ROC Ripples — 10.6.16
A woman I’ll call Ann came to the ROC for help a little over four years ago. Like many of our participants, Ann was unemployed, trying to do her best for her family but had run out of resources. The ROC connected her with services to meet her family’s immediate needs. For four years, we worked with Ann to provide increasing stability in other areas of her life, most importantly providing support for job training. Eventually, she and her family left ROC because we had helped their family stabilize. When she stopped in to say hello, she talked about her full-time job, the new home she and her husband just bought and how well her kids are doing. ROC stood beside Ann and her family – assisting, empowering and elevating – just like we do for so many others.
The ROC is more than a service agency. We offer opportunities for those we serve to become the persons they’ve always dreamed about becoming, but didn’t know how to make it happen.
Through our current strategic plan, we’re committed to strengthening services to children to help break the cycle of multi-generational poverty – from providing opportunities for parents to improving parenting skills to offering play therapy to help young children better deal with the trauma in their lives. By doing so, we are part of a growing national effort to mitigate the permanent effects that growing up in poverty has on many children.
ROC now has a waiting list for our School Readiness Program. We have five trained volunteers going into homes for 30 to 45 minutes a week to help children and parents. The curriculum uses books and educational toys to develop crucial skills children need and parental educational support competencies required for success in school.
We are happy to report that over 300 children in the East Aurora, Holland and Pioneer school districts were better prepared for school this September after receiving ROC- and Boys and Girls Club-sponsored backpacks filled with school supplies (see photo). This program has exploded with ROC’s Back Pack Program reaching 185 more students and their families than last year.
We all know how important a job is to stability in the lives of families. That’s why our second area of strategic investment is in the area of employment readiness and training. This will be one of our primary areas of focus in 2017.
The ROC now offer services through the Bread of Life food and clothing pantry in Colden, New York and are coordinating services with the Pioneer and Springville school districts in addition to the East Aurora and Holland districts.
Families in these areas now have a place where their needs can be assessed and they can begin working on their goals as they move toward realizing their dreams.
Much of this happens because of community support – you! Thanks.
We want to invite you to our ROCtober fundraiser at the Elm Street Bakery on October 9th.from 4 to 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the Bakery. More information is on the ROC’s Facebook page.
