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| Agency Mission and CAP Promise |
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The agency's mission is to provide services that improve the quality of life and promote self-sufficiency.
CAP Promise: Community Action changes people's lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.
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| Contact Information |
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Rivers Edge Campus
(Headquarters)
110 Cohansey Street
Bridgeton, NJ
08302
(856) 451-6330
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The name Gateway Community Action Partnership reflects our expanded coverage area, but more importantly, it signifies what we are all about. We are a gateway to success for individuals and families in our community and we achieve those results through actions done in partnership within that very community we serve. So please take a minute to read our newsletter and learn more about our successes and struggles as we serve a Gateway to Community Action in Partnership with others for everyone's benefit!
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Gateway Assists Federal Workers Affected By Shutdown
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Marcus Weaver, Gateway's Director of Agriculture and Food Initiatives, and staff member Perry Valentine (above). Christina Teel, a Customer Outreach Program Specialist with South Jersey Gas (lower left).
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Gateway Community Action Partnership Gleaning and Food Recovery Program staff were available to distribute food packages to federal workers on January 30 at Gateway's 65 Manheim Ave., Bridgeton location. Although the government shutdown has ended for now, federal workers are still trying to rebound from going weeks without a paycheck.
South Jersey Gas Customer Outreach Program Specialist Christina Teel was also on hand to assist families with any energy needs. The agency requests impacted workers to provide their federal photo ID to receive food distribution.
"This is an unfortunate situation that negatively impacts so many federal workers who provide essential services. Not having those services, and those employees not being paid and therefore unable to support their families, is very difficult for them to endure and for us to comprehend," Albert B. Kelly, CCAP, President & CEO of Gateway, said.
Kelly noted that Gateway will continue to offer services as needed to those most vulnerable in our community, and as a member of the National Community Action Partnership, will assist as needed, to promote awareness of the shutdown's negative effects.
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Family Success Centers Help Federal Employees With Brother-Sister Keeper Project
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The Success Centers of Gateway Community Action Partnership are sponsoring the "Brother-Sister Keeper Project" to help our colleagues working at Federal Correctional Institution, Fairton (FCI). As you know, they are federal employees affected financially by the shutdown of the government. We are well aware of the employees of FCI will be receiving a paycheck now that the shutdown is over, but they are still faced with many uncertainties as they rebound from the shutdown. They are experiencing some everyday hardships and not able to provide some of the basic essential needs of the household. This project will provide the community an opportunity to help our brothers and sisters to alleviate some pressure of "making it" from day to day. Let us come together to help in this time of need as they continue to maintain their employment, household and public safety.
At this time, we are requesting donations of household items and toiletries for the employees of FCI. Donations such as laundry detergent, toothpaste, toilet paper, deodorant, feminine products, diapers, paper towels, soap, etc.; to give you some ideas of basic items that would be acceptable. Additionally, many of the employees have children and I am sure they would appreciate some snacks. It is my understanding they have a pantry on site and the employees are able to get what they need, if available. Join in to help out!
To donate, there will be donation boxes around the county to contribute. Locations of the boxes are on the flyer accompanying this letter. You can also place a box at your place of employment, church or favorite store to collect items. Upon filling the box and identifying your group, you may contact us at Greater Bridgeton Family Success Center: 856-451-1444; Holly City Family Success Center: 856-327-1510; Salem Family Success Center: 856-935-0944 for pick-up and delivery. If you need more information, please contact Carole Green at 856-392-5042.
Sincerely,
Carole D. Green,
Director Family and Youth Services
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Gateway Staff Spotlight: Aracelis Rodriguez
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Name: Aracelis Rodriguez
Position: WIC Clerk.
How long at Gateway
: 3 years in April.
Recent accomplishment:
I got picked for an internal audit team.
Tell us something about yourself that might surprise your co-workers: I'm 56 years old and I have 15 grandkids and 10 great grandkids.
Hopes, Dreams, Ambitions: I hope to continue to work at WIC. My dream is to get my dream house. My ambition is to help as many people as possible.
What they are saying about Aracelis:
"Aracelis is more than just a clerk here in Atlantic County - she is our go-to and right hand for mostly everything. If you have a question on where something is, she is the right person to ask. She takes pride in being a hard worker and is always there to lend a helping hand when someone needs it. She goes above and beyond for the participants, whether they are in need of assistance or a child needs to be calmed, she is there to help.
