Whether you’re giving time as a

volunteer or donating resources and

money—#GivingTuesday is a global day

of giving back to the communities and

organizations doing meaningful work in

your area. This #GivingTuesday KenCrest

will not only invite volunteers to give of

their time to projects and initiatives at

our many locations; but we’ll be taking

on opportunities for our KenCrest family

to give of their time too!

On November 27th, 2018 we’ll volunteer

our time in the communities and

neighborhoods that give to us on a daily

basis— through the love, support, and

welcoming attitude they’ve shown to the

individuals/people we support. From our

leadership team, to our direct support

staff and the individuals at our locations

in Southeastern Pennsylvania—we’re

all looking forward to being #UNselfies

on #GivingTuesday. Follow our

#GivingTuesday fun via #KenCrestCares

on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

For more information about volunteer

opportunities available, please contact

Barbara Ballard (barbara.ballard@

KenCrest.org). For more information

about donating to help us reach our goal

#GivingTuesday goal of $2,500, please

contact Kim Blodgett at 610-825-9360 ext.

1131 (kim.blodgett@KenCrest.org).

KenCrest! See what we’ve been up to . . .

Keeping up with SERVICES | LOCATIONS | SUPPORT | NEWS & EVENTS

Fall 2018

Fall FunVolunteer with KenCreSt For

#GiVinGtueSdayWhether its pumpkins and pumpkin spiced lattes or candy corn and corn mazes, Fall kicks off

KenCrest’s most festive time of the year! Many of our community homes, day programs, and

offices are decorated for the season — channeling our autumn chicness and spooktacular

decor for Halloween.

KenCreSt MaSterS #GiVinGtueSday

In less than a year Jon Miller has organized

and hosted five different volunteer and

donation events for KenCrest, all within his

Manayunk/Roxborough neighborhood. Jon

learned about KenCrest through a family

friend, Holly Chakmakjian, who happens to

be an employee; and quickly connected with

our Development department on ways to get

involved. Within weeks he organized his first

volunteer initiative for #GivingTuesday—

gathering several friends and family to

spend the day at one of KenCrest’s medically

fragile children’s homes.

Since then Jon has rallied his community

of nearly 40 friends, neighbors, clients,

and colleagues to help volunteer at other

community homes; and participate in

donation drives for The Family Fund

and KenCrest’s Early Learning Centers.

He’s looking forward to organizing many

‘2nd annual’ initiatives — especially

#GivingTuesday 2018.

“There are so many opportunities and

KenCrest will help you figure it out,” said

Jon. “If you just have an idea of something

you’d like to try, or some way you can

contribute, they can help you find those

opportunities or help you create those

opportunities; for me I would say that’s

very much what I did.”

As the “day of giving” quickly approaches,

Jon is focused on growing his volunteer

list, getting more hands dirty and giving

back more to KenCrest.

This year’s KenCrest Masters was nothing short of phenomenal; thanks to the support of CBIz,

Tony Consoli, and Kevin and Katie Dougher—we raised over $176,000 towards our programs

and services! Guests enjoyed an extended round of gold—18 holes on Blue Bell’s signature

Arnold Palmer course; decorative wood crafting with Just Paint; and sushi making. Over 280

attendees joined us for our evening celebration at Normandy Farm Hotel for cocktails, dinner,

our live and silent auctions, and of course wine bottle ring toss! This year was made even more

special due to a $2,000 donation underwriting staff tickets for those who couldn’t afford to

attend. A great time was truly had by all!

KenSinGton Center reCeiVeS Support FroM the philadelphia

aCtiVitieS Fund

tiMe BanK

hiGh SCope traininG

3

They say “confidence comes from

building discipline and training,” and

our Early Learning Centers are invested

in building theirs; within the last four

years, over 30 teaching staff, between

two cohorts, participated in High Scope

trainings during the summer. High

Scope is an evidence-based curriculum

that requires individualized curriculum

planning for children with a wide range

of learning disabilities and differences.

Our Early Learning teaching staff spend

two full weeks each summer as a part of

the two year program—delving deeper

into their understanding of teaching

and strengthening the philosophical

structure of their curriculums. Thanks to

the support of a $5,000 grant from BB&T

Bank, the 2018-19 cohort participated

in workshops, reading assignments, and

small and individual group work with a

High Scope Foundation trainer. At the end

of the program (four weeks over a span

on two years,) each teacher presents a

reflective presentation on what they’ve

learned throughout their training. Many

of the teaching staff, including those with

over 10 years of classroom experience,

have shared how inspiring and invaluable

the High Scope training was for planning

their curriculums this year. We can’t wait to

continue on in Summer 2019!

