Bikes For Kids
The Essex Community Fund supports Bikes for Kids, an organization started in 1989 by Mr. Churck Graeb of Old Lyme. The mission of Bikes for Kids is to provide refurbished bicycles to children who could not otherwise afford to own bikes. The bikes not only put smiles on the faces of these children but also increase their confidence, and self esteem. There’s nothing more fulfilling than improving the life of a needy child.
Shoreline Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry
The Shoreline Soup Kitchen and Food Pantries is also supported, in part, by grants from the Essex Community Fund. Lila, 27, has two young children and works a full time minimum wage job at a local retailer. She lives in a small apartment on a busy street here in town. She walks to work as she does not own a car. Some months she has to choose between rent and heat; some months the choice is between heat and food. Her situation is more urgent in the cold winter months. Finally she turns to the Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries. Lila is able to get enough food for herself and her children so she does not need to choose. The Essex Community Fund’s support of the Shoreline Soup Kitchen & Pantries provided 37,000 meals for shoreline area residents in need.
Gilead Community Services
Gilead Community Services is also supported, in part, by grants from The Essex Community Fund. Gilead provides housing, clinical treatment, support services, and outpatient counseling services to area residents suffering from mental health issues. The money provided by The Essex Community Fund helps Gilead to provide these services to patients who have no health insurance benefits available.
Essex Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts
The Essex Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts are also supported, in part, by the Essex Community Fund. The scouts use our grant to supplement the costs of scouting activities for those children in need of financial assistance. In this way, the positive influence of the scouts is made available to all Essex children. The Community, in turn, is richly rewarded by the generous volunteer activities of the scouts who regularly conduct clean-up sessions at many of our local parks and public areas.
Brittany
Our daughter, Brittany, is very interested in attending your camp this
summer. She is a delightful 10-yr-old that loves to try everything. Because we
have a son with special needs, we are unable to both be employed--one of us must
be home at all times. Consequently, we are just getting by on one paycheck. We
told Brittany that we could save up for day camp, however, the overnight program
that she is most interested in is way over our budget. On receiving notice of
the campership award:
“We cannot thank you enough for granting us the financial aid that will allow
Brittany to attend camp this summer!! I can’t tell you how much peace and joy it
gives my husband and me knowing she’ll have some special time away from living
with a very difficult older brother. Just to see the excitement and wonder in
Brittany’s eyes when I told her she could go was worth the humbling of myself
that it took for me to have the courage to ask for financial aid (something we
have never done before). Thank you and God Bless.
Walking with Anne: Gateway Counseling Services
By Glee Wahlquist, LCSWAnne came to Gateway Counseling Services nearly four years ago on the recommendation of her family doctor. She is a petite woman, neatly groomed, who grew up in this area and graduated from a local high school.
Through our first meeting, it became obvious that mental health problems including panic attacks and hearing voices, were wreaking havoc on her life. Sobbing through her first meeting, she explained that she had lost her job, had financial troubles, was being evicted, and hand no family or other support systems on which to rely. She was facing an overwhelming and bleak situation.
Initially, we worked to stabilize Anne’s crisis and address the most pressing issues, such as her need for stable housing. We worked at treating her mental illness through counseling and medication. We also helped her apply for state and other available assistance to get her back on her feet including subsidized housing, disability, legal aid, and vocational rehabilitation.
After almost four years of hard work, Anne has her own apartment and has successfully reduced her medications. She continues to have anxiety at times but has learned skills to manage her fears. She has learned how to take better care of herself, including managing her finances. Improved self-confidence and esteem have invited new friends and a stronger support system into her life. Anne now has a full-time job and “love’s it.” She is also in the process of having her driver’s license reinstated.
I’ve learned much from working with Anne and have grown to admire her patience and persistence. Little would have been accomplished without the help of various community agency services ranging from housing through legal aid. This type of work involves many starts and stops along the way. Yet, there are few things more rewarding than having clients attain their goals.
