STANDUP FOR KIDS - Worcester

Events

3/7/10 - Worcester Attends Local Youth Festival
2/23/10 - Volunteers Present at the Lions Club
1/28/10 - 2009 Survey of Homeless Youth Press Release
1/28/10 - UMass Memorial Nursing Leadership Team Presentation
1/22/10 - Backpack Outreach Planning Begins
12/11/09 - Boston's Got Talent
12/6/09 - Appreciating Our Volunteers
12/5/09 - Thank You UMass Memorial Nursing Leadership Team!
11/21/09 - SUFK Worcester Raises Awareness about Youth Homelessness
11/13/09 - Happy Birthday SUFK - Worcester!
10/21/09 - Clark University Sock Drive
10/08/09 - Alpha Gamma Presentation
10/04/09 - WUMC Mission Committee Food Drive
9/12/2009 - Boston visits Worcester
9/06/2009 - Wesley United Methodist Church Mission Fair
9/05/2009 - Outreach Center Opens
9/04/2009 - Clark University Volunteer Fair
8/25/2009 - Homeless Youth Point in Time Survey
8/28/2009 - Meeting with the Greater Worcester Community Foundation
7/30/2009 - Shaw's New "Community Rewards Program"
6/17/2009 - SUFK at the Community Health Link Fair
6/12/2009 - At Risk Youth Conference
5/9/2009 - STANDUP FOR KIDS - Worcester Visits the Boston Program
4/24&25/2009 - 24 Hours on the Street Campaign
3/31/2009 - Homelessness Experience the Journey
3/15/2009 - SUFK Presents to Worcester Interfaith
2/18/2009 – Worcester Program Telegram & Gazette Article
2/12/2009 – Announcing the Worcester Program’s Volunteer of the Year!
1/3/2009-1/5/2009 – Worcester Presents at Respect for All Life Event
11/13/2008 - Worcester Program Becomes Official
11/1/2008 - Shaw's Receipt Collection / Information Campaign
10/10/2008 - Community Awareness and Volunteer Fair
8/23/2008 - Five Month Celebration
5/4/2008 - Turn Purple Campaign
4/14/2008 - Outreach Begins
3/13/2008 - Community Awareness and Volunteer Fair
2/16/2008 - Unitarian Universalist Church

March 7, 2010. Worcester Attends Local Youth Festival.

Mari Sayama (Director of Community Resource Development) represented STANDUP FOR KIDS - Worcester at the AAANE (Aligarh Alumni Association of New England) Youth Festival 2010. Thank you to volunteer Mohsin Syed for inviting the program to participate in this great event!

February 23, 2010. Volunteers Present at the Lions Club.

Donna Katsoudas (Co-Executive Director) and Allyson Trull (Director of Outreach) spoke at a Lions Club meeting on the evening of February 23, 2010. The Lions Club was very interested and asked some heartfelt questions. They mentioned that without our frontline experiences, they would never have known about the reality of youth homelessness. A few of the men afterwards shook Donna and Ally’s hands. They were extremely supportive of the group. One man shared that he was adopted, and if there was a group doing what we do now when his mother was young, maybe things would have been different for him.

January 28, 2010. 2009 Survey of Homeless Youth Press Release

On Thursday, January 28th, Ally Trull (Director of Outreach) and Mohsin Syed (Outreach Counselor) attended the Teen Housing Task Force Press Release regarding the 2009 Survey of Homeless Youth. The Worcester Teen Housing Task Force. Along with several other agencies, our volunteers assisted in collecting survey results from youth on the streets. 513 youth responded to the survey. 142 were homeless (shelter, couch surfing, permanently with friends if under 18, living in a car, abandoned building, park, street).

January 28, 2010. UMass Memorial Nursing Leadership Team Presentation

On Thursday, January 28th, Donna Katsoudas (Co-Executive Director) presented to the UMass Memorial Nursing Leadership Team. The UMass Nursing Leadership Team recently raised over $2,500 for our program. Thank you to the team for their continued support of the STANDUP FOR KIDS – Worcester program.

