CORA CONNECTION
April 2018
Happy Spring!

 

In March, the CORA community celebrated our families and promoted the importance of early literacy at Seussville. Thanks very much to all of the staff, volunteers and sponsors that made this wonderful day possible. My family and I enjoyed participating in the activities and getting to know many of our clients outside of our usual services. This was the first of many community engagement events hosted by CORA in 2018. As you'll see in this newsletter, there's plenty of ways to connect with CORA, so I encourage you to choose one, and partner with us. 


 

The 10th Annual CORA for KIDS Golf Classic will be held on Monday, June 25, and the early bird discount expires tomorrow so get your registration in or share with a friend or colleague who might be interested.

 

Another way you can help advance CORA's mission is by completing and sharing our Community Needs Survey which will help us shape our future services. For the next three months, CORA will be circulating an assessment to learn the strengths and concerns of the communities in the Greater Northeast Philadelphia area.  Your participation is requested if you live or work in the Northeast. Complete the survey here. Complete the survey here.
I look forward to seeing you soon - CORA's doors are always open. Thank you for all you do to support our work in the community!

 

AnnMarie Schultz, CEO, CORA Services
April 15-21 is  NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK! 
 
CORA greatly appreciates the impact our volunteers, internal and external, have on the succcess and reach of our agency. We value and celebrate those who go above and beyond to help us tackle tough challenges and build stronger, more vibrant schools, neighborhoods and communities. Agency volunteers are invited to attend a dessert reception at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, April 16, as a thank you for their dedicated service.


Click here to see more photos. 

Congratulations  to CORA's Art and Essay Contest Winners!

The more that you read, the more that you'll know, the more that you learn, the more places you'll go.

Reading and writing go hand in hand. To be a good writer, you have to be a good reader.

Writing builds important thinking skills such as how to organize, sequence, and express ideas in a way that makes sense. CORA serves nearly 20,000 children and families each year. One area CORA is known for is providing educators in schools, specializing in academic enrichment in math and reading. 

In celebration of Dr. Seuss's March 2nd birthday, and to exhibit the creative work of our students, as well as the positive, transformative impact of CORA's staff in the local schools, CORA initiated an Elementary School Art contest and a Middle School Essay contest. 
 

 
Teen Dating and Violence Prevention
Empowering Youth with Knowledge

Approximately one in five high school girls has been physically abused by a dating partner. 

Nearly 80% of girls who have been victims of physical abuse in their dating relationships continue to date their abusers. 

Teen dating violence statistics are on the rise at a startling rate. Technology has drastically changed the way students find and interact with love interests. In 2013, the Urban Institute Justice Policy Center released a study stating that 26% of teens in a romantic relationship said their partners had digitally abused them during the previous year, using social media, email and/or text messages. In addition to providing resources for teen and young adult pregnancy and parenting, CORA's Lifeline program offers an evidence based program aimed at preventing teen dating violence. This service is free of charge and can be tailored for youth as young as middle school, as well as adjusted to meet the needs of a variety of different audiences. Roxanne Green, MPH, uses a curriculum designed to help youth understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. Roxanne facilitates a weekly workshop to educate teens and school administrators about the warning signs of abuse and ways to avoid abusive situations.

"Being a good friend requires you to listen, not gossip about the situation," says Roxanne. "Teens should feel safe telling their story and need to know that someone believes them. A true friend will reassure them, help them make their own decisions, and help them create a safety plan."


Contact Roxanne Green at rgreen@coraservices.org to learn more about Lifeline Services for teen and young adult parents. 
2018 Classroom Champion Award  

CORA's annual Champions for Children Celebration benefits CORA Services and honors extraordinary individuals and organizations, dedicated to enriching the lives of children and families in the Philadelphia region. Each year one high school student, who has overcome adversity and made significant academic achievements, is acknowledged for their success, asked to speak at the event, and awarded a $1,000 scholarship. 
Nominate CORA's next Classroom Champion today!

Social Media 101


Community Conversation Series

"It is our job as parents to protect and educate our children. We don't hand our children car keys and tell them to hit the road, we teach them how to drive safely. We must also teach our children how to use today's technology safely." - Anthony Luker

On March 14th, CORA hosted another informative and very interesting evening of conversation with the community. Anthony Luker, E ducation & Outreach Specialist for the  Office of Public Engagement of the  Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, presented to parents and counselors about the dangers and legalities of online activity in today's world. This free presentation helped to educate parents about cyberbullying, controversial new phone apps, and the many ways predators are able to communicate with our youngsters. A panel of past and present CORA Peer Helpers and other local students, from Father Judge, Archbishop Wood and St. Matthew's School, led by CORA Counselor Mary Anne Donnelly, fielded questions from the audience. The students spoke very honestly about their online use and experiences, and their attraction to snapchat and other applications less common among adults. It was an eye opening conversation for many parents in the room. 

One parent expressed how suprised she was to hear about certain apps the teenagers were using. "I learned how to check my daughter's phone for something called a vault app that I wasn't aware existed. I asssumed, since the account is in my name, that I'd be able to view any anything she downloads and this is not the case.

 

Read more on this topic, including Tips to Fight Cyberbullies, in the Northeast Times.


CORA has hosted a number of difficult conversations lately. Our Community Conversation series are free seminars, open to anyone in the community, addressing issues that impact children and families. Recent discussion topics have included the opioid epidemic and cyberbullying. If you have a topic that you would like CORA to address, please email us at caring@coraservices.org

Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week!

  
April 23rd - 27th  

For more than 20 years, CORA has been providing quality afterschool programming for youth. 

Earlier this year, CORA was awarded a 21st Century Community Learning Grant to expand our out-of-school time services. With this support, CORA added a new program at Spruance Elementary and enhanced our services at Thurgood Marshall. CORA serves more than 200 children during the precious hours of 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m., when parents may still be at work and students need attention, homework help, and structure. 

CORA's OST and Summer programming, which was branded as YouthCOR in 2017, is known for addressing the unique needs of each child. Our caring staff provide support working parents, by providing not just homework help, but also engaging after school clubs such as scrabble, drama, dance and other STEAM activities.  School attendance rates have improved because students are excited to see CORA's staff afterschool. Our staff also host monthly family nights where the whole family can come out together and experience the fun of our YouthCOR. 

Currently, YOUTHCOR afterschool programming is available at: 
  • Loesche Elementary
  • Northwood Charter Elementary
  • Pollock Elementary
  • Spruance Elementary
  • Thurgood Marshall Elementary
  • George Washington High School
 

Upcoming Events - 2018 



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