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Whether you’re giving time as a
volunteer or donating resources and
money—#GivingTuesday is a global day
of giving back to the communities and
organizations doing meaningful work in
your area. This #GivingTuesday KenCrest
will not only invite volunteers to give of
their time to projects and initiatives at
our many locations; but we’ll be taking
on opportunities for our KenCrest family
to give of their time too!
On November 27th, 2018 we’ll volunteer
our time in the communities and
neighborhoods that give to us on a daily
basis— through the love, support, and
welcoming attitude they’ve shown to the
individuals/people we support. From our
leadership team, to our direct support
staff and the individuals at our locations
in Southeastern Pennsylvania—we’re
all looking forward to being #UNselfies
on #GivingTuesday. Follow our
#GivingTuesday fun via #KenCrestCares
on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
For more information about volunteer
opportunities available, please contact
Barbara Ballard (barbara.ballard@
KenCrest.org). For more information
about donating to help us reach our goal
#GivingTuesday goal of $2,500, please
contact Kim Blodgett at 610-825-9360 ext.
1131 ([email protected]).
KenCrest! See what we’ve been up to . . .
Keeping up with SERVICES | LOCATIONS | SUPPORT | NEWS & EVENTS
Fall 2018
Fall FunVolunteer with KenCreSt For
#GiVinGtueSdayWhether its pumpkins and pumpkin spiced lattes or candy corn and corn mazes, Fall kicks off
KenCrest’s most festive time of the year! Many of our community homes, day programs, and
offices are decorated for the season — channeling our autumn chicness and spooktacular
decor for Halloween.
KenCreSt MaSterS #GiVinGtueSday
In less than a year Jon Miller has organized
and hosted five different volunteer and
donation events for KenCrest, all within his
Manayunk/Roxborough neighborhood. Jon
learned about KenCrest through a family
friend, Holly Chakmakjian, who happens to
be an employee; and quickly connected with
our Development department on ways to get
involved. Within weeks he organized his first
volunteer initiative for #GivingTuesday—
gathering several friends and family to
spend the day at one of KenCrest’s medically
fragile children’s homes.
Since then Jon has rallied his community
of nearly 40 friends, neighbors, clients,
and colleagues to help volunteer at other
community homes; and participate in
donation drives for The Family Fund
and KenCrest’s Early Learning Centers.
He’s looking forward to organizing many
‘2nd annual’ initiatives — especially
#GivingTuesday 2018.
“There are so many opportunities and
KenCrest will help you figure it out,” said
Jon. “If you just have an idea of something
you’d like to try, or some way you can
contribute, they can help you find those
opportunities or help you create those
opportunities; for me I would say that’s
very much what I did.”
As the “day of giving” quickly approaches,
Jon is focused on growing his volunteer
list, getting more hands dirty and giving
back more to KenCrest.
This year’s KenCrest Masters was nothing short of phenomenal; thanks to the support of CBIz,
Tony Consoli, and Kevin and Katie Dougher—we raised over $176,000 towards our programs
and services! Guests enjoyed an extended round of gold—18 holes on Blue Bell’s signature
Arnold Palmer course; decorative wood crafting with Just Paint; and sushi making. Over 280
attendees joined us for our evening celebration at Normandy Farm Hotel for cocktails, dinner,
our live and silent auctions, and of course wine bottle ring toss! This year was made even more
special due to a $2,000 donation underwriting staff tickets for those who couldn’t afford to
attend. A great time was truly had by all!
KenSinGton Center reCeiVeS Support FroM the philadelphia
aCtiVitieS Fund
tiMe BanK
hiGh SCope traininG
3
They say “confidence comes from
building discipline and training,” and
our Early Learning Centers are invested
in building theirs; within the last four
years, over 30 teaching staff, between
two cohorts, participated in High Scope
trainings during the summer. High
Scope is an evidence-based curriculum
that requires individualized curriculum
planning for children with a wide range
of learning disabilities and differences.
Our Early Learning teaching staff spend
two full weeks each summer as a part of
the two year program—delving deeper
into their understanding of teaching
and strengthening the philosophical
structure of their curriculums. Thanks to
the support of a $5,000 grant from BB&T
Bank, the 2018-19 cohort participated
in workshops, reading assignments, and
small and individual group work with a
High Scope Foundation trainer. At the end
of the program (four weeks over a span
on two years,) each teacher presents a
reflective presentation on what they’ve
learned throughout their training. Many
of the teaching staff, including those with
over 10 years of classroom experience,
have shared how inspiring and invaluable
the High Scope training was for planning
their curriculums this year. We can’t wait to
continue on in Summer 2019!
