Connecting You to the CMA Community Volume 4, Issue 2 - Fall 2003
PDF format (605KB) - click to view or right-click and "save target as" to download
CMA Celebrates Its Young Authors ♦ CMA Launches New Website & New Brochure ♦ Generous Volunteers Serve Up Fabulous Meals ♦ Graduate's Corner ♦ Message from the Interim Executive Director ♦ Donations Come Naturally ♦ CMA At the Opportunity Center ♦ archived newsletters
CMA Celebrates Its Young Authors
On September 3, the Elsa Segovia Center hosted a dinner celebrating the culmination of its Summer Literacy Program.
Two Stanford interns, Leena Her and Julie Wilson, using grant money from the John and Marcia Goldman Foundation and the Dudley Vehmeyer Brown Foundation, and their own fertile imaginations, created a 10-week Literacy Program of their own design. Using reading, writing and art, they inspired 14 young authors to create their autobiographies. Then, on September 3, at a pot-luck dinner hosted by the families of the program participants, the young authors read their works to an appreciative audience comprised of family members, staff, media and other guests.
A short version of the program was filmed for Community Journal by the Mid-peninsula Media Center, and a photographer from the Menlo Park Almanac was on hand to document the event as well. The Media Center will present a longer version of the event at a later date.
Leena and Julie, while pursuing their graduate studies at Stanford's School of Education, will continue at the Elsa Segovia Center this fall, working with the ESC children in an after-school program.
CMA Launches New Website & New Brochure
Regular visitors to our website have probably discovered by now that our site has been extensively redesigned. The new site was launched the 2nd week of October, and we are ecstatic about it.
The new site is not only easier to read, thanks to a white background, but we think it is easier to navigate as well. For this we need to thank our incredibly patient and creative volunteer, Hue Ng, for all his hard work and the untold hours he has put into this site.
You will find that the site has also been substantially updated, with information about the ESC, and two new ways to donate to CMA. We not only have an auto donation program, but we also have teamed up with AuctionDrop. If you have items to donate that are not on CMA's wish list (small appliances, for example, or electronics), you can take them to an AuctionDrop location near you, and AuctionDrop will sell them on eBay, and donate the net proceeds to CMA.
AuctionDrop accepts:
- Antiques & Collectibles
- Cameras, Computers & Electronics
- Vintage or Designer Clothing, Shoes & Accessories
- Coins & Stamps
- Home Decor, Housewares & Linens
- Media (CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, etc.)
- Musical Instruments
- Sports Equipment & Memorabilia
- Toys, Games, Dolls, & Bears
- Vouchers & Gift Certificates
- Concert Tickets, Celebrity Experiences
For those who prefer to get their information by hard copy, we have also produced a new brochure. Like the website, we have put it on a white background, included new photos, and substantially updated it, including information about the Elsa Segovia Center. If you would like a copy of the brochure, please contact Eve Agiewich at (650) 853-7073 or [email protected]
Generous Volunteers Serve Up Fabulous Meals
On June 13, VOLUNTEERS FROM STANFORD DINING Services cooked and served a truly gourmet dinner for our residents. This was the first such meal that Stanford Dining Services had provided for us. But they all had such a great time, and were received so enthusiastically, that they promised to return. Their next appearance was on October 17. For Clara-Mateo Alliance Inc., the great thing about such donations is that "It saves us money, the food is better and residents really appreciate the fact that members of the community take the time" to cook and serve food, said NORM ROBINSON, CMA's interim executive director. It is no coincidence that Norm was formerly an associate dean of student affairs at Stanford, and it was that connection that brought CMA to Stanford's attention.
JEANNETTE HAYDEN, education and training manager with Dining Services, also collected toys, children's books, videos and clothing for the 10 children under the age of 6 who were living at the shelter in June.
Many other groups have also generously stepped up to the plate, serving dinners on a regular basis: Homestead Technologies provided a summer barbeque August 20, 2003 and has signed up for three more dinners this fall.
Starting in August, Community Impact volunteers have come to CMA every second Thursday to serve dinner, play bingo with our residents, and hand out prizes.
