United Way of Essex and West Hudson

Newark, NJ, February 8, 2012 — At one of its early childhood schools, the City of Newark today showed off two of the 75 Young Explorer™ computer learning centers it is receiving from IBM to help teach young children concepts in math, science, and language.  As part of an IBM grant awarded with the guidance of United Way of Essex and West Hudson, the learning centers will be installed in 30 area locations, serving 190 teachers and 3,000 children between the ages of four and seven this year.

Volunteers from IBM are helping to install many of the Young Explorer computer learning centers, valued at $180,000.  The grant is part of a $4.3 million nationwide initiative by IBM to provide more than 1,700 computer learning center and teaching curricula to schools and nonprofit organizations that provide services to disadvantaged students.  The computer learning centers are part of more than $600,000 in technology and services that IBM has provided to the City of Newark in the past year, including a Smarter Cities Challenge grant in which top IBM experts made recommendations for improving the city’s efficiency.

“This is a wonderful example of a great public private partnership and on behalf of the residents of our great city I thank IBM and the United Way of Essex and West Hudson for bringing this innovative technology to our public schools,” said Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker.  In order to compete in today’s global market you have to be technologically savvy and these computer learning centers will give so many students the opportunity to build their math, science and language skills.  By investing in the educational excellence of Newark’s children today, we will create the foundation for our city’s prosperity and competitiveness in the decades ahead.”

“The Newark Public Schools greatly appreciates the generous donation of the Young Explorer workstations from our partners, IBM and United Way of Essex and West Hudson, who organized the distribution,” said Newark Public Schools Superintendent Cami Anderson.  “We are excited about this investment in our children, especially in the critical development stages of the early years that are so important to long term academic success.”

“The way to improve student achievement is to start with children at a very young age and give them a strong foundation in basic skills,” said Stanley S. Litow, IBM’s Vice President of Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs, and president of IBM’s International Foundation.  “We believe that the specially designed computer learning centers we are providing Newark City Schools will help build that foundation by increasing children’s math, science, and language skills in a fun, interactive way.  Adopting innovative techniques and technology are just some of the ways that the City of Newark can build a smarter city and a smarter society — and we are pleased to be able to do our part.”

IBM’s KidSmart program includes the Young Explorer, a computer housed in brightly colored, child-friendly Little Tikes™ furniture and equipped with award-winning educational software to help children learn and explore concepts in math, science and language.  The computer centers can also help children learn important socialization skills such as cooperation and sharing, which are essential to classroom success.  In addition, teachers participating in the program become more confident about incorporating technology into their classrooms.

The KidSmart program also includes access to the KidSmart website www.kidsmartearlylearning.org.  Available in eight languages, the site helps parents guide their children’s use of technology and preschool teachers use technology more effectively in their classrooms.

IBM developed the KidSmart program in 1998 to help reduce the digital divide, especially in urban areas, where it was becoming apparent that children from less affluent backgrounds needed access to specialized technology tools and educational materials to better prepare them to enter school. IBM is focused on increasing the number of children entering into math, science and engineering, and believes that success in early childhood learning is a critical step.  Since the inception of the KidSmart Early Learning Program in 1998, IBM has invested more than $133 million, donating more than 60,000 Young Explorers to schools and nonprofit organizations in 60 countries, reaching more than 105,000 teachers and serving more than 10 million students.

For more information about IBM’s citizenship efforts, please visit: www.citizenibm.com

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Contacts:

Ari Fishkind

IBM Media Relations

914-499-6420

fishkind@us.ibm.com

Newark Press Information Office

(973) 733-8004

Pressoffice@ci.newark.nj.us

“Local Legacy” Program - Reading to Children for 22 years!

Newark, NJ (January 31, 2012) – United Way of Essex and West Hudson announced the Kickoff of Celebrity Read 2012, a 22 year tradition of providing volunteer Celebrity Readers to local community schools. This year, volunteers will read to children in East Orange, Harrison, Irvington, Newark, Nutley, Orange, South Orange and Maplewood.

Created in 1990, Celebrity Read is a ”local legacy” initiative that recruits volunteers from throughout New Jersey to model their love of reading and the pursuit of education as a pathway to success in local elementary classrooms.

