2021 - Recipients
Philadelphia area Nationalities Service Center (NSC) - December
Our contribution will assist in providing housing for Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban. During December we will learn more about opportunities for volunteer involvement with NSC and its clients.
NSC’s work epitomizes the values of our Seven Principles. It is aligned with our First Principle (The inherent worth and dignity of every person); the Second (Justice, equity and compassion in human relations), and the Sixth (The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all). MLUC’s social justice programs, which involve outreach to peoples in need both locally and abroad, could benefit from an alliance with the broad spectrum of NSC activities. MLUC congregants are currently expressing a strong desire to support Afghan refugees resettling in the Philadelphia area, and NSC would offer a variety of opportunities.
Immigrants and refugees have always been part of the fabric of life in the United States. UUs share the NSC’s vision that all immigrants and refugees achieve a life of dignity, safety, stability and connections to their communities. NSC provides comprehensive services to immigrants and refugees, including legal protections, community integration, access to health and wellness services, and opportunities to achieve English language proficiency. For more information, visit the NSC website at https://nscphila.org.
A Better Chance - November
A Better Chance (ABC) in Lower Merion seeks to change the lives of young men of color through educational opportunities that will provide them with tools to assume positions of responsibility and leadership in American society.
ABC is an all-male boarding program with a house that can currently house up to eight scholars. The scholars attend Lower Merion High School. Students are supported by their guidance counselors at the high school and by individual academic advisers, tutors, and college advisers to maximize their future opportunities for higher education. All of the program’s graduates have gone on to graduate from highly ranked colleges and universities, and over 95 percent have graduated within five years.
In addition to the high school, ABC has a small staff of three resident tutors, an activities coordinator, a director, and a cook. This team is augmented by volunteers. For more information, see www.abclowermerion.com.
Maternal and Child Health Consortium - October
The Maternal and Child Health Consortium (MCHC) was created in 1991 to serve low-income families with young children in Chester County and its suburbs. MCHC offers access to healthcare, education, and resources so children can start healthy, stay healthy, and succeed in school. MCHC serves an average of 5,000 individuals each year through its programs. Most of the clients are Hispanic and Black/African American women and children.
The October outreach offering is MCHC’s Healthy Start Program, a prenatal case management program that reduces incidence of low birth weight (less than 5.5 lbs.) and improves maternal and infant health outcomes among high-risk pregnant and parenting women and their children ages 0–18 months old.
Healthy Start serves 300+ individuals each year: 120 women, their infants, and additional family members. Bilingual, bicultural community health workers provide socioemotional strengthening and support. They offer mothers education in health and early childhood development and support parental involvement and learning.
Volunteer opportunities include reading to children in the summer Kindergarten Transition Program and participating in donation drives for toys, winter coats, hygiene products, and healthful, nonperishable foods for families with young children.
For more information about Healthy Start, click here.
Attic Youth Center - September
MLUC’s September Offering Outreach recipient is the Attic Youth Center, a services and support program for LGBTQ youth serving the Philadelphia area. The center creates opportunities for LGBTQ youth to develop into healthy, independent, civic-minded adults within a safe and supportive community. Its aim is to promote the acceptance of LGBTQ youth into society. The center provides LGBTQ youth support services and community sensitivity training. This can include a program at MLUC if we wish. The program was started by Daren Wade and Carrie Jacobs in 1993 as an after-school support group. It has grown from a once-a-week support group to a nationally recognized, multi-service youth organization. It takes its name from the site where they began meeting, the attic of Voyage House, a Philadelphia-based social service organization.
Interfaith Hospitality Network of the Main Line - July and August
Interfaith Hospitality Network of the Main Line (IHN-ML) has been selected as the Offering Outreach recipient for July and August 2021. IHN-ML provides a caring and positive environment for homeless families while they design and implement a plan to break the cycle of homelessness in their lives. With the involvement of area congregations and the energy of several hundred community volunteers, IHN-ML is dedicated to helping families strive for a better tomorrow. MLUC is one of 12 host congregations that periodically provide homeless families with home-cooked meals and a place to sleep and feel safe.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the families have stayed overnight at IHN-ML’s Day Center in Norristown. Many costly adaptations have been made, and the needs of the organization continue as they work to ensure safe accommodation for families. Meanwhile, the organization is responding to an unprecedented number of calls from graduates and community members who have lost their jobs and need immediate financial assistance to pay their phone bills, purchase daily necessities, and pay their rent. Funds donated through Offering Outreach will enable IHN-ML to continue their vital work to connect families to community resources and empower them to achieve and maintain affordable housing.
