MAGAZINE
Sponsored by Community Connections of Brockton in alliance with United Way of Greater Plymouth County
SOUTH SHORE
Winter 2022
FREE! Take one!
COMMUNITY
Upcoming Events, Workshops, or Programs You Should Know About! Did you know you can click the title of many of these events to see the flyers or be directed to a webpage associated with the event? Resiliency Library -The Plymouth County Resiliency Library and Book Buddy program provide access to a variety of children's books covering a range of topics that help guide children in their social-emotional learning. Free books for all ages! Nutritious Home Delivered Meals - If you're a disabled Brockton Resident under 60 years old, you may qualify to receive Meals on Wheels through OCES | Contact OCES for more information | 508-584-1561 | MASS HAF | Massachusetts Homeowner Assistance Fund | Learn more or apply HERE PIN (Parent Information Network) | For more information contact 508-947-8779 or pin@bamsi.org BAMSI Young Adult Access Center (YAAC) | Drop In Hours : Tuesday through Friday 2 pm to 7 pm; Saturday 12 pm to 5 pm | For more information email yaac@bamsi.org South Shore Community Magazine and Leadership Conference Monthly Meeting | Wednesday January 11th, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm via ZOOM | Email Kasey.martin@ccbrockton.org for more information STREAM AHEAD | 10 am to 11 am | January 9th, February 13, March 13 2023 | 233 Warren Avenue Brockton, MA 02301 | Brockton Boys and Girls Club | Don't forget, we have free diapers for families in need! Intake and appointment required. Call 508-857-0272 today to schedule an appointment! Did you know if you have events or resources coming up, you can share them with us through email and we can add them to our newsletter? Email us at Brocktoncc@gmail.com or Kasey.martin@ccbrockton.org to share events and resources!
Table of Contents
Faith Page 26 - Joy Welcoming Our New Staff Page 16 South Shore Community Magazine Virtual Resource Guide Page 26 Additional Resources Page 5 - Talking to Your Kids About Drugs Page 22 - Family Resource Center Information Page 24 - Family Center Current Information Page 25 - Peer Pressure Page 27 - Map of Individuals Served Page 28 - HIP/SNAP
About our Cover Photo
Introduction Page 1 - About Our Cover Photo Page 1 - Upcoming Events and Opportunities Page 2 - Do You Know About Us? Page 3 - Note from the Editorial Team Page 3 - Get Involved Resiliency Library Page 4 Family Boutique Page 19 Winter Activities Page 6 Ongoing Family Activities Page 7 Effective Education Page 14 - Join CFCE for Playgroup Fun
Featured Article Page 12 - Warmer Winters Health and Wellness Page 18 - Take the First Step Toward a Nicotine-Free Life Community Spotlight Page 8 - Sharing the Gift of Holiday Meals Safe Spaces Page 16 - Keep Me in Rhythm, Keep Me Active Caring Adults Page 20 - Brockton Rox: Uniting the Community Opportunities to Serve Page 22 - Volunteer SouthCoast
The Family Center of Brockton is grateful to share the story of the generosity we have been blessed with for the past three Holiday Seasons! We have had a generous group of donors contribute to our Family Resource Center, donating toys and items of all kinds to our families in need! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
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Upcoming Events, Resources, & Opportunities
Interested in how to participate? There are many ways to get involved for any time, schedule, and/or interest! Here are some ways: Articles and Art! Articles are important to the magazine. We are always looking for new voices- youth, adults, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, coaches, etc. If you are reading this, we would love to hear your voice! We love featuring art of all types- drawings, paintings, poetry and so on. Let your light shine! Advertise! The magazine is fully non-profit. Calling all business owners, entrepreneurs, and people having events! Support this magazine and your local community! Our advertisers make the magazine thrive. With more ads comes more ability for us to provide more resources. Join a meeting! The volunteers meeting for the magazine is the first Wednesday of every month from 6:30-7:30pm. Subject to change based on Holidays. We are meeting on ZOOM for the time being. Submit your Pic! Each issue of the magazine, we feature a family on the cover. We are beautiful communities made up of lots of amazing families! Why not yours? Got magazines? If you don't see the magazine in your area, let us know! We distribute to businesses, doctors' offices, barber shops, and other community places. Celebrate Champions! Nominate someone for our Community Spotlight. If you know a person or organization who is going above and beyond in your community, let us know! We would love to highlight them! Email: Kasey.martin@ccbrockton.org with any questions or inquiries! Submissions are welcome year round! Welcome to the South Shore Community Magazine Family!