United Way believes that everyone can be a “celebrity” in the life of a child and we encourage those who want to be positively engaged with our communities’ youth to become Celebrity Readers. Readers visit a school site for a morning or afternoon, read aloud with students and answer questions about their profession while encouraging youth to read and get an education. Celebrity Read proudly recruits over 400 volunteers and works with nearly 10,000 students, annually.

Additional volunteers are still needed.

The schedule for this year’s program is as follows:

Feb 3       Madison Avenue, Irvington

Feb 8       Chancellor Avenue, Irvington

Feb 8       Lincoln School, Nutley

Feb 8       Lincoln Avenue, Orange

Feb 9       Dayton St., Newark

Feb 9       MLK Jr., Newark

Feb 10     Benjamin Banneker, East Orange

Feb 10     University Elementary, Irvington

Feb 14     Flagg Elementary, Newark

Feb 15     Johnnie Cochran, East Orange

Feb 16     BRICK Avon, Newark

Feb 16     Park Avenue, Orange

Feb 17     Mount Vernon Avenue, Irvington

Feb 17     Clinton School, Maplewood/ South Orange

Feb 17     Harriet Tubman, Newark

Feb 23     Camden St., Newark

Feb 24     Branch Brook, Newark

Feb 27     Luis Monoz Marin (Broadway), Newark

Feb 28     Lincoln School, Harrison

Feb 29     Dionne Warwick, East Orange

Feb 29     Rosa Parks Central, Orange

To sign up to volunteer go to www.uwewh.org/news-and-events/united-way-events/celebrity-read/

For more information about the Celebrity Read Program, please contact George Xuereb by phone at 973-854-2215 or email gxuerub@uwewh.org.

About The United Way of Essex and West Hudson

Founded in 1923, the United Way of Essex and West Hudson is a non-profit organization that seeks to address the root causes of community concerns by aligning resources to best meet the needs of individuals, children and families through its service area annually.  We serve a population of nearly 700,000 in thirteen communities in Essex and Hudson County.  For more information about or how to get involved, visit our websitewww.unitedwayessex.org

Media Contact

George Xuereb

Phone: 973-854-2215

gxuereb@uwewh.org

United Way of Essex and West Hudson Seeks Nominations for Miracle Maker Awards

 Newark, NJ (January17, 2012) — Women in Support (WIS) of United Way of Essex and West Hudson recently announced that nominations are now open for the organization’s annual WIS Miracle Maker awards.  These major awards honor individuals and/or organizations whose contributions advance the common good making significant contributions to the community in the areas of Education, Health, Income and Community Linkages/Service. These special awards will be presented at the Night of Miracles Gala at the Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange on May 3, 2012. Nominations should be submitted online at

http://www.uwewh.org/news-and-events/united-way-events/nomination-form-for-miracle-maker-2012

Nominations should be submitted by January 24, 2012.

Formed in May 1997, the Night of Miracles Gala has raised over $3 million to support the work of United Way of Essex and West Hudson in helping to build stronger communities.  The WIS was formed to create an opportunity for women to volunteer as a formal group in support of United Way.  The WIS is a diverse group of volunteers from all walks of life, including the corporate sector, entrepreneurs, professional firms and the community at large.

These special awards are given to an individual or organization that has demonstrated outstanding leadership, commitment and dedication to the people who live and work in United Way’s Essex and West Hudson catchment area. Previous winners have included: Steven M. Marcus, M.D., New Jersey Poison Information and Education System,UMDNJ; Edgar Izurieta, Executive Director of Newark Now; Dr. Vincent L. Mays, Director of Newark Public Schools, Office of Alternative Education; Louis Dell’Ermo, Chairman of Gateway Group I.

Nominees should fit into one of the following categories:

•         Miracle Maker Award – Education: honors a recipient whose outstanding contributions promote education, mentoring and success of our youth that foster growth and learning.
•       Miracle Maker Award – Health: honors a recipient that has made major contributions to improving health and awareness of disease that impact health.
•       Miracle Maker Award – Income: honors a recipient whose contributions foster financial stability, job creations and pathways out of poverty.
•     Miracle Maker Award – Community Linkages/Service: honors a recipient whose leadership and service is not limited to a single area of concern, but rather whose commitment and leadership have made dramatic differences in the overall quality of life for the people of our community.

