Weekly Update from Chester Eastside, Wednesday, June 25

Weekly Update from Chester Eastside, Wednesday, June 25

Addressing the larger issues.

 

Chester Eastside continues to offer rich learning opportunities for young people through

its after-school program and summer day camp. But for us to fulfill our commitment to those children, we must to look beyond our own role to what else is affecting their lives. That’s what “working for a more just society” is all about. Chester Eastside is not a lobbying organization in the traditional meaning of that term. Our tax exempt status requires that we not be. But that does not mean ignoring or failing to speak out on those larger issues that affect the people we serve.

 

Case in point: quality education for all.
 

The Pennsylvania Constitution promises children in this state a “thorough and efficient

education. All children, including those growing up in Chester. But then there is the reality.
 

In 2012, drastic cuts in state funding forced the Chester Upland School District to

eliminate 40 percent of its teaching positions, sharply curtail many services, and put prekindergarten and kindergarten classes on half-time. The District has managed to get things back closer to where they were, and some good things have been happening. But Chester Upland is now under state receivership and struggling to give this community’s children a decent education. To their credit, the people who now work in that system have refused to give up and are working hard to provide the kind of education our children deserve.
 

From the beginning, people from Chester Eastside, Inc., have worked alongside others,

served on committees, and raised questions at public meetings. In some cases, Chester Eastside partners with the District on programs. To do any less would, in our minds, be a dereliction of duty.
 

Please note: This will be the last Weekly Update until September.

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Chester Eastside

www.chestereastside.org

610-872-4812

 

• Meeting basic human needs

• Helping people of all ages be all that they can be

• Working for a more just society

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

Policies to Address Poverty in America - The Hamilton Project

Millions of people live in poverty in this country. They suffer not only material deprivation, but also the hardships and diminished life prospects that come with being poor.

Childhood poverty often means growing up without the advantages of a stable home, high-quality schools, or consistent nutrition. Adults in poverty are often hampered by inadequate skills and education, leading to limited wages and job opportunities. And the high costs of housing, healthcare, and other necessities often mean that people must choose between basic needs, sometimes forgoing essentials like meals or medicine. In recognition of these challenges, The Hamilton Project has commissioned fourteen innovative, evidence-based antipoverty proposals. These proposals are authored by a diverse set of leading scholars, each tackling a specific aspect of the poverty crisis.

Read the full Introduction by Melissa S. Kearney, Benjamin H. Harris, and Karen L. Anderson…

Weekly Update from Chester Eastside, Wednesday, June 18

Weekly Update from Chester Eastside, Wednesday, June 18.

Expanding the horizons.

The Caribbean island nation of Haiti is a long way from Chester, PA. So, you might ask, what was Rev. Bernice Warren, Chester Eastside’s Executive Director, doing there recently?

Taking the time to do so, moreover, with the blessing of Board members.

It all started with a devastating earthquake in 2010 that left an estimated 160,000 dead and many times that number homeless. In a country whose total population is not that much more than New York City’s and whose economy was a struggle to begin with, it was catastrophic. Four years later, Haiti still has a long way to go to recovery.

Seeing that devastation up close “ignited a fire in me,” says Rev. Warren. The latest visit, one of a number since 2010, was an occasion, not just to bring along things ranging from seeds for planting to medical supplies, but to give Chester residents a graphic lesson in giving and receiving. She took along some Chester people to see for themselves. “So often we’re on the

receiving end here in Chester,” she said. “People need to see others many times worse off and be able to see themselves as sources of help to their brothers and sisters in another part of the world.”

The payoff for Chester Eastside and its work.

Expanding our horizons in this way has often held unanticipated benefits for Chester Eastside and its work. Like the time Rev. Warren was helping with the cleanup along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and happened to run into a retired craftsman from nearby Ridley Park, also on a mission of mercy. That chance meeting led to the man’s bringing his group of skilled volunteers, the Busy Bodies, to provide months and months of free labor to Chester Eastside, invaluable help which has continued to this day.

 You may want to forward this Weekly Update to a friend.

 

Chester Eastside

www.chestereastside.org

610-872-4812

 • Meeting basic human needs

• Helping people of all ages be all that they can be

• Working for a more just society

Weekly Update from Chester Eastside, Wednesday, June 11

Weekly Update from Chester Eastside, Wednesday, June 11

Partnering with parents and a school district.