She also loves to take care of her fellow co-workers and make sure each individual feels special. She never forgets a birthday celebration and always makes everyone feel welcomed, old or new. She really cares about having a happy work environment and making sure our office is always in the season's spirit. She is the definition of selfless and is the heart of Atlantic County WIC. We are so happy to have her as a part of our team."-
Kaitlin & Makayla
"Aracelis has a wonderful rapport with participants and goes above and beyond to service them. She was a tremendous help with the move from Pleasantville to Galloway and never complained. I appreciate all she does and happy to have her here in Atlantic County."- Alyssa
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Salem Family Success Center Families Have Great Time With Happy Feet
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Families at the Salem Family Success Center had a great time at the center's Family Craft & Movie Night featuring the film "Happy Feet." Families joined the staff in creating penguins out of construction paper and marshmallows, along with the Happy Feet penguin coloring pages. Everyone who participated in the activity received some educational facts about penguins. The Salem Family Success Center also provided our families with light refreshments. This event was a teachable moment and a success!
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Twin Rivers Head Start Center Provides Children With Educational And Fun Activities
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Twin Rivers Head Start children have been having a fun and educational time learning about clothing. They have been doing art work about colors, textures and different types of clothes. They practiced sewing and lacing.
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Gateway Head Start Staff Helps Family After House Fire On Christmas Day
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When a Head Start family suffered from a house fire on Christmas Day, and lost all of their belongings, Head Start staff quickly mobilized to collect clothing, coats, new toys, school supplies and other items for the family.
It is because of dedicated staff like these that the agency is able to uphold its mission to improve the quality of lives of the children and families we serve. Above, staff from the Child Care Partnerships West Head Start collaborations office are pictured. They are, from left: Lizzeth Mondragon, Jeanette Cruz, Vanessa Cubi and Mary Platt. Also, thank you to the following staff for helping to make this happen through donations: Ashley Warner, Jenise Graves, Antoinette Byers, Shekiya Wright, Vanessa Cubi, Shrutti Thakkar, and Fran Repice. Your kindness and thoughtfulness are greatly appreciated. Great job, Gateway Head Start!
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College Tour 2019 Will Visit Eight Colleges; Starts On April 22
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Gateway Holds Fatherhood Breakfast In Atlantic City In January
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Gateway's Male Initiative Program staged another great event in January with a Fatherhood Breakfast at the Gateway Head Start Early Education Center in Atlantic City. Fathers from Atlantic County attended the event. The Speaker for the event was Stockton University's Dr. Pedro Santana, Assistant Vice President,
Division Administration and Strategic Initiatives. Dr. Santana presented on Fatherhood and Communication. Gateway Executive Vice President and COO Ed Bethea attended. Additionally, Gateway Board of Directors representative Bert Lopez was present. Also attending: Atlantic County District 2 New Jersey Legislature Assemblyman Vincent Mazzeo and Assemblyman John Armato; Atlantic City Kaleem Shabazz, Councilman, 3rd Ward; and William Marsh Councilman, 4th Ward; Atlantic City Fire Marshall Captain Lionel Fonville and Kevin Friday.
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Gateway Scholars Program Accepting Applications
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Eggenburg, Gateway VP, Reads Her "A School By The Sea" To Children In Galloway
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Bonnie Eggenburg, Gateway's Vice Present of Head Start and Early Head Start, was the honored guest at Children's Academy in Galloway. The Academy, one of our Collaboration Centers, hosted a Coffee Cafe in Eggenburg's honor, saluting her on the contribution of her book, "A School by the Sea'' about the Gateway Head Start Early Education Center in Atlantic City. Eggenburg read her book to the 75 in attendance, along with two other additional books, and clapped and sang songs with all the children in the school. The school purchased books for each classroom, and Eggenburg signed all the books for the school and parents.
Jessica Fischer is the Site Director and Rebecca Lichtenthial, Assistant Director. Owners are Elizabeth and Femi Palmer. Staff in attendance: Ciara Haynes, Director of Program Services; Veronica Adepeju, Family Partnership Coordinator; Brenda Malave, Educational Outreach Worker; and Tauheedah Abdullah, Atlantic County Health Coordinator. Special thanks to Gene Vernacchio in Gateway's Planning Department for assisting us with graphics and photos of the flyer. Additional photos were taken by Rebecca of Children Academy.
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Gateway Offering Sponsorship Opportunities For Gateway Golf Classic And Gala
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The Gateway Golf Classic will be held on May 15 at Seaview Hotel & Golf Club and the Gateway Gala will be held on November 7 in Atlantic City. Please click on the link below for more information on how sponsors can participate in both events.
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Hamilton 1 Head Start: MLK Day Of Service, Building Study, Life-Size Me
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Students from the Lawrenceville School volunteered at Gateway's Hamilton 1 Head Start Center on January 16 for MLK Day of Service.
