CORA Connection pumpkin_on_a_leaf.jpg
Happy Fall! 
CORA has been filled with the hustle and bustle of the beginning of a new school year for weeks now and things are not settling down. This time last year we began our Strategic Planning process and now with our goals in place, we are forming cross-disciplinary work teams to implement the action steps needed to reach those goals and elevate CORA, just in time for our 50th Anniversary in 2021. Stay tuned as we report on our progress in the areas of expanded services, branding, organizational culture, data collection and reporting, and diversification of our revenue sources - all efforts we intend to improve upon as an agency, to better meet the changing needs of our community. Thanks for all you do to support CORA as we embark upon another very exciting school year focused on stabilizing and enhancing our current services and thoughtfully investigating how we can continue to creatively expand our services to meet unmet needs.
 
I am pleased to announce that CORA has been awarded a 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant.  21st CCLC supports the creation of centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools and helps students meet state and local standards in core academic subjects. Learn more here. It also offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children. This funding will be utilized at Thurgood Marshall, where CORA will be able to expand our current program and will enable CORA to take on two new schools, Cooke and Stearne Elementary Schools. The Community Services Division staff is very excited about this new opportunity and looks forward to serving more of Philadelphia's children and families!
 
On November 16, 2017 at CORA's Champions for Children Celebration , the agency will honor longtime board member Herbert Bass for his unwavering commitment to bringing much-needed resources to CORA to further Sr. Charity's mission. CORA will also recognize Dr. Arthur Evans for his meaningful work around mental health and recovery as Philadelphia's former Commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS).  I sincerely hope you will consider joining me at this wonderful event, and bring a friend. I'd greatly appreciate your help in making others aware of the impact CORA is having on the youth of Philadelphia. Thanks very much to those who have already supported Champions! If you have not already, please consider adding your name to our list of generous sponsors. 
~ AnnMarie Schultz, President and CEO

Thursday, November 16, 2017 
5:30 P.M. - 8:30 P.M.
The Union League of Philadelphia                   
140 South Broad Street                     
Philadelphia, PA19102   

Civic Champion: Dr. Arthur Evans
Classroom Champion: Nichole Berntsen
Online registration and sponsorship opportunities are available  - 


THANK YOU to all of our GENEROUS SPONSORS for HELPING CORA HELP KIDS! 

Presenting Sponsors: CORA Board of Directors & FoxRothschild LLP
Charity's Circle: Sisters of Good Shepherd, Henderson Group 
Caring Partner: Plumbers Union Local 690, Nave Newell, Inc. 
Patrons: Coyle, Lynch & Company, Michael Samuels - Clarion Samuels Associates

Help Teens Love Reading Again
CORA Educators are Skilled Motivators

At what point does reading change from being a fun activity to a dreaded chore?
Reading for leisure drops off dramatically as children get older, and rates among all children - especially teens - have fallen precipitously in recent years. According the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average, teenagers read for fun, less than a total of  six minutes per day . CORA's educators are committed to making reading fun again!

Adolescents who have never loved reading much for pleasure during grade school seem to become even less motivated during their high school years. Low self-image and feelings of powerlessness distress many minors, causing them to be disinterested and unmotivated at home and at school. Teenagers who have disengaged from learning often do so because they feel a lack control over their lives and their futures. This is especially true for students who have negative attitudes about reading. Since reading and writing skills develop simultaneously, adolescents that lack reading skills will often also have significant verbal and written weaknesses as well.  
Read full article here. 
YouthCOR -  Supporting Philadelphia Neighborhoods

Philadelphia Neighborhoods,  a publication of the Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab at  Temple University, featured an article on YouthCOR at Loesche Elementary School over the summer.  Temple University journalist, Kristof Phillips, spend time interviewing our staff and kids to learn more about CORA's afterschool pogramming.


CORA Friends & Family Day

Join us on Thursday, October 12th! 
Iron Hill Brewery  & Restaurant
785 Huntingdon Pike
Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 
 
Iron Hill will be generously donating 20% of food sales from participating guests, all day long,  to CORA Services. In order to participate and support CORA, you must present the attached coupon to your server or show it to them on your phone. 

We look forward to seeing you for lunch or dinner - or both! 
Don't forget to wear your CORA apparel and show your CORA spirit!
What's happening this fall at CORA? 

October
Teen Read Week - Oct. 8th-14th 
CORA Friends & Family Day at Iron Hill on Huntingdon Pike - Oct.12th
Annual Peer Helper Conference - Oct. 26

November
Professional Development Workshop - Nov. 3rd: 
" A Sensory-Motor Approach to Apraxia of Speech & Related Motor Speech Disorders"  Read more here.
Champions for Children -  November 16th 

 
CORA Services
8540 Verree Road
Philadelphia, PA 19111
215.342.7660
 w
A 19111