Did you know that our Kensington Center is the “Ken”

in KenCrest? The Kensington Center is one of our oldest

site locations and cares for some of our most precious

individuals — our preschoolers! This year the Center

received $1,000 from the City of Philadelphia Activity

Fund, which will go towards subscriptions to ChopChop,

a bilingual children’s magazine that inspires children

and their families to cook healthy meals together; as

well as copies of Big Questions for Young Minds for each

classroom. The

remaining funding will support the purchase

of an additional water cooler/dispenser to help

further encourage both adults and children at

the Center to drink more water and less sugary

beverages throughout the day.

Through a Pennsylvania Developmental

Disabilities Council (PDDC) grant, KenCrest

launched the Good Neighbors Time Bank,

an inclusive regional time bank covering

Southeastern Pennsylvania. Time banking, a

non-monetary economy, “seeks to transform

traditional social service models into social

networks in which members both provide and

receive services that are assigned equal value”

(Time Banking and Health, Health Promotion Practice, 2011).

Time banks create a culture where everyone has something to offer, and what people offer

is equal in value. Time bank members earn units or “time bank dollars” by providing a good

or service. In return they can spend their time bank dollars when they receive goods and

services from another time bank member. One hour of service is equivalent to one time

bank dollar of currency. Time Banking is all about identifying your passions and interests;

and using them to promote independence, make new friends, and participate fully in our

communities. KenCrest sees time banking as a perfect opportunity to assist our consumers

to be active in the economy; work in the community; be recognized equally for the work they

do; develop a community identity; and build self-reliance and independence.

This initiative is a collaborative effort powered by KenCrest, with a diverse membership

comprised of people with disabilities, as well as community members from all walks of

life. Together the members of the time bank share resources, support one another, and

build community. Our initial goal is to serve 400 members, 80 of whom will be people

with intellectual disabilities. We anticipate that membership could easily grow to 1000

participants in the region within the first three years of the time

bank. Currently we are seeking members from all walks of life

throughout Southeastern PA and are looking for free, community

locations where we can establish monthly orientation meetings

and social events. If you wish to get involved with time banking

please reach out to our Time Bank Coordinator, Julianna Beauvais

(Julianna.beauvais@kencrest.org) at 610-324-0019; or find

information online at www.goodneighborstb.timebanks.org.

Copyright © 2018 KENCREST. All Rights Reserved.

960A Harvest Drive, Suite 100Blue Bell, PA 19422 | 610.825.9360

kencrest.org

KenCrest’s mission

is to support community

development by:

exploring possibilities,

mobilizing resources, and

empowering dreams.

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new SeaSon, new loCationS

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Mark Your CalendarTuesday, November 27th

#GivingTuesday

Sunday, December 2nd 3-4PM

Bloom Consort Renaissance Christmas Carols Concert

Christ Lutheran Church,

Oreland, PA

Friday, March 15th 2019

Community Champions

KenCrest will open two new Community

Participation Programs in the coming

months, including one on Thomas Jones

Way in Exton. The new locations will enable

the Community Participation Programs

to be closer to the community in modern,

well-lit, central sites. Thanks to a $25,000

grant from The McClean Contributionship

and a $10,000 grant from The Gordon

Charter Foundation, renovations to the new

Chester County Community Participation

Program on Thomas Jones Way are currently

underway. The renovations to the Program

will enable employees to support adults with

complex disabilities; ceiling tracking is being installed to help move clients with greater

ease, as well as resilient wall covering, and special flooring for wheelchairs. KenCrest is

creating spaces that help

ensure all our clients’ needs are

being met—from open layouts

creating a more interactive

space; to nooks that are quiet

and ones that have a myriad

of activities to better adapt to

a variety of sensory needs. The

Thomas Jones Way location

will accommodate up to 50

individuals — serving clients

from Chester, Montgomery,

and Delaware County.

A great season participating in the Pottstown Farmers Market has come to a close. This year

several individuals from KenCrest’s Seeds of Purpose Community Participation Program

helped create and sell soy-based candles every other Thursday from 5 to 7pm, May through

October in Pottstown’s city center. Individuals build a variety of skillsets participating in

the Farmers Market—from learning proper eye contact; engaging strangers in sales pitches,

speaking in detail about their products; and executing their sales transactions. Thanks to

a $3,270 grant from the MBF Center Fund, KenCrest Employment Services Program will

purchase a custom tent, taller tables, a cooler for drinks and snacks, and additional point of

sale supplies for next year’s farmers markets. We hope to see you in the Spring!