Communities That Care of Greater Downingtown 2018 – 2019 Annual Report Empowering youth to make positive choices Communities That Care of Greater Downingtown 2018-2019 Our Mission is to empower youth to make Board of Directors positive choices to reach their full potential. Jenn Barr Faculty, Church Farm School CTC partners work to create a safer, supportive community Patricia Bell Assistant Principal, Downingtown West High School for youth and families. From the Director…. Cynthia Black, President Our 2018 – 2019 year is best described as a season of capacity building. Since 2001, Communities That Care of Greater Lena Elguindi Downingtown has worked to bring together community partners Director, Custom Programs Wharton Executive to empower youth in making positive choices, enhancing Education protective factors and reducing behaviors which negatively impact health, learning and social outcomes. In 2018, the CTC Rosemary Foley, Secretary Board of Directors recognized the need to build capacity, so we Marketing/Customer Relations, Baby Merlin launched a Collective Impact Model to deliver our mission and Company vision. Carl Gregory, Treasurer CTC recognizes that a single organization cannot change a major social issue. We are proud and excited to collaborate with Director Commercial Business, Sunoco our community prevention partners to address mental and Bethann Cinelli, Ex Officio emotional well-being and prevention efforts in substance use and abuse. Strategically we align our work to build capacity for Executive Director, CTC of Greater Downingtown prevention programs, resources, and awareness in our community. Staff As we plan for 2019 -2020 we are grateful for funding provided Bethann Cinelli, Executive Director by the Chester County Department of Drug and Alcohol [email protected] Services, The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, CCRES, and the generous support of our donors. We hope to see Libby Egnaczyk, Community Mobilizer you at our upcoming school and community events and encourage you to Carey Burke, Bookkeeper follow our Face Book page, Instagram and Twitter. P.O. Box 194, Uwchland, PA 19480 Thank you for partnering with us to www.dtownctc.org support youth and families in our Downingtown community. FB * Twitter * Instagram Bethann Cinelli, D.Ed., CTC is a 501(c)3 non-profit, established in 2001. Executive Director CTC HIGHLIGHTS 2018-2019 DAILY LOCAL May 10, 2019 Communities That Care of Downingtown gets $60,000 in state funding DOWNINGTOWN—State Rep. Danielle Friel Otten, D- Chester, announced $60,000 in state funding is headed to Communities That Care of Greater Downingtown to expand the organization’s number of Youth Prevention Councils. Otten was instrumental in securing the state grant, which comes from Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development funding for community improvement initiatives. “This grant will enable CTC of Greater Downingtown to continue its mission of creating a safe, supportive Above, Downingtown High School Students community that promotes mental and behavioral health and positive choices for our youth,” Otten said. “Together we’ll create quilt from post-it notes with the answer to continue to work to address the growing youth mental “What is your anti-drug?” as part of a peer to peer health crisis in our communities and support our kids campaign. through their teens and into adulthood.” Pictured below are students stickering over 5000 CTC of Greater Downingtown Executive Director Bethann beer cases with the message “Parents who Host Lose Cinelli echoed the sentiment, saying, “CTC is grateful for Representative Otten’s efforts in securing this grant to allow the Most”- to remind the community of the social, us to grow our Youth Prevention Councils, giving students health and legal consequences of enabling the lead in educating and supporting their peers about underage drinking. Thanks to Lou’s Beverage for positive mental health and prevention of substance abuse.” partnering with CTC and hosting the group! Otten said CTC plans to use the grant funds to more than quadruple the number of Youth Prevention Councils in the Downingtown area schools and community from three to 14 and create smaller “mini-grants” to empower the student councils to develop their own youth-led initiatives and peer- to-peer campaigns. CTC HIGH LIGHTS 2018-2019 Red Ribbon Week Today, it is estimated that more than 80 million youths and adults participate in Red Ribbon Week each year, a national drug and violence prevention awareness campaign that was recognized from Oct. 23 to 31 this year. At DHSW, the volunteers planted 400 red tulip bulbs in a flower bed located in front of the school building near a sign that reads "Drunk Drivers Destroy Lives". Also on hand helping the students were Pia DiSanto, the DHSW joint Home and School Association representative; Dr. Patricia Bell, DHSW assistant principal; and Libby Egnaczyk, CTC community mobilizer, among others. Student volunteers included members of the school's Youth Prevention Parents, Coalition Council, a new organization founded by Partners and CTC in February at both DHSW and DHSE. interested community residents are invited to attend! ─ ─ ─ ─ N“IfO they’reVE Mlaughing,BER they’re 14, listening.” 