October 2015
In This Newsletter
National Lead Week
Two Generation B.L.I.N.G. Awards
Entrepreneurship Member Nite
New Grants
Participant Spotlight

UPCOMING EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS
Wed. Oct. 21 - Healthy Relationships Workshop; 6pm

Thurs. Oct. 22 - TCWFI Friendraiser; 6:30pm

Mon. Oct. 26  - TCWFI GED Class Begins; 8am

Tues. Oct. 27 - TCWFI Orientation; 8am

Mon. Oct. 26 - National LEAD Week Begins

Sat. Oct. 31 - Halloween Health Fair; 10am

Sat. Nov. 7 - Homebuyers Education Course; 8a m

Tues. Nov. 10 -  TCWFI Orientation; 8am

Tues. Nov. 24 - TCWFI Orientation; 8am

Thurs. Dec. 3 - Member Nite; 6pm

Sat. Dec. 5 - Homebuyers Education Course; 8am
 
Join us at a
Fall  Friendraiser
Thursday, October 22nd, 2015
6:30m-8:00pm
At the home of 
Talley Wells, Jr. (TCWFI Board Chair)

Come learn about our mission, vision and impact in Atlanta's NPU-V neighborhoods (south of downtown surrounding Turner Field) and how you can play a role in making a difference for families. Every day we open our doors to families and individuals looking to change the trajectory of their lives, providing the training, coaching and access to resources needed to help them realize self-sufficiency. To R SVP, email afoster@tcwfi.org
 
Oct. 31: HALLOWEEN HEALTH FAIR
In conclusion of National Lead Week, on October 31st TCWFI and the City of Atlanta will host a Halloween Health Fair. Guests can expect blood pressure tests, mammograms, and other health screenings. Additionally, kids will have the opportunity to get ahead at collecting candy during the Halloween holiday; as well as enjoy face painting, music and entertainment. Guests are encouraged to come dressed in your best Halloween costume! RSVP is not required to attend this event.

For more info, call 404-223-3303.

Click here to download the flyer.


POVERTY SUMMIT 2015
The 2015 Poverty Summit was amazing! The three-day summit was hosted here in Atlanta, GA Sept. 16-18, 2015. Highlights from the summit included remarks from keynote speaker, Donna Beegle. Attendees also had the opportunity to attend panel discussions and workshops intended to build a deeper understanding of poverty and developing lasting solutions. TCWFI and The Annie E. Casey Foundation teamed up to present a study entitled Race, Place and PovertySee the full list of panels here.
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Dear Reader, 

Exciting things are happening at TCWFI everyday and we want you to be in the know! In this review, you will learn about TCWFI's recent awards, events, partnerships, and other news. Read on and enjoy!   
TCWFI Celebrates National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week
TCWFI logo    
  
During the week of October 26 - 31 TCWFI, in partnership with the City of Atlanta will celebrate National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. Through events and activities, the partners hope to promote lead awareness and other healthy tips. The Lead Safe Atlanta program is a three year commitment funded by HUD to keeping families in Atlanta safe by removing lead from homes built pre-1978. Lead exposure can be harmful to young children, triggering health problems such as asthma. Details about Lead Week activities are below:

Monday, October 26th - Proclamation Ceremony celebrating National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week
Hosted at: The Center for Working Families, Inc. | 10:00am
Download the Proclamation Ceremony invite  here.

Thursday, October 29th and Friday, October 30th - Lead Safe Atlanta Exhibit
Hosted at: City of Atlanta's Atrium | All day

Saturday, October 31st - Halloween Health Fair
Hosted at: The Dunbar Neighborhood Center Gymnasium | 10:00am - 2:00pm
Download the Halloween Health Fair flyer here.
Breathing Life Into the Next Generation (B.L.I.N.G.) Award Ceremony

 
The Center and its Two Generation (2G) partner, Sheltering Arms Educare Atlanta hosted the first annual Breathing Life into the Next Generation (B.L.I.N.G) award ceremony and dinner honoring 2G families for outstanding accomplishments. Ten participants received awards for milestones including building savings, reducing debt, job retention, career advancement, overall family stability and advancing children's school readiness. 
 
