F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

A new year has brought much success

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Camden City School District Collaboration

Cursos de Ingles

How to get a FREE kitchen appliance

eacon B The Promise Neighborhood

INSIDE THIS

ISSUE:

MLK Day 2

ResLife Dinner 4

Healthy Heart 5

VISTA Patrick 7

Dinner Recipe 8

Calendar 9

Honesty Box

Is there something you’d like to see in the newsletter? Is

there something we could be doing

better? We look forward to

your call or visit. Can’t make it? We’ll

see you on our walk-throughs of the

community!

We are happy to announce the new grocery drop off site through our Food Access Program at Mickle Towers, a senior housing building. Mickle Towers is located next to another senior housing building, River View Towers, which will also have access to receiving groceries through our partnership with ShopRite. Groceries will be delivered FREE, bringing access to fresh food to over 400 Camden residents. To further the accessibility to place orders, Food Access Program provided a desktop computer for the residents of Mickle Towers. Pictured above is Mickle Towers resident Mary and Center For Family Services employee Nick and the new computer for easy ordering! Weekly grocery delivery will be at Mickle Towers, 200 Mickle Blvd, Camden, NJ every Thursday from 2-3PM. Grocery delivery will continue at Promise Neighborhood Family Success Center every Thursday from 4-5PM.

P A G E 2

Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 19th was celebrated with volunteers throughout the city with a great day of service. Volunteers from Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Rutgers University-Camden, Center For Family Services AmeriCorps State and National and VISTA members, and community members cleaned up the streets of Camden and filled 200 large trash bags! The day of service was in re-memberance and recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Thank you to everyone who partici-pated to make it such a successful day. Below is a map of the streets that were cleaned on MLK Day. Above is a before and after shot of one block. Pictured to our right are some of the groups who volunteered.

Before

After

Family Success Center Updates

P A G E 3

On January 29th students from Rutger’s Camden volunteered their time to serve family dinner at PNFSC! Some of the students had previously done it in November. All of the students live in the dorms and participate in the Rutger’s ResLife Program. The ResLife program encourages the students to do volunteer work in the community, so these students chose to volunteer at Promise Neighborhood Family Success Center. Some of the students had visited PNFSC before and they wanted to volunteer their time to serve the community. ResLife provided complete family dinner night catered by Market St. Pizza. Thank you to all the students who helped this night!

P A G E 5

February is American Heart Month

During the month of February, Americans see the human heart as the symbol of love. February is American Heart Month, a time to show yourself the love. Learn about your risks for heart disease and stroke and stay "heart healthy" for yourself and your loved ones.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD)—including heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure—is the number 1 killer of women and men in the United States. It is a leading cause of disability, preventing Americans from working and enjoying family activities. CVD costs the United States over $300 billion each year, including the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity. Plan for Prevention: Work with your health care team, get a checkup at least once each year even if you feel healthy. Monitor your blood pressure, high blood pressure often has no symptoms, you can check it at home, at a pharmacy or a doctor’s office. Get your cholesterol checked, your health care team should test your cholesterol levels at least once every 5 years. Eat a healthy diet, limiting sodium in your diet can lower your blood pressure, be sure to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Maintain a healthy weight, being overweight or obese can increase your risk for CVD. Exercise regularly, physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Don’t smoke, cigarette smoking greatly increases your risk for CVD. Limit alcohol use, men should stick to no more than two drinks per day, and women to no more than one. Manage your diabetes, monitor your blood sugar levels closely and talk to your health care team about treatment options. Take your medicine, follow the instructions carefully and always ask questions if you don't understand something.

ShopRite

Promise Neighborhood Resources

Center For Family Services has partnered with ShopRite to bring your groceries to you! This Neighborhood Grocery Program will assist families in buying groceries online and picking them up from the PNFSC or the Isabel Miller Community Center. Need help registering or ordering online? Stop by the Promise Neighborhood Family Success Center and use our FREE computer lab.