And beginning in September St. Anthony Padua Dining Room began serving 60 scrumptious meals each Saturday for our residents. And, to make sure that the meals they serve stay warm, they generously donated a heated holding cabinet. Because we really cannot cook on site, this holding cabinet is a fantastic tool to ensure that meals delivered by all volunteer groups stay at the proper temperature.
Finally, many, many thanks to the Palo Alto Kiwanis for another a wonderful dinner on September 21, 2003.
Graduate's Corner
Such a Match!
Clara-Mateo Alliance, Inc. has once again acted as a match-maker. Alan Garcia, 59, an Orthodox Jewish man, came to the CMA shelter in May, 2003, after completing treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at the Menlo Park VA Hospital. Originally from Modesto, he had no desire to return there, where he had worked as a psychiatric nurse for many years.
Coco Abdul Garcia, 38, a beautiful multi-racial woman, came to CMA in June, 2003, after a series of family disputes and the downturn in the economy left her homeless and without a job.
Slowly, they came to know one another at the shelter, and found that they had so many interests in common, they were "like twins", as Alan put it. They share tastes in music, food, clothing, art, and both value education very highly. The sense that they were made for each other led them to a wooded glen in Willow Oaks Park on Thursday, September 4, where they were married by a rabbi in a simple wedding ceremony, attended by 4 or 5 shelter residents, and Coco's aunt and uncle. The ceremony culminated in Alan's stomping on a wine goblet, a ritual in every Jewish wedding. Coco said the ceremony was so special and moving that children in the nearby playground stopped their normal shrieking and shouting to watch.
On Thursday, Sept. 11, they moved out of CMA into a new apartment in Redwood City. Alan has been working at the VA in the Information Resources Management Services. Coco was going to continue her job search, looking for something in retail (although not necessarily in sales).
As they left, they let us know how grateful they are for the warm, supportive environment they found at CMA, that allowed them the time and space to not only pull themselves together, individually, but to find each other and let the relationship blossom.
Message from the Interim Executive Director
It is difficult to believe that I have been here at Clara-Mateo Alliance for more than ten months. The time has sped by, and as I sit here trying to recapture the highlights, they kaleidoscope, one moment blending into the next, so that they are hard to separate. The best I can do is give you my impressions - and there are many!
When I arrived last January, my goal was to guide CMA through the year, and return it to Angel Batt and the Board of Directors in even better shape than I found it. The agency I took over was in remarkably good condition for what had essentially been a start-up non-profit. My charge was to work with the staff to keep the agency moving forward, while at the same time consolidating all the growth. While the year has had its challenges, I believe we have succeeded in achieving both of these goals.
CMA's mission is to provide shelter and supportive services to people in need to assist them in obtaining stable housing and self-sufficiency. And this it does very well. But it is the spirit in which CMA carries out its mission that makes it extraordinary. The Staff consistently treats the residents, many of whom are as far down as they have ever been, with respect and consideration.
Equally impressive is our facility. It is remarkably clean, neat, well-maintained and spacious, especially for a shelter. The outdoor spaces are equally inviting. The appearance of our building conveys the same respect for our clients as does our staff. We are deeply indebted to the many volunteers who spent time, energy and money making and keeping our facility looking so good.
We were blessed with a cadre of volunteers who pitched in and did office work, social work, child-care and food prep. At least half a dozen groups prepared and served hot dinners on a regular basis, and considerably more came in less regularly. Each of these dinners saved CMA more than $300. In gratitude for the wonderful volunteer help and staff dedication, we held our first ever volunteer/staff appreciation party, celebrating those who have been so generous and helpful.
Another stellar event was the dinner celebrating the culmination of our Summer Literacy Program. Two intrepid and imaginative Stanford interns created a program for the kids in the family shelter (see article), that culminated in a pot-luck dinner attended by family, friends and staff.
My hat is off to those who have stuck with the Board of Directors during this challenging year. They are a truly dedicated and loyal group of volunteers, who serve out of a desire to see the agency thrive, and to help the population we serve. In addition to overseeing the budget process, and assisting with various interactions with the VAPAHCS, some board members have begun to step out of their comfort zone into the arena of fund raising. At the beginning of October, they held their first ever house party, which raised almost $1000 in just two hours on a Saturday afternoon.
