The Highmark Blue Shield Walk for a Healthy Community
will be June 12th, 9am on Sand Island, Bethlehem, PA
Posted by: Noel Jones
DISCLAIMER: So some of you may have been wondering why I have been posting a little less lately, and the answer is that I finally found a great job locally that allows me to use all my administrative, project management, event planning, writing, public speaking and community organizing experience all under one hat--and I'm really excited about it! I have joined a local nonprofit called ProJeCt of Easton as their Community Relations Manager. ProJeCt has been helping people help themselves for over 42 years in the Lehigh Valley, and while they focus primarily on adult and family literacy programming, they also cover rental and emergency assistance, assistance in middle schools to at-risk youth, and provide a food pantry and a community garden to families struggling to get by during this recession. Last year alone, ProJeCt helped over 4,400 families in the valley! One thing I really love about where I work is that we are focused on helping those with the initiative to improve their education and their job skills, so they can support themselves and their families as productive engaged citizens who support our community. What better cause to support in our area?
Click here to see a video on what ProJeCt is all about.
Please click on www.walkforahealthycommunity.org and select ProJeCt as your charity!
In the West Ward, one out of three residents has not finished high school. That's why no matter how many hours I work in a day at ProJeCt, I feel great about what I'm doing because I know that our community needs these services so badly. And I like the idea of helping people help themselves--I would love to see more and more people in my neighborhood get their GEDs, and get good jobs and be able to take good care of their families.
So I will try not to use the blog as my new soap box for the agency too often, but I will post what we're up to now and then when it relates to our neighborhood, as I have posted news and events for the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership and other organizations over the last two years.
Right now, I can use your help! I need walkers and walking teams
for the 7th Annual Highmark Blue Shield Walk on June 12th, which will be held on Sand Island in Historic Downtown Bethlehem. 23 organizations are taking part in this walk, and 100% of the money will go to ProJeCt if you select us as your charity! I know we have some avid walkers in our neighborhood, and I would be so happy if you could make it. Information is below:
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Please click on the link below to register as a walker, start your own team, join the ProJeCt team, or simply make a donation on line if you cannot make it for the walk. Every little bit counts! Please visit www.walkforahealthycommunity.org, click Bethlehem on the map, and select ProJeCt as your charity!
To register as an individual walker, or start or join a team:
Click the link above
Click “Register”
From the pull-down menu select Join as Individual or Set Up Team (to join the ProJeCt team, select Join A Team)
Fill out the registration form
To make a donation:
Click the link above
Click “Make a Pledge”
Click on “Make a general donation”
Fill out appropriate fields and select method of payment (credit card or check)
Please also send this link to your friends and family and/or post it on your Facebook pages to spread the word! The walk is June 12th at 9:00am in historic downtown Bethlehem. I hear it is a beautiful walk, with historic homes and buildings all along the walking route. There is a 5k (3.1 mile) walk and a 1 mile Fun Walk.
I hope to see you there!
Have a great holiday weekend and if you have questions about the walk, please feel free to call me!
Noël Jones
Community Relations Manager
ProJeCt of Easton
610.258.4361 x18
610.258.7502 fax
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3 comments:
Noel thanks for posting about ProJeCt of Easton. Though their offices are not located in the West Ward, their service to West Ward families is huge and it will be good to hear more from and about them. I have been very curious to know more about their "Summer Sizzle" program. Though I don't have children in EASD every summer I am aware that some of my young neighbors get to go to it half days for a good part of the summer. Hope you can post more info about this program in the next few weeks.
Cathy,
SIZZLE!(r) is an award-winning K-5 summer reading program that focuses on helping economically-disadvantaged children to not "slide" in their reading levels between grades as has been statistically proven to occur at much higher rates among children from low-income families than middle-class families, especially, for some reason, between 4th & 5th grade. SIZZLE!(r) plans to tutor 250-300 kids this summer, and enrollment is by referral through the children's teachers in the school district. Parents who are interested should talk to their children's teachers about getting a referral.
Here is the program page on ProJeCt's web site, which has all the important info for parents and teachers to know:
http://www.projecteaston.org/
Click "Programs" then "Language & Literacy Services" to read all about it.
Thanks for asking! This is a really important program for many children in our neighborhood. As we are losing so many teachers in the school district right now, literacy programming becomes more and more important as a supplement to the education of our public schools. SIZZLE! (R) programming is taught by certified teachers--so the level of instruction is top rate.
Educated kids are the first step toward a more educated, happier, healthier community in the future. That's why good literacy programs need the support of their community to survive and thrive.
I hope that some readers from this blog will be able to make it out for the walk on Sat. June 12th 9am on Sand Island in downtown Bethlehem to support great programs like SIZZLE! Highmark does not take a cut--100% of pledges for ProJeCt go straight to the organization.
Thanks to those who came out Saturday--it was great to see you! Thanks also to those who made donations! It was a perfect day for the walk--overcast, so not too hot for the 5k...
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