Monthly Archives: August 2010
Website Launch!
August 31, 2010 | 5:20 pm
Posted by Carolyn
Thank you for visiting our website and welcome to our first blog post!
As many of you know, we launched A Step Up in 2006. It has been a work in progress and a learn as we go process for all of us. None of us would be considered “techies” by any stretch of the imagination but today we launch our new and improved website.
We want to start out by giving credit to our amazing website designers. They are students at the Boston University Center for Digital Imaging Arts (BUCDIA). We were selected to work with them as they completed the design portion of their program at CDIA. Diana Kmiotek, RaShaun Smith and Martina Marek are the three talented individuals who spent 4 weeks with us and then together conceptualized and implemented our new website. They will be starting out in new careers after the completion of the program so we want to give them a shout out – They were incredible and we couldn’t have done it without them.
We hope that you will bookmark our site and keep an eye on our blog. We will have lots of things to share as we are planning events and learning about organizations in our community. We want to be able to “talk ” to you as we go through the process. Of course now that we are blogging, we are also on facebook and twitter. We don’t really understand twitter yet – so don’t hold your breath for our tweets – but please become a fan of A Step Up on Facebook.
We would love to hear you thoughts on our new look. You will be hearing from us again soon about our upcoming event scheduled for October 13th!
Reach
August 23, 2010 | 9:20 am
Volunteer opportunities
(no direct service volunteers under 18 years old):
Reach offers full training for direct services volunteers as well as monthly supervision.
Shelter volunteers, Gardening volunteers, Outreach volunteers, Support Group co-facilitators, Court advocate volunteers, Child care volunteers, Office assistance, Gala event committee volunteers, Board members.
Financial support:
Goals: Annual operating budget $1.5m;
Donate to the Independence Fund:
The purpose of the Independence Fund is to help survivors maintain their economic self-sufficiency. The Independence Fund provides small discretionary funding for survivors that is accessible and can pay for expenses not covered by existing sources (eg, car repairs, job training, camp, lessons, uniforms, and basic needs)
In Kind Donations:
Reach has a wish list on their website http://reachma.org/wishlist.html for in-kind donations of items needed for children or the home. Examples include diapers, strollers, bedding, toiletries etc.). Click on the link to find out how you can help.
Reach
August 23, 2010 | 9:16 am
Waltham, MA
reachma.org
mission…
Reach is committed to creating healthy communities by ending domestic violence. Their mission is to advance the safety, healing, and empowerment of those who experience domestic or relationship violence, through direct services and education while promoting social justice for individuals and families of all backgrounds. Reach works to end domestic violence through community education and early intervention, They provide adults and their children with the sanctuary and support services necessary to empower their realization of permanent safety, financial independence and well-being. Additionally, Reach provides extensive preventive education to the community, particularly teens, to break the cycle of domestic violence and reduce the long-term harms associated with domestic violence.
Reach serves an average of 6,000 adults and children every year through shelter, hot line and community based programs. Their education and prevention programming – including training for volunteers and others- reaches thousands of student and community members each year.
Life is Good Kids Foundation
August 20, 2010 | 11:54 am
Volunteer opportunities:
We are currently open to hosting college student interns at our office to assist us with administrative, operational work. Foundation staff is currently exploring additional volunteer opportunities as well. For inquiries or more information, please contact foundationinfo@lifeisgood.com.
Financial support:
Individual donations to the Life is Good Kids Foundation make a big difference in the lives of children facing life-threatening challenges such as violence, illness, natural disaster, and extreme poverty. The foundation is a 501 (C) 3 public charity, and your contributions are tax deductible.
In the past 3 years, we have provided training, resources and support to over 2,000 Playmakers who have helped to heal and strengthen over 70,000 children. It costs $1,200 to credential each Life is Good Playmaker. Since each Playmaker on average deeply touches the lives of at least 20 children a year, we can efficiently provide a child with a more joyful, loving, creative, and empowering place to heal and grow for about $60 a year. Every little bit helps and can make a huge difference!
Learn more here: http://www.lifeisgood.com/foundation/get-involved/
Upcoming event
On September 11, the Life is Good Kids Foundation is holding a major Festival in New England to help raise money for the Kids Foundation. Amazing music acts (including Jason Mraz and Ben Harper) will be leading the way to raise awareness and financial support that the Kids Foundation does- learn more here: http://www.lifeisgood.com/festivals/
Life is Good Kids Foundation
August 20, 2010 | 11:50 am
Boston, MA
www.lifeisgood.com/foundation
mission…
The Life is Good Kids Foundation is dedicated to helping children overcome life-threatening challenges such as violence, poverty and severe illness. Leading this charge with the Life is Good Kids Foundation are thousands of teachers, counselors, social workers and healthcare professionals who have dedicated their lives to healing and strenghtening children. They call these amazing men and women, **BOLD STARTS** Playmakers.**BOLD ENDS** By
providing play-based training, support, and resources to these frontline community heroes, the Life is Good Kids Foundation is helping children reach their full, joyful potential. (more…)
website launch!
