Dear Friends,
Even though our weather here is temperate year-round, for families who are struggling to make ends meet summer stands out from the rest of the year anyway — because during the summer their struggles get even harder, and their children suffer as a result. 

The disparity in achievement among our region’s children widens during the months when school is not in session and providing daily access to healthy meals and enriching activities. Studies show that when children from low-income families return to school at the end of summer, they have fallen a full month behind their peers from higher-income families. And the loss is cumulative, widening the chasm between wealthy and poor children every school year — all due to a dearth of opportunity.  
Fortunately, CWG’s supporters and partners know a thing or two about creating opportunity. The children who live in our affordable homes have year-round access to programs they need for long-term learning success. Children at CWG’s Opportunity Center and 801 Alma Family Housing have their own free summer camps on-site, which allow them access to learning, exploration, and recreation. They participate in wellness activities that encourage regular physical movement and provide nutritious foods.

These programs, added to the foundation of living in a stable, affordable CWG home, help position children for better health, greater academic success, and stronger futures. Thank you for helping us provide opportunities that position our community’s children for long-term wellness and success.

Wishing you a healthy, peaceful summer,
 





John Barton
Board President
Community Working Group

Nearly 14% of Silicon Valley children lack sufficient resources for food, clothing and shelter. — Joint Venture Silicon Valley, April 2015

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
—Fredrick Douglass, abolitionist and statesman
You Help People Live Healthier, Happier Lives

Community Working Group (CWG) is not just our name; we really are a group of neighborhood folks working together to help our neighbors who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless. CWG exists and works because of the dedication and investment of community members like you! Together we are Community Working Group!

Thank you to the more than 180 people who have contributed to our recent appeals! You have gotten us so close to reaching our immediate funding goal of $75,000! Your support enables CWG to keep rents affordable for the approximately 300 women, men and children who live at our three complexes: the Opportunity Center, 801 Alma Family Housing, and Alma Garden. In addition, your gifts help us keep the Opportunity Center service centers up and running, and providing vital assistance to more than 100 people every day.

Thanks to you, children who were once without a home are housed and succeeding in school, and parents who are struggling to provide for their families have a safety net. Individuals who formerly lived in their cars are now working toward independent, healthier lives.

We celebrate each person whom we help go from homelessness and fear to housed and healthy — and we will keep working for more, until every person in our community has a safe, stable home and opportunities for success. Our work is ongoing, so if you have not yet had a chance to contribute to our spring appeal, please click here to make a secure gift online.

Thank you for helping people in our community change their lives! 
“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say, 'It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.' Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes."
  — Fred Rogers (a.k.a. Mister Rogers)
Partnering to Help Our Community
Thank you to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund for its recent gift of $5,000 to support services for children at Community Working Group’s Opportunity Center!

Approximately 30 extremely low-income children regularly use the children’s services provided at the Opportunity Center. The gift from the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund will support Opportunity Center children’s programs such as the seven-week summer camp, healthy snacks and nutrition education, art and science activities for the after-school enrichment program, the year-round wellness program, and upgrades to the children’s center, such as better lighting and a new television.

Children who participate in the Opportunity Center’s children’s programs have demonstrated significant increases in reading and writing skills, in some cases going from below grade-level to above grade-level. This year a teen who had participated in the children’s program since moving into the Opportunity Center years before enrolled in college — the first person in her family to do so!

The Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund is a community partnership between the newspaper, readers who donate to the fund, and local foundations who contribute matching funds. Thank you to all who made this gift possible — you are helping children in our community succeed!
“Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them.”
— Lady Bird Johnson, Former First Lady of the United States
Help Us Spread the Word
Please forward this electronic issue of "Thresholds" to a friend and help us in our fight against homelessness by spreading the word about CWG's important work!
Community Working Group | 650-299-8700 | cwg@communityworkinggroup.org  www.communityworkinggroup.org