Parents First is Chester Eastside’s workshop series for parents of children in the early grades in 2014, Parents First will be a joint venture between Chester Eastside and the Chester Upland School District.  Its mission: giving parents the tools to assure their children’s success in school.

What Parents First is all about.

It’s as simple as ABC. A, education is recognized as the key to a child’s making it in the world as an adult, especially children growing up in Chester. B, the earliest years are critical to what happens in the rest of a child’s school career and beyond. And C, parents are a child’s first and in many ways most important teacher.

It works this way: Twenty or so parents of children in grades pre-kindergarten through three attend ten weekly workshops led by experienced educators They cover everything from convincing parents that their children can really succeed in school if they get the right kind of support at home to showing them how to get the most out of regular contact with the classroom teacher. Meanwhile, their children engage in activities designed to complement what the parents are getting. Again, it’s experienced educators doing the teaching. Ten weeks is not a very long time, but we have found Parents First to get results that were still evident months after the end of the series. Parents spending more time reading with their children, having higher expectations yet more positive feelings about them, and becoming more involved with the teacher. Children doing better in school, both in terms of academic performance and things like attendance and classroom behavior.

 
Teaming up with the school district is a big plus for everybody.

The Chester Upland School District will be helpful in reaching out to parents. We’ll be working with teachers and supporting their efforts. The partnership will also make it easier to measure the results of our joint efforts.  The partnership is thus a big win-win for Chester Eastside and for the Chester Upland School District - but most of all, for those parents and children.

 You may want to forward this Weekly Update to a friend.

 

Chester Eastside

www.chestereastside.org

610-872-4812

• Meeting basic human needs

• Helping people of all ages be all that they can be

• Working for a more just society

Americans' Wealth Hits Record as Rich Get Richer - Wall Street Journal

Americans' wealth hit a fresh record in the first quarter amid a rise in home values and stock prices, a trajectory poised to continue as U.S. markets push higher but one that doesn't necessarily figure to rev up the sluggish recovery.

The net worth of U.S. households and nonprofit organizations—the value of homes, stocks and other assets minus debts and other liabilities—rose roughly 2%, or about $1.5 trillion, between January and March to $81.8 trillion, the highest on record, according to a report by the Federal...     

Article link: http://online.wsj.com/articles/americans-wealth-hits-new-record-in-1st-quarter-1401985427?mod=e2fb

 

Weekly Update from Chester Eastside, Wednesday, June 4

Weekly Update from Chester Eastside, Wednesday, June 4

Poverty is about a lot more than sheer survival.

We’re apt to be most conscious of people’s need for the basic necessities of life, like food and shelter. But some of the most crippling aspects of poverty aren’t that obvious. That’s why the Food Ministry at Chester Eastside is about a lot more than food. People struggling just to make ends meet are likely to be dealing with a range of other challenges as well. It could be a need for a decent place to live, or help in managing money, or a

substance abuse problem. For children, it could be anything from a greater risk of asthma to traumatic experiences unknown to more affluent kids. Then there’s the message people trapped in poverty get repeatedly from the wider society: that they’re somehow different, and not in a good way.

A welcoming place.

There’s a very different message people get at Chester Eastside’s Food Ministry, which operates Monday and Wednesday mornings each week. In part, that’s because many of the people on the helping end have known poverty first-hand. It starts the minute a person walks in the door. It’s clear this is no welfare office. Instead, it’s a welcoming place. The main business is giving out that urgently needed bag of food. But first, there’s a cup of coffee, a pastry, or a hot dish prepared by one of the volunteers. And just the feeling of being a valued human being.

We also want to get to know you; find out other ways we can help you realize those dreams you haven’t quite given up on; let you know about other programs you might want to be involved in; or just provide a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to lean on.

Does it pay off? Ask the woman who once came to Chester Eastside for a bag of food - later became a volunteer - and later still, a key staff member.

But for some, it’s enough to make it through the day and on to the next. No matter. At Chester Eastside, we don’t give up on anybody, even those who’ve given up on themselves.

 

You may want to forward this Weekly Update to a friend.

Chester Eastside

www.chestereastside.org

610-872-4812 

• Meeting basic human needs

• Helping people of all ages be all that they can be

• Working for a more just society