New ways of giving coming soon!
With 2012 being El Buen's 25th anniversary year, we are busy planning events, social activities and developing strategies for long-term sustainability and expansion for the next five years. As part of our strategic efforts, soon we will be able to offer a range of giving options for our donors and sponsors on our website! For example, we are creating membership levels, program-specific sponsorships, and the ability for you to become monthly, quarterly or annual giving partners. We are also further refining planned giving and estate planning options. El Buen's giving partners and sponsors will have choices!
Please feel free to contact Candice Towe, senior development manager, at ctowe@elbuen.org or (512) 439-8912 anytime! Candice is always open to new ideas in the best interest of El Buen's sustainability. Thank you for an amazing 2012 so far! As always, we are continually inspired by your generosity and extra-mile efforts to maintain a strong commitment to El Buen and the families we serve. Your financial contributions and gifts make it possible for us to reach and impact thousands of children and families. We hope you will continue to think of us and invest with us to promote the benefits of our mission.
Volunteers fuel our summer programs
Good news! Due to the great success of our recent Volunteer Info Sessions, we recruited a record number of volunteers in the month of May. Forty-two new volunteers signed up for ongoing positions in Adult Education, the Child Learning Center, Youth Summer Camp and the Food Pantry. In the Youth Summer Camp, we have more volunteer support than ever before, with a talented group of high school and college students helping our kids keep their minds and bodies active during the summer months.
On the left, Aminta Dawson, a student of Sarah Lawrence College who is volunteering during her time off in the summer, teaches a group of campers football skills through our Youth Summer Camp.
For more information about volunteering at El Buen, contact Claudia Herrington, community relations coordinator, at cherrington@elbuen.org or (512) 439-0736.
Be on the lookout for more ways of giving back in the next issue of Hand to Hand!
Youth Summer Camp receives $7,500!
We have recently received $7,500 in grant funding from the Donald D. Hammill Foundation to support the development of a nutrition education component of the 2012 Youth Summer Camp program. This was made possible through the creation of a Summer Meals Program and a Nutrition Education Program utilizing the cultivation of our very own community garden! The goals of this program are to combat hunger in school-aged children and promote a healthy lifestyle. The central project activity is to provide summer program participants with hot, healthy, nutritious meals during the summer months that they might not otherwise have been able to access. Through this collaboration and our collaboration with the Capital Area Food Bank, slightly more than 100 youth enjoy a nutritious and delicious meal after a morning of academic learning and physical activities throughout our Youth Summer Camp.
Wrapping up Mental Health Awareness Month
Last month, we explored the concept that all aspects of our health are directly linked to one another. Body, mind and spirit cannot be separated when addressing an individual's health or illnesses. In the following three articles, three thought leaders express how nutrition, spirituality and proper sleeping patterns affect our emotional wellbeing. Enjoy!
How is your sleep hygiene?
Have you ever felt sad or irritable after a restless night? We all know there is a direct connection between sleep and our emotional well-being! Our behavioral health specialist, Orlando de León, LCSW, explores sleep, and shares ways we can enhance our sleeping patterns for improved emotional well-being.
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How nutrition can contribute to a stress-free life
Read how you can get a better handle on your stress and sleep patterns through the food you eat! In this article, our health education coordinator, Katherine Muñoz, explores the relationship between the nutrients we put in our body and our behaviors, eating patterns, sleep, energy, mood and cognition.
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Spirituality and mental health
Does spirituality contribute to a healthy state of mind and well-being? Rev. Rohani Weger, vicar at San Francisco de Asis Episcopal Church, discusses ways spirituality and religion can help bring emotional healing and calmness in times of hardness and high stress.
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