the bright side FALL 2012 We are Northern Children’s Services If you have driven down Ridge Avenue past our beautiful hilltop campus recently, you may have noticed that something was different—a little sunnier and brighter— about us. New bold red flags and a main entrance sign proudly display our new name: Northern Children’s Services. “Our name change from Northern Home for Children to Northern Children’s Services reflects our core mission and response to the emerging needs of the children and families we serve and allows us to more effectively work throughout the region.” “Over the years, our organization has evolved greatly from the refuge and respite for children that it was founded as in 1853 to the comprehensive social service agency it is today, providing a continuum of services to 3,000 children annually,” says Tracey Lavallias, President and CEO, Northern Children’s Services. Although our name and logo have changed, our commitment to keeping children safe, strengthening families, and providing high quality services in the most compassionate, professional and cost effective environment of excellence remains the same. Merrick Hall Renovation Underway A new name and signage are not the only things abuzz here. On June 4, 2012, in addition to announcing our new name to the public, we marked the beginning of construction to completely renovate Merrick Hall, the oldest building on our six-acre campus, at a ceremonial groundbreaking. The project also includes the construction of new permanent housing for homeless teenage mothers and their children. The festivities were sponsored by our longtime partner Wawa, Inc. Wawa President Chris Gheysens presented a $430,000 check at the ceremony in support of the Merrick project. Our partnership with Wawa spans 25 years and represents contributions of close to $1 million. Craig Spencer, Vice President of the Board of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, attended the groundbreaking and announced the foundation’s $100,000 commitment, specifically to support the permanent housing portion of the project. The Honorable Curtis Jones, Jr., City Councilman for the 4th District in Philadelphia, also attended the ceremony and extended greetings and congratulations. Numerous friends and supporters of Northern Children’s Services attended the event, which also kicked off the public phase of the $4.6 million Generations Campaign. Once renovated, the three-story Merrick Hall will encompass 15,000 square feet of residential space that will double the number of mothers and babies served, including service to pregnant teens. The building will include both transitional and permanent housing in a supportive living environment for the families. To make a gift to the Generations Campaign, call 215.482.1423 Ext. 1202 or email [email protected]. Pictured (l to r): William C. Morsell, Chairman of the Board, Northern Children’s Services; Joseph P. Christ, Advocacy Council member, former Wawa executive; Tracey Lavallias, President & CEO, NCS; Vicki Schwartz, Area Manager, Wawa; Chris Gheysens, President, Wawa; Craig Spencer, Vice Chairman, Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation. Volunteers Make All the Difference! At Northern Children’s Services, our volunteers are a valued and integral part of the work that we do. From cleaning up the grounds, emptying storage spaces and planting trees to hosting holiday parties, science fairs and tennis clinics with our youth, we have come to depend on the kindness, generosity and compassion of every volunteer who comes to our campus. “I am extremely privileged to get to work with amazing groups of outstanding volunteers almost every week of the year, particularly in the summer,” says Donna Bolno, Director of Community Partnerships. “Our volunteers make all the difference,” she adds. In the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2012, we had 1,374 volunteers come to our campus. This includes everyone from corporate groups of up to 100 people, to college students who tutor the children in our after school Partial Hospitalization Program to hundreds of people who donate Thanksgiving baskets and Christmas gifts to our children each year. The dollar amount associated with our volunteers’ time, services and donations totaled $173,465. Many of our donors and board members began by volunteering their time, getting to know us and then making the decision to get more involved. “We couldn’t do what we do without them,” says Bolno. “Our kids benefit enormously from this support and help,” says Kevin P. Weber, Director of Recreation and Volunteer Services. “We are truly grateful for our volunteers’ generous time and energy,” he says. Partnerships for the Children Award On September 13, 2012, Northern Children’s Services recognized Beneficial Bank and the Beneficial Foundation for their longstanding commitment to the Philadelphia community, at the 3rd Partnerships for the Children Awards at The Union League of Philadelphia. Beneficial President and Chief Executive Officer Gerard P. Cuddy, a 30-year banking veteran, was also honored for his outstanding work and commitment to improving the communities that the bank serves. FUN IN THE SUN On June 15, 2012, Northern Children’s Services hosted its Annual Staff Appreciation Day, this year at Neshaminy Picnic Park in Bensalem, PA. More than 100 staff and consultants, as well as a few mothers and babies from our Generations Programs, attended the picnic and enjoyed a full day of great food, music, swimming, paddle boat rides and other activities. happenings WOMEN FOR WOMEN BENEFIT TENNIS OUTING Wednesday, June 20, 2012, Northern Children’s Services hosted the first Women