little hands. BIG HEART.

Written by:  Lauren D. Lloyd, Guest Blogger

I am raising a three year old daughter, LPL, which is terrifying.  The world is a much scarier place than it used to be and as a result, young children regularly struggle with self-esteem issues.  With the hope of offsetting some of the challenges she’ll face in the modern world, I’m teaching her values that will help her to be a better, stronger person.  LPL is an only child, so I am particularly focused on helping her to understand the values of generosity and compassion.

Last Christmas, we bought gifts for a child in need.  LPL understood that we were helping someone else.  We talked about how the little girl’s mommy and daddy weren’t able to buy presents for her and that she might even be hungry.  That experience stuck with LPL.  It helped her grasp the concept of sharing with others without asking for anything in return.

When LPL’s birthday approached, she asked to have a party to celebrate with her friends.  She just wanted her friends to eat cake and sing happy birthday, but we knew that they would show up with presents.  Rather than say “no gifts” and have people still bring them, we asked LPL’s friends and family to bring food to the party so that she could make a donation to the local food pantry.  Her friends (and their parents) happily obliged.  The kids brought bags of canned goods and talked about helping others.  Because of their generosity, we were able to fill two large boxes and LPL dropped them off on the morning of her birthday.  She loved sharing her birthday experience with the EECM Food Pantry and plans to make a donation next year too!


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Please e-mail Tim Brown, Community Relations Coordinator
    at timb@eecm.org .

Wishes? GRANTED!

Written by: Theresa Chalich,
FAITH Programs Supervisor and HUD Project Supervisor

On August 3rd, the historic Priory Hotel on the North Side was the site of the Homeless Children’s Education Fund’s Kick-off Breakfast and Partners Meeting.  Mini-grants were awarded to EECM's FAITH (Families Achieving Independence Through Housing) permanent supportive housing program and other area emergency shelters and  housing programs.  The theme of this breakfast meeting was educational enrichment programs for the children who reside in the shelters and housing programs.

The FAITH Program received a $2,000 grant to fund its Back to School Family Retreat and Monthly Life Skill Classes.  The day long retreat will take place at the Family Resources Family Retreat Center in Mars, PA.  The goals of this educational send off before the start of the school year retreat are to present educational programs that will be enhanced during the year with activities and Life Skills Classes and to promote parental engagement.  The retreat programs will feature presentations on Science on the Road by the Carnegie Science Center and a motivational speaker presenting about nutrition and wellness.  Then starting in September, there will be monthly events that will reinforce the learning areas of the retreat along with a general life skills curriculum.  The measurable outcomes are to be greater student and parent engagement at the learning events and a greater awareness of community resources.



The highlight of the Kick-Off Breakfast was that our FAITH Program was listed as one of five  programs (out of a total of 16 programs) that presented a Super Idea grant.  In addition to the educational opportunities that will be offered at the retreat and throughout the year, the Homeless Children’s Education Fund recognized the importance of the FAITH Housing  staff conducting pre-/post-programming surveys to determine learning achievements.

The breakfast was attended by FAITH Housing Program staff of Jamie Seabrook, the Child Education Advocate and the grant writer, Case Manager Hannah Lee, and Theresa Chalich, the Project Supervisor.