 
The 2G program is an innovative approach that provides a holistic approach to family engagement across a broad spectrum of services designed to promote family success. The program's slogan B.L.I.N.G., meaning Breathing Life into the Next Generation represents the programs' mission to equip families for generational success. 
Entrepreneurship Member Nite with Zaxby's Franchisee, Marcus Norman

Marcus Norman purchasing TCWFI Entrepreneur, Omar Rashad's book, Going Back to Cali
September's Member Nite was dedicated to entrepreneurship awareness, exposure and support. We had the privilege of having Zaxby's Franchisee, Marcus Norman serve as our guest speaker. Mr. Norman shared with entrepreneur hopefuls and graduates from our Moving to Entrepreneurship program his personal and professional experience in navigating entrepreneurship, beginning at the register! Norman also offered the tips that lead him to becoming the esteemed owner of five Zaxbys in the Atlanta area. 

Member Nite provided an opportunity for a few of our entrepreneurs like Omar Rashad (pictured to the right) to sell their products and promote their businesses.  We also celebrated participants' graduation from our Job Readiness program, before enjoying dinner generously provided by Zaxbys.

You can support Omar Rashad by purchasing his book here. 
Our Village Keeps Growing...
 
Take a look at a few recent grants and other supports to our mission. For information on ways you can support the Center, visit our website or contact Anita Foster at afoster@tcwfi.org.
 
U.S. Department of Justice awards the Center the Bryne Memorial Grant

The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded The Center for Working Families and a coalition of partners a $155,522 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. The 18 month planning grant will support the newly formed Coalition for the Revitalization of Peoplestown, a project designed to develop a crime mitigation strategy to benefit the Peoplestown neighborhood in NPU-V.  
 
Coalition partners include: 
  • American Friends Service Committee
  • Atlanta Police Department
  • Atlanta Restorative Justice Center
  • A Trip to Remember 
  • Keith Wood, Ph.D.
  • Mason West Group
  • One Step Counseling Center
  • Peoplestown Revitalization Corporation
  • The Annie E. Casey Foundation
  • The Art of Community 
  • The Study Hall
Waffle House Foundation

T CWFI was recently awarded a $20,000 grant from the Waffle House Foundation to support the Job Readiness program and Training Lab; providing a physical uplift to the room and related staff training.
 
 
Atlanta Braves Foundation

T CWFI was recently awarded a $2,500 grant from the Atlanta Braves Foundation. Funds will support the Family Economic Success program. Thank you, Atlanta Braves!

 
Summerhill Mechanicsville Peoplestown Community Fund

This month, TCWFI was gifted with a $14,000 grant from the S.M.P. Community Fund, Inc., a fund restricted to support organizations providing services to residents within the Summerhill, Mechanicsville and Peoplestown neighborhoods. The grant will support 28 residents' enrollment in the Center's four week Job Readiness training program.
48in48

Sponsored by over 30 companies including Delta Airlines, BKV, IBM and Mailchimp, 48in48 brought talented web designers and architects together for one mission: to redesign 48 of Atlanta's nonprofits' websites in 48 hours! We are excited about our new website and look forward to its release in early 2016. 

To learn more about 48in48, visit here
Participant Spotlight: Sharon Anderson

Sharon Anderson came to the Center challenged with finding confidence in her professional identity. Sharon worked several low-wage jobs before deciding her current opportunities were not enough--she needed more. After attending new participant orientation in September of 2014, Sharon soon was matched with a TCWFI Pathway Coach and enrolled in our Career Advancement track allowing her to develop a Progression Plan in partnership and guided by her Coach, Rosendo Corpus. In her Progression Plan, Sharon set three goals: 1) enroll in a teaching training program, 2) apply for paraprofessional positions, and 3) after accepting her new job, start saving $50 bi-weekly. 

Focused and determined, Sharon and Rosendo tagged team to seek suitable teaching opportunities. The two would later enrolled Sharon in a local leadership institute program that provided preliminary credits toward her paraprofessional certification. Sharon is now employed as a paraprofessional at Fedwood Elementary where her daughter attends school. As Sharon reflects on her progression, she is happy about earning a better income, being able to be close to her daughter during the school day and beginning what she believes is the start of a lifelong career. Sharon credits her success to her TCWFI Pathway Coach, "Rosendo gave me a lot of resources. I thought there was only one way but he gave me alternatives and supported me through. He pushed me to make real decisions and followed up with me." Moving forward, Sharon will participate in the Georgia Teaching Alternative Program (TAP) where she will receive her teaching certification and work toward becoming a full-time teacher. In the meantime, Sharon is building her savings. Pathway Coach Rosendo will continue to support her as she works to meet her financial goals.

To see more participant success stories, visit our Facebook page