by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Apr 2, 2020 | Building a Stronger Fayette
Nearing their 50th anniversary, Adelphoi Village has been expanding their programming to better serve youth in over 30 counties, including Fayette County. The nonprofit serves youth who are at-risk, abused, neglected, delinquent, or struggling with academic or behavior issues. The Adelphoi Albert Gallatin Education Site received a Spring 2019 CFFC grant for the Career Exploration Lab, which provides STEAM programming to support a Career Preparation Initiative.
Adelphoi Village has found that tactile, hands-on learning is most effective and rewarding for the youth they serve and have combined that with preparing students for the workforce. “We want to give the students an opportunity to at least be exposed to various trades,” explained Kerry Ozmeleck, Career Readiness Supervisor/Education Services Liaison.
The Adelphoi Albert Gallatin Education Site serves K-12 students, and provided an Emergency Medical Responder career readiness course for students grades 9-12. All students are able to take the course and complete basic certifications, such as CPR certification, with the opportunity to complete additional certifications if they are interested in learning more, such as EMR certification. This course helps prepare students to work on an ambulance crew, which is an area that shows job growth in the coming years.
Joscelyn Gaston, Education Director, and Susan Takach, Education Supervisor, noted that students are excited to see their names on the certificates and that these hands-on experiences are a confidence-booster for students.
The Career Exploration Lab is equipped with a virtual reality welding system, residential wiring, AC/DC circuitry, an automobile brake training system, coding/robotics, Emergency Medical Responder and CPR training, and horticulture, and Adelphoi Village is expanding these materials to its other education sites as well. In addition to education services, Adelphoi Village operates residential group homes, foster and adoptive care, and in-home treatment options to provide a continuum of services to children, youth, and families.
Mission Statement: Offering outcome-based solutions for abused, neglected, delinquent and other at-risk children and their families through a continuum of treatment and education services that provide a foundation of hope for the future.
Learn more about Adelphoi Village at www.adelphoi.org.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Aug 16, 2019 | Building a Stronger Fayette
Connellsville Area Career and Technical Center (CACTC) opened the Career Café, a student-run store that sells food items, clothing, and supplies in May 2019. Following CACTC’s mission and vision to prepare every student with academic, technical, and career skills needed to enter the workforce and to pursue continuing education, the Career Café provides unique opportunities to build skills.
The CFFC awarded CACTC a Fall 2018 grant for the Career Café, which is operated by the Building and Trades Program students under the supervision of their teacher, Mr. Bill Guess. The goal is to help improve secondary transition opportunities that will prepare students for life after high school, including post-secondary education or training, employment, and community living.
Dr. Shawna Little, Workforce Development Coordinator, noted the importance of soft skills in the workforce, such as customer service, communication, and conflict resolution. The Career Café provides students with real-world work experience in the popular, and in-demand, industry of retail. Particularly for students with disabilities, these opportunities help develop transferable skills that target goals set in their Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).
Before the Career Café opened for business, there were ten students who put their vocational skills to work by organizing the space. They built the counter area and helped transform the classroom, which was brought to life with the Appalachian Creativity Center’s full-room mural. “The students worked as a team, communicated and collaborated effectively, and created a finished project from scratch,” said Dr. Little. To learn more about CACTC, visit their website!
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Aug 7, 2019 | Building a Stronger Fayette
“The first year raising an infant is often the most difficult, so our goal is to help parents be prepared, feel comfortable, and be successful during that time,” said Executive Director Andrea Pritts. Alternatives.Yes Pregnancy Support Center provides free and confidential services to women and men experiencing a pregnancy or caring for an infant. The CFFC awarded the organization a grant to support the Earn While You Learn Pregnancy, Parenting and Life Skills Program.
The Earn While You Learn program provides “Baby Bucks” for moms and dads to spend or accumulate at the Alternatives.Yes pantry after each educational session. The pantry is stocked with baby, children, and maternity clothing, as well as diapers, washcloths, bottles, food, formula, toys, car seats, and other supplies needed for raising an infant. They provide roughly 100 free classes, which follow a curriculum, using videos, manuals, and other educational materials during sessions.
Pritts said, “We are thankful for the Community Foundation being one of our bigger grantors. We always look for new funding opportunities too.” She noted their appreciation of churches that help with diaper or clothing drives, volunteers, and pantry donations that help support the educational opportunities and material items that Altenatives.Yes provides.