for Women Benefit Tennis Outing at Chester Valley Country Club. Twenty women participated in a tennis round robin and dinner to benefit our Generations mother and baby program. Special thanks to Jennifer Rosenberg for all of her hard work, and to Chester Valley Country Club for their hospitality. “Beneficial Bank and the Beneficial Foundation have supported and partnered with Northern Children’s Services for several years,” says Tracey Lavallias, President and CEO of Northern Children’s Services. “From volunteering around our campus and hosting various holiday parties for our children, to Gerry and his team personally meeting with a group of our kids in his office, the support and dedication that Beneficial has shown to our agency has been tremendously invaluable,” says Lavallias. Northern Children’s Services not only shares a commitment to Philadelphia and children with Beneficial, but we also share a rich history and “birthday”; we were both founded in Philadelphia in 1853. Thank you to all of our event sponsors, including Beneficial Foundation (Gold Star Partner); Sandler O’Neill & Partners, L.P. (Bronze Star Partner); Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP (Sunshine Partner); and Jacobs Wyper Architects, LLP, Keystone Mercy Health Plan, KPMG and TN Ward Builders (all Partner level). Pictured above (l to r): Tracey Lavallias, President & CEO, Northern Children’s Services; Gerard P. Cuddy, President & CEO, Beneficial Bank; William C. Morsell, Chairman of the Board, Northern Children’s Services. Vanguard volunteers helped spruce up our campus. Our youth at a July Philadelphia Freedoms tennis clinic and match sponsored by Beneficial Bank. Ways to volunteer Volunteer as a group: Whether you’re 10, 20, 50 or 100, we always have projects that can meet your needs. Volunteer as an individual: How do you want to help? Tutor 10-14 year-olds in school subjects, help younger children with phonics and reading skills, or use a “special skill” to help meet the needs of the children in our Residential, Behavioral Health, and Foster Care programs. To learn about volunteer opportunities, contact: Kevin Weber at kweber@ northernchildren.org or call 215.482.1423 ext. 1299. Kids4Kids: With Kids4Kids children can take part in activities or drives at the Northern Children’s Services, at home, or at school. To learn more about Kids4Kids contact: Donna Bolno at [email protected] or call 215.482.1423 ext.1216. the bright side FALL 2012 Ho pe for the Holidays Above (l to r): One of our youth conducting a blood-typing experiment as part of 365 Merck Days volunteer science fair on August 3, 2012. Several Merck interns helped make the day a success. The holidays will be here before you know it! We will be collecting Thanksgiving baskets and holiday gift cards for our children and families. Please contact Donna Bolno at [email protected] or 215.482.1423 ext. 1216 to learn how you can help. from the office of THE PRESIDENT AND CEO Tracey Lavallias, CEO This summer I attended Harvard University’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management program, thanks to a scholarship opportunity provided by the Harvard Business School Club of Philadelphia. This week-long Executive Education program provides an opportunity for senior leaders to step away for a brief, but very intense, period of time to examine their missions and social impact, develop new strategies for the global economy, and interact with peers who challenge their thinking and introduce new ideas. During the program, I was afforded the opportunity to meet, interact with and learn from outstanding Harvard professors and more than 140 other nonprofit CEOs from around the world who were also participating in the program. Harvard’s gathering of a rich group of international leaders-representing healthcare, human services, agriculture, the arts and more— along with its ability to affect long standing societal issues one agency at a time is truly an ambitious endeavor, true to its goal of global impact. While at Harvard I learned about the effective implementation of many new organizational theories and practices. Most importantly were effective strategies to demonstrate high performance within our organization. As you can imagine, upon my return I was eager to implement this newfound knowledge and have begun with many of the theories and practices that I explored at Harvard. Even more encouraging is that the board and staff of Northern Children’s Services have been extremely receptive to this new information. Overall this experience was truly transformational and could not have come at a more important time in our organizational development. There are very few times in my life that I have pointed to an experience that provided growth for me both personally and professionally. I can say without a doubt that this has kindled my desire and ability to become a high impact professional in the nonprofit industry. can you pick out our president and CEO? BOARD OF TRUSTEES William C. Morsell, Chairman Tracey Lavallias, President and CEO Lesly L. Attarian James C. Crumlish III, Esq. David R. Fair Stacey J. Graham, Esq. Kia Green Christopher J. Jud Elizabeth A. Kane Colette Kleitz Bradley Rainer, Esq. Paul Rovner Jesse R. Shafer Sylvia Spivey Thomas Sulpizio, Jr. Sandra C. Vasoli ........... FUND BOARD Russel T. Hauer, President Christopher Jud, Vice President Diallo Johnson Willam Lane, III William C. Morsell Denean Williams Cynthia Zickel ........... FOLLOW US: @Northernchildrenserv Northern Children’s Services Newsletter Editor: Brianna Downing For further information contact: [email protected] or call 215.482.1423 Ext. 1323 the bright side FALL 2012