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ACLAMO Family Centers Newsletter
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Providing our community with the services and skills for success
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January 20121
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Clara, 3, holds her new toy rabbit at the Tres Reyes Magos Fiesta.
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From The Executive Director:
Every year in early January, Latino cultures of the world celebrate Los Tres Reyes Magos, the feast of the Three Kings, by giving their children toys.
We celebrate the tradition as well, through the distribution of toys to local children at our Tres Reyes Fiesta in Pottstown.
ACLAMO also has been the recipient of gifts this new year, thanks to generous donations by a local Rotary Club and the American Baptist Church. Their support, along with help from other friends and benefactors, enables us to continue providing quality programming.
From all of us at ACLAMO Family Centers, we wish you and your families a Feliz Año Nuevo 2012!
-Juan I. Guerra
P.S. As always, we rely on your help to keep our programs going. Please remember us through your tax-deductible gift.
Thank you!
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Tres Reyes Magos Fiesta Celebrated at ACLAMO Pottstown
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Jesus, 4, and Elizabeth, 7, hold toys they received at the annual Tres Reyes Magos Fiesta at ACLAMO Pottstown. |
ACLAMO Family Centers in Pottstown celebrated the feast of the Tres Reyes Magos (The Three Kings) with a party on January 7th. This yearly tradition commemorates the presentation of the gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus at Christmastime. It is also the day when gifts traditionally are given to Latino children. Thanks to the support of the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Campaign, ACLAMO was once again able to give out donated gifts to local disadvantaged families. Over 200 children attended that day and left with smiles on their faces. "We are so happy that ACLAMO could help us give our children gifts on this special day", said the children's mother, Maria. |
 | Carl Pinto, President of the King of Prussia Rotary Club, Ernest Zlotolow, former Rotary Club President, Juan Guerra, ACLAMO Executive Director, and Adamino Ortiz, Former ACLAMO Executive Director attend the ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Smartboard system.
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King of Prussia Rotary Club Funds Smartboard Computer System to Support ACLAMO's Educational Programs The King of Prussia Rotary Charitable Foundation donated $3,400 to purchase an interactive "Smartboard" computer system to help further ACLAMO Family Centers' educational mission. The Gundaker Foundation, which supports Rotary Club projects in the Philadelphia area, contributed $1,000. AVT Digital Media Sytems of Malvern installed the high-tech system in ACLAMO's computer-skills training room in the Norristown center.
The King of Prussia Rotary Charitable Foundation unveiled the Smartboard System and presented the check for the total project cost on January 23rd at a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Rotary Club members and ACLAMO staff and families. "This Smartboard System will be a valuable interactive tool in our educational programs for the children and parents alike," said Lead Teacher, Marla Benssy.  |
American Baptist Church Makes an Extraordinary Gift  | American Baptist Church's Home Mission Societies presents ACLAMO Family Centers
with a check for $20,000. From the left in the back row: Juan Guerra, ACLAMO Executive Director; Rev. Douglas Avisbernal, Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church; Tim April, former ABHMS board member; Dr. James McJunkin, Jr, Executive Director, Philadelphia Baptist Association; Diane Giova; ABHMS Program Associate; former ACLAMO Executive Director, Rev. Eddie Cruz, who is now Associate Executive Director of Mission Interpretation and Development at ABHMS.
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American Baptist Home Mission Societies presented the second $20,000 portion of a three-year, $60,000 grant to ACLAMO Family Centers to expand its "Conexiones Familiales" (Family Connections) program in Norristown. In collaboration with Calvary Baptist Church in Norristown, this grant allows ACLAMO to to better serve the growing Spanish-speaking community. Conexiones Familiares provides, among its many services: - resettlement counseling
- improved access to health resources in primary and specialty care
- kindergarten readiness by improving access to early childhood education, parent education and adult literacy
- multicultural events for the community, such as Tres Reyes Magos, Dia de las Madres (Mother's Day) and health fair/breast cancer screening events.
