Has the pandemic changed the need for charitable services in our community? Has it changed how you give or your plans for giving this holiday season? Please share your holiday season giving intentions in this 3-minute survey so we have a better understanding of trends in our community. |
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Teal Street Center Groundbreaking and Glory Hall Grand Opening |
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Left to right: Emil Mackey, Chair Elect UWSEAK; Senator Jessie Kiehl; Erin Walker-Tolles, UWSEAK Board; Warren Russell, Past Chair UWSEAK; Wayne Stevens, UWSEAK; Rep. Any Story |
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A new era of social service delivery in Southeast Alaska began with a Teal Street Campus Celebration on Tuesday Nov. 2, 2021. The celebration included groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Teal Street Center and the grand opening of The Glory Hall’s new facility.
The Teal Street campus is a growing nexus of nonprofit providers focused on collaboration, innovation and sustainability in the delivery of social services. Located on the corner of Teal and Alpine streets in the Mendenhall Valley, it is anchored by The Glory Hall and Teal Street Center with St. Vincent de Paul’s low-income senior and transitional housing units across the street and Juneau Youth Services and Tlingit & Haida Central Council’s Head Start program nearby.
“After many years of planning and thanks to the generosity and hard work of key donors and community partners we are very excited to invite the community to celebrate both the completion of The Glory Hall and the beginning of construction for Teal Street Center,” said Joan O’Keefe, Executive Director of United Human Services of SE Alaska. UHS is coordinating fundraising and construction of Teal Street Center, the new one-stop, multi-tenant, social services hub.
Groundbreaking for Teal Street Center was the beginning of Phase 2 of the 12,400 square foot building which includes the foundation, steel framing, exterior wrap and roofing. Phase 2 will run through spring 2022. The project is on track to open its doors in late 2022 with $4.3 million of the $6.5 total cost secured. The next phase of the capital campaign recently kicked off with a $50,000 matching grant from the Benito and Frances C. Gaguine Foundation.
The new Glory Hall shelter and soup kitchen opened in July of this year with 43 private sleeping spaces and 15 overflow spaces, a commercial kitchen, day room, office and meeting space, and an outdoor area. Garden plans are in the works.
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“The Glory Hall saved my life,” said one Glory Hall patron. “The new facility is amazing. I was able to sleep, make phone calls, and have clean clothes for job interviews. My stuff was safe. The staff were very kind once I got to know them.” |
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Juneau Community Foundation Awards Grant to Fund Social Services Hub |
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We wanted you to be one of the first to hear the exciting news. United Human Services of SE Alaska was awarded a $500,000 grant from Juneau Community Foundation, made possible by a $1 million gift from Norwegian Cruise Line!
"We are so grateful for this generous support," says UHS Executive Director Joan O'Keefe. "It couldn't come at a better time. This grant will go straight to work building a social service hub that will serve thousands each year."
According to Juneau Community Foundation Executive Director Amy Skilbred, “We have focused much of this one-time gift on construction projects like the Teal Street Center that will ensure our social service organizations are in a better position to assist the community coming out of the pandemic than going in to it." You can see the full list of JCF's grants from the NCL donation here and read today's story in the Juneau Empire for more information.
The JCF grant brings our secured funds to $4.3 million, nearly 70% of the $6.5 million we need to open our doors at Teal Street Center next fall. In the meantime, we're breaking ground next Tuesday, November 2nd with a short ceremony in coordination with The Glory Hall, who is celebrating their grand opening and offering tours of their new facility to attendees. We'd love for you to join us. If you RSVP by next Monday, November 1st, that will help with our planning.
Thank you for your continued interest and support for bringing a nonprofit hub to Juneau.
With gratitude,
Sara Chapell
Teal Street Center Campaign Coordinator
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Juneau AmeriCorps Spotlight: Trinity James |
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On March 15, 2020, thousands of Peace Corps volunteers were instructed to evacuate their host countries. Trinity James, who was an English teacher serving in Liberia, had two options: go back to her hometown in St. Louis, Missouri or accept a position with AmeriCorps and United Way of Southeast Alaska in Juneau.
After accepting the offer and packing up her belongings to go on another adventure, James was placed to serve at Gruening Park with the Alaska Housing Development Corporation. There, she focused on working with kids ages 4 to 13 to help with after-school homework support, organized family nights, and connected community members to tribal services.
"My favorite thing about my service site was the relationships I made with my kids," James said. "It has also been amazing to learn about Tlingit and Haida indigenous protectors of this land and the many gifts the land provides."
During the summer, James also helped coordinate a lunch and activities program for the children who live in the 94-unit apartment complex. She created enrichment activities and facilitated literacy-based projects.
Though she enjoyed her time at Gruening Park immensely, James was also able to take in Alaska's natural beauty over the course of the year. Hiking and sightseeing were her favorite things to do.
James' service year with AmeriCorps has ended and she might not know her next moves; however, one thing is certain: this small, damp capital is somewhere in her future.
"I haven't nailed down the next move exactly, but I'm leaning toward grad school or job hunting," James said. "I will definitely plan on returning to Juneau."
United Way of Southeast Alaska is looking for an AmeriCorps to fill this position. If you know of anyone, have them contact americorps@unitedwayseak.org
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It's our Annual Campaign Season: Help Your Community Come Together in a United Way!
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We are in the Annual Giving Campaign season for United Way. United Way of Southeast Alaska partners with 34 local agencies who operate across the Southeast region.
If you would like to start a workplace campaign with your employees, coworkers, and mailing lists and encourage them to participate get in touch with us! You and your company will be able to make a pledge through your workplace campaign that will help those in need in Southeast Alaska.
We will provide you with an email draft and digital pledge page specially designed for your company to make sharing easy. A printable pledge form can be found on our toolkit page for anyone that prefers the paper method.
We'll also provide you with materials including short videos explaining what United Way does and how any donated funds help our Southeast Alaskan communities. Some of our favorite included materials are this flyer and this video.
As an agency, we count on local assistance during this time of the year. With your help, United Way provides support to the community and to our partner nonprofits. Through your help and ability to share the great benefits of our organization, we can continue to support Southeast Alaska!
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Help Your Community Come Together in a UNITED WAY!
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Rain or Shine Learning All The Time |
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"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired"
- Terri, Age 4, Helping Little Kids Succeed
Did you know a child's academic success at age 9 or 10 can be attributed to the number of words and talk heard from zero to three? So keep talking, singing, and sharing your stories!
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See what's happening on our social sites: |
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