Call 856.964.8096 for more info

Culinary Arts Class ShopRite

Cook Me’sa Brown has offered her time and knowledge to PNFSC. With her degree in Culinary Arts she will be leading the class on August 12th and 26th from 2:00 to 3:30pm. The class will have a health and wellness focus, preparing meals that are attainable with a tight budget. We will be using recipes in our staff made cookbook from the ShopRite Food Access program. Everyone will be provided with a sample of the meal and a copy of the recipe.

Call 856.964.8096 for more info

P A G E 6

Quote of the

Month:

“Keep your faith in

beautiful things; in

the sun when it is

hidden, in the Spring

when it is gone.”

~Roy R Gibson

This Month in Cooper Lanning

Promise Neighborhood Resources

Center For Family Services has partnered with ShopRite to bring your groceries to you! This Neighborhood Grocery Program will assist families

in buying groceries online and picking them up from the PNFSC or the Isabel Miller Community Center. Need help registering or ordering online? Stop by the Promise Neighborhood Family Success Center and use our FREE computer lab.

Call 856.964.8096 for more info

Africana Studies

Youth Sewing Manufacturing Workshop: Participants will be introduced to sewing manufacturing, independency, and entrepreneurship. The students will produce their own product and learn to take it to the market. The workshop will be starting in March. Call Promise Neighborhood Family Success Center for more information.

Cursos de Ingles classes are being taught at PNFSC by both Rutger’s professors and students! All classes are FREE and open to everyone! The classes are held every Wednesday 3:30PM-4:30PM and every Thursday 10:30AM– 12:00PM.

ShopRite

All fathers and male caregivers are invited to participate in 24/7 Dads. This is a six-week workshop on Tuesday nights, from 4pm-5:30pm where fathers, of all ages, will get tips and advice on caring for their children. Come in and discuss topics like relationship skills, what it means to be a man, communication and lots more! Stop by the Promise Neighborhood Family Success Center and ask how you can join our next session. Did we mention that upon completion, every dad will receive a certificate and a free suit? That’s right! So tell the men that you know who are married fathers, single fathers, grandfathers or simply raising children, to contact us today.

Call 856.964.8096 for info on how to register

The Africana Studies program is

an exciting program for residents to focus on societies

and cultures of the African Diaspora through research. Participants receive a broad

and varied exposure to African culture including literature,

religion, dance, art, anthropology, economics,

politics, science and history. It will be held at PNFSC every

Monday from 2:30PM to 4:00PM. There will be free

popcorn served during films.

Call 856.964.8096 for more info

24/7 Dads

Culinary Arts class will be held every Tuesday from 2:00pm —3:30pm. Come join in on the fun! You will receive a copy of the recipe and a sample of the meal. Those who participate in the Neighborhood Grocery Initiative by having their ShopRite groceries delivered to the Center, can receive a punch on their punch card for attending the Culinary Arts class! All ages are welcome and the workshop is FREE!

Get involved in your community and participate in monthly community meetings for Lanning Square West. The next meeting will be held on February 3rd at 6pm in the OEO building (538 South Broadway). Bring your questions, comments, and concerns about your neighborhood.

P A G E 7

Promise Neighborhood Initiative Americorps VISTA Patrick Andrews will be finishing his year of service this month. Patrick has been here since March 2013, his last day will be on February 27th 2015. Patrick has been in charge of data entry for all of the PNFSC programs, as well he is always more than willing to lend a helping hand to where ever it is needed. It is more than likely that you saw him serving family dinner, or on the front porch serving water ice, or out in the community informing you about all of the programs that are offered at PNFSC. Patrick has been a huge help to PNFSC, we are all very sad to see him leave but he is head-ed on to new adventures. Help the PNFSC team give him a proper send off this month, thank you Patrick for everything you have done at PNFSC, you will be greatly missed!!

February Family Recipe:

Homemade Beef Stew

What You need:

4.5 pounds beef, cut into 2.5 cm cubes

3 large onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 inch piece of ginger, grated

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

8 0z parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks

8 oz carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

2-3 cups of beef stock cube

Large casserole pan with a lid

What you do:

Heat the oven to 350° F Brown the beef in 4-5 batches. It does not

have to be cooked all the way through, but make sure that it is well browned on each side as this gives flavor to the dish.