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Hamilton 1 Head Start Center children studied buildings: foundation, walls, windows, electrical, plumbing, etc. To make it a fun experience the teachers involved the parents by sending a project on building to be completed at home. They created their own house by utilizing recycled cereal boxes or any cardboard box. The children and their parents worked together on creating a plan for the house, added details, and utilized a variety of materials which made the process a successful hands on project.
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Children and families at Hamilton 1 Head Start had a great time with the "Life-Size Me" project in creating life-size self portraits. Each child was traced on a large piece of paper. The children looked in a mirror and drew their faces and decorated their bodies with fabric. They talked about their difference muscles and bones and how to stay fit. When done, their artwork was put on display in the center.
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Ocean City Police Department Help Make Holidays Brighter For Head Start Families
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Many thanks from Gateway to the Ocean City Police Department. The OCPD donated gifts to Ocean City Head Start during the holiday season. Colby Meloy and Mike Gray, from the Ocean City Police Department, distributed the gifts and spent time with the children.
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Salem FSC Partners With Sorority On Community Feeding Event
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The Salem Family Success Center partnered with the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority to host a community feeding on January 26. Residents of the community enjoyed a satisfying lunch and dessert. The SFSC looks forward to future ventures with the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority!
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Bethea, Messina With Flyers Hall of Famer Propp At Event Sponsored By TD Bank
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Ed Bethea (center), Gateway's Executive VP and COO, is with former Philadelphia Flyers Brian Propp (left), a member of the Flyers Hall of Fame. Frank Messina, of AllRisk and the Chairman of the Gateway Gala, is also present at an event for the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey sponsored by TD Bank.
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A Warm Welcome To Gateway Community Action Partnership's Newest Employees
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Welcome To Gateway CAP's New Hires!
Gary Forman, Next Generation Leader
Vanessa Cubi, Head Start
Nury Garcia, Head Start
Rigoberto Silva Mendez, Next Generation Leader
Tyechia Showers, Head Start
Zobaria Ansari, Head Start
Jazmen Gonzalez, Head Start
Heba Loul, Head Start
Rasha Atnawy, Head Start
Mavis Otchere, Head Start
Salik Lateefah, Head Start
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Support Gateway CAP By Shopping At AmazonSmile
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| You can support Gateway's mission "to provide services that improve the quality of life and promote self-sufficiency" while shopping at Amazon's "AmazonSmile" during this holiday season or any time of year. Please click on the link below the next time you shop. More information about the program follows the link. Thank you. Click Here To Donate To Gateway Through AmazonSmile!
What is AmazonSmile?
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Gateway Community Action Partnership every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at
smile.amazon.com, you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to Gateway.
How do I shop at AmazonSmile?
To shop at AmazonSmile simply click on the link above or go to
smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a bookmark to
smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile.
Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible for charitable donations?
Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked "Eligible for AmazonSmile donation" on their product detail pages. Recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible.
Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile?
Yes, you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same.
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A
round Gateway Community Action Partnership ... News and Notes
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Internet Essentials
, a program offered by Comcast, gives income-eligible families access to the Internet for $9.95 a month with no activation fee, equipment fees or price increases. Having the Internet enables children to do homework, type reports or do research and enables the parents to e-mail teachers as well as look for jobs, pay bills or find doctors.
Gateway Community Action Partnership is working with Comcast to inform families of the program. Internet Essentials is available to households that have children eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program or if they receive HUD housing assistance. They must reside in a Comcast service area and must not have subscribed to Comcast Internet in the last 90 days or have overdue Comcast bills. Also, low-cost computers are being offered for $149.99 and free training is accessible if needed. To get more information or to sign up, visit www.internetessentials.com or call 1-855-846-8376. ... Gateway operates the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants & Children (WIC) in Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic and Salem counties. The program provides supplemental foods, nutrition education, lactation support, immunization education and health care referrals to income-eligible pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children up to age 5. Gateway WIC serves more than 23,000 clients annually through flexible hours through its eight (8) offices and a full-service, health screening mobile office. WIC is an equal opportunity program. If you believe you have been discriminated against because of race, color, national origin, age, sex or handicap, write immediately to: USDA, Director-Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC, 20250 - 9410. For additional information on the Gateway WIC program or nearest office location and hours of operation, call the Gateway WIC program at 856-451-5600 or 856-225-5050. ... Gateway's Head Start program is once again sponsoring the Child Care Food Program. This program is designed to provide meals to children receiving services in Head Start centers located throughout Atlantic, Cape May, Mercer, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties. Meals are available at no separate charge to all children 12 and under enrolled in the Child Care Food Program and are served without regard to race, color, national origin, disability, age or sex.
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Sincerely,
Michael Cudemo
Gateway Community Action Partnership
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