CONNECTING OUR COMMUNITY:
Building a Stronger Tompkins County Together
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Hopping into Spring 2021
We Celebrate National Garden Month
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As we celebrate, we want to recognize our funded partner Ithaca Children's Garden because a 3-acre public garden is a great way to connect children to nature in order to create a more beautiful, resilient, and just world.
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Ithaca Children's Garden (ICG) has been honoring the whole child and fostering environmental stewardship since 1999. They believe the best way to do that is to get more children outside, with hands-on sensory experiences, having fun in the natural world. ICG is a place where kids can be kids and adults can feel good about it! Each year ICG continues to expand the ways it meets the needs of the community while growing its regional and national impact.
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In addition to a safe-space for free play and exploration, ICG also provides structured programming which includes:
After School @ ICG- After School at ICG is full of the adventure play and nature immersion that your child deserves after a long day spent in school.
An afternoon of hands-on learning, nature, and play is just what your child needs to enhance their knowledge about the natural world and develop critical cognitive, social, and physical skills.
- For children K-5th grade.
- Flexible enrollment, payment plans & scholarships available.
- Monday – Friday following the ICSD calendar
- Space is limited.
Gaia Circle- Gaia Circle in the Garden is for middle school aged grrls of all kinds. In addition to encouraging curiosity, respect, and gratitude for the natural world around us, Gaia Circle encourages the same attitude of exploration, respect, and care as we learn about ourselves with each other. Gaia Circle is a FREE program for 6-8th graders. This program exists in partnership with the Advocacy Center, Ithaca Children’s Garden, and Rural Youth Services, with generous support from the City Federation of Women’s Organizations, Women Building Community.
Playful Nature Explorers- ICG’s intimate Playful Nature Explorers is for children ages 2.5-6. It is research-based, child-centered, and brings a world of discovery, learning, and joy to your child’s day and season through nature and play immersion. Following the rhythm of the seasons, our play-based curriculum allows the natural curiosity of young children to lead our explorations, experiments, and creative expressions.
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During this time of COVID-19, the garden is open! As always safety of their guests, staff and volunteers is ICG's top priority. They ask that all guest read their Know Before You Go: Guest Guidelines on their website before visiting. Read up, and prepare for an enchanting visit!
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As we celebrate, we want to recognize our funded partner Healthy Food For All (HFFA) at Cornell Cooperative Extension. Like our local gardens HHFA increases our region's capacity to sustainably grow healthy food.
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Since 2006, Healthy Food for All, in partnership with local farms, has been making fresh, quality produce accessible to low-income families through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares and educational resources. They believe that through cooperation, we are empowered as a community to build local food sovereignty where every member has reliable access to safe, nutritious, affordable and culturally appropriate food in sufficient quantity and quality to sustain a healthy life with human dignity.
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Healthy Food For All provides income eligible community members the option to purchase a weekly share of harvest from one of our participating farms at 50% off. These shares provide participants with a large quantity and variety of fresh organic produce to feed their families every week!
In addition, free Equity Shares are available to those who are income eligible, are unable to pay half-price AND identify as Indigenous, Black, people of color, including immigrants, refugees, and people in reentry.
HHFA is now enrolling community members in their 2021 CSAs. Eligible community members can enroll today by visiting healthyfoodforall.org/enroll. After enrolling members will also have the opportunity to join free cooking classes focused on preparing seasonal food, workshops on food preservation, gardening and home composting, and special events.
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Healthy Food For All is pleased to be a founding partner of the Produce Prescription Program in Tompkins County. The program empowers participants to make behavioral changes that support healthy living and alleviate pain and healthcare costs. After joining remote learning classes and discussions, participants receive CSA shares from Healthy Food For All farms, continue to attend virtual cooking classes focused on eating a variety of seasonal produce, and communicate with cooking and nutrition coaches.
Eligible participants are referred to the program by healthcare partners to treat diet-related illnesses including diabetes, pre-diabetes and hypertension.
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And we celebrate
Stress Awareness Month...
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As we celebrate, we want to recognize our funded partner Community Dispute Resolution Center because conflict is an everyday part of life, that can sometimes cause incredible amounts of stress. Community Dispute Resolution Center provides services that help to ease and limit those stressful situations by nurturing constructive responses to conflict.
Community Dispute Resolution Center (CDRC) serves the residents of Tompkins County by offering the following services:
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Mediation Services to help with any difficult conversation that needs to be had. These services help clients to improve communication, increase understanding, define next steps, and resolve a specific problem or conflict. These services can help clients avoid or minimize their involvement in the judicial system and decrease the length of stressful conversations that don't lead to a solution.
Group Facilitation Services to help groups and teams have difficult conversations in an open, transparent, inclusive, and collaborative environment.