For more information on the Miracle Makers Awards, please contact George Xuereb by phone at 973-854-2215 or email gxuerub@uwewh.org.

About The United Way of Essex and West Hudson

Founded in 1923, the United Way of Essex and West Hudson is a non-profit organization that seeks to address the root causes of community concerns by aligning resources to best meet the needs of individuals, children and families through its service area annually.  We serve a population of nearly 700,000 in thirteen communities in Essex and Hudson County.  For more information about or how to get involved, visit our website www.unitedwayessex.org

Media Contact

George Xuereb

Phone: 973-854-2215

gxuereb@uwewh.org

UNITED WAY OF ESSEX AND WEST HUDSON ANNOUNCES CELEBRITY READ 2012 KICKOFF BREAKFAST

Newark, NJ (December 27, 2011) —  United Way of Essex and West Hudson(UWEWH) has announced the kickoff of its Celebrity Read Initiative for 2012. This event will take place on  Thursday, January 26 at 8:30AM at the Newark Museum in Newark, New Jersey. The Celebrity Read program is a longstanding literacy initiative of UWEWH that was designated a Local Legacy by the Library of Congress in 2001. For over 20 years, Celebrity Read has touched the lives of thousands of students in our communities.

Celebrity Readers are individuals from all walks of life who wish to model their love of reading and the pursuit of education as a pathway to success. According to Keith Green, President and CEO of UWEWH, “United Way believes that everyone can be a celebrity in the life of a child and  encourage those who want to be positively engaged with our communities’ youth to become Celebrity Readers.”

Readers visit a school site for a morning or afternoon, read aloud with students and answer questions about their profession while encouraging youth to read and get an education. Celebrity Read proudly recruits over 400 volunteers and works with nearly 10,000 students, annually. Past readers have crossed many occupations and many communities.

Registration for this year’s kickoff breakfast can be easily done by accessing the UWEWH website at  www.uwewh.org.  UWEWH asks that attendees  bring a donation of two new elementary school reading books, or make a $30 donation to the Reggie and Diane Harris Celebrity Read Fund when they register online.

About The United Way of Essex and West Hudson

Founded in 1923, the United Way of Essex and West Hudson is a non-profit organization that seeks to address the root causes of community concerns by aligning resources to best meet the needs of individuals, children and families through its service area annually. We serve a population of nearly 700,000 in thirteen communities in Essex and Hudson County. For more information about or how to get involved, visit our website www.unitedwayessex.org

Media Contact
George Xuereb
Phone: 973-854-2215
gxuereb@uwewh.org

Kick Off Breakfast – January 26. Register Here to attend.

Become a Celebrity Reader If you are interested in becoming a Celebrity Reader, Click here to volunteer!

Celebrity Read is a “local legacy” initiative that recruits volunteers to model their love of reading and the pursuit of education as a pathway to success in local elementary classrooms.

United Way believes that everyone can be a “celebrity” in the life of a child and we encourage those who want to be positively engaged with our communities’ youth to become Celebrity Readers. Readers visit a school site for a morning or afternoon, read aloud with students and answer questions about their profession while encouraging youth to read and get an education. Celebrity Read proudly recruits over 400 volunteers and works with nearly 10,000 students, annually.

Created in 1990, Celebrity Read was designated a “Local Legacy” in 2001 by the Library of Congress in recognition of the program’s unique service to the community.

Students reading at and above grade level in 3rd grade graduate from high school at higher rates than students below grade level.
-Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago

One of the benchmarks in United Way’s 10-year goal to decrease dropouts by 50% and increase graduation rates by 87% is to ensure that youth in our community are reading proficiently by the 4th grade.

After two decades of successfully engaging the community in reading to youth in schools, Celebrity Read is evolving to also seek volunteers for longer-term opportunities as literacy coaches for year-round engagement with struggling readers. These coaches will be placed with existing literacy initiatives in district or charter schools. Where there is a significant need for a program, but no initiative, United Way will work with schools to develop literacy coaching programs.

CELEBRITY READ IMPACT

2011 Fast Facts:

• Over 200 Volunteer Celebrity Readers
• Over 4,500 students read to
• Over $5000 worth of books donated
• Over 120 guests attended the Celebrity Read Kick-Off Breakfast

Become a Celebrity Reader. If you are interested in becoming a Celebrity Reader, Click here  to volunteer! 