Our brochure has been redesigned, and our website has been completely revamped by another amazing volunteer, Hue Ng. Please take a look at the new www.clara-mateo.org. and let us know what you think. Send comments to [email protected].
In closing, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to all of you at CMA who have made the time that I have spent here so rewarding. It has truly been a privilege and joy to have been a part of this organization. I wish nothing but continued success to everyone associated with Clara-Mateo.
Regards,
NORM ROBINSON
Interim Executive Director
Donations Come Naturally
Nature's Alley is a small florist shop in the Midtown area of Palo Alto. If its owner, Karen Froniewski, was not a single mom of two teenagers, you would call it a mom & pop operation. It is certainly not the sort of place you would associate with an anonymous corporate giving program. And yet, for at least the last year, Karen and her customers have been making anonymous donations to CMA and its programs. At least no one has ever brought their donations to the attention of our development department, and so they have never been properly thanked. Last Christmas (2002) Karen and her loyal patrons, put together at least 30 gift bags for CMA's children, including mittens, scarves, chocolates, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste. Karen posted the CMA wish list in her shop, and her customers donated personal hygiene supplies, sleeping bags and linens. Karen then supplemented those items by purchasing rain ponchos, using cash donated by school kids as well as her own money.
This was not the first time Nature's Alley came to the aid of CMA. At the grand opening of the Elsa Segovia Center, in May 2002, Nature's Alley, at the last minute, donated 3 floral arrangements, and lent topiary for the tables and podium, when the original florist was unable to fulfill its commitment.
Karen sees her shop as a community store, providing not only flowers and plants but hugs and tissues as well. She feels she is part of the community, and gives back to the community that supports her. She donates florals to the downtown food closet, gives discounts to children who are buying flowers.
Karen firmly believes that "the more you give, the more you get back.... It is important to talk with people and find out what they need. People's generosity is amazing; they give what you ask for. And, keeping self-esteem and dignity is more important than keeping 'stuff.'"
Friends of Nature's Alley have already begun dropping off donations for Christmas. Nature's Alley is at 2675C Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306. Check them out at www.naturesalley.com
CMA At the Opportunity Center
The Opportunity Center is coming to Palo Alto. The Community Working Group, the non-profit leading the effort to get the Center built, plans to break ground on Encina Way next spring, 2004.
Architectural model of the Opportunity Center
What, you may ask, is the Opportunity Center, and what does this have to do with Clara-Mateo Alliance?
The Opportunity Center will be an indoor center offering drop-in assistance and services to those who are unhoused in Palo Alto and the surrounding areas. In the four floors above the Opportunity Center there will be 89 units of transitional and permanent housing for very low income residents.
CMA's involvement will be on the ground floor, in the Opportunity Center itself, where there will be separate wings providing services for individuals and for families. The services to be provided include transportation, communications, career and health counseling and survival services such as showers, food, and laundry. While overall coordination of the services at the Opportunity Center will be managed by InnVision, CMA be responsible for the delivery of services to the families using the Opportunity Center. In fact, the Elsa Segovia Center, CMA's existing dropin center in Menlo Park, was opened in 2002, in collaboration with CWG, because the need for the services to women and families with children was so critical that the CWG agreed it should not wait until the Opportunity Center was built. Because CMA had been designated the OC service provider for families, it was an easy decision to locate the drop-in center at CMA's existing location.
CMA is also represented on the CWG Board of Directors by Eve Agiewich, CMA's Director of Community Relations and Counsel.
It is anticipated that some of the services of the ESC will be moved to the Opportunity Center when it opens in late 2005, or early 2006. Because of space limitations in Palo Alto, however, many of the services will remain in Menlo Park, and transportation between the two locations will be provided.
Your continued support of CMA will ensure that we will be able to provide all the necessary services to the additional families who will be accessing our facilities once the OC is built.
CMA Celebrates Its Young Authors ♦ CMA Launches New Website & New Brochure ♦ Generous Volunteers Serve Up Fabulous Meals ♦ Graduate's Corner ♦ Message from the Interim Executive Director ♦ Donations Come Naturally ♦ CMA At the Opportunity Center
