 https://www.brainfuse.com/highed/helpNow.asp?a_id=C6F3F04A&ss=&r=
0 Comments
"My voice, our equal future." Today, October 11, 2020, is internationally recognized as the "International Day of the Girl." It is celebrated annually to recognize the strength, power, contribution, and potential for girls worldwide. In 2020, the focus is involving girls and women in the dialogue and decision-making about their lives, their futures, and their bodies. from the World Health Organization (WHO): International Day of the Girl celebrates the importance, power, and potential of girls around the world. It is also a day to highlight girls’ needs and the particular problems they can face, and drive efforts that meet these needs and fulfill their rights – not benevolently for them, but in partnership with them. While much progress has been made in the last two decades to ensure every girl is able to grow and develop in good health, there is much still to do. For example, 12 million girls are married before age 18 each year. One in five girls globally has experienced sexual violence. In Eastern and Southern Africa, nearly 80% of new HIV infections among adolescents are among girls. No decision for girls should be made without them The 2020 theme of International Day of the Girl is “My voice, our equal future.” This is a striking call to recognize girls’ inheritance of the still-unfinished Beijing Agenda, their expertise on the challenges they face especially for their sexual and reproductive health and rights, and their limitless capacity as change-makers. To commemorate the day, WHO co-organized a virtual intergenerational dialogue between girl advocates and high-level leaders about putting girls and their rights at the centre of decision-making processes. Lubinda, a 15-year old advocate from Zambia, captured the sentiment of the event: “If every child can be given the chance to express themselves and talk about issues that are affecting them, then we can have a wide range of voices being represented.” “At the same time, we have to be equipped with the knowledge, because without it, we will not be able to participate [in international systems].” *Photo credit (above): WHO “ Success is no accident, It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do” Pele
When I met my little friend and her family in January I was not their service coordinator. She was referred to early intervention because she was not walking and was about 18 months old. She was however a whiz when it came to numbers and letters. Over a series of events I did in fact end up becoming her service coordinator. This transition took place just a couple of weeks prior to covid-19. At this very same time we had a gentle conversation about some concerns that her pediatrician had as well as some concerns of mine. She was displaying some characteristics and behaviors that led us to believe that perhaps she had autism spectrum disorder. As anyone can imagine this was an extremely difficult thought for her family to process. Just as we were beginning to have this conversation, the covid-19 pandemic hit. Everything was on hold for a few weeks. Just as we were beginning to develop this relationship and I was welcomed into their home I was no longer able to go into their home. But this was not going to deter this amazing mom. She was doing everything that she could do for her child. With the coordination of early intervention, my friend’s family, and her pediatrician we were able to make the process happen so that she could have an evaluation at UMass. This evaluation was done via Zoom. Once she received a diagnosis of ASD the referral process happened so she could receive ABA services. We went from a 100% in person in home service model to completely virtual overnight. And in the midst of this and all of the chaos we were able to get this referral completed, give this family the support and services that they needed, and get services into place. All of this was done through technology. It's been a couple of months now that she has been receiving ABA services. Not only is she walking, she's putting sentences together and she is making excellent eye contact in initiating play. She responds to her name, she calls her parents by name, and has made extraordinary strides. The journey that I've gone on with this family in particular has been the one that has stuck out to me the most during this pandemic. It can be very difficult to build a rapport with a family under the best of circumstances nevermind a family that is going through such a difficult diagnosis. It is even more difficult during a time when you are not able to physically be with the family. While there were definitely many days and nights I had no idea how we were ever going to service our kids through early intervention in this new format, I can honestly say that this particular experience was a success. Colleen Fisher Margarita Santiago’s twin girls start second grade this year in the Worcester Public Schools, and she's not convinced online is the best way for her daughters to learn.
"My kids really didn't enjoy the remote learning" in the spring, Santiago said. "They spent most of the time under the table, going in the bathroom, and grabbing snacks." While district leadership can’t do much about fidgeting, Sarah Kyriazis, instructional technology and digital learning manager for Worcester Public Schools, said the district is offering other support to help parents make online learning work better for their kids. The district has launched a Caregivers Technology Academy designed to help parents, and others caring for students, understand the technology tools students will need to attend school this fall. The materials are posted in the eight languages most used by families in the district including English, Nepali and Twi. GBH News spoke with a half-dozen caregivers for their perspective of the program. No two were alike. And they ranged from finding it useful, to having never heard of the academy. “It’s going to be a process,” said Kyriazis. “We won’t get everyone ready by Sept. 15." But, she said, "working through the schools and working through the teachers, we are going to provide as much support as possible.” https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2020/09/18/how-do-you-manage-child-care-when-school-is-remote-worcester-strives-to-give-families-options So happy to get some fresh vegetables and bread. Today at the Pernet Food Pantry we will be giving out three pre-packaged bags of food and families get to pick the vegetables from Worcester County Food Bank and bread/pastries from Wegmans they like. #ThankYou   #MaskUpMA #MaskUpPernet
Kudos to our staff who took on Governor Bakers challenge urging residents to wear their masks to protect themselves and others from Covid-19. Staff continue to practice social distancing and wearing masks when interacting with families we serve  You are invited to the Worcester’s Latinx/Latino(a) Virtual Town Hall this Monday, September 21, from 7-8 PM. This town hall, will be held on the day of the raising of the Puerto Rican flag and at the start of Hispanic Heritage month will offer you an opportunity to hear from Worcester’s Latinx/Latino(a) community. They will share some history, contributions to the city, and the challenges faced, particularly in the areas of education and civic engagement, as well as ways that to work together to ensure that the City of Worcester continues to thrive.
https://zoom.us/j/96594469817?pwd=bUpONSsvRkJFTXZSdFJXS0RVQjVjZz09 Meeting ID: 965 9446 9817 Passcode: 838940 We love our volunteers and even though the pandemic has brought many challenges in how our volunteer program runs, we had a few of them come today and help sort and arrange the baby formula.
