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Social Action Offering Outreach
Winter, 2010 - 2011
Offering Outreach
February: West Philadelphia Alliance for Children
Main Line Unitarian Church (MLUC) donated a check for $1,951.78, along with 200 books, to the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC) in March, 2011.
The West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC) is a nonprofit organization that utilizes volunteers to renovate, open, and staff formerly closed public school libraries in Philadelphia through its Open Books Open Minds initiative. West Philadelphia is one of the most educationally challenged communities in the United States, where 80% of public school students score below grade level in reading or math.
David Florig, WePAC Executive Director, responded, "Main Line Unitarian Church's generous donation of more than $1,900 and 200 books will help enable WePAC to fulfill its mission of opening closed public school libraries in West Philadelphia. In its first year and a half, WePAC has opened seven closed libraries using volunteers, and seeks to open more in the coming year. In addition, WePAC has donated nearly 30,000 books to its libraries to help grow and update the small collections. Thanks to MLUC for its support."
Just a few weeks after MLUC’s visit, WePAC received great news about Cassidy School, one of the West Philadelphia schools that has benefited from the Open Books Open Minds initiative. Cassidy had been classified as an "Empowerment School," meaning that it lacked in student achievement, but as a result of noticeable improvements in achievement and quality of education, Cassidy is no longer classified as an Empowerment School. Cassidy’s Principal Crawl gave much of the credit for the school’s improvement to WePAC, who has staffed a library there for the past two years.
It is this type of measurable result that drives MLUC's Offering Outreach Program, where half of each Sunday's offering is given to organizations whose mission and values align with the mission and values of the church.
Photo (left to right): David Florig, WePAC Executive Director, receives a donation check from Rev. Craig C. Roshaven, Associate Minister of MLUC, Tracy Cook, a member of MLUC Youth, and Sally Ann Fritzson, MLUC Volunteer Coordinator. This donation will help WePAC renovate, open, and staff formerly closed public school libraries.
January: ESL Program at Nationalities Services Center
Recently, Main Line Unitarian Church (MLUC) donated a check for $2,738.66 to be used for scholarship assistant to students participating in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at the Nationalities Services Center (NSC). The donation will augment the cost of ESL classes for students who couldn’t otherwise afford them.
According to Dennis Mulligan, Executive Director of NSC, "The ESL classes NSC offers have a strong focus on the language skills that adults need to be fully literate, find and keep employment, support their children in school, and be engaged in their communities. Scholarships are given to students who are at the lowest level of English language ability, and priority is given to victims of domestic violence or torture, single parents, and students with severe learning disabilities."
Photo (left to right): Dennis Mulligan, NSC Executive Director, receives a donation check from Rev. Dr. Justin Osterman, MLUC Senior Minister, and Mimi Collins, MLUC member. The donation will augment the cost of ESL classes for students who couldn’t otherwise afford them.
Learn more about the Nationalities Service Center.
December: Peter's Place
On March 7, 2011, Rev. Craig Roshaven, the Associate Minister of Main Line Unitarian Church, presented a check for $2,048 to Peter’s Place, a center for grieving children and families located in Radnor.
In response, Carrie Miluski, the Interim Executive Director and Program Director of Peter’s Place, stated that this donation “from the community of Main Line Unitarian Church sends a compassionate message of caring to the children and families of Peter’s Place. This gift will enable us to offer three eight-week grief support groups in low income schools in the Philadelphia area.”
The mission of Peter’s Place is to provide a safe and supportive environment for grieving children and families and act as a community resource to foster understanding of the effects of death and grief.
Their on-site support groups serve children and their caregivers after the death of someone significant in their lives. Through their Outreach Program, they bring the support of Peter’s Place groups to children in their own schools and provide education and support to professionals who work with grieving children.