Marin’s Home - June
Martin’s Home is one of four locations operated by the Sisters of Saint Joseph to provide transitional housing for refugees and asylum seekers while they await work papers, a Social Security card, and food stamps. Residents come from many parts of the world, including Africa, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and the Americas. The plight of refugees and asylum seekers is one of the major problems facing the entire world. Martin’s Home provides a safe, welcoming place for women and children to stay until they can obtain permanent housing.
Support for Martin’s Home is consistent with the UU values of respecting the dignity and worth of each person and the need for justice and compassion. Because of the safety and confidentiality essential to housing refugees and asylum seekers, Martin’s Home has no website. For the protection of the residents, pictures and markers of them or their location are not made known.
Unitarian Universalist House Outreach Program (UUH Outreach) - May
Unitarian Universalist House Outreach Program (UUH Outreach) is the recipient of Offering Outreach for May 2021. UUH Outreach is a nondenominational, community-based program for older adults who are living independently in Northwest Philadelphia. Confidential services are provided at no cost by UUH Program’s small multidisciplinary team (social work and nursing). Program staff partner with adults age 60+ to support them in their efforts to age safely with dignity in their own homes and communities.
UUH Outreach staff take time to fully understand an older person’s situation and concerns and respond with tailored information and access to resources in the community. UUH Outreach actively collaborates with other service organizations to expedite getting older adults the support they need. The organization also has a Client Assistance Fund to support specific needs, such as safety equipment and essential small home repairs.
Four UU congregations, including MLUC, are currently represented on the UUH Outreach Board.
Rock to the Future - April
Rock to the Future was founded in Philadelphia in 2010 to combat the effects of poverty and violence in neighborhoods that have been stripped of funding and resources. It provides student-driven music programs in a safe and supportive environment at no cost to Philadelphia youth. The staff and volunteers at Rock to the Future believe in the power of music to improve lives, and they help their students unlock their fullest potential through the benefits of learning music. The organization started in Kensington and is now serving hundreds of students in 40 zip codes. The programs have switched to online during the COVID pandemic and will soon expand to include Norristown and Chester. There are no auditions required and all instruments and supplies are provided. The program provides direct academic support, meals, and transportation. With its focus on original song writing, peer collaboration, and live performance, Rock to the Future prepares the next generation for every stage.
West Chester Food Cupboard - March
This month’s recipient of our Offering Outreach funds is the West Chester Food Cupboard. Established in 2009, this nonprofit organization operates with volunteers and has no paid staff. It is the primary source of food assistance for low-income residents in the West Chester Area School District. During the COVID crisis, the Cupboard expanded its territory to all Pennsylvania residents in need. The motto of the Cupboard is, “. . . because no one should go hungry!” An average of 626 households are served each month; 1,200,000 pounds of food and personal care items were distributed to those in need last year.
DMAX Foundation - February
The DMAX Foundation is the recipient of MLUC’s Offering Outreach for February. The organization’s purpose is to strengthen the mental health and emotional well-being of young people. It serves college students by establishing DMAX clubs on college campuses, where students meet to have open and honest conversations about how they are doing, how their friends are doing, and how they can help each other. DMAX also sponsors educational forums, such as the virtual presentation Racism and Mental Health scheduled for April 22. The DMAX Foundation was founded by Lee and Laurie Maxwell in response to the loss of their son, Dan, to suicide in 2013 and their vow to help other families and young people. The name DMAX stems from Dan’s high school nickname. Lee is a member of MLUC.
Pennsylvania Innocence Project -January
The Pennsylvania Innocence Project is the Offering Outreach recipient for January 2021. Founded in 2009, this organization works to exonerate those convicted of crimes they did not commit, and to prevent innocent people from being convicted. Since 2009, the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and its pro bono partners have freed and secured exoneration for 19 people. Additionally, they have helped four people come home on parole, while continuing to fight for their exoneration. The Innocence Project also assists the exonerated citizens with supports to restore them to society, provides clinical training, collaborates with law enforcement agencies and the courts to address systemic causes of wrongful convictions, and works to strengthen and improve the effectiveness of the criminal justice system through public education and advocacy.