January 22, 2010. Backpack Outreach Planning Begins

On Friday, January 22nd, Chris Flagg, Ally Trull, Donna Katsoudas, and Liz Burrows held the first of many Backpack Outreach meetings. They have begun planning how to implement the program at local schools. Please see our recent blog post for more information: http://standupforkidsworcester.blogspot.com/2010/01/weve-got-new-ways-you-can-get-involved.html.

December 11, 2009. Boston's Got Talent

On Friday, December 11th, three of our volunteers attended a STANDUP FOR KIDS – Boston Benefit Event sponsored by the Boston Talent Showcase. Musicians, magicians, and belly dancers performed for over 40 attendees. Congratulations to SUFK – Boston for such a great success! It’s great to have neighbors like you!

December 6, 2009. Appreciating Our Volunteers

On Sunday, December 6th, Ally Trull (Director of Outreach) hosted the 2nd Annual Volunteer Appreciation night. Volunteers enjoyed pizza, card games, and catching up with each other. We also presented a scrapbook to Rob Donnelly (Director of Volunteers) who will leave the program after three years of service as our program’s first volunteer.

December 5, 2009. Thank You UMass Memorial Nursing Leadership Team!

We received a congratulatory letter from the Nursing Leadership team of UMass Memorial Medical Center on Saturday, December 5th. They expressed appreciation and support for the work that we do with homeless youth in Worcester. They also informed us that they are collecting a holiday donation for our program. Our Co-Executive Directors have been invited to their January meeting to accept the donation and talk to the leadership team about our efforts. Thank you to the UMass Memorial Nursing Leadership Team! We are overjoyed by this news and thank you for your support of our program!

November 21, 2009. SUFK Worcester Raises Awareness about Youth Homelessness

On Saturday, November 21st, STANDUP FOR KIDS – Worcester held their National Youth Homelessness Awareness event in front of City Hall. Volunteers drew the STANDUP FOR KIDS logo and youth homelessness statistics on the sidewalks (with chalk, of course). During the event, volunteers talked to pedestrians about the program. Thank you to everyone who showed up for this event!

November 13, 2009. Happy Birthday SUFK - Worcester!

On November 13, 2008 at 7:13PM, STANDUP FOR KIDS – Worcester was recognized as an official program by the National Office. On our first birthday, we have a lot to celebrate – wonderful volunteers, a new outreach drop-in center, and continued awareness of the program throughout our community. Here’s to another year of commitment to helping homeless and at risk youth in Worcester, MA!

October 21, 2009. Clark University Sock Drive

A Management Class at Clark University hosted a sock drive for the STANDUP FOR KIDS - Worcester program. The sock drive was held in the cafeteria, where students donated money to try their luck at a sock toss. Students that successfully threw a sock into the hoop won raffle tickets. A total of $120 was raised and will be used to purchase socks in bulk for our kids.

Thank you to the Clark University Management Class for hosting the event and spreading the work about SUFK! Thank you to all the students at Clark University who participated in the sock drive! And thank you to our volunteers who participated in the event!

October 8, 2009. Alpha Gamma Presentation

On Thursday, October 8th, Ally Trull, Director of Outreach, presented to Alpha Gamma, a local chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma (a society of practicing and retired women educators). Thank you to Laurie Dunleavy for inviting us to speak at Alpha Gamma's meeting.

October 4, 2009. WUMC Mission Committee Food Drive

The Wesley United Methodist Church (WUMC) Mission Committee hosted a food drive for the STANDUP FOR KIDS - Worcester program. Several parishioners stopped by to help Chris Flagg (Co-Director of Community Resource Development) and Kristina England (Executive Director) make food bags for our kids. A total of 72 bags were made!

September 12, 2009. Boston visits Worcester

Boston volunteers Beth Connors and Joan Gaffney visited the program to take part in the monthly volunteer training. It proved to be a great event as volunteers from both programs were able to share insight and ideas about STANDUP FOR KIDS.

September 6, 2009. Wesley United Methodist Church Mission Fair

Executive Director Kristina England attended the Wesley United Methodist Church Mission Fair to promote the program to the church community which has been a big supporter of the program. A countless number of parishioners took information and asked questions about the program.

