A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

July was a month full of activities and events

ASK US ABOUT:

National Night Out!

New & upcoming Culinary Arts Classes.

The sewing class doll runway show.

eacon B The Promise Neighborhood

INSIDE THIS

ISSUE:

Volunteers 2

Family Festival 3

Cooking with Zola 5

Quick Chili 6

Aug Calendar 7

Honesty Box

Is there something you’d like to see in the newsletter? Is

there something we could be doing

better? We look forward to

your call or visit. Can’t make it? We’ll

see you on our walk-throughs of the

community!

Photos from the front cover: Top Left: Family Dinner every other Thursday 4:00—5:30 Top Right: Yoga with Carly Tuesdays 4:30—5:30 Bottom Left: 24/7 Dads Tuesdays 4:00—5:30 Bottom Right: Free Water Ice and Book Give Away every other Wednesday 3:00—4:00

P A G E 2

A Big Thank You to our Student Volunteers!

Pictured above are some of the PULSE Rowan Medical School students who volunteered at PNFSC this summer. The Premedical Urban Leaders Summer Enrichment Program (PULSE) is a six week program for the college undergraduates, that provides academic, clinical, research, and service learning opportunities with a focus on urban health needs. There were 8 students who chose to do their service learning projects with us at PNFSC. They assisted with the Food Access Program by creating myth buster flyers about the financial benefits and nutritional facts of healthy eating and living. The students used these flyers to promote the Food Access Program to the community.

We were honored to have four students from Rowan University and one student from the University of Michigan who commit their time to the youth of our community. They are here every week tutoring the children who are dedicated to learning and bettering themselves. We have plenty of room for more young students to come get assistance, especially with the new school year quickly approaching us. Come challenge the college students, they are waiting for your questions!

We welcomed Dr. Celia Padrone, adjunct Professor at Rowen Medical School, on July 26th to conduct her first ESL Class here at the PNFSC with five participants. Her son Alex, also a volunteer, assisted with our Youth of Promise focus group. The ESL classes are held every other Saturday from noon to 1:30 and the Youth of Promise is held on Saturday, August 23rd from 11 am to noon. The Padrone family brings new energy and passion to the families we serve.

P A G E 3

The KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy hosted a family festival on the evening of July 16th to celebrate the upcoming school year. There were booths with local resources and community centers, free family fun, food and giveaways for all, the music was filling the streets, and even Spiderman made an appearance. It was a great experience bringing neighbors and the community together. Pictured above is (left to right) Juan Rivera the PNFSC Program Supervisor, Mayor Dana Redd, Senator Donald Norcross, and Associate Vice President Nicole Shepard at the family festival.

Chronic Health Control is a six session workshop that gives participants with chronic conditions and/or their caregivers the knowledge, skills and confidence to take a more active role in their heath care. It is every Friday from noon to 1:30. August 1st is session 4 feel free to join any time, it is not required to start in the 1st session. We have had positive feedback so far, come join us this week!

P A G E 4

Quote of the

Month:

Our prime

purpose in this

life is to help

others. And if

you can’t help

them, at least

don’t hurt

them.

~Dalai Lama

This Month in Cooper Lanning

Promise Neighborhood Resources

Center For Family Services has partnered with ShopRite to bring your groceries to you! This Food Access Program will assist families in buying groceries

online and picking them up from the PNFSC or the Isabel Miller Community Center. Need help registering or ordering online? Stop by the Promise Neighborhood Family Success Center and use our FREE computer lab.

Call 856.964.8096 for more info

Culinary Arts Class

Carly is a dedicated volunteer at PNFSC, she is always creating new ideas to involve the community in our programs. She has started a youth yoga and fitness class, which is every Tuesday from 4:30pm to 5:30pm at the Center. All ages are encouraged to participate and we provide the mats. Bring your energy and let Carly lead you through yoga this week!

Come to the Sheila L. Roberts Park on Tuesday August 5th to celebrate this year’s National Night Out. The event is from 5:30pm until 8pm and will provide residents with community resources and FREE giveaways. You don’t want to miss Cooper Lanning’s night out against crime!

ShopRite

All fathers and male caregivers are invited to participate in 24/7 Dads. This is a six-week workshop on Tuesday nights, from 4pm-5:30pm where fathers, of all ages, will get tips and advice on caring for their children. Come in and discuss topics like relationship skills, what it means to be a man, communication and lots more! Stop by the Promise Neighborhood Family Success Center and ask how you can join our next session. Did we mention that upon completion, every dad will receive a certificate and a free suit? That’s right! So tell the men that you know who are married fathers, single fathers, grandfathers or simply raising children, to contact us today.

Call 856.964.8096 for info on how to register

Cook Me’sa Brown has offered her time and knowledge to PNFSC. With her degree in Culinary Arts she will be leading the class on August 12th and 26th from 2:00 to 3:30pm. The class will have a health and wellness focus, preparing meals that are attainable with a tight budget. We will be using recipes in our staff made cookbook from the ShopRite Food Access program. Everyone will be provided with a sample of the meal and a copy of the recipe.

Call 856.964.8096 for more info

24/7 Dads

The Promise Neighborhood Back 2 School event will be held on Thursday August 21st from 2pm-5pm at the Sheila L. Roberts Park. There will be back to school giveaways, pretzels, water ice, and educational packets provided by our community partners. The PNFSC event is FREE to everyone, so come join us for some fun!

Get involved in your community and participate in monthly community meetings for Lanning Square West. The next meeting will be held on August 5th at 6pm in the OEO building (538 South Broadway). Bring your questions, comments, and concerns about your neighborhood.