The mission of Alternatives.Yes is “to help those facing pregnancy and to provide life-affirming services that protect and enhance their lives, their children, and their families through pregnancy and beyond.” Learn more about Earn While You Learn and other programs at the Alternatives.Yes website!
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Jul 2, 2019 | Building a Stronger Fayette
The word “crafts” may bring to mind a childlike image of popsicle sticks, yarn, and glitter, but the “crafts” at Touchstone Center for Crafts refer to the skilled practices of making things by hand. The 150-acre woodsy campus has studios that house activities with ceramics, glasswork, painting and drawing, blacksmithing, and metals and jewelry. To support opportunities for local educators to attend workshops that teach them about the crafts and inspire new ideas for the classroom, the CFFC awarded Touchstone a grant for Fayette County Educators’ Retreat Scholarships.
Touchstone awarded ten scholarships with the CFFC grant. “We are hoping to build up this community of educators by helping them network, building their skills, and having them take it back to the community,” said Lindsay Gates, Executive Director.
The new Educators’ Retreat and teacher scholarship program provide opportunities for educators to receive ACT 48 Credits and tap into their creativity. “We designed the Educators’ Retreat around the feedback from educators who we have worked with in the past, often as chaperones during Teen Week. They continued to come back to Touchstone to help because they liked the networking with other teachers and the exposure to the different workshops,” explained Gates.
She noted, “The more resources we can provide, the better.” The workshops will encourage educators to get into a creative headspace that will then enrich their teaching, as well as connect them with resources and artists who can suggest or collaborate future activities.
Touchstone also has Teen Week, “date nights,” pop-up events, gallery exhibitions, artists residencies and internships, and symposiums, for artists from beginner level up to professional. Dean Simpson, Marketing Manager, noted that the instructors teach participants at a level where the participants take ownership of their work and have a takeaway creation. “We want to share that Touchstone is accessible and open to the public. That involves getting people here and also getting us out in the community,” said Stephanie Glover, Development Coordinator.
To learn more about Touchstone Center for Crafts and their mission “to advance excellence in the arts and crafts by educating and encouraging individuals to develop technical skills, good design, and innovative expression,” visit their website.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Jun 19, 2019 | Building a Stronger Fayette
Chestnut Ridge Counseling Services, Inc. operates New Directions, a year-round K-12 program that provides education and mental health treatment to children and adolescents. When Chestnut Ridge Counseling Services, Inc. wanted to implement their Safety Initiative project, they applied for a CFFC grant in fall 2018 to support the safety, security, and health of clients, their families, and staff.
Chestnut Ridge Counseling Services, Inc.’s mission is to “provide comprehensive behavioral health services in a timely, professional, and compassionate manner to promote wellness and improve the quality of life of the children, adults, and families of the tri-state area.”
New Directions provides a unique combination of specialized mental health treatment and comprehensive educational services. It is the only licensed partial hospitalization program in Fayette County as well as a Private Academic School servicing clients from Fayette, Greene, Westmoreland, Washington, and Somerset counties. The ultimate goal is for the clients to be able to successfully re-renter the traditional public school setting, be productive in their communities, and well-adjusted in their families.
Teacher Jenna Plocki spearheaded the New Directions Safety Initiative in light of recent national school tragedies. When seeking funding opportunities, she said they were drawn to the CFFC because it is community-based. An AED was purchased with the CFFC grant, as one of the updates to the New Directions safety and security procedures. “All staff members are trained to operate an AED, and now we have the equipment if an emergency situation would arise. I think everyone feels a bit more secure,” said Mrs. Plocki.
Chestnut Ridge Counseling Services, Inc. CEO, Michael Quinn, said, “New Directions helps keep students in their community,” treating students in a school setting and helping prevent client need for services at psychiatric institutions. “The educational and clinical staff function as one unit,” said Mr. Quinn.
Mr. Quinn noted the importance of encouraging students to maintain attendance and find new opportunities to open up to staff members. New Directions Program Manager, Michelle DeMoss, said the STEM classroom and workroom, Makerspace room, and other personalized activities encourage students to show up, participate, and engage with students and staff. Teachers, therapists, nurses, and psychiatrists provide a variety of services to New Directions individuals, groups, families, and parents. Visit the Chestnut Ridge Counseling Services, Inc. website to learn more about New Directions and many other services!