterers themselves, duly proud of their efforts.


3. Sparkling Honorary Chairs -- many thanks to Sally Wiggin and Andrew Stockey of WTAE and Grant Jackson, Pittsburgh Pirates Alumnus, for chairing our event. Our honorary chair team were all good sports -- throwing out the first pitch of the evening, leading our guests in a rousing rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and graciously posing for pictures.


4. A Great Cause -- And, of course, the best part of all. All proceeds from the event benefit the programs of East End Cooperative Ministry!

To see more pictures from the event, click here.