EFAMILY ISSUE 43 OUR NEW LEARNING & WELLNESS CENTER IS THE FOCUS OF NATIONAL GROUP’S VISIT A team of 35 representatives from cities, schools and community organizations from across the country convened in Chicago on Thurs., March 27, to discuss how communities are better aligning services to meet the needs of children and families. Part of their visit included a tour of Metropolitan’s new Learning and Wellness Center. The event was organized by the National League of Cities (NLC) Institute for Youth, Education, and Families. The NLC is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. Working in partnership with the 49 state municipal leagues, NLC serves as a resource to and an advocate for more than 19,000 cities, villages and towns. Representatives from Fort Worth and Austin, Texas; Hartford Conn.; Richmond, Va.; Rochester, N.Y.; and Longmont, Colo., met with staff and parents to talk about how community partners are working with the Center to ensure that children and families are thriving. Click here to learn more about the Learning and Wellness Center. HATS OFF TO SOCIAL WORKERS They are mentors, counselors, motivators and advocates. For 116 years, social workers have helped people facing life’s greatest challenges. In March, we celebrated Social Worker Month. Metropolitan Family Services has more than 900 social workers, educators, youth workers, attorneys and support staff who last year empowered more than 63,000 deserving families with services to help them learn, earn, heal and thrive. More on National Social Worker Month is here, including a discussion by Metropolitan President/CEO Ric Estrada on the importance of human service programming for fathers in the University of Chicago’s SSA Magazine. EFAMILY ISSUE 43 GOV. QUINN TO METRO/GET COVERED ILLINOIS: JOB WELL DONE Throughout March, our Calumet Center has been holding open enrollment events in the area to help individuals and families sign up for health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act. The events are part of the Get Covered Illinois initiative. Gov. Quinn attended the Single Parent Forum at New Beginnings Church of Chicago, where he acknowledged Metropolitan’s counselors and the Get Covered Illinois team and thanked them for a job well done. GETTING THE WORD OUT ABOUT OUR QUALITY EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS This wonderful article from the Southwest News-Herald about the Midway Head Start program is a must read. Midway Head Start parent and Parent Policy Committee member George Kunz (pictured with Rhonda Freeman, Midway Head Start Site Director) was interviewed for the article, which illustrates the amazing early learning programs and vital parent services offered through the facility. Public Service Announcements encouraging parents to sign their children up for Metropolitan’s Head Start programs also have been running on local radio stations La Ley (107.9 WLEY-FM) and Power 92 (92.3 WPWX-FM)/ Crawford Broadcasting stations. (News-Herald photo by Dermot Connolly) COMMUNITY SCHOOLS—A VITAL OASIS IN UNSAFE NEIGHBORHOODS When kids have nowhere to go once the school day ends, the void until hard-working parents return home can be fraught with violence and bad influences. Community Schools promote public schools as safe, violence-free hubs for the community. It’s where afterschool programs offer students homework help, life skills, involvement in civic projects, and exposure to culture and the arts. Programs for parents and local residents bring things full circle. Metropolitan was one of the first Community Schools providers in Chicago. We currently serve 2,950 youth in Community Schools programs from 27 elementary and five high schools. UPCOMING EVENTS DuPage Gala May 2, 2014 | Metropolis June 6, 2014 | Jazz at the Met June 21, 2014 EFAMILY ISSUE 43 IN-HOME SENIOR RESPITE TEAM GLEANS CUTTING-EDGE INDUSTRY INSIGHTS Four members of our Senior Services team gleaned cutting-edge insights about senior care at the 2014 Aging in America Conference, held March 11-15 in San Diego. The event, considered the gold standard for the aging field, gathered thousands of professionals worldwide from the aging, healthcare and education fields to learn about innovative topics, network and share resources. Our Senior Respite team will use what they learned to help keep its programming current and best attuned to clients’ and volunteers’ needs. Attendance was made possible through special funding. A TOUCH OF SPRING AT LAST! This year’s Spring Fever event, held at Northwestern’s Parkes Hall on March 22, raised more than $15,000 through sponsorships, donations, raffle purchases and more! More than 70 guests attended the event, hosted by Metropolitan’s Evanston/Skokie Community Board. The Village Treasure House in Northbrook was honored this year for their outstanding contributions benefitting children and youth in North Shore communities. Guests enjoyed the CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS musical entertainment provided by Stuart Rosenberg and friends. The event’s “Chicago-style Raffle” featured favorite local restaurants, home and garden retailers, hair and nail salons, spas, and theaters. Proceeds from the event will support children at risk of family and community violence, older adults experiencing abuse and youth with mental illness. THANKS TO OUR FUNDERS! Chicago Public Schools’ Early Childhood Construction Grant has provided $658,541 to support renovations at Metropolitan’s Learning and Wellness Center. The Julius N. Frankel Foundation awarded $45,000 in support of Metropolitan’s Mental Health Across the Lifespan project, which provides services tailored to the unique needs of our clients in different stages of their lives, including children and adolescents, adults, seniors and veterans. The Community Memorial Foundation awarded a $20,000 grant to Metropolitan Family Services DuPage in support of health and nutrition screening services for children in Head Start. $10,000 of this award is a matching grant..