2018 In November, well-known author, psychologist, and comedian, Presented by: Supporting Teens in Matt Bellace, PhD Matt Bellace, Ph.D, spoke to 2000+ Downingtown students in Reducing Teen gradesR 6,e 7, dandu 8 caboutin findingg T theirhe “naturalir S high”.tre Hiss s Stress (and ours) presentation focuses( ona naturalnd highs,ou remotionals) resilience and mental health. It has been described as the perfect combination As a clinical psychologist and stand-up comedian, Dr. Bellace uses hofum standor to c-uponv comedy,ey his ver yinteractive powerful m demonstrationsessage – we need and to s upport young pinspirationaleople in both wstories.ords an dMatt actio empowersns if we wan middlet them tstudentso make he toalt seekhy choices for themselves. Recent research suggests that well-adjusted teoutena positivegers have f riendships,stronger non express-cognitiv theire skil lfeelingss, such a sin s eproductivelf-control, g waysrit aandnd r epursuesilience .healthy This pr onaturalgram w ihighs.ll focu s Hoen halsoow pdiscussesarents can how help to fo suseter those skills in a supporting environment without arguing. Specifically, it wemotionsill present totec behn imoreques s resilientuch as m iandndfu tolne bess msomethingeditation, egreat.ffectiv eMatt MARSH CREEK 6TH cousesmm ustoriesnicatio andn an dhumor using ntoat udiscussral high hows as htheeal tbrainhy cop producesing mecha thenism s GRADE CENTER against stress, alcohol and other drug use and bullying behavior. The gmajoroal is t onatural help im hpighsrove (laughing,the quality exerciseof life for andboth loving) parent sand and why their it’s tee ns. 489 DORLAN MILL ROAD important to use these natural highs in times of stress. “During DOWNINGTOWN, PA Sponsored by Communities that early adolescence, teens experience an intense period of 19335 learningCa andre social of growth.Grea Theirter frontalDow lobesnin remaingto immature,wn DOORS OPEN AT 6:00 PM so many struggle with impulse control and appropriate emotional reactions. At the same time, peers become a major WEDNESDAY, NOV. 14, influence over their behavior. As a result, it is the perfect time to 2018 Speaker, Matt Bellace (center) with Marsh Creek introduce the concept of positive social support and natural Center principal Tom Mulvey and teacher, Jeff RSVP NOT REQUIRED highs. It could help delay the onset of substance use by BUT APPRECIATED. Singleton encouraging the pursuit of “positive risks.” Scan here to RSVP Why does CTC matter to you? I partner with CTC of Greater Downingtown because I believe in their mission. It is vitally important that communities work together at all levels to foster a positive and supportive environment for our youth. Drug and alcohol addiction are epidemics that touch virtually every household, which can only be addressed collaboratively with open communication. CTC creates the framework within which that communication and collaboration is able to flourish. Providing resources and opportunities helps to set the next generation on the path to happy, meaningful lives which, in turn, strengthens our entire community. I am proud to partner with CTC! Daniel Brady, The UPS Store, Lionville I have been blessed to have lived in Chester County my entire life, a county that has grown in so many ways and has had so many changes, a county where so many others now also want to live in. Our youth today need organizations like Communities That Care (CTC) to assist parents that work very long days and run out of time to be with their kids. I truly believe CTC is filling a great need, bringing youth together, addressing their challenges, providing solutions, and showing them others do care. With all that’s going on in their lives, this is a very big job. This is why I support CTC of Greater Downingtown! Dallas Krapf, Krapf Schoolbus “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” Corporate Fundraising Donations 10% 20% Individual Donations Programs 53% Admin Grants 25% 20% 55% Our Impact in the Community Families Reached 9,245 Youth Reached 488 Social Media Engagements 4,792 The Impaired Driving Curriculum, developed by CTC and Chester County AVOID, exceeded 1000 high school students this year since its beginning in 2016! 150 high school students gathered at three