We serve 28 communities on the South Shore. Our staff is comprised of our Director, Program Manager, School Liaison, Community Resource Specialist and Administrative Assistant. Language capacity includes English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Haitian and Cape Verdean Creole. We help families navigate child serving systems through information, education and/or referrals. For more information, call us at (508) 857-0272 Community Connections of Brockton engages the public, community agencies and community members in efforts to strengthen families and build stronger, healthier communities. By sharing ideas, knowledge, skills and training community members have the potential to become community champions. Building stronger, healthier communities requires leadership; leadership that is grown within a given community. The first step is to get involved with your community. Please make sure to become a fan of The Family Center at www.volunteersouthcoast.org If you would like more information about programming offered by the United Way of Greater Plymouth County The Family Center, call The Family Center at (508) 857-0272 or email Brocktoncc@gmail.com.
We're here with you through all times. Support, care, and guidance. Open by appointment only. Please call to schedule an appointment, or email us at Brocktoncc@gmail.com with questions, concerns, referrals and need for support.
The Family Center offers parenting programs, support groups, information and referral resources, assessment services, early childhood services and education programs from families with children ages 0 to 18. We also have specific services for families with children who may be frequently absent or have problems at school, have problems at home, have run away from home, or are being exploited
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Parenting skills workshops Nurturing Fathers Parenting Journey Grandparents Raising Again Family Events & Activities Playgroups Child Requiring Assistance Diversion Help with accessing other services (Culturally diverse, multi-lingual staff) Drug Endangered Children's Initiative Local Consumer Advocacy Program School Liaison
Do you know about us?
GET INVOLVED
Hello South Shore! We at the Family Center and Community Connections of Brockton would like to use this introduction to focus on some of the resources we have to offer. We are expanding the hours of our Family Resource Center to better suit our community's needs. Please call anytime within our hours to speak to a staff member and schedule an appointment. Please remember appointments are required so that we can reserve a time especially for you! Some direct services we currently offer include free diapers and infant formula as well as help obtaining resources. Feel free to join our meetings, suggest new workshop or group ideas, and let us know if there is a new and unique need in our area. Also, we are looking for participants in our new Community Advisory Board. Help us help the community and become part of the action! Always remember to contact us if you need any help! We aim to be a continuous resource to all parts of the community. Have a Wonderful Winter! SSCM Editorial Team
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A Note From the Editorial Team
(Don't) Call Me Crazy Edited by Kelly Jensen
Black History in its Own Words by Ron Wimberly
Donated through Amazon
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Join us on the Plymouth County Resiliency Library! This free online resource connects kids, caregivers, educators, and other professionals with a free digital library. Access titles that focus on social-emotional learning, mindfulness, and other behavioral health topics in non-fiction and fiction form. Suitable for ages 0-100, there is something for everyone. Sign up today!
Collected by Magalie Pinney
THINGS TO DO...
Volunteer by helping... in a soup kitchen at an animal shelter in a homeless shelter in a church with a community event a local non-profit shovel a neighbor's driveway Give back by donating to... animal shelters homeless shelters local schools a charity or non-profit organization nursing homes a furniture bank
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Winter Activities
Ongoing Family Activities
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Brockton Public Library Museum Passes Program Museum passes are available only at some locations due to coronavirus restrictions. Several locations require patrons to schedule the time of arrival online, but will accept the passes from the library. Call 508-894-1407 or check the museum pass reservation page for details on individual passes. The Massachusetts Cultural Council, Brockton Cultural Council, and Brockton Public Library sponsor a museum pass program for adult Brockton Public Library cardholders with library records in good standing. Patrons must have a valid Brockton library card in order to check out the passes. Passes may be reserved at the Main Library up to two months in advance. We recommend that patrons wishing to reserve a pass for a high demand time, such as a weekend, school vacation, or summertime, call as early as possible The library offers one pass per day to each museum. The pass may be picked up at the Main Library the day before or the day of the reservation. Passes are for 24 hours ($1.00 late fee per day and $25 replacement fee when applicable). Only one pass may be taken by a patron on a given day. Directions and other information are available at the circulation desk of the Main library. Battleship Cove, Fall River - Reduced price for 2 adults and 2 children Buttonwood Park Zoo - Free admission for 4 people. The Children's Museum, Easton - Admits 4 people at half price. Edaville, Carver - Admits 2 people free. Fuller Craft Museum- Admits 2 people free. The Hall at Patriot Place - Admits 2 people. Heritage Museum and Gardens, Sandwich - