Connecticut Association for Human Services
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Connecticut Association for Human Services
An independent statewide organization that works to reduce poverty and strengthen families and communities through advocacy, the Connecticut Association for Human Services makes it easy for those eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit to apply for it. CAHS operates the Greater Bridgeport Family Economic Security Coalition, which with the help of Charter Oak’s grant runs eleven volunteer income tax assistance (VITA) sites in greater Bridgeport during tax season. In addition to money they may receive through tax credits, VITA site participants save a significant amount of money by using the free tax preparation service instead of paying tax preparers. They also have the opportunity to connect with organizations and businesses in the community that can help increase their economic security.
Bridgeport Rescue Mission
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Bridgeport Rescue Mission
The Bridgeport Rescue Mission provides free shelter, clothing, meals and a faith-based drug- and alcohol-rehabilitation program to homeless people in greater Bridgeport. The mission serves about 300,000 meals a year. Each year, Charter Oak partners with Seneca Foods and has donated thousdands of cases of canned vegetables to the mission.
Connecticut Food Bank
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Connecticut Food Bank
The Connecticut Food Bank is the largest centralized source of donated, emergency food in the state. Its five warehouses and distribution sites serve 560 feeding programs, including soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and adult and children’s day care centers. The food bank provides food for about 250,000 people every year. Charter Oak partners with companies like Seneca Foods to donate tens of thousands of cans of food to the food bank.
Operation Hope
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Operation Hope
Operation Hope works to end homelessness by providing shelters,
transitional housing and related programs and services to some
4,000 people in Fairfield and Bridgeport. Charter Oak’s original grant
to the organization allowed Operation Hope to employ an additional
clinical case manager, so the organization could serve at least 40
more families. Charter Oak awarded Operation Hope its second grant
to help fund a full-time development director. The addition of this
position will allow Operation Hope to grow and stabilize its
infrastructure to meet the demand for solution-focused housing and
service programs among low-income individuals and families.
As a yearly project, Operation Hope and the Charter Oak Foundation receive and distribute over 100,000 pounds of canned goods throughout the greater Bridgeport area.
RYASAP
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RYASAP
RYASAP attacks the root causes of substance abuse by involving
children and teenagers in their communities. Charter Oak’s grant is
enhancing Youth As Resources, an after-school program in the
Bridgeport schools.
Original Works
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Original Works
Original Works provides a creative outlet for Bridgeport adolescents
interested in drama. Original Works involves its 30 students in plays,
television documentaries and song and dance routines. The students
write their own material and perform for the public and in local
schools. Original Works is often its students’ sole exposure to the
theater.
Burroughs Community Center
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Burroughs Community Center
Burroughs is a community center in the heart of Bridgeport. It houses
and subsidizes the rent of several nonprofits and provides a meeting
place for almost 100 more, including Charter Oak. Burroughs
received its most recent Charter Oak grant in support of its after-
school program.
Teach for America Connecticut
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Teach for America Connecticut
Teach for Americas is the national corps of outstanding recent college
graduates who commit two years to teach in urban public schools
and become lifelong leaders in expanding educational opportunity.
Teach for America opened its Connecticut site and places its charter
corps in new Haven public schools in September 2006. The
expansion from New Haven to Hartford and Bridgeport public schools
is part of Teach for America’s plan to increase its current corps of
4,400 members to 7,500 teaching nationally in more than 30 regions
by 2010. Under this plan, 250 corps members will impact more than
21,000 Connecticut students in the 2010-11 school year.
Parent Leadership Training Institute
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The Parent Leadership Training Institute
The Parent Leadership Training Institute was established in 1997 to
teach parents leadership skills so they can help improve the health,
safety and learning of children. PLTI recruits parents from Bridgeport
and trains them on a retreat and at two 10-week sessions. Charter
Oak is once again supporting PLTI.
Housatonic Middle College Program
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Housatonic Middle College Program
Through the Housatonic Middle College Program, over 100 Bridgeport high
school seniors will have the opportunity to take math and reading
classes at Housatonic Community College. The classes will be team-
taught by high school and college teachers. The program aims to
reduce the number of students who test into remedial classes upon
entering college.
Connecticut Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities
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Connecticut Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities
The Connecticut Association for Children and Adults with Learning
Disabilities (CACLD) provides individuals, families and professionals
with information, education and consultation related to learning
disabilities and attention deficits. Knowing that early intervention can
help break the cycle of poverty for families, CACLD will use its grant
to purchase educational materials for Bridgeport’s School-Based
Health Centers and Parent Centers.
Center for Women and Families
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Center for Women and Families
The Center for Women and Families works to strengthen women and
families and eliminate violence and abuse. CWF hosts hotlines for
domestic violence and sexual assault. It runs programs for recently
incarcerated women and recently homeless families and their
landlords, among others. For the second year, Charter Oak is funding
a program in the Bridgeport schools that teaches about domestic
violence.
Career Resources
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Career Resources
Career Resources is a workforce development program that primarily
supports economically and educationally disadvantaged adults in
Southwestern Connecticut. Charter Oak’s grant will allow Career
Resources to hire an adult educational instructor, who will spend 20
hours a week helping adults with the literacy and educational courses
needed to complete their GEDs.
Bridgeport Public Education Fund
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The Bridgeport Public Education Fund
The Bridgeport Public Education Fund is the advocate for public
education in Bridgeport. In addition to running its own programs,
BPEF administers the Charter Oak Scholarship program. Charter
Oak’s grant will offset the costs of BPEF’s signature programs: Mini
Grants for Teachers, MAACS and First Day.
Achievement First Bridgeport Academy
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Achievement First Bridgeport Academy
In 2006 Charter Oak spearheaded the efforts to open an Achievement First school in Bridgeport. A K-8 college preparatory school for urban students opened in September 2007. Achievement First is a charter school management organization started in July 2003 by the leaders of Amistad Academy, a high performing charter school in New Haven, CT. A non-profit 501 (c) 3, Achievement First aims to bring scale the dramatic,life-changing student achievement results produced at Amistad by creating a school system of achievement-gap closing charters schools in New Haven and Connecticut. Achievement First Bridgeport Academy is the first of Achievement First’s Connecticut schools in open in a city other than New Haven.