"For over 35 years, ACLAMO has benefitted through help from area institutions and churches in providing services for immigrant families and their children," said Juan Guerra, ACLAMO's executive director. "This extraordinary gift helps ACLAMO and its partner, Calvary Baptist Church, to assist the mostly Latino community by providing social and educational services. We're extremely grateful to American Baptist Home Mission Societies for their ongoing support." |
Field Trip to Aquarium Is Rich in Experience and Wonder  | |
ACLAMO students Ariel, Alan, Esmaralda, and Ricardo marvel at the giant tank filled with exotic fish during their recent trip to the Camden Aqaurium.
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The Camden Aquarium field Trip is a favorite for the families enrolled in ACLAMO's Even Start program This month 15 mothers and children made the trip, which has become a yearly tradition, thanks to generous donations that help cover the cost. To prepare for the trip, Lead Teacher Marla Benssy instructed the mothers to print out pictures of the animals they were going to see, along with the animals' names in English. They prepared a folder of these illustrations to take with them. As their children identified the animals in English, their mothers placed a sticker prize on the picture.
Meanwhile the Even Start preschool class prepared for weeks by looking at science books that described various species of aquarium animals such as jellyfish, sharks, sea turtles, seals and stingrays. The children also play-acted marine animal behavior, such as waddling in lines around the room like penguins. They played musical chairs, but the chairs had pictures of aquarium animals on the seats, along with their names in English. They also painted drawings of sea animals, made clay sea turtles, and worked on numbers by counting plastic fish.
The day when the bus drove up to the front of the aquarium, the excitement of the children was palpable. "We are at the aquarium!" yelled 4-year-old Edna. Her wide-eyed classmate, Alan exclaimed, "The hippos are so big!" When young Ariel spied the giant spider crab, he cried out in English, "It's amazing!"
Some of the children were fascinated by a big fish that kept coming over to see them through the glass, while others enjoyed touching small stingrays and sand sharks in the petting section. One of the highlights of the day was travelling through the clear shark tunnel where families could have a 360- degree experience of sea life.
"The expense and distance of this trip make such experiences almost unimaginable for many of our families," said Lead Teacher Linda Maldonado, "And yet the practical lessons and building of background knowledge learned in everything from English acquisition to science, biology, oceanography are priceless."
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Personal Profile: Liz Ryan, Student Volunteer
Liz Ryan first learned about ACLAMO through dinner conversations with her mother, Marla, each evening. Marla had started working at ACLAMO's Even Start and After-School programs 10 years ago.
"She talked so fondly about the parents and their children," said Liz, who is now 17 years old. The more Liz heard, the more intrigued she became. One day she accompanied her mother to work, and has been assisting on and off ever since.
"I liked being 'older' than the other children because at home I was the baby of the house!" said Liz. "I quickly realized that even though I was young, I could still help the kids with their homework."
This experience led Liz to to help the last three summers with the ACLAMO Summer Bridge program, which offers the children fun and educational experiences and reinforces knowledge gained during the school year.
"I've never seen kids say thank you the way they do at ACLAMO," Liz said. "They always seem grateful that someone is helping them and cares about them personally."
Likewise, for all of Liz's dedicated service over the years, we are extremely grateful. For more information on assisting as a tutor please call us at 610 277-2570.
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This year, ACLAMO celebrates its 35th year of providing economic, educational, health and cultural opportunities for low-income residents of Norristown and Pottstown, especially those of Spanish-language heritage. ACLAMO stands for Accíon Comunal Latinoamericana de Montgomery County, or the Latin American Action Committee of Montgomery County. ACLAMO is derived from the Spanish word "aclamar," which means "to acclaim." ACLAMO Family Centers ACLAMO Family Centers 512 W. Marshall Street 515 Walnut Street Norristown, PA 19401 Pottstown, PA 19464 610-277-2570 610-970-2134 
aclamo.org |
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