Our Fall Newsletter is Out! | | |
Our latest print newsletter should have arrived in your mailbox, and you can read it through the link below! This issue is full of updates from across Gemma, including info about our new Rapid Service Response program, new Martin Luther School - Whitemarsh campus, recently launched autism-centered school, and much more!
Click here for the Fall newsletter!
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Our Mission in Action:
A few recent examples of Gemma's mission in action throughout our organization!
| | Parent Café in Philadelphia | | |
Our Family Support Program recently hosted a Parent Café at our Preheim Center location in Southwest Philadelphia, and it was a great success!
A group of parents and caregivers gathered for an afternoon of camaraderie and support. They shared parenting experiences and challenges with one another, offered encouragement, and celebrated each other's successes.
To learn more about the Family Support Program and all the ways Gemma accompanies families through life's challenges, please click here.
| | New School Year Starts at MLS | | |
It has been an exciting start to the school year at our growing Martin Luther School!
Martin Luther School–Whitemarsh opened the school year in September on its new campus with lots of excitement and celebration. Upon seeing the renovated, bright, and spacious classrooms, one student exclaimed, "I can't believe this is all for us!"
Martin Luther School–Plymouth, our new autism-centered school for students in grades K-5, also launched last month with two classrooms of students and more expected to enroll throughout the year. We are honored to expand Martin Luther School to accompany students with autism. Please click here to learn more.
Both MLS-Whitemarsh and MLS-Plymouth hosted successful and well-attended Back-to-School Nights this month to introduce families to teachers, the curriculum and support available, and to see the school buildings where so much learning and growth is already underway! Click here for a few pictures.
We look forward to all that this new school year will bring for our students, faculty and staff, and both schools!
To learn more about Martin Luther School, please click here.
| | Pictures from MLS - Whitemarsh | | Pictures from MLS - Plymouth | | |
We are grateful for the many volunteers who help us carry out Gemma's mission accompanying children and families!
Thank you to friends from Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, Germantown Academy, Lockton Company, St. Luke Lutheran Church in Devon, Toll Brothers, Trinity Lutheran Church in Fairview Village, Villanova University, and Wayne Presbyterian Church for devoting time to youth in our Residential Treatment Program to share games, crafts, activities, laughter, and meaningful connection, and from Fox & Roach Charities for devoting a day beautifying our Plymouth campus!
Volunteers help show the children how much they matter and that they have a community of people who care about them! Want to learn more about volunteering with Gemma? Click here or contact us at volunteer@gemmaservices.org. We'd love to talk with you!
| | | | Trinity Lutheran Church Picnic | | Toll Brothers Day of Service | | Help Families Have a Great Thanksgiving | | |
Calling all friends! We are again collecting “Everything but the Turkey” gift bags to help hundreds of families enjoy a special Thanksgiving meal this year.
Here's how you can help!
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Assemble and donate a reusable shopping bag with items from the flyer.
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Hold a collection with friends, family, or a community group.
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Shop from our Amazon Wish List. Items will ship directly to Gemma.
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Make a financial donation to support this effort. You can donate by credit card online here. Please indicate “Thanksgiving” in the notes section. Donations can also be made by check payable to Gemma Services and mailed to: Gemma Services, Development Office, 512 W. Township Line Rd, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462.
Please deliver all items by Monday, November 9th. Questions or ready to schedule your delivery? Contact us at volunteer@gemmaservices.org. Thank you for joining Gemma to create a world where every person knows they matter!
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State Grant Awarded for
School Sports Facility
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We are excited to share that Gemma has been awarded $250,000 in Statewide Local Share Account (LSA) funding to support the development of an outdoor sports facility on our new Martin Luther School campus on Butler Pike in Whitemarsh township. The funding will advance construction of a multi-purpose turf athletic field, track, and ample seating for spectators to cheer on our Panther student athletes!
Physical education and recreation are vital to our students’ well-being. We are grateful for this support that will allow us to expand athletic and recreational programs that strengthen students’ academic growth while helping them build confidence, teamwork, collaboration, and emotional regulation skills.
This LSA funding supplements the RACP grant Gemma was awarded last month. To read the full press release about this latest funding award, click here.
Gemma’s capital campaign to create an exceptional school campus continues! We are grateful to all our supporters whose generosity is making the vision of the exceptional new campus a reality. Gifts of any amount will help make the new sports facility a reality for our students and community. To learn more about Phase 2 of our campaign, please click here.
To learn more or make a donation, please click here or on the button below.
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Grab Your Seat at the Table!
The Chefs for Gemma 2027 website is now live! Visit Chefs for Gemma 2027 for info about our 19th annual benefit and to purchase your seat for an unforgettable evening of exceptional food, great company, and inspiring stories. Discounted early bird tickets are available through December 31st.
This year's event will feature guest chef Evan Snyder, chef-partner of Philadelphia's acclaimed Emmett, named one of Esquire’s “Best New Restaurants in America” and a finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for Best New Restaurant.
Plan to join us on Friday, April 2, 2027, to celebrate the power of community and raise critical support for Gemma's programs that accompany thousands of children, youth, and families each year through life's challenges.
We hope you'll be part of this special evening!
| | Gemma Services Social Media | |
Martin Luther School Media | | Gemma Services is a 501(c)(3) organization. Tax ID #23-2310084; corporate name as of January 1, 2024 is Gemma Services. Please note: the organization’s former corporate name prior to this date was Silver Springs-Martin Luther School. | | | | |