September 5, 2009. Outreach Center Opens

With Outreach Counselor Osvaldo Diaz as the program's Director of the Outreach Center, Worcester opened the doors to its very own outreach space. This feat could never have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of all the program's volunteers.

September 4, 2009. Clark University Volunteer Fair

Director of Volunteers Rob Donnelly attended the Clark University Volunteer Fair and provided information about the program to interested students. Over 20 people showed interest and signed up to be on the program's mailing list.

August 25, 2009. Homeless Youth Point in Time Survey

Outreach Counselors participated in the first ever Homeless Youth Point in Time Survey in Worcester. While providing weekly services Outreach Counselors asked the youth to complete an anonymous and voluntary survey. This will no doubt provide useful feedback to STANDUP FOR KIDS and other agencies in the community.

August 28, 2009. Meeting with the Greater Worcester Community Foundation

Volunteers Donna Katsoudas and Rob Donnelly met with Pam Kane of the Greater Worcester Community Foundation to discuss future grant opportunities. It proved to be a great meeting as Katsoudas and Donnelly were able to learn about the various grants provided by the organization and how best to access them.

July 30, 2009. Shaw's New "Community Rewards Program"

If you sign up, Shaw's will donate 1% of the price of your Shaw's purchases made on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to the STANDUP FOR KIDS - Worcester. You do not have to keep your receipts. You can sign up online once, and Shaw's donations to us will continue to be completely automatic after that. To sign up: You must have a Shaw's Rewards Card to participate in Shaw's Community Rewards Program. If you need assistance obtaining a card, a STANDUP FOR KIDS - Worcester volunteer will be happy to assist you. Just contact volunteer Sue Kramer at suek@standupforkids.org You must then register your Shaw's card number ONLINE. Go to www.albertsons.com/cp/shaws

On the www.albertsons.com/cp/shaws screen, you will see the heading: "Welcome to Community Rewards." Go to the link that says, "Shoppers login or register with your Rewards Card first." Click on that link. It will take you to the screen "Login to Community Rewards."

Type in your Rewards Card number and your phone number, then click Login.

If your card does not register, you will have to speak to Shaw's customer service about updating your Rewards Card information. Their number is 877-932-7948.

In the Shaw's voice mail ask for "other options" and then "customer service". The representatives are able to enter the data so that you can register.

If you need further assistance in registering your Shaw's Rewards Card, please contact our volunteer, Sue Kramer, at suek@standupforkids.org

Click on "Sign Me Up" and on the next screen that says "Support an Organization" type in this ID#: (add number) and then select Add an Organization.

June 17, 2009. SUFK at the Community Health Link Fair
SUFK participated in the Community Health Link Fair event held on June 17, 2009 at the PIP Shelter in Worcester. Volunteers Brian Bickford, Allyson Trull and Osvaldo Diaz attended the event providing information about our program as well as distributing hygiene kits. Homeless guests staying at the PIP Shelter enjoyed the food, health services and great music which brought a needed joy into their lives.

June 12, 2009. At Risk Youth Conference
Rob Donnelly and Allyson Trull (Director of Outreach) attended the Safety in Numbers2: The Power of Prevention and Partnerships For At-Risk Youth Conference presented by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Youth Violence Prevention Program in Worcester. The conference provided information that will help the group incorporate some new perspectives and approaches into their work with Worcester youth.

April 24&25, 2009. 24 Hours on the Street Campaign*
Volunteers of the STANDUP FOR KIDS - Worcester Program participated in a 24 hour campaign on the front steps of Wesley United Methodist Church to promote awareness for the plight of homeless youth in Worcester and promote awareness for the work SUFK conducts. Volunteers interacted with passersby, conducted outreach at multiple times throughout the night, and ran information sessions.

March 31, 2009. Homelessness Experience the Journey
Volunteer Rob Donnelly attended the Anna Maria College Social Work student symposium on homelessness in Worcester. Donnelly set up a booth providing information and fielding questions from potential volunteers, interested community members, and other community organizations in attendance.

March 15, 2009. SUFK Presents to Worcester Interfaith
Volunteers Jose Alvarez, Kristina England, and Chris Flagg attended the annual Worcester Interfaith Potluck Dinner along with several other representatives from local volunteer organizations. England provided an overview of the local program and the difference between homeless and street kids.

