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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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AUGUST 20141
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From The Executive Director:  Depicting a long, relaxed season, Ella Fitzgerald sang, "Summertime, and the livin' is easy..." These months at ACLAMO were anything but!
With the completion of our After School program, field trips to the Franklin Institute, the Garces Luna Farm, the Mutter Museum, the Water Works, and Citizens Bank's "Gear for Grades" backpack giveaway, we ended this summer on a high note! We are grateful for the many generous supporters who helped make these last few months fun and educational for our children.
We are now preparing for our Family Literacy, After School, and Adelante teen program this September. We are also planning an exciting concert for later in the fall, see details below. Thank you for your continued support.
-Juan Guerra
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SAVE THE DATE!
ACLAMO VIP DONOR APPRECIATION CONCERT
NOVEMBER 13, 2014
Join ACLAMO at Ursinus College's Bomberger Hall for an unforgettable concert and reception to celebrate our many donors and to introduce ACLAMO´s plans for the future.
World-class pianist Sandrine Erdely-Sayo will perform works by Franz Liszt and Primitivo Lázaro Martínez.
Elizabeth Peña will read selections from Platero y Yo, a poem by Juan Ramón Jiménez, accompanied by the pianist's original composition.
Look for your invitation!
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THE GARCES FOUNDATION´S LUNA FARM GIVES A HOME COOKED FLAVOR TO THE CLOSE OF SUMMER BRIDGE 2014
This year´s well-attended and activity filled Summer Bridge Program ended in August with final classes, more activities, and a celebration party. "We are very pleased with all of the support we received from our teachers and volunteers this year," enthused Linda, ACLAMO´s Director of Early Childhood Education. "I think this was the best Bridge program yet!"
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Students watch closely as Keiry stirs the salsa.
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The August visit to Luna Farm was a highlight. Located in Ottsville, Pennsylvania, the farm is a sustainable, 40-acre operation which provides the Garces family´s East Coast restaurants with organic vegetables, fruits and honey.
Luna Farm staff lead ACLAMO children through the gardens and guided them in harvesting their own vegetables, including black carrots. Then the students were taught the basics of proper food preparation and each was given a role in preparing - and eating - their own creations of salsa, quesadillas and cucumber mint flavored water.
"It was a wonderfully educational visit for our students," commented Marla Benssy, Director of Adult Education and School Age Programs. "The hands-on food preparation was absolutely unique and a very valuable life lesson. Luna Farm Educational Programs Coordinator Kristin Schwab is a total professional. She had all activities organized and supervised at the highest level. We were very impressed!"
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CITIZENS BANK HELPS ACLAMO CHILDREN "GEAR UP" FOR THE START OF SCHOOL
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Smiles abound as Citizens Bank volunteers
distribute backpacks to eager children.
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On August 26, Citizen Bank´s "Gear for Grades" initiative set ACLAMO´s Norristown location abuzz with activity. 400 school children excitedly lined up to receive new backpacks full of pencils, pens, crayons, glue sticks, plastic rulers, erasers, safety scissors, spiral notebooks and other school supplies.
Led by Henri Moore, Sr. Vice President, Citizens Bank, and Michal Smith, Executive Director of Cradles to Crayons, Citizens Bank volunteers joined ACLAMO Executive Director Juan Guerra in this happy occasion.
"Gear for Grades" is a part of Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities, the bank´s program for contributing to the economic vitality of communities. This is the 10th year Citizens Bank has conducted the program in the Philadelphia area. The goal is to encourage a positive attitude toward school by helping each student start the year with the supplies necessary to achieve success.
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ADELANTE STUDENTS TASTE WATER PURIFICATION AND FORENSIC SCIENCE  | |
Students relax outside the Fairmount Water Works.
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The summer of 2014 saw science, technology, engineering, and mathematics continue as core of ACLAMO´s Adelante program, which supports the educational experiences of Latino middle school students.
In addition to several students who attended classes as a part of ACLAMO´s Summer Bridge Program, the entire Adelante group of students participated in three educational field trips.
Led by Coordinator Ana Cordova, students visited the Fairmount Water Works, where they attended the class "Glass Half Full", which included a hands-on water purification activity and an explanation of how tap water is cleaned and distributed.
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Mutter Museum´s "Wall of Skulls".
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At the Mutter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the museum staff taught a class titled "Bone Detectives" in which the students examined bones, following the investigative techniques of a forensic anthropologist. The last trip of the summer was to the Franklin Institute, where students wondered at the exhibits "Your Brain", "The Giant Heart", "Sports Challenge", "Sir Isaac´s Loft" and "Circus! Science Under The Big Top". "We have great plans for Adelante this year," Coordinator Cordova remarks. "The students and I are really looking forward to it!"
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MAKING CONNECTIONS
Marisol Lezcano brings many strengths to her position as Montgomery County Deputy Director of Commerce for Workforce Development. Among these are two which stand out for ACLAMO: a well-developed skill in making connections and a deep understanding of the power present in a multicultural society.
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Marisol Lezcano
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Early in her career, Marisol Lezcano held positions in both the public and the private sectors. She saw the great need for more effective and efficient training of youth and the unemployed. She also came to realize that this improvement could best be realized through meaningful connections between the public and the private sectors.
Marisol´s experience has also taught her the importance of drawing on the strengths of the
variety of cultural traditions present in the U.S. Marisol´s mother was born in Cuba and her father in Germany. She speaks Spanish fluently and moves easily in a variety of cultural settings.
"ACLAMO makes a powerful contribution to our county," Marisol asserts. "ACLAMO professionals are models of educational and social success for their clients, while at the same time they also affirm in their own lives the great strengths of the several Latino cultures."
"We have a great appreciation for Marisol," says Juan Guerra, ACLAMO´s executive director. "She not only knows of the importance of our programs in training present and future participants in our economy, but she is also a valuable advocate for Latinos and other cultural groups."
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ACLAMO celebrates its 37th 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 Latin American Community Action 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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