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Our Annual Awards Dinner: Act. Create. Change.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was the Keynote Speaker at Casa Central's Annual Awards Dinner on Thursday, October 20th. The Dinner was held at Chicago’s Westin River North Hotel, 320 N. Dearborn. This year's dinner theme was "Act. Create. Change." in recognition of the organization's action-driven philosophy and adaptability.
This year's Dinner was chaired by John J. Tracy, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice-President for Engineering, Operations and Technology at The Boeing Company.
The Community Builder Award was presented to Target Corporation. Oscar Arango, Group Asset Protection Team Leader at Target, accepted on behalf of the company. Peoples Gas was recognized with the Corporate Partner Award; Willard Evans Jr., President of the company, received the award. The Faith in Action Award went to Chicago's Bethesda Christian Center and the New Canaan Congregational Church. Rev. David Rivera and Rev. Harold Masback III accepted, respectively.
"We're very excited to reach out to our partners in a special celebration of our work in community service, which moves forward despite reduced resources," said Ann R. Alvarez, President and CEO of Casa Central.
For more information, contact Cheryl Debusmann-Serra at our Resource Development Department, at (773) 645-2465.
Pre-School Prep and Child Care, Both at Casa Central
Enrollment remains open now at Casa Central for pre-school kids to get ready for their school-age experience. Casa Central offers its “Head Start” program at its Community Service Center. Boys and girls ages 2 through 5 receive schooling, two meals a day and lots of attention from childcare professionals. Parents must be employed or in school and eligible for state childcare subsidies. For more information, call the Community Service Center at Casa Central, at (773) 645-2457, or visit the Child Development page on this site.
Enrollment is also open at Casa Infantil, another "Head Start" program offered by Casa Central in Logan Square. Casa Infantil is open five days a week and provides early learning, a developmental assessment, field trips and family support activities. Call Casa Infantil at (773)772-1170 and ask for information.
New South Side Office Now Open
Casa Central opened a satellite office with three social service programs, reaching out to residents of the Midway area. The office is located within the New Life Community Church at 5101 South Keeler Street, serving Chicago’s Archer Heights, Brighton Park, McKinley Park and several other communities.
The Home Care Services, Intact Family Services and Employment Training Programs are operating from this location. The Home Care Services program provides home-based care for seniors, including meal preparation, light housekeeping, companionship and escorting to appointments. The Employment Training program offers participants a training course as Certified Nursing Assistants, or CNAs. The Intact Family program helps children remain safely with their families by providing counseling and support services.
“It’s exciting for us to connect with these neighborhoods and the people who live and work there,” said Ann R. Alvarez, President and CEO of Casa Central, adding that the decision to establish an office in Archer Heights came after many months of deliberation and research.
Patricia Vasquez, site director for the new location, said that “in a very short time, the need for these services in the area was readily apparent.” According to recent Census figures, over 30,000 Latinos live in the office’s coverage area.
Annual Back-To-School Fair August 27th
The Casa Central Back-To-School Health Fair was held on Saturday, August 27th, providing a lot of valuable information on health and wellness for children and families. It was held once again at the 1500 Block of North Rockwell Street, between LeMoyne Street and North Avenue. Attendees enjoyed a great lunch by Sodexo, terrific music, and FREE school supplies courtesy of Newell Rubbermaid.
Support Group for Survivors of Violence Meet at Casa Central
Partners in a healthy relationship allow each other a good deal of trust and comfort without threats or pressure. Do you find yourself remembering a time when your partner was attentive and caring, but now that person has become jealous, controlling, and perhaps even violent? If this describes you, or someone you know in a relationship, help is available.
Casa Central has a support group in place for survivors of violence at home. A team of professional counselors provides information about the types of abuse and how to keep healthy family relations. The group meets on Wednesday afternoons for several weeks, and the program provides child care during the meeting.
Call the Violence Prevention and Intervention Program at Casa Central at (773) 645-2407. Counseling is available on weekdays. Also, help is available 24 hours a day by calling the Domestic Violence Help Line at 1 (877) 863-6338. Nobody deserves to be abused.
Casa Central has created a wish list through Target Stores and www.target.com. Donors can now choose items from the “TargetList” and have their donation cover the cost of those items.
The current wish list includes household cleaning products for La Posada, our temporary housing program for homeless families; diaper packages for our Adolescent Parenting Program; table games for children in our after-school programs, and many other items.
To support our donation campaign through “TargetLists,” visit www.target.com/lists, then click on “Find a List.” Enter Casa as first name and Central as last name, and choose Illinois as the agency’s state. You may browse through Casa Central’s lists to select and donate a product.
Target Co. and local Target stores have been steady supporters of Casa Central, most notably through their sponsorship of our youth and anti-violence programs. Local Target employees have served as volunteers for the agency over many years.
Our Commitment to Children
As you reflect upon the year, think of the children in your community who deserve a good education. Casa Central's programs help children and youth reach their full potential and become future leaders.
Alejandra learns to count and spell her name at Casa Central's Head Start program. Casa Central welcomes over 700 children like Alexandra into its child development programs each weekday. Our Head Start program is sub-divided into four groups, one of which is home-based; teachers provide pre-school instruction and parenting classes right in the families’ living rooms. Our School Age program sends buses to eight elementary schools to pick up over 60 students each weekday.
Casa Central has also established relationships with two elementary schools – one for Head Start and another for after-school activities. More than 100 students benefit from these relationships.
Our programs inspire and support learning by way of an evidence-based curriculum, family literacy activities, an array of health screenings, training in art and music, and services for children with special needs.
William is currently a freshman at Wright College. He improved his grades and graduated from high school with encouragement and tutoring from our Youth Opportunities Unlimited program.
All of this activity costs Casa Central $3.5 million per year, with an average annual cost of $8,000 per child.
Although Casa Central works with several funding partners, it needs everyone’s support – including yours – to sustain our commitment to children, their education and their future.
Please consider sponsoring a child in Casa Central’s programs this year by making an investment in their education. Find out how you can help by calling (773) 645-2476 or writing to lalonso@casacentral.org.
Make Your Search Worthwhile
What if Casa Central earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can! Casa Central is now a registered charity on the GoodSearch.com and GoodShop.com websites, and helping us earn a little extra money is as easy as browsing the internet or making an online purchase from your favorite stores.
GoodSearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!
GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop, and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.
Just go to www.goodsearch.com for complete details on this simple fundraising service, and make sure to enter Casa Central as the charity you want to support. Don’t forget to spread the word!
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