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A Hope and A Future
United Methodist Cooperative Ministries/Suncoast, Inc. |
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| Greetings! | |
It's an exciting time at UM Cooperative Ministries! We hope you enjoy our news.
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Early Learning Center News |
UMCM's Early Learning Center @ St. Paul's, 407 S. Saturn Avenue in Clearwater, opened with much excitement! The children have settled in well and are playing and getting to know their teachers and each other.
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Fun in the sandbox |
Students are referred to the program by local family health services providers from among the families they serve. The first day, 25 students were in attendance, and over the next few months, open slots will be filled. Eventually, the site will serve about 60 children.
While we had hoped to open the McCabe site at the same time, that was not to be. While the city of St. Petersburg has been wonderful in working with us to take care of permitting and building code issues, these things still take time. As a result, renovations are now underway at the center, and we have adjusted our projected start date to
April 1. Watch our next newsletter for updates.
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Playing with the parachute |
We're pleased to announce that the Cribs and Cots for Tots campaign has been very successful and we have received donations from many generous donors to cover the cost of the cribs and cots for the Early Learning Center @ St. Paul's! Please check out the video below if you'd like to contribute to the purchase of Cribs and Cots for the McCabe and St. Mark's Early Learning Centers. If you'd like to donate, click here.
You can also help by volunteering at one of the centers. To learn more, contact Kitty at kcarpenter@umcm.info or (727) 442-6881 X306. |
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Upcoming Events
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February 28
Deadline to register and turn in sponsorship forms for Walk for the Dream
March 9
Walk for the Dream
April
Summer Camp Scholarship Drive for PASS Program
April 1
Projected opening of UMCM's Early Learning Center at McCabe
May 1
Projected opening of UMCM's Early Learning Center at St. Mark's |
| Our Programs |
Quality Early Learning Initiative
Suncoast Community Citizenship Project
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Job Openings
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We are currently accepting resumes for several positions in early childhood education. Click here to continue to our jobs page.
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Walk for the Dream
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Saturday, March 9, 2013
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
at
Florida Botanical Gardens and Heritage Village
12520 Ulmerton Road
Largo, FL 33774
It's time to get those registrations in! The deadline for turning in registration forms and sponsorships is February 28, 2013.
You can mail them in or drop them off at the main office at:
UMCM's Walk for the Dream
403 1st Avenue SW, Suite 102
Largo, FL 33770
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Ditty Bag "Whole Church Challenge" Winners
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The United Methodist Women's Unit of Curlew United Methodist Church has won the Ditty Bag Whole Church Challenge!
Units were asked to find ways to involve the whole church in making Ditty Bags. The women of Curlew UMC invited the congregation to donate hygiene items or funds to fill the bags. They made an apple tree with the items and amounts they needed and invited members to pick apples, then bring in the items listed. As a result, the UMW unit increased the number of Ditty Bags sewn, stuffed and donated from 26 in 2011 to 100 in 2012!
The picture to the right is of the apple tree. Green apples are items for men and boys, red apples for women and girls. The birdhouse next to the tree was for monetary donations. Ditty Bags contain personal hygeine and care items and are distributed to agencies serving migrant farmworkers' children, families in transitional living situations, and people who are homeless.
For winning the challenge, the United Methodist Women's Unit of Curlew UMC and their project will be featured on the UMCM website and on print materials for the project throughout 2013.
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USCIS Holds Training for Citizenship Tutors
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Pictured at the January 31 workshop are front row - Sandy Bakk, Wendy Grassi, Jaclyn Boland, Kimber Butts, and Eduardo Collazo; back rw - John Gee, Jan Setzekorn, Brigita Gahr, Susan McCormack,and Adriana Santos
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Staff and volunteers from UMCM's Suncoast Community Citizenship Project recently had the opportunity to attend an interesting training workshop. Held by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service especially for teachers and tutors working with people seeking US Citizenship, the workshop provided important information for tutors as well as tips and techniques for teaching US History and Government content.
All attendees agreed that the day was fun and informative. Adriana Santos, Citizenship Services Manager, said, "There was never a moment when I felt that I was bored or wasting my time. Every second was packed with great information."
UMCM regularly provides opportunities for volunteers in our educational programs to pursue training. Our tutors value professional development and work hard to be the best they can be when serving students. We appreciate their dedication!
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Funding to Help Families
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UMCM's Family Support Services got a boost today from the National Emergency Food and Shelter Program! It was announced that we will received additional funding in 2013 to provide rent and utility assistance and food assistance to people in need. The amount has not yet been announced, but we are pleased to know that some financial support will be coming to the agency through this national program.
For more information on the National Emergency Food and Shelter Program click here!
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Staff Changes
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We say goodbye this month to Karen Edwards, Manager of Direct Assistance Services, who has resigned to pursue other opportunities. Karen began working with UMCM in May of 2008 and first served in the role of Administrative Assistant. We wish Karen all the best!
We are happy to welcome Dorothy Williams, Director of the Quality Early Learning Initiative. Dorothy has extensive experience in child care and education management and most recently was a staff member at the Pinellas County Licensing Board, Child Care Division. Dorothy will be overseeing the preparation and opening of our new Early Learning Centers, supervising the ELC staff, and ensuring that educational goals are met for each child.
A warm welcome also goes to Kellie Cleland. Kellie is the new Director of UMCM's Early Learning Center @ St. Paul's. Kellie was previously a director with Kinder Care and joins us with years of experience leading early childhood programs.
Another member of the staff at UMCM's Early Learning Center @ St. Paul's is Mary Ann Piccioni. She will be serving as the Family Engagement Specialist and her role will be to involved family members in the life of the center and assist them in meeting their own educational goals. Mary Ann joins us from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, where she earned her Masters of Divinity Degree.
Finally, Bob Bruso has joined our staff as our Facilities and Resources Manager. Bob will be ensuring that we have all of the materials we need to carry out each of our programs and will keep our facilities in tip top shape to meet the needs of our participants. Bob most recently worked with the Poynter Institute.
Next month, we'll introduce you to the rest of the new staff at UMCM's Early Learning Center @ St. Paul's! |
| Want to Help? |
Volunteer Opportunities:
Quality Early Learning Centers
- Infant Feeders and Rockers -- hold babies as they eat, rock them for quiet time
- Classroom Assistant -- help teachers with children's activities and care
PASS Program
- Tutor Aides--Help elementary children with homework and enrichment activities one afternoon a week
Other ways you can help:
If you would like to make donation to support the programs and projects of UMCM, click on the link below to find out how. Your gift will help us pay operating expenses, acquire books and educational materials, and provide financial assistance to families.
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What a wonderful sight it was to see our new students come in to the just-prepared Early Learning Center and watch their eyes light up at the classrooms full of educational toys, games, and activities that had been prepared just for them. One young boy had never seen a bean bag chair before, and he fell in love with a bright red one. He would get up, pick up a book or an activity, and then go right back to the chair to read or play.
The parents were welcome to stay with their children until they felt comfortable leaving, and we enjoyed watching them as they began to trust that the Early Learning Center would be a great place for their child. We look forward to working with these parents and their children.
Once we get to the point where the children are comfortable and secure in their new school home, we'll invite you to come and visit. I hope you'll be able to stop by!
Grace and Peace,
Pamela Qualls, Executive Director
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| Info | United Methodist Cooperative Ministries/Suncoast, Inc.
403 1st Avenue SW, Suite 102 Largo, FL 33770 (727) 442-6881
www.umcm.info
contact@umcm.info |
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