CELEBRITY READ FAQ

I’m not a “Celebrity”, what do I have to offer?

United Way believes that everyone can be a “celebrity” in the life of a child. We know that when youth have positive adult role models who take an interest in them, they do better in school and life. Specifically, youth who are read to by adults are more likely to develop a love of reading and improve academically.

What does being a Celebrity Reader involve?

For single-visit readers, your commitment with be anywhere from 3-5 hours depending on the school site. Typically, readers report to the school where you can choose from various age appropriate books for reading to 2 classrooms. Many schools like to take volunteers on a tour of the school and provide a light snack and do a short ceremony to thank you for your time.

For coaches, the time commitment will vary, but we anticipate it will be an hour/week for 9 months in the school of your choice.

We also love to have all of our readers attend the kick off breakfast to thank you and create an atmosphere of excitement.

What are the rewards?

One reason why the Celebrity Read initiative has been so successful is because our readers tell us time and time again what a wonderful time they have reading in the schools! Beyond the enjoyment of interacting with students and school staff who are excited to have you visit, we also know there are tangible benefits to children who are read to on a regular basis.

We hope that your experience reading to youth on a one-time basis will be something that you’ll look forward to doing on a weekly basis. Research shows that children who are read to for 30 minutes a week for a school year evidence significant gains in their reading scores and in other subjects.

UNITED WAY OF ESSEX AND WEST HUDSON LAUNCHES ALTERNATIVE WINTER BREAK 2012

Newark, NJ (December 19, 2011) — Each year thousands of college students make a commitment to make a difference in communities nation wide by participating in Alternative Break Programs. United Way of Essex and West Hudson is proud to announce the launch of 2012 Alternative Winter Break (AWB)-Newark!

“We are inviting college-aged young people from across the country to spend a week of their winter break in Newark, New Jersey and join us as we work to close the educational achievement gap for children of our city.  Now more than ever these children need mentors, advocates and allies.” Said Adam Cox, Program Director as well as program alum.  “The choice is yours, are you ready to step up and do your part?  Join United Way this January and commit a week of your winter break to helping the kids who need it most!”

Over 200 students from across the country will travel to New Jersey to take advantage of their winter break this year. United Way’s Alternative Winter Break (AWB) will take place in Newark during the weeks of January 1, January 8, and January 15, 2012.

Volunteers will work in a variety of educational settings helping to close the achievement gap for children of limited means. There is a $25 non-refundable registration fee to hold your spot at the Alternative Spring Break program. In addition, each volunteer is required to secure $250 in donations which covers all on the ground transportation once students arrive in Newark, meals, lodging and program fees. All donations are tax deductible.

For more information, visit Alternative Winter Break.

About The United Way of Essex and West Hudson
Founded in 1923, the United Way of Essex and West Hudson is a non-profit organization that seeks to address the root causes of community concerns by aligning resources to best meet the needs of individuals, children and families through its service area annually. We serve a population of nearly 700,000 in thirteen communities in Essex and Hudson County. For more information about or how to get involved, visit our website www.unitedwayessex.org

Media Contact
George Xuereb
Phone: 973-854-2215
gxuereb@uwewh.org

January 1st – 7th, 8th- 14th & 15th – 21st Newark, New Jersey

Each year thousands of college students make a commitment to make a difference in communities nation wide by participating in Alternative Break Programs. United Way of Essex and West Hudson is proud to announce the launch of 2012 Alternative Winter Break (AWB)-Newark!

We are inviting college-aged young people from across the country to spend a week of their winter break in Newark, New Jersey and join us as we work to close the educational achievement gap for children of our city. Now more than ever these children need mentors, advocates and allies. The choice is yours, are you ready to step up and do your part? Join United Way this January and commit a week of your winter break to helping the kids who need it most!

As an AWB-Newark volunteer you will:

Have a unique opportunity to examine the social and economic barriers the children of Newark, face every day as they strive to get an education in a school district that is constantly ranked among the poorest performing in the nation
Work directly with kids of the Newark Boys & Girls Club after-school program
Provide valuable facility support through hands-on projects including painting, cleaning and organizing program spaces.
Meet other college students from across the country and forge new friendships
Spend a day learning and exploring in New York City!

