Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Holiday Blessings


Everyone is accounted for
Originally uploaded by hippyprogram
This year for the first time, we were able to organize a drive to sponsor Christmas for 2 HIPPY families in great need. Both the Center for Non Profit Management and the tenants of the Meadows Executive Suites stepped up and generously fulfilled wishlists and donated money for gift cards to our two families in need. Both families were so appreciative and grateful to the generosity of strangers. Issa, pictured here, said "Now we can put a tree up. We have something to put under it." One of the donors mentioned to me "My daughter and I spent more time on that purchase than any other gift we bought this year...because we knew it would mean so much to that 11 year old little girl." This is a season of making lists, pressured purchases and overwhelming days. And yet, for too many parents, it's another in a series of disappointments and reminders that they cannot provide their children with that fairy tale holiday moment. While we adults can face "anything", there's nothing so hurtful as the disappointment of a child. As we head into 2010, I wish everyone the best in health, wealth, happiness and the ability to step back, give back and count our blessings!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Growing and Changing


When my daughter was 4 years old one time I told her "I thought you didn't like broccoli" and she answered "Mama, I'm growing and changing"! So adorable! Well sometimes it seems like we adults don't grow and change so much, but it's not true! Last year we developed an instrument to measure the growth and changes in our home visitors over their year of service with us. It's called the "Know and Grow Checklist" and it measures how comfortable they feel with various skills and knowledge at the begining, middle and end of the program year. A few posts ago I shared their gains in the areas of organizational skills and flexibility. Another area of gains was in Communication, such an important skill in any job and even moreso in HIPPY where home visitors work with a group of families with unique interests, needs, challenges and personalities. We found that at the begining of the year, only 31% of our home visitors strongly agreed that they felt comfortable effectively communicating with others, by the end of year 44% feel strongly competent in communication.

PIC: a home visitor (r) and parent (l) in Houston, 2008-2009 program year

Monday, December 07, 2009

Barnes and Noble Event

Shop for a Cause! Get your holiday shopping done and help support HIPPY all at once!

Texas HIPPY will be hosting a winter fundraising event on December 10, 2009 at the Lincoln Park Barnes & Noble in Dallas, TX. Get a jump on your Christmas shopping at Barnes & Noble, all you have to do is present this voucher

http://www.unt.edu/hippy/involved/pages/holiday_bookfair_flyer.pdf

OR mention HIPPY when you make your purchase on this Thursday, December 10th at ANY Barnes & Noble store across the country! The proceeds of the fundraiser will go towards new teaching materials and program expansion to reach even more families in Dallas. The fundraiser will include winter arts and crafts, a treasure hunt, storytime with acclaimed children's book author, Janie Bynum and live music.


11:00am – Preschool Storytime

5:00pm – Meet children’s author, Janie Bynum, author of Kiki’s Blankie

7:00pm – Holiday Storytime


Join us!!!

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Thankful

We're so thankful to the staff of the Center for Nonprofit Management(http://cnmdallas.org/) who generously sponsored a HIPPY family for the holidays. When they heard the plight of Alma G and her husband, they went all out and purchased gifts for the children, glasses, gift certificates for a grocery store and collected gently used clothing for all the family members. You see, Alma G. and her husband (Ernesto Sr.) have three children who are 2, 4, and 8 years old. The 4-year old, Ernesto Jr., has respiratory problems which causes him to use a breathing machine. Ernesto Sr. just lost his job and Alma is unable to work due to her own health problems (Alma is often very sick with a blood disease called sarcoidosis). The clinic where she used to receive medical treatment has recently stopped filling her medication due to the family’s inability to pay. The family has one car but it is up for sale. The 8 year old daughter, Ruby, needs glasses but Alma and her husband cannot afford them. The family lives in a mobile home that is behind in rent and have been threatened with eviction. At times, the nearby neighbors assist the family with food and rent when possible.

Thanks CNM Staff! Your generosity made a big difference in the holidays for a family who needed us!

PIC: CNM staff with their generous contribution