Congratulations to the November 2013 Recipients of $500 worth in FREE Promotional Products!

Sound Community Services, Inc. (SCSI) is a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating and assisting individuals with behavioral health needs to achieve independence and integrate into the larger community. Many of the individuals who receive these services are suffering from a form of mental illness.

Their services are extremely important and helpful for their community in New London, CT. Approximately 18.1 percent of American adults, or 42 million people, live with some type of anxiety disorder or depression. The SCSI provides...

1. Case Management - to help individuals gain access to medical, social and financial education.
2. Employment & Social Rehabilitation - to provide a center where education, social, vocational, and skill building opportunities are offered.
3. Medication and Outpatient Management - to help reduce symptoms.
4. Residential Service - provides the optimal level of support and supervision to assist clients in reaching their goals pertaining to living, learning, and working in the community.

www.soundcommunityservices.org

The Consortium for Public Education (TCFPE) is a nonprofit organization based in McKeesport, PA. Working with school districts across western Pennsylvania, their focus is to strengthen and broaden school leadership, engage community and empower students. The group provides resources, improvements and community support to public schools and helps to advocate for excellence and equity in education so that all children start school ready to learn and graduate prepared for lifelong learning, careers and citizenship. Examples of some of their programs include...

• MAPS (My Action Plan for Success) is a process for personalizing education and fostering engagement. Students receive help from supportive adults and digital tools to plan their own learning and self-development. All youth are encouraged to find passion and pursue dreams.
• Hear Me 101 is a program that stimulates discussion and positive change in their schools and communities by creating documentaries that illuminate kids concerns.
• D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read), helps teachers and schools to commit to giving students varying periods of "silent sustained reading."
• Mon Valley Reads is a month-long celebration of reading that takes place each April to bring guest readers, brown-bag book discussions and other activities into schools to support students in learning the pleasures of books.

www.theconsortiumforpubliceducation.org

The American Adoption Congress (AAC) is comprised of individuals, families and organizations committed to adoption reform. This all volunteer group helps to increase public awareness regarding the realities of adopted life for birth and adoptive parents. Adoption Awareness Month is November and each year at this time, the group holds a yearly conference. Classes are offered for social workers to receive continuing education credits while learning how to improve the adoption process and attempting to reduce the large number of children in foster care.

The AAC has been involved with attempting to enact legislation in all states that guarantees access to identifying information for all adopted persons and/or their birth and adopted families. They want all families involved to have access to records and intend to preserve open adoption agreements. The AAC facilitates birth family reunification for all adopted adults, without prior restraint, through search and support group networking and/or social service assistance. Their website provides information on support groups, legislation, the adoption process including international adoption, foster care, open adoption, how to search for your birth parents and much more!
www.americanadoptioncongress.org

This group provides free books in braille letters for children in the blind community. The books are 12" x 18" and are hand crafted with large felt letters. Additional tactile objects are added to enhance the experience in English or Spanish versions. The books come with a CD to allow the children to listen and follow along with the writing. The group provides the books at no cost for families who have sight-impaired children or to any schools that request them.

To help spread the word about these books, the group will be attending for the first time, a session of the National Blind Association's program. They are looking to hand out some type of promotional products to help spread the word about their books and how they open up the world of reading for the blind community. The group's website is under construction.
www.tpftb.org