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Fall Newsletter
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Fall
2009 |
Episcopal Social Services
Venture House
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Food Program sees increase of 30
percent over last year |
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| Episcopal Social Services is stepping up
to meet the increased need for food in our community. ESS is
feeding over 100 people per day. By the end of September,
ESS has already served 15,187 lunches. In 2008, for the entire
year, ESS served 15, 083 lunches. That is a 30 percent
increase in the number of lunches served. With this
increase, we need your help more than ever this year.  With
the Wichita-area unemployment rate at 8.9 percent in August, ESS is
serving more people that are looking for work or just trying to
stretch their budgets further. ESS anticipates serving 20,000
meals in 2009.
ESS has served more than 475,000 meals since 1983
and as long as the need is there we will continue to do so. We
need your help to meet this increased need. Would you consider
a donation to help us provide lunch for those in our community who
need it? Donate Here |
Here is how you can help!
$112 - thanks to you 45
individuals will not go hungry today.
$249 - provides lunch for 100
people visiting ESS today.
$625 - provides hot lunches for a
child for a year
$2,500 - provides a family of four lunches for a year Any
amount is much appreciated. Please
Donate Here. Thank you for your
generosity! |
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ART is off to terrific start |
It is hard to believe that the ART
program has already been serving the community for one full
year. ESS started ART in September of 2008 and to date has
served over 60 youth. As most of you remember, the ART program
serves young people ages 12 to 17 that are experiencing or have
experienced chronically aggressive behaviors and or have recently
committed a juvenile offense. The ART program teaches
individuals how to recognize the signals their bodies send when they
are  getting angry, ways to reduce their angry feelings and skills
that help them to appropriately respond to socially awkward
situations. Inside the ART group, individuals see how to use
skills correctly through real life homework assignments.
Each ART session is eight weeks long and participants attend
twice per week, from 6 to 8 p.m., for a total of 32 hours of
instruction. When an individual completes all 32 hours of the
ART program they will have learned what triggers their anger, how to
recognize they are becoming angry, how to reduce their anger before
it escalates to aggression, social skills that will de-escalate the
situation and empathy toward the other person(s) involved in the
situation.
In the first year of serving the community, referrals to the
program have doubled in number! Referrals to the ART program
have now increased to a level where we are considering adding an
additional class. We know the program's popularity is due to
having evidence based, nationally recognized curriculum, which has
been selected by the Sedgwick County Juvenile Justice Advisory Board
as a "model program" for the community.
At present, ESS is proud to be one of the only local providers of
the program and the ONLY AGENCY in Sedgwick County offering
the program to the public with an established program
schedule. ESS believes the referrals will only continue to
grow as more providers learn about the program. The future of
the ART program is looking bright. ESS is excited to be able
to offer this quality programming as we continue with our mission to
"provide hope to those in need." |
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The First Venture House |
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Volunteer Dinner honors hard
work and commitment of ESS volunteers |
| The annual volunteer dinner was held
Sunday, September 20th at St. James Episcopal Church. More
than 100 volunteers attended this special evening. Sierra
Scott, host of "It's ALL Good with Sierra Scott" was the
speaker and Carrabba's catered the event.
ESS has 42 new volunteers, bringing our total number of
volunteers to 178. Thank yo to our wonderful volunteers for
your dedication and time to those we serve at ESS. |
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CEO Corner
A time of challenges & heightened awareness |
| This has certainly been a year of
economic changes and reminders that we live in a world that is
constantly changing. As a community we have been called to
embrace and respond to these changing times. Episcopal Social
Services - Venture House has seen food lines and unemployment grow.
As the need in our community has increased, so has the desire to
respond in a very direct and compassionate way. The ESS board
of directors has been eager to respond to new program demands and
families and individuals who live on the edge of poverty.
A wealth of new volunteers have joined the ESS team in
2009. Venture House has a long rich history of serving some of
our most vulnerable community members and is still the oldest
and 2nd largest soup kitchen in Wichita. ESS supporters
have always been faithful and very generous in times of need and we
know this year your generosity will abound as well. Your gifts
make an immediate difference in the lives of children, families and
individuals in Wichita and our surrounding communities.
PLEASE
GIVE ! |
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Copyright
2009 Episcopal Social Services, Wichita, KS. All rights reserved. |
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