2012 United Way Alternative Winter Break-Newark, NJ Program Information:

Location: Newark, NJ

Dates: AWB programs are running each of the first 3 weeks in January and slots are still available!
Week 1: January 1st – January 7th
Week 2: January 8th – January 14th
Week 3: January 15th – January 21st

Participation Fee: The $275 program fee covers lodging, food, t-shirts, all on the ground
transportation once you arrive in Newark, an amazing volunteer
experience AND a trip into New York City ! This fee also includes access to a really cool online fund-raising
tool called FirstGiving. This is a great way to ask family and friends to help
support your trip through tax-deductible donations.

Got Questions? Contact our Program Director (and ASB alum) Adam Cox at AWBNewark@gmail.com

Who Can Apply?

Student United Way Groups
Non-United Way affiliated student groups
Individuals

How to Sign-up:

Visit www.firstgiving.com/UWEWH and click on the week you want to participate under the “Events” section. Follow the “Register” link and sign up today to secure your spot!

You can also check us out on facebook at: www.facebook.com/awb.nj

The United Way of Essex and West Hudson purchases toys and stockings to be stuffed, and collects new toys to distribute to families in need throughout Essex and West Hudson Counties. The Toy Drive also welcomes donations of winter clothing, including new coats, hats, scarves and gloves to ensure that local families can be well protected against the brutal elements of winter.

Families that benefit from the donations are screened for eligibility by the United Way of Essex and West Hudson. UWEWH, also welcome contributions from corporations, service organizations, community groups, clubs or small businesses and will assist them in setting up a collection drive.

Through your support, the lives of real people are changed for the better as we work together to build stronger communities in our region.  Annually, UWEWH delivers toys to about 200 families during our Toy Drive, which impacts the lives of more than 400 children.  By opening your heart this year, you will make a difference in your own community.

This year’s United Way of Essex and West Hudson Toy Drive runs from Friday, November 25, 2011 through Friday, December 16, 2011. Individuals may drop off donations of toys, or mail a check payable to United Way of Essex and West Hudson to our offices at 303 Washington Street, Newark, New Jersey.

For those corporations or groups interested in setting up an onsite collection, we ask that you contact us at 973-854-2221 to make arrangements. We are eager to help you set up your collection drive and will provide promotional flyers and drop-off boxes if needed.

About The United Way of Essex and West Hudson

Founded in 1923, the United Way of Essex and West Hudson is a non-profit organization that seeks to address the root causes of community concerns by aligning resources to best meet the needs of individuals, children and families through its service area annually.  We serve a population of nearly 700,000 in thirteen communities in Essex and Hudson County.  For more information about or how to get involved, visit our website www.unitedwayessex.org

We endeavor to make an impact in the lives of our youth through the provision of educational programming that invigorates and inspires. As such, with support from the PSEG Foundation UWEWH implemented the PSEG/UWEWH After-school Programming Innovators Collaborative. Through the work of this collaborative, approximately 800 youth in our service area will have access to an assorted set of innovative after-school programs. Our collaborative is comprised of providers that educate our youth through creative approaches like literature, fine arts, robotics, mentoring, multimedia, and rites of passage / cultural programming to name a few. The collaborative partners consist of the following innovative programs:

• Vacamas Programs for Youth: Discovering Robotics
• Harambee Community Development Initiative: The Harambee Music and Video Production Academy (MVPA)
• New Jersey Performing Arts Center: Young Writers’ Workshop
• Boys and Girls Club of Newark: First Avenue Extension Afterschool Program
• God’s Promise Community Development Center: Dhakiya Kibibi (Kiswahili for Intelligent Young Ladies) Rites of Passage Program
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson & Union Counties:School-based Mentoring
• Northern New Jersey Council Boy Scouts of America: Learning for Life
• Barat Foundation: NewARC Afterschool Program

Aurora’s approach, based on the belief that the entire needs of the family must be addressed in order to promote healthy development, connects children and families to the various resources and support they need to be successful.

Recognizing that education is a catalyst for family stability, The Aurora Foundation focuses on increasing a child’s capacity for academic success by addressing not only their needs, but that of their family unit as well. The Foundation’s first initiative, SOAR, puts this focus into action.

The Aurora Foundation has embarked on an innovative, community-based initiative that targets the needs of middle school aged children and their families and helps to provide solutions.