Brown the onions until they look slightly caramelized.

Add the garlic, ginger and rosemary to the onions. Fry for a minute.

Add the meat back to the casserole dish. Add 2 cups of beef stock.

Place the lid on the casserole dish and bake for 1-1.5 hours, until the meat is quite tender. When it is almost ready, add the parsnips and carrots. Cook for another 1/2 hour.

Serve with rice or mashed potatoes and green vegetables.

NOTE: Many of these ingredients can be purchased on ShopRite.com and delivered to the Promise Neighborhood Family Success Center or the Isabel Miller Community Center. Ask us how to get your groceries delivered… FREE of charge!

Call 856.964.8096 or stop by 580 Benson Street for more info.

The finished product! Take pictures of yours and share them with us. Bring them into the

PNFSC or share them on or . See back cover for our social information!

Yield 8-10 servings Preparation time: 20 minutes Cook time: 1.5—2 hours

~ Career Café 2.0 - Assisting families in career development through lessons like applying for higher education, obtaining a small business loan and establishing/maintaining credit

~ Food Access Program - bringing fresh food and groceries into the city of Camden for free

~ Culinary Arts Class - teaching healthy and budget friendly recipes

~ ESL Classes - helping our English as a Second Language speakers learn to speak and write in English

~ Community Café - bringing residents together to discuss issues facing the community

~ 24/7 Dads - covering a state - certified curriculum based on the National Fatherhood Initiative

~ Financial Literacy Classes - providing our families with money management and budgeting skills

~ Youth of Promise youth group - helping our youth lead better lives through education and service

~ Chess Club - participants will learn the fundamentals of how to play chess

~ Africana Studies Classes - Exposure to culture of African Diaspora, including literature, religion, dance, art, anthropology, economics, politics, science, and history.

P A G E 9

What has Promise Neighborhood been up to?

This month’s PN events! Join us!

Phone: 856.964.1990 x200

Hours of Operation:

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

9am-5pm

Tuesday and Thursday

10am-6pm

Every other Saturday

10pm-2pm

Visit us on the web at:

www.centerffs.org

E-mail: pnfsc@centerffs.org

Read the CCLPN Blog at: centerffs.org/promise-neighborhood/blog

Contact us or stop by today!

Promise Neighborhood

Family Success Center

580 Benson Street

Camden, NJ 08103

Facebook.com/centerffs

Your CCLPN Team

Juan Rivera

PNFSC Program

Director

Veronica Mason

Family Partner

Samantha Stoneback

Food Access Coordinator

Americorps VISTA

The Camden Cooper Lanning Promise Neighborhood

Camden Cooper Lanning Promise Neighborhood (CCLPN) is an initiative led by Center For Family Services (CFS) that is designed to strengthen Camden families. This initiative covers families living in the 08103 zip code, which consists of the Cooper Plaza and Lanning Square West neighborhoods. In efforts to break down barriers and encourage working together to better the community, Cooper Plaza and Lanning Square were united and the one community is now Cooper Lanning. With funding from a 2013 Department of Education Promise Neighborhood Planning Grant and your personal consent, CCLPN Team members will be able to track your family to ensure that all residents of Cooper Lanning receive the services and resources necessary to lead healthy and successful lives.

The CCLPN Team is working with:

The City of Camden

Cooper University Hospital

Cooper Lanning Civic Association

Lanning Square Residents Association

Rowan University at Camden

And more than 20 other providers to guarantee that we are: Remaining community-based and focused on local community needs

Maximizing educational achievements for children in Cooper Lanning

Ensuring that each of the individual programs within the initiative is

effective, fostering strong links across programs to ensure smooth

transitions and continuous services for families

We ask that you, the residents of Cooper Lanning, hold us accountable to our commitments to you and your family.

Nicole Sheppard

Associate Vice President

Patrick Andrews

Data Manager

Americorps VISTA

Merilee Rutolo

COO

Terrell Hurst

Volunteer & Community

Partnerships Coordinator

Jenniffer Pullas

Family Partner

Twitter.com/centerffs