Dear Friends, 2011 marks my third year as Executive Director of ACLAMO Family Centers. During my tenure we have seen some challenges and exciting opportunities. Despite the growing need for services, the present economic climate has forced us to freeze our hiring and simultaneously ask more from our staff. They have met the challenge with great enthusiasm, as reflected in the continued number of people served and the documented positive experiences of those we assist. Similarly, we have a new and dynamic board of directors who have offered their professionalism, hands-on support, and financial backing.
Some of our recent highlights include:
- ACLAMO Family Centers celebrates 35 years of service to the community this year!
- ACLAMO is planning its 11th Annual Graduation Ceremony in June for the pre-kindergarten children and their mothers enrolled in our Even Start “Family Literacy” education program. The children learn English, reading, math and other skills to ready them for kindergarten, while their mothers learn English, computer, parenting and employment skills to help them improve their prospects. The excellent attendance records of the families throughout the school year, which far exceed the state requirements, attest to the importance our families place on education for their children.
- ACLAMO is preparing to again have our Summer Bridge Program for more than 75 local children. Students who, due to language and socioeconomic limitations, receive much-needed educational support in a safe, fun environment.
- With the assistance of the Workforce Investment Board of Montgomery County, we were able to purchase and install 20 new computers for our computer lab, which will serve our students and the local community. Computer literacy is key in part because Norristown School District has gone “paperless,” and parents need access to their children’s school documents. Furthermore, though the support of the WIB, we are partnering in a pioneering community employment training program.
- With the assistance of the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, Susquehanna Bank, and United Way of South East Pennsylvania, ACLAMO held a very successful Health Fair in our Pottstown location in the summer. This event marked a close collaboration with other health agencies which included the Maternity Care Coalition, Community Health, and Dental Care, Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, Montgomery County Health Department, and Fox Chase Cancer Center. This was the first time ACLAMO partnered with Fox Chase to provide a mobile mammography unit to provide free mammograms.
- Our Norristown center also held a successful Health Fair, in February. Collaborative agencies, schools, and businesses including the Montgomery County Health Department, Drexel University’s School of Nursing, Carp Dental Associates, and the Fox Chase Cancer Center. The Mobile Mammography Unit once again administered mammograms free of charge.
- Thanks to our partnership with the ACPPA Community Art Center and Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work ACLAMO’s families participated in a Mural Arts Program. The families, students and volunteers designed and painted 14 separate panels that now grace the front entrance of our Norristown center, creating a colorful, whimsical depiction of small-town country life.
- In partnership with the US Marine Corps Toys for Tots Campaign, ACLAMO distributed over 1,700 toys through separate holiday events at our two locations in December and January.
- Through a generous Community Development Block Grant from Montgomery County, ACLAMO is continuing the process of renovating to our Norristown facility with masonry and façade repairs. Our former bank building on West Marshall Street is one of the central properties involved in the ongoing revitalization of downtown Norristown.
- ACLAMO held its second successful Faces of Hope fundraiser in the fall. More than 200 enthusiastic supporters attended and to date over $17,000 was raised. (Please read more about this under our “Special Events” page.) A second fundraiser is being planned for this spring.
Our goals for the future include the expansion of our educational programs and the expansion of our health initiatives. All of these and other goals could not be accomplished without the steadfast and faithful support of friends like you. Please consider making a gift to help us continue these and other vital programs.
On behalf of ACLAMO Family Centers and the community we serve, a sincere thank you!
-Juan Guerra