Our contribution will assist in providing housing for Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban. During December we will learn more about opportunities for volunteer involvement with NSC and its clients.
NSC’s work epitomizes the values of our Seven Principles. It is aligned with our First Principle (The inherent worth and dignity of every person); the Second (Justice, equity and compassion in human relations), and the Sixth (The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all). MLUC’s social justice programs, which involve outreach to peoples in need both locally and abroad, could benefit from an alliance with the broad spectrum of NSC activities. MLUC congregants are currently expressing a strong desire to support Afghan refugees resettling in the Philadelphia area, and NSC would offer a variety of opportunities.
Immigrants and refugees have always been part of the fabric of life in the United States. UUs share the NSC’s vision that all immigrants and refugees achieve a life of dignity, safety, stability and connections to their communities. NSC provides comprehensive services to immigrants and refugees, including legal protections, community integration, access to health and wellness services, and opportunities to achieve English language proficiency. For more information, visit the NSC website at https://nscphila.org.
A Better Chance - November
A Better Chance (ABC) in Lower Merion seeks to change the lives of young men of color through educational opportunities that will provide them with tools to assume positions of responsibility and leadership in American society.
ABC is an all-male boarding program with a house that can currently house up to eight scholars. The scholars attend Lower Merion High School. Students are supported by their guidance counselors at the high school and by individual academic advisers, tutors, and college advisers to maximize their future opportunities for higher education. All of the program’s graduates have gone on to graduate from highly ranked colleges and universities, and over 95 percent have graduated within five years.
In addition to the high school, ABC has a small staff of three resident tutors, an activities coordinator, a director, and a cook. This team is augmented by volunteers. For more information, see www.abclowermerion.com.
Maternal and Child Health Consortium - October
The Maternal and Child Health Consortium (MCHC) was created in 1991 to serve low-income families with young children in Chester County and its suburbs. MCHC offers access to healthcare, education, and resources so children can start healthy, stay healthy, and succeed in school. MCHC serves an average of 5,000 individuals each year through its programs. Most of the clients are Hispanic and Black/African American women and children.
The October outreach offering is MCHC’s Healthy Start Program, a prenatal case management program that reduces incidence of low birth weight (less than 5.5 lbs.) and improves maternal and infant health outcomes among high-risk pregnant and parenting women and their children ages 0–18 months old.
Healthy Start serves 300+ individuals each year: 120 women, their infants, and additional family members. Bilingual, bicultural community health workers provide socioemotional strengthening and support. They offer mothers education in health and early childhood development and support parental involvement and learning.
Volunteer opportunities include reading to children in the summer Kindergarten Transition Program and participating in donation drives for toys, winter coats, hygiene products, and healthful, nonperishable foods for families with young children.
For more information about Healthy Start, click here.
Attic Youth Center - September
MLUC’s September Offering Outreach recipient is the Attic Youth Center, a services and support program for LGBTQ youth serving the Philadelphia area. The center creates opportunities for LGBTQ youth to develop into healthy, independent, civic-minded adults within a safe and supportive community. Its aim is to promote the acceptance of LGBTQ youth into society. The center provides LGBTQ youth support services and community sensitivity training. This can include a program at MLUC if we wish. The program was started by Daren Wade and Carrie Jacobs in 1993 as an after-school support group. It has grown from a once-a-week support group to a nationally recognized, multi-service youth organization. It takes its name from the site where they began meeting, the attic of Voyage House, a Philadelphia-based social service organization.
Interfaith Hospitality Network of the Main Line - July and August
Interfaith Hospitality Network of the Main Line (IHN-ML) has been selected as the Offering Outreach recipient for July and August 2021. IHN-ML provides a caring and positive environment for homeless families while they design and implement a plan to break the cycle of homelessness in their lives. With the involvement of area congregations and the energy of several hundred community volunteers, IHN-ML is dedicated to helping families strive for a better tomorrow. MLUC is one of 12 host congregations that periodically provide homeless families with home-cooked meals and a place to sleep and feel safe.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the families have stayed overnight at IHN-ML’s Day Center in Norristown. Many costly adaptations have been made, and the needs of the organization continue as they work to ensure safe accommodation for families. Meanwhile, the organization is responding to an unprecedented number of calls from graduates and community members who have lost their jobs and need immediate financial assistance to pay their phone bills, purchase daily necessities, and pay their rent. Funds donated through Offering Outreach will enable IHN-ML to continue their vital work to connect families to community resources and empower them to achieve and maintain affordable housing.
