UPdates

 Newsletter of The Up Center
(Formerly Child & Family Services of Eastern Virginia)                                                     March 2010
In This Issue
Proposed Budget Cuts
Step UPdates
Foreclosure Prevention Forum
Karate Kindness
Quick Links
The Up Center Faces Budget Cuts 
 
Due to the state's proposed budget cuts, The Up Center may face a number of challenges, including the elimination of state funding for a prevention program called Healthy Families. This program helps prevent child abuse and enables children to enter school ready to learn. It is far less expensive to pay for this prevention program than it is to pay for intervention programs further down the line after problems such as child abuse occur.
 
How can you help?
*Donate. No amount is too small. *Participate in our Step Up stair climbing event. *Help us lobby for funding.
*Spread the word about what The Up Center is doing for our community.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Clock is Ticking on Early Registration 

Step Up for The Up Center

If you've been thinking about registering for our Step Up stair climbing event, now is the time to do it. After this month of March, the price will increase by $10 for all registrants. Click here for more information on registering.

 

New Breath-Taking Category

Thanks to the suggestion of several military members we have

added a new competitive category. Active duty military may sign up for a 100 story climb, which will involve racing up the building's stairs four times.

 
Step Up!

The Up Center added the category after seven Coast Guardsmen gave the climb a trial run. Their climb garnered stories on three different newscasts on WAVY (including this one), one longer story on WVBT, along with an extensive story in The Flagship. The addition means we now have three competitive options- 25, 50 or 100 stories- and one noncompetitive option -25 stories once.  

 

Boot Camp

All participants, regardless of their category, are encouraged to participate in our free boot camp to prepare for the climb.

 

The first session will be held on Sunday, March 28 at Dominion Tower. Beginners will train from 1:00pm-2:00pm and advanced athletes will participate from 2:30pm-3:30pm. Two elite stair climbers are traveling from out of town to lead this boot camp. You must be registered for Step Up to participate in the boot camps. Please contact Jessica Oulahan (757-965-8649) after you register to let her know you want to attend the camp. More dates and training offers are online. 

 
Radio Commercials 

Media sponsor Sinclair Communications has also started radio commercials about Step Up on BOB FM and 96X. Listen to the stations to see how many times you can hear them.

 
(Step Up materials are being loaded on our You Tube channel-www.youtube.com/theupcenter. We also have a Facebook page for the event ). 
The Up Center Takes a Leadership Role in Foreclosure Prevention Efforts

The Up Center's housing counselors are remaining at the forefront of regional efforts to curb foreclosures. John Allen, Vice President Foreclosure Forumof Housing and Financial Counseling, has been invited to participate on a panel at a Foreclosure Forum being organized by Congressman Nye. The event will be held in the Sandler Center's classrooms on March 13th from 3:00pm-4:00pm. John's participation in a similar event previously garnered media attention and also enabled him to help save the home of one woman who was featured in the local media stories.

Norfolk Karate Academy Gives Kids a Kick
Norfolk Karate OutingChildren and mentors in the agency's Team Up Mentoring Program enjoyed an outing at Norfolk Karate Academy, where they learned basic karate skills. The fun-filled day gave mentoring pairs a chance to get together as a group and enjoy a free activity.
 
To further extend its support, Norfolk Karate Academy also created a team for the agency's upcoming stair climbing event. So far the school is the top fundraising team for Step Up. To compete against them, visit our donation site and create your own team. The top fundraisers will win fantastic prizes!