Trainings and Workshops to support effective communication throughout the community. CDRC trainers and facilitators understand that conflict is not only a stressful crisis in human interaction, but also an opportunity for personal empowerment, growth, and to strengthen ongoing relationships. CDRC offers trainings on the following topics:
- Advocacy: Redefining the Helpers Role
- Communication & Conflict Management
- Facilitation
- Mediation
Conflict Coaching Services to provide one-on-on support for individuals experiencing conflict at home, in the workplace, at school, or in the community. In these sessions a certified coach trained in conflict helps clients to gain fresh perspectives, plan next steps, and develop the skills to move forward.
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During this time of COVID-19, CDRC continues to serve the residents of Tompkins County remotely. To learn more about remote services email cdrc@cdrc.org or call 607.273.9347 .
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For more information about Community Dispute Resolution Center visit www.cdrc.org.
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As we celebrate, we want to recognize our funded partner Ithaca Health Alliance because by improving and maintaining our physical health we are better equipped to handle stressful situations when they arise.
Ithaca Health Alliance's mission is to facilitate access to health care for all, with a focus on the needs of the uninsured and underinsured. Since their founding in 1997, they have created 3 primary programs to provide 100% free medical and holistic services for people with no health insurance or who cannot afford holistic care. They offer financial assistance for those who qualify, and promote greater health literacy, prevention, and self-care through events and resources.
Ithaca Health Alliance offers the following services to the community:
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Walk-In Clinic- Individuals who are uninsured, underinsured, and not experiencing a medical emergency are eligible to be seen by medical staff and volunteers at the Ithaca Free Clinic.
During this time of COVID-19, Ithaca Free Clinic's walk-in services are not available. The clinic is seeing existing and new patients by appointment only. Please call 607-330-1254 to schedule.
Holistic Services- Holistic services include alternative therapies which compliment western medicine such as message, reiki, nutritional counseling, occupational therapy and chiropractic. Appointments may be scheduled Monday–Thursday depending on provider availability.
Chronic Care Program- The Chronic Care Program serves uninsured and underinsured people from Ithaca and the surrounding area with chronic conditions such as Diabetes, Heart disease, COPD, Anxiety, Depression, Asthma, Lyme disease, difficulties with weight loss, or any other chronic condition.
Ithaca Health Fund- The Ithaca Health Fund is a discretionary grant program that helps those in need with the costs of emergency medical or dental expenses and supports health and wellness efforts by our community partners.
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For more information visit about the Ithaca Health Alliance visit ithacahealth.org
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WE ARE GRFUL FOR THE HARD WORK AND COMPASSION OF ALL OF OUR FUNDED PARTNERS! |
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Learn more about our additional Funder Partner Agencies in our future
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Corporate Cornerstone Partners (CCPs) provide the infrastructure upon which UWTC works and serves. This generous and committed group of individuals and employers join together and underwrite UWTC’s administrative costs so that 100% of all other donations can be used for needed programs and services.
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Since 1978, Cayuga Landscape Company (CLC) has been a leader in creating stellar and sustainable landscapes in Tompkins County. For a sense of what CLC can do for you and your home, take some time to navigate their website. They have one of the most complete garden centers in the Finger Lakes area, complete with a full staff of landscapers eager to design your outdoor space, and qualified horticulturists ready to answer your questions about plants. They are also proud to be UWTC Corporate Cornerstone Partners.
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Begin a Legal Relationship that Starts with You! While Coughlin & Gerhart, LLP and its predecessors have guided clients since the 1890s, they are not an old “traditional” law firm. They take extraordinary time and effort to get to know their clients, both individual business clients. They firmly believe that if they don’t understand you or appreciate your challenges, then they can never really meet your expectations. Let their skilled lawyers counsel you and apply their expertise to your unique and challenging legal issues. Coughlin & Gerhart, LLP are proud to be a Corporate Cornerstone Partner and a sponsor of UWTC's upcoming Virtual Escape Room Experience.
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Buying a home should be an exciting adventure! Let an experienced, knowledgeable buyer's agent guide you through all the choices presented in this current market. Greenstreet Real Estate was founded in response to consumer demand for representation and advocacy in the home buying process. They are the area's first "single agency buyer's broker," offering undivided loyalty to home buyers. They don't list homes but, as members of the Ithaca Board of REALTORS® multiple listing service, they have access to hundreds of properties. Greenstreet Real Estate offers unbiased advice to buyers and encourages them to explore all appropriate options, and they are proud to be a Corporate Cornerstone Partner.
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Visions Federal Credit Union |
Whether it’s finding a mortgage, saving up for a new car, or just preparing for retirement,
Visions realizes that life is unscripted, and they will be there for you when you need them most. Visions Federal Credit Union is proud of their 50+ years history and to be UWTC Corporate Cornerstone Partners.
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THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR CORPORATE CORNERSTONE PARTERS!
Learn more about our additional Corporate Cornerstone Partners in our future UWTC Spotlight newsletters or by visiting uwtc.org/ccp.
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You may receive additional information on charitable organizations from the NY Office of the Attorney General on their website www.charitiesnys.com or by calling (212) 416-8401. You may also receive UWTC’s last financial report by going to www.uwtc.org/public-reporting.
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