Family Success Center Updates

P A G E 5

Zola’s Youth Sewing & Manufacturing Workshop has been a major success. The participants have made their very own treasures by hand. The first project they completed was the specialty pillows, each girl hand stitched their own design onto the fabric. They used the machines to sew each side together, leaving a side open to stuff and finished it up to vuala their very own pillow! Mrs. Zola has now began instructing the participants on creating full outfits for their dolls in preparation for a modeling doll runway show that will be happening this month! They have been hard at work designing their outfits. The Fashion Show will be August 16th at 1:00pm at the Nilsa I. Cruz-Perez Library on Rutgers Campus. Come support the youth of your neighborhood and check out all of their hard work! The next project that is manufacturing work creating tote bags and accessories, come join in all of the fun and make your own creations, all materials are supplied and it is FREE to attend!

August Family Recipe:

Quick Chili

What You need:

1/2 pound of ground beef

1 can of kidney beans

1 cup of tomato sauce (unsalted)

1 tablespoon of minced onion

1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder

Optional: rice, sour cream, cheese

A skillet

Wooden spoon or spatula

To cook rice on the stove top:

Bring two cups of water to a boil in a medium

saucepan, you can add 1 tablespoon of butter

and 1 teaspoon of salt if you please. Stir in 1

cup of rice and return to a boil over

medium—high heat. Reduce heat to a

simmer, cover, and cook until rice is tender

and has absorbed the liquid, 16—18 minutes.

(Check only toward the end of cooking time)

What you do: Thoroughly cook ground beef in skillet until

brown. Carefully wash your hands and any surfaces that have come in contact with raw meat.

Drain off the fat into a container (could use empty can from the kidney beans or tomato sauce)

Stir in kidney beans with liquid, tomato sauce, onion, and chili powder.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat , cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Try serving over rice, top with shredded cheese or sour cream to taste.

Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers.

NOTE: Many of these ingredients can be purchased on ShopRite.com and delivered to the Promise Neighborhood Family Success Center or the Isabel Miller Community Center. Ask us how to get your groceries delivered… FREE of charge!

Call 856.964.8096 or stop by 580 Benson Street for more info.

The finished product! Take pictures of yours and share them with us. Bring them into the

PNFSC or share them on or . See back cover for our social information!

The total cost of this meal averages between $3.56 and $4.56 depending on how many added toppings.

Yield 4 servings Total cook time 20 minutes (For bigger families double all the ingredients to serve 8)

~ Career Café 2.0 - Assisting families in career development through lessons like applying for higher education, obtaining a small business loan and establishing/maintaining credit

~ Food Access Program - bringing fresh food and groceries into the city of Camden

~ Youth Tutoring Camp - to help our youth beat summer learning loss

~ ESL Classes - helping our English as a Second Language speakers learn to speak and write in English

~ Community Café - bringing residents together to discuss issues facing the community

~ 24/7 Dads - covering a state - certified curriculum based on the National Fatherhood Initiative

~ Financial Literacy Classes - providing our families with money management and budgeting skills

~ Youth of Promise youth group - helping our youth lead better lives through education and service

~ Food donations provided by Wawa - distributing free food and snacks to PNFSC visitors

~ Youth Sewing & Manufacturing Workshop - prepares students who are interested in design to learn fundamentals in sewing and manufacturing

P A G E 7

What has Promise Neighborhood been up to?

This month’s PN events! Join us!

Phone: 856.964.1990 x200

Hours of Operation:

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

9am-5pm

Tuesday and Thursday

10am-6pm

Every other Saturday

10pm-2pm

Visit us on the web at:

www.centerffs.org

E-mail: pnfsc@centerffs.org

Read the CCLPN Blog at: centerffs.org/promise-neighborhood/blog

Contact us or stop by today!

Promise Neighborhood

Family Success Center

580 Benson Street

Camden, NJ 08103

Facebook.com/centerffs

Your CCLPN Team

Juan Rivera

PNFSC Program

Director

Veronica Mason

Family Partner

Samantha Stoneback

Food Access

Coordinator

Dumisani Bankole

Community Organizer

The Camden Cooper Lanning Promise Neighborhood

Camden Cooper Lanning Promise Neighborhood (CCLPN) is an initiative led by Center For Family Services (CFS) that is designed to strengthen Camden families. This initiative covers families living in the 08103 zip code, which consists of the Cooper Plaza and Lanning Square West neighborhoods. In efforts to break down barriers and encourage working together to better the community, Cooper Plaza and Lanning Square were united and the one community is now Cooper Lanning. With funding from a 2013 Department of Education Promise Neighborhood Planning Grant and your personal consent, CCLPN Team members will be able to track your family to ensure that all residents of Cooper Lanning receive the services and resources necessary to lead healthy and successful lives.

The CCLPN Team is working with:

The City of Camden

Cooper University Hospital

Cooper Lanning Civic Association

Lanning Square Residents Association

Rowan University at Camden

And more than 20 other providers to guarantee that we are: Remaining community-based and focused on local community needs

Maximizing educational achievements for children in Cooper Lanning

Ensuring that each of the individual programs within the initiative is

effective, fostering strong links across programs to ensure smooth

transitions and continuous services for families

We ask that you, the residents of Cooper Lanning, hold us accountable to our commitments to you and your family.

Merilee Rutolo

COO

Patrick Andrews

Data Manager

Nicole Sheppard

Associate Vice President

Terrell Hurst

Volunteer & Community

Partnerships Coordinator

Jenniffer Pullas

Family Partner

Twitter.com/centerffs