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Berwick Area United Way funds local partner agencies that meet essential needs, strengthen families, and prepare youth for success. Funded programs include emergency financial assistance, year‑round early childhood education, domestic violence shelter and prevention, preschool vision screening and eye‑safety education, evidence‑based home‑visiting Parents as Teachers, a 24/7 2‑1‑1 helpline, and teen tutoring, counseling, and life‑skills development.
AGAPE: Love From Above To Our Community
Financial Assistance/Benevolence Program: $20,000
AGAPE’s Financial Assistance/Benevolence Program program provides clients with financial assistance for various life essential needs, including: rent/mortgage, heat and other utilities, temporary lodging, transportation, car repairs, gasoline, medical/prescription expenses and other miscellaneous expenses. This idea is to support community residents who are living paycheck to paycheck but may not qualify for other types of poverty assistance.
Early Childhood Education: $12,500
The Early Childhood Development program operates year-round from 6:30am-5:30pm. This program identifies and enrolls low income families in an effort to improve the pre-kindergarten education of children enrolled while allowing parents to work, thereby alleviating poverty and strengthening the family unit. Children follow an established curriculum that is aligned with the kindergarten curriculum provided by the school district to provide the best preparation for successful and seamless transition to kindergarten.
Emergency Shelter: $10,000
Breaking the Cycle: $10,000
It is important that Beyond Violence can continue to provide shelter for physically and/or emotionally battered women and children. The shelter provides a safe haven for women and children so they can reassess their lives and begin the healing process.
Beyond Violence, Inc. has presented the “Breaking the Cycle” program to the Berwick Middle and High School students since 2015. The three modules used include information on self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth; dating rights and responsibilities, understanding components of health relationships; and defining warning signs of unhealthy relationships. Through a partnership with Geisinger, they also include a module addressing the opioid crisis and how it parallels healthy and unhealthy relationships; further enhancing students’ skills for responsible decision making and conflict resolution, called Too Good for Drugs.
Central Susquehanna Opportunities
Thrive Program: $12,000
Central Susquehanna Opportunities provides case management and client services to low-income individuals and families in the Berwick Area. Both short-term emergency and longer-term self-sufficiency services are provided. The “Thrive Program” is for individuals utilizing the “Getting Ahead” curriculum. This workshop provides clients with a plan to move out of poverty and work toward self-sufficiency.
Central Susquehanna Sight Services, Inc.
Preschool Vision Screening & Eye Safety Education: $2,000
Central Susquehanna Sight Services, Inc. offers preschool vision screenings (lay screening, not intended to take the place of a professional eye examination) and educational programming on good eye health and good eye safety for preschoolers and first graders. This program will help to identify those preschools that may be at risk for vision problems. Follow-up is crucial to this program should a preschooler be referred. Follow-up is made encouraging parent/guardian to seek the professional comprehensive eye exam.
Parents as Teachers: $24,625
With BAUW allocated dollars, the Columbia County Family Center served 8 families with the evidence-based Parents as Teachers Model (PAT). PAT has four components: personal home visits, group connections, screenings and connections to resources. During each home visit a parent-child activity was completed, developmental information was presented, parenting topics were discussed, and family well-being was reviewed. Enrolled children receive an annual health screening to make sure they are up to date on immunizations, no hearing or vision concerns are present, good dental hygiene practices are in place, etc. The group connections are held monthly and provide families with socialization opportunities and an increased awareness of community resources.
Family Services Association of NEPA
2-1-1 Help Line: $2,500
Help Line is an information and referral service and first response point for crisis calls in Bradford, Clinton, Columbia, Lackawanna, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne and Wyoming counties. It operates twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, staffed by trained caseworkers as a program of the Family Service Association of NEPA.
Education Expansion Development: $18,000
For The Cause Teen Center’s Education Expansion Development will include an extensive tutoring program, a formal schedule of youth counseling services, and a “How To” life-skills and soft-skills class. Tutoring services will be available for reading, math, science, English composition and comprehension, as well as the Spanish language. The “How To” Series will provide real-world skills/classes consisting of financial literacy, budgeting, goal setting, time management, organization, personal hygiene and self-care, coping skills, interview skills, resume building, mock interviews, food shopping, nutrition, car maintenance, social skills, survival skills, community resources, career fairs and workforce development workshops.