Marin’s Home - June
Martin’s Home is one of four locations operated by the Sisters of Saint Joseph to provide transitional housing for refugees and asylum seekers while they await work papers, a Social Security card, and food stamps. Residents come from many parts of the world, including Africa, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and the Americas. The plight of refugees and asylum seekers is one of the major problems facing the entire world. Martin’s Home provides a safe, welcoming place for women and children to stay until they can obtain permanent housing.
Support for Martin’s Home is consistent with the UU values of respecting the dignity and worth of each person and the need for justice and compassion. Because of the safety and confidentiality essential to housing refugees and asylum seekers, Martin’s Home has no website. For the protection of the residents, pictures and markers of them or their location are not made known.
Unitarian Universalist House Outreach Program (UUH Outreach) - May
Unitarian Universalist House Outreach Program (UUH Outreach) is the recipient of Offering Outreach for May 2021. UUH Outreach is a nondenominational, community-based program for older adults who are living independently in Northwest Philadelphia. Confidential services are provided at no cost by UUH Program’s small multidisciplinary team (social work and nursing). Program staff partner with adults age 60+ to support them in their efforts to age safely with dignity in their own homes and communities.
UUH Outreach staff take time to fully understand an older person’s situation and concerns and respond with tailored information and access to resources in the community. UUH Outreach actively collaborates with other service organizations to expedite getting older adults the support they need. The organization also has a Client Assistance Fund to support specific needs, such as safety equipment and essential small home repairs.
Four UU congregations, including MLUC, are currently represented on the UUH Outreach Board.
Rock to the Future - April
Rock to the Future was founded in Philadelphia in 2010 to combat the effects of poverty and violence in neighborhoods that have been stripped of funding and resources. It provides student-driven music programs in a safe and supportive environment at no cost to Philadelphia youth. The staff and volunteers at Rock to the Future believe in the power of music to improve lives, and they help their students unlock their fullest potential through the benefits of learning music. The organization started in Kensington and is now serving hundreds of students in 40 zip codes. The programs have switched to online during the COVID pandemic and will soon expand to include Norristown and Chester. There are no auditions required and all instruments and supplies are provided. The program provides direct academic support, meals, and transportation. With its focus on original song writing, peer collaboration, and live performance, Rock to the Future prepares the next generation for every stage.
West Chester Food Cupboard - March
This month’s recipient of our Offering Outreach funds is the West Chester Food Cupboard. Established in 2009, this nonprofit organization operates with volunteers and has no paid staff. It is the primary source of food assistance for low-income residents in the West Chester Area School District. During the COVID crisis, the Cupboard expanded its territory to all Pennsylvania residents in need. The motto of the Cupboard is, “. . . because no one should go hungry!” An average of 626 households are served each month; 1,200,000 pounds of food and personal care items were distributed to those in need last year.
DMAX Foundation - February
The DMAX Foundation is the recipient of MLUC’s Offering Outreach for February. The organization’s purpose is to strengthen the mental health and emotional well-being of young people. It serves college students by establishing DMAX clubs on college campuses, where students meet to have open and honest conversations about how they are doing, how their friends are doing, and how they can help each other. DMAX also sponsors educational forums, such as the virtual presentation Racism and Mental Health scheduled for April 22. The DMAX Foundation was founded by Lee and Laurie Maxwell in response to the loss of their son, Dan, to suicide in 2013 and their vow to help other families and young people. The name DMAX stems from Dan’s high school nickname. Lee is a member of MLUC.
Pennsylvania Innocence Project -January
The Pennsylvania Innocence Project is the Offering Outreach recipient for January 2021. Founded in 2009, this organization works to exonerate those convicted of crimes they did not commit, and to prevent innocent people from being convicted. Since 2009, the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and its pro bono partners have freed and secured exoneration for 19 people. Additionally, they have helped four people come home on parole, while continuing to fight for their exoneration. The Innocence Project also assists the exonerated citizens with supports to restore them to society, provides clinical training, collaborates with law enforcement agencies and the courts to address systemic causes of wrongful convictions, and works to strengthen and improve the effectiveness of the criminal justice system through public education and advocacy.