August 18, 2010 | 11:56 am
Check out our new website!
Strong Women Strong Girls
August 18, 2010 | 8:06 am
Boston, MA
www.swsg.org
mission…
The founder and President of SWSG Lindsay Hyde, will join us to talk about how Strong Women Strong Girls is supporting the empowerment of nearly 1,000 girls in the Boston area and engaging 220 college women as volunteer mentors.
The mission of Strong Women, Strong Girls is to utilize the lesson learned from strong women throughout historic to help girls and young women to become strong women themselves. By building communities of women committed to supporting positive social change, Strong Women, Strong Girls works to create cycles of mutual empowerment for women and girls.
To achieve this mission, Strong Women, Strong Girls fosters high aspirations among diverse, low-income elementary school girls in grades 3-4 and helps them to develop the skills they need for life-long success. SWSG is designed as a group mentoring program that engages small groups of 10-12 girls with a team 2-3 college undergraduate women who serve as volunteer mentors. These college mentors lead the girls in an innovative after school model that includes the study of contemporary and historical female role models, research-based learning activities, community service projects, and horizon-broadening field trips.
In addition to supporting the development of the elementary school girls, Strong Women, Strong Girls also fosters the development of the college undergraduate women who serve as volunteer mentors. Recognizing the potential of these motivated and passionate young women to be social change agents, Strong Women, Strong Girls provides them with the skills and experiences to be great mentors for girls now, as well as to be life-long advocates for positive change in their communities.
Strong Women, Strong Girls was founded in 2000 by Lindsay Hyde as a student group at Harvard University. Since that time, requests from parents, teachers, and principals have drive the program’s rapid growth. In the 2009-2010 program year, Strong Women, Strong Girls served nearly 1,000 girls and engaged 220 college undergraduate women as volunteer mentors!
Women of Means
August 18, 2010 | 8:02 am
Wellesley, MA
www.womenofmeans.org
mission…
Women of Means is a 501c3 non-profit of volunteer physicians and staff nurses who provide free medical care to homeless and battered women and their families in shelters around Boston. Founded in 1999 by Dr. Roseanna Means, this women-helping-women model is now the largest volunteer physician program in MA, reaching 2,500 vulnerable women and children annually. Since its inception it has provided over 65,000 free medical visits, thus saving the Boston hospitals millions. (more…)
The Treehouse Foundation
August 18, 2010 | 7:13 am
Easthampton, MA
www.treehousecommunities.org
description and mission…
The Treehouse Foundation’s primary mission is to provide children in the public foster care system with enduring family relationship and supportive community connections by implementing innovative programs and practices.
In 2006, the Treehouse Foundation opened the first Treehouse Community – a planned multi-generational neighborhood where families adopting children from foster care live with caring neighbors in a vibrant village setting. Over 00 people, ranging in age from 4-90, live on Treehouse Circle. Treehouse community members and on-site staff are co-creating an exciting new paradigm that is answering the question, “Under what conditions do children who have experienced foster care flourish?” This exciting national model is inspiring others across the country to re-envision the way we care for our young people whose lives have been impacted by foster care. (more…)
The Treehouse Foundation
August 18, 2010 | 7:08 am
Individuals and Volunteer with Kids:
Please contact Judy Cockerton
Groups of volunteers:
Homework Buddies, Garden Helpers, Suitcase Project Committee, Friends of Treehouse Fundraiser for all Treehouse programs
School groups:
Our Peers Helping Peers Program collects gift cards from Target, Walmart and Costco and hosts book drives, suitcase collecting, lap top purchases and Treehouse Garden expansion.
Financial Support and in-kind donations…
Specific Goals:
We would like to raise $350, 000 to hire additional staff to support the mission of the Treehouse Foundation and help inspire a re-envisioning of foster care in America.
The innovative work of the Treehouse Foundation is supported by individual donors and donations made by foundations.
In kind donations:
garden supplies, outdoor recreation items, summer camperships, literacy materials (books, educational software, computers, art materials, art materials, cameras, digital recorders).
