Another Adult Education Success Story

It can be difficult to get started on a Monday, but sharing good news always helps! Today we received an inspiring success story full of praise for our Adult Literacy & ESOL Program:

“James” found out about the Greater Homewood Adult Literacy & ESOL Program by word of mouth, and he claims it was the best thing that ever happened in his tumultuous life. On an educational roller coaster ride trying to get his high school diploma, James had been searching for a program that paid close attention to his needs. His eyes were moist and his voice cracked as he recently asked to speak to his instructor in private. He had this to say:

I’ve been to at least four other GED programs over the years, and this is the only program where I feel like I’m going to get what I need.

At all the other programs the teachers just shoved a copy of some work or other at you, and left it up to you to sink or swim. They didn’t assist you if you had a question, they sat and read the newspaper, or they talked on their cell phones until class was over. I really feel like I can learn here because the instructors teach by taking you step by step through the learning process.

We’d say James got what he needed from GHCC’s Adult Literacy program—just eight months after finding us, he called with the wonderful news that he had received his high school diploma! Congratulations to James, and kudos to the teachers and tutors who never lose sight of what's most important: our learners and their continued success.

Did you know that nearly one-third of adults in Baltimore lack a high school diploma? Without that education, they struggle to support their families and participate activity in their community. If you know folks like James who would benefit from reading and math classes, please encourage them to call 410-261-3524 for information on upcoming enrollment.

Telesis Groundbreaking This Morning

This morning, 150 people gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of the $85 million Telesis redevelopment project in Barclay-Midway-Old Goucher. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, neighborhood residents, community partners, and city elected officials all came out to show their support at this inspirational event.

"It was a beautiful sight to see everyone socializing and networking as they came together to celebrate such an important milestone for the Barclay community," said GHCC MSW (Masters in Social Work) intern Treshona Saxton. And indeed it was: the feelings of pride and accomplishment among the crowd were well warranted, as the Telesis project represents a new era for the Barclay community.


Interested in a little history on this project? We like this article in the Baltimore Brew.


Here are a few pictures from this morning's event:

A Uniform for Every Student

Submitted by Kerri Hamberg


As a relatively new resident of Baltimore and a new volunteer at GHCC, I want to spend some time getting to know the area and the organization. Since I’m a former public school teacher and a parent, Christy—GHCC's Development Director and the supervisor for my volunteer work—recommended I start by talking to a fellow parent who’s been working with GHCC in the local public schools.

I sat down on August 26 with Jennifer DiFrancesco, a mother of two and minister at Second Presbyterian Church on N. Charles Street. This summer, GHCC helped her and other parents at Margaret Brent Elementary/Middle School use direct appeals and social networking to raise over $9000, enough to provide each student with a brand-new uniform for the 2010-11 school year.

“Originally, we’d just hoped to raise enough for a couple hundred second-hand uniforms,” she told me. “But then GHCC stepped up and offered us help with Facebook, Twitter, and Paypal, and suddenly the donations started rolling in. We could never have raised so much money without their help. Now we have more than enough for every child to have a free, brand-new uniform for the first day of school.”

Last week, the school hosted a back-to-school event, where each student was measured for their uniform and everyone went home with a brand-new shirt. GHCC’s Karen DeCamp helped make arrangements for five AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteers to assist with the celebratory event.

“Everything went so smoothly, thanks to all of the volunteers. We sold some hot dog plates for $2.50, fitted everyone for their new uniforms, and the kids had a great time,” Jenn said. “I think we’re all looking forward to the new school year.”

Kerri has been volunteering with GHCC's development staff to help with public relations and fundraising efforts. This is her first blog post, but we'll be hearing more from her as she settles in! To read more about Jenn DiFrancesco's amazing fundraising efforts for Margaret Brent students, keep an eye on your inbox for this month's GHCC Digest (or sign up if you haven't already) or check out her feature in Great Kids Up Close.

Join Your Friends and Neighbors for a Night Out at Darker Than Blue Cafe!

What makes Greater Homewood...greater? For starters, how about great food, great hospitality, and great neighbors?

It all comes together on:

September 14, 2010 at 6:30 p.m.

Darker Than Blue Café

3034 Greenmount Avenue, Baltimore, 21218

Bring three of your friends, family, or neighbors for a buffet dinner and discover another reason why you love Greater Homewood.

$26 per person (tax included)

BYOB
Raffle

Please RSVP to Christy Zuccarini (click to open an email) or our the Facebook event so we can get a good head count for Casey Jenkins, a great neighbor and owner of this little gem on Greenmount. 

Make it easy! Purchase your ticket online in advance by clicking the button below.

Too Good to be Thru Update

A couple weeks ago, Pamela Corkran shared her story about growing up in Charles Village and years later opening a consignment shop there. Hopefully, her story made you want to pay Too Good to be Thru a visit. Maybe you even have some old clothes you'd like to sell. Today, she provides an update on her grand opening and consignment process:

Interested in selling your unwanted clothing on consignment?  Too Good to Be Thru is open for business and we have a call out for new consignors!  We are preparing for our grand opening on September 23 from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. and you’re invited!  Please call or email us (contact information below) if you’re interested in attending.

Several people who have told me:  “I just donated my items,” or “I just gave my things away,” or “I sell my things at a flea market or yard sale.”  I am here to tell you there is another option that puts that hard-earned money back in your pocket and doesn’t take all the effort or time of a flea market or yard sale.  Just pack your items neatly in a bag or box and drop them off at:

Too Good to Be Thru Consignment Boutique

2123 N. Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218

Please click to read more about our consignment process.

Check Out Our Podcast and YouthWorks Oral Histories!

Remember Jocelyn's post about the summer YouthWorks program here at GHCC? Well, we finally have the finished audio files ready for your ears! We're featuring them on the front page of our website, but wait! There's more! They're also available as a podcast from the iTunes store. 


This is such a great project, we've decided to keep it going by continuing to collect audio stories to supplement this blog. We'll be sure to let you know when a new audio file has been uploaded, but you can also subscribe to the podcast via the link above to receive new episodes automatically.

Welcome New VISTAs!

Today was a hectic day to be at GHCC: we welcomed 10 new VISTA members into our midst! The morning kicked off with bagels and coffee from Eddie's Market Charles Village, plenty of great conversation, and the first social gathering for GHCC staff since our cookout in July. As you can see, we had a great time!



Staff and new VISTA members networking over coffee and bagels.



They've arrived!



From left: outgoing VISTA member Ari Witkin, Central Baltimore Partnership Community Builder Garland Thomas, Neighborhood Programs Manager Jermaine Johnson, and incoming VISTA member Kait Orr



Changing of the guard: outgoing Special Literacy Projects VISTA Cyndel Taylor (left) chats with Literacy Transitions VISTA Erin George.