February 12, 2009. Susan Kramer, Director of Kid Development, received the Volunteer of the Year Award of 2008. Sue became a volunteer in 2007. She has not only done a great job as our Director of Kid Development, but she has also participated in every area of the program, including Street Outreach and the Shaw’s Receipt Campaign. Thank you, Sue, for all your hard work!

January 3rd-5th, 2009. The Worcester program presented to youth at St. Mary’s Parish in Uxbridge, Massachusetts for the Respect for All Life: People of Life and for Life three-day event, Saturday, January 3rd through Monday, January 5th. The St. Mary’s youth, who ranged from 4th grade to high school students, prepared and donated around 150 food bags to the program. These food bags will be distributed to at risk and homeless Worcester city youth during weekly street outreach and upon request. St. Mary’s Parish has continued to support the program by donating receipts for the Shaw’s Campaign Program. Thank you to St. Mary’s Parish for all your current and future support!

November 13, 2008. The Worcester program was recognized as an official program of STANDUP FOR KIDS on November 13, 2008 at 7:13PM. This date and time are reminders that 13 kids die on the streets every day. We are committed to providing homeless and at risk youth with resources that can save their lives. Plus, this date is even more exciting as we celebrate our program's recognition in November - National Homeless Youth Awareness Month. Our achievements to date would not be possible without our wonderful volunteers and your continued support.

November 01, 2008. Volunteers gathered at the Shaw's Supermarket on Gold Star Boulevard to collect receipts for our ongoing fundraiser and to raise awareness about Stand Up for Kids and the issue of youth homelessness. STANDUP FOR KIDS - Worcester receives one percent of the purchase price on each receipt and collected over 5,000 dollars worth of receipts. Additionally, volunteers distributed information about STANDUP FOR KIDS and the issue of youth homelessness to over fifty people.

October 10, 2008. The Worcester Program participated in the Community Awareness and Volunteer Fair at Grafton Middle School. Volunteers Jose Alvarez, Kristina England, and Michelle Sepe spoke about the STANDUP FOR KIDS mission, youth homelessness, and how students at the school can help spread awareness. We would like to thank Grafton Middle School for inviting us to attend this amazing event!

August 23, 2008. The Worcester program celebrated 5 months on the street and the establishment of the program. The event took place outside Wesley United Methodist Church and was attended by nearly 30 people. Speaches were given by Director of Volunteers Rob Donnelly and Director of Outreach Allyson Trull. Highlighted during this event was the success of our outreach program and the direction the program will take in the coming year.

May 4, 2008. On Sunday, May 4th, the Worcester group celebrated the Turn Purple campaign. All decked out in purple shirts and face paint, the volunteers held posters and handed out fliers at two areas in the city: Park Avenue/Highland Street and Foster Street (outside the DCU Center). We would like to thank the Worcester community for their support and donations. Stay tuned for more SUFK events.

April 14, 2008. STANDUP FOR KIDS began Outreach in the Worcester Commons on April 14th. The group will provide on-the-street outreach every Tuesday evening. What is Outreach? Volunteers go to the streets in groups of four to six people "to find, stabilize and assist homeless and street kids" (http://www.standupforkids.org/FAQs.html).

March 13, 2008. The Worcester Program participated in the Community Awareness and Volunteer Fair at Grafton Middle School. Volunteer Rob Donnelly spoke about the STANDUP FOR KIDS mission, youth homelessness, and how students at the school can help spread awareness. We would like to thank Grafton Middle School for inviting us to attend this amazing event!

February 16, 2008. The Worcester Program was invited to speak to the youth group at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Westborough, MA. Volunteer Rob Donnelly spoke about the StandUp for Kids mission, youth homelessness, and how these young people can help spread awareness. We would like to thank the Unitarian Universalist Church for inviting us to attend this amazing event!

STANDUP FOR KIDS

The Search is on. Volunteers NEEDED!
STANDUP FOR KIDS is an all volunteer program, so for us to be there for our homeless kids, we need your help! If you or someone you know is interested in getting involved e-mail us:

Worcester@standupforkids.org