Thank you Saint Mathew's Parish Youth Ministry in Southborough for volunteering last week. #ThankYou #ThankYouVolunteers #WeloveVolunteers Throughout the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, the federal Paycheck Protection Program secured the jobs of 231 Worcester diocesan employees and countless more parish and school staff. Their work continued with little interruption to the benefit of the thousands of people in the diocese whom they serve.
Impact on Schools and Parishes In addition to the central administration and diocesan schools which were covered by the diocesan loan application, individual parishes and schools had the option to apply for relief through the CARES Act as well. At least 43 parishes and parish schools applied for and received some level of assistance, receiving a total of $2,854,332 in forgivable loans ranging from $11,000 to $408,900. The process was handled through the parish’s or school’s local bank. St. Paul Cathedral received a $40,000 PPP loan. According to Msgr. James P. Moroney, rector, the loan kept six staff employed in their part-time and full time jobs and, as importantly, “allowed us to continue to provide pastoral care at a time when people were struggling with the uncertainties of this pandemic.” Father William Schipper, pastor of Mary Queen of the Rosary Parish in Spencer, saw the PPP loan of $13,700 as an important stop-gap measure. “It allowed us to keep our small staff of one full time and two part-time people employed to cover the parish and cemetery operations while offertory donations have been down. People are still looking to the parish for support during this pandemic, from food assistance to commending their departed loved ones to eternal rest,” he said. Father Robert A. Grattaroti of St. Joseph Parish in Charlton was grateful to be able to keep their 16-person staff of mostly part-time people employed with a $33,550 PPP loan. “This avoided having to lay off people who are dedicated to our parish at a time when people were not able to come to public liturgies and donations were down,” he said. Members of the parish finance committee and the diocese finance office were instrumental in assisting the parish in learning about the relief, he noted. “Keeping church and school staff working, even remotely, has had an impact beyond the boundaries of the parish facilities, said Father Stephen Lundrigan, pastor of Annunciation Parish and Holy Family Academy in Gardner.” “Many of our homebound, elderly, or at-risk members have few supports outside of our parish or school community. Individuals gripped by fear and uncertainty relied on the Church as a stable place during an unstable time. By continuing our pastoral, charitable and educational services, the PPP loan did far more than just provide paychecks to our 45 full-time and part-time people.” Father Ronald Falco, pastor of St. Bernadette Parish and School, in Northborough, summed up the relief as “a real grace.” He was trying to determine how to keep the entire staff at his parish and the largest elementary school in the diocese employed and was grateful that they were able to jump on the loan process quickly and apply as soon as the bank was ready to accept applications. “Faced with a decline in donations and cancelled fundraisers, the combined PPP loans made it possible to keep 60 people working,” according to Father Falco. Msgr. Michael Rose of St. Mary Parish and School in Shrewsbury saw the relief from PPP from two aspects: It helped make up for lost fundraising due to cancelled events and suspension of outreach for their annual fund drive. And it allowed the school to keep employed all the part-time staff who were involved in suspended programs, including art and physical education, the lunchroom, the library, or after-school programs. Impact on Catholic Social Service Agencies Timothy McMahon, director of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Worcester, was certainly relieved when he received the news of the PPP loan of $1,290,341 for the agency. “We kept 268 people employed from the beginning of the crisis,” Mr. McMahon noted. “It was important for us to support staff who have given many years of dedicated service to our clients as well as staff which have specialized training which is still needed by our families. Given that there has been far more food insecurity and housing fears due to so many unemployed or underemployed people, many of our services have been in high demand.” “If relief programs such as the PPP continue, even if we cannot apply for more aid, we will still benefit if it keeps donors and potential clients in the community employed,” said Mr. McMahon. Pernet Family Health Service, another Catholic social service provider in the Worcester area, also received a PPP loan. The $255,000 came through just in the nick of time. “We were certainly happy to be able to keep our staff of 27 employed, particularly at the outset when there was so much uncertainty,” said Sheilah Dooley, director of the agency. “But as importantly, it meant we could continue in our mission to help build stronger families, particularly families who are at the highest risks of going hungry or needing so many other forms of support.” Future relief programs If the PPP has an additional round of funding this fall, the diocese, its parishes and schools may be indirectly helped, even if they don’t apply for direct aid. David Perda, diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools, said, “In the spring our schools responded quickly to the challenge of remote education, but some families were hesitant to enroll for the fall given the uncertainty of whether on-site learning would be fully implemented. I think schools will experience an indirect form of relief when families remain employed because their children can stay enrolled in their school of choice. Our students will continue to benefit from our preparedness, including safe, onsite classrooms as well as effective education, should remote learning resurface.” Got milk? Thank you Rachel's Table - Worcester, MA for donating milk every week to our food pantry. This is one item that flies off the shelves.
#ThankYou |
AuthorPernet Family Health Service, Inc. Archives
September 2020
Categories
|
RSS Feed