Did you know that our Kensington Center is the “Ken”
in KenCrest? The Kensington Center is one of our oldest
site locations and cares for some of our most precious
individuals — our preschoolers! This year the Center
received $1,000 from the City of Philadelphia Activity
Fund, which will go towards subscriptions to ChopChop,
a bilingual children’s magazine that inspires children
and their families to cook healthy meals together; as
well as copies of Big Questions for Young Minds for each
classroom. The
remaining funding will support the purchase
of an additional water cooler/dispenser to help
further encourage both adults and children at
the Center to drink more water and less sugary
beverages throughout the day.
Through a Pennsylvania Developmental
Disabilities Council (PDDC) grant, KenCrest
launched the Good Neighbors Time Bank,
an inclusive regional time bank covering
Southeastern Pennsylvania. Time banking, a
non-monetary economy, “seeks to transform
traditional social service models into social
networks in which members both provide and
receive services that are assigned equal value”
(Time Banking and Health, Health Promotion Practice, 2011).
Time banks create a culture where everyone has something to offer, and what people offer
is equal in value. Time bank members earn units or “time bank dollars” by providing a good
or service. In return they can spend their time bank dollars when they receive goods and
services from another time bank member. One hour of service is equivalent to one time
bank dollar of currency. Time Banking is all about identifying your passions and interests;
and using them to promote independence, make new friends, and participate fully in our
communities. KenCrest sees time banking as a perfect opportunity to assist our consumers
to be active in the economy; work in the community; be recognized equally for the work they
do; develop a community identity; and build self-reliance and independence.
This initiative is a collaborative effort powered by KenCrest, with a diverse membership
comprised of people with disabilities, as well as community members from all walks of
life. Together the members of the time bank share resources, support one another, and
build community. Our initial goal is to serve 400 members, 80 of whom will be people
with intellectual disabilities. We anticipate that membership could easily grow to 1000
participants in the region within the first three years of the time
bank. Currently we are seeking members from all walks of life
throughout Southeastern PA and are looking for free, community
locations where we can establish monthly orientation meetings
and social events. If you wish to get involved with time banking
please reach out to our Time Bank Coordinator, Julianna Beauvais
([email protected]) at 610-324-0019; or find
information online at www.goodneighborstb.timebanks.org.
Copyright © 2018 KENCREST. All Rights Reserved.
960A Harvest Drive, Suite 100Blue Bell, PA 19422 | 610.825.9360
kencrest.org
KenCrest’s mission
is to support community
development by:
exploring possibilities,
mobilizing resources, and
empowering dreams.
h
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new SeaSon, new loCationS
pottStown FarMerS MarKet
Mark Your CalendarTuesday, November 27th
#GivingTuesday
Sunday, December 2nd 3-4PM
Bloom Consort Renaissance Christmas Carols Concert
Christ Lutheran Church,
Oreland, PA
Friday, March 15th 2019
Community Champions
KenCrest will open two new Community
Participation Programs in the coming
months, including one on Thomas Jones
Way in Exton. The new locations will enable
the Community Participation Programs
to be closer to the community in modern,
well-lit, central sites. Thanks to a $25,000
grant from The McClean Contributionship
and a $10,000 grant from The Gordon
Charter Foundation, renovations to the new
Chester County Community Participation
Program on Thomas Jones Way are currently
underway. The renovations to the Program
will enable employees to support adults with
complex disabilities; ceiling tracking is being installed to help move clients with greater
ease, as well as resilient wall covering, and special flooring for wheelchairs. KenCrest is
creating spaces that help
ensure all our clients’ needs are
being met—from open layouts
creating a more interactive
space; to nooks that are quiet
and ones that have a myriad
of activities to better adapt to
a variety of sensory needs. The
Thomas Jones Way location
will accommodate up to 50
individuals — serving clients
from Chester, Montgomery,
and Delaware County.
A great season participating in the Pottstown Farmers Market has come to a close. This year
several individuals from KenCrest’s Seeds of Purpose Community Participation Program
helped create and sell soy-based candles every other Thursday from 5 to 7pm, May through
October in Pottstown’s city center. Individuals build a variety of skillsets participating in
the Farmers Market—from learning proper eye contact; engaging strangers in sales pitches,
speaking in detail about their products; and executing their sales transactions. Thanks to
a $3,270 grant from the MBF Center Fund, KenCrest Employment Services Program will
purchase a custom tent, taller tables, a cooler for drinks and snacks, and additional point of
sale supplies for next year’s farmers markets. We hope to see you in the Spring!