Samantha Rose with her son.
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Single Parenting With Hope
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Samantha Rose faces a juggling act each day. She navigates the demands of two jobs, raising her son and maintaining her home, which at times can be overwhelming. But recently, she stepped out of her comfort zone and into a small group of women that empowered her to continue on her journey of motherhood with a renewed sense of hope.
Having also experienced the challenges of being a single parent for nearly thirty years, Gail Parker, Office Administrator and Single and Parenting support group leader at
Calvary Church of West Hartford
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knew the importance of providing support to women who are in similar situations.
“The life of a single parent is a challenging one,” she explained. “It’s a different walk we walk, but we are still parents of children that need to be provided for, nurtured, protected and brought up to know and love Jesus. That really makes us the same as every other parent; the difference is we do it alone.”
“I learned about the Single and Parenting group at my church, and at first it was a struggle for me because for all of my life I tried to not be labelled as such,” shared Rose. “So, there was a bit of hesitation to go, but once I went I came to the conclusion that being aware that someone is a single parent is not a call for sympathy, but it’s more for empowering them and encouraging them.”
“Their needs are different than those of the traditional family,” explained Parker.
The group touched on many topics especially relevant to single parents.
“One of the biggest things that I took away was instead of focusing on the discipline or the action of your child, to work on the heart,” said Rose. “Disciplining tends to be temporary. It gets resolution for maybe a day or two but then it is back to whatever it was before. But then also, working on the heart allows you to understand the heart. I ask myself, do I have too much of an expectation? Or, are my expectations not being communicated? By diving deeper, you can come to the realization that there is something more going on with your child.”
Rose also shared how the group helped with self-awareness and...
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It's Not Too Late to Join Us!
Online registration has closed (and hundreds have registered!), but if you still want to join us, on-site registration will be available at U-Nite between 6:00-7:00pm!
Date:
Friday, April 26, 2019
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UAServe: There's a Place for You!
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UAServe brings joy to hundreds of people each year! But, don't take it from us.
Hear from a handful of UAServe volunteers and host site leaders in
this short video
and see how there truly is a place for anyone who wants to volunteer through UAServe!
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Gathering and Training Recaps
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On April 8, 21 people from 14 churches and organizations gathered
at Urban Alliance for the Connecting People to Community Resources Training, which provided participants with tools and skills to develop and implement a strategy for effectively connecting people with resources and services based on their expressed needs. Attendees also left with a customized toolkit of printed materials. The training featured a presentation by a United Way representative, who provided information about how to utilize 2-1-1. The training covered nearly 50 resources, and many printed materials were provided in English and Spanish.
On March 28, 13 people from 12 churches gathered at Urban Alliance to learn about the toolkit of supplies and support provided through Urban Alliance's Revitalize initiative for churches to contribute to this year's Community Health Outreach Day.
Click below to view the 2019 Urban Alliance event calendar.
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Featured Program
Development Opportunities
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Your church or organization can develop stronger community programs
with Urban Alliance support through these opportunities:
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- Youth Scholarship to YX Movement Retreat: UA provides grant funding to help programs subsidize registration costs for youth in need of financial assistance to participate in YX Movement's annual retreat.
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Who Knew a Good Deed Could Taste So Delicious?
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Join us for Get Stuffed for Good!
Date:
Monday, August 12, 2019
Time:
4:00pm - close
Location:
Blue Plate Kitchen,
345 North Main Street
West Hartford, CT 06117
Join us for a patio party or dine inside during Get Stuffed for Good and Blue Plate Kitchen will automatically (and generously!) donate 20% of your bill to Urban Alliance, to help people in our local community experience hope, get the help they seek and achieve positive transformation in their lives.
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Running the Distance to Make a Difference
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Garry Roman wasn't always a marathon runner.
"In fact, the only reason I ran the local Thanksgiving 5K was because my pastor and friend had open heart surgery and couldn't run," he explained. "He'd already registered, so he asked me to run for him and I said yes without hesitation. The next thing I knew, I was at the start line of a race that I was not prepared for."
Now, over 10 years later, Roman is running his first full marathon to raise money for people to have help and hope for a positive future.
Will you make a donation to help make that possible? 100% of your donation will go straight to Urban Alliance.
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UAServe Volunteers:
We Want to Hear From You!
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Did you volunteer in 2018?
If so, we want to know what you thought of your volunteer experience!
This quick survey
will only take a few minutes but will have a huge impact on how we can best provide a great volunteer experience for you, other volunteers and volunteer host sites.
Thank you again for your generous contributions of time and energy.
Average completion time: 5 minutes
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The Joy of Serving as a Family!
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Patricia Maas, pictured above, volunteers as a community meal assistant and inspired her parents to also become UAServe volunteers.
"We have quite enjoyed [volunteering]! We’ve met so many nice people and we have enjoyed what we’ve done there thus far. Our daughter is so happy that we’ve joined her in her volunteer work and it has been a very good experience for us all. Thank you so much for the opportunity!"
- Veronica Maas
Click below to learn more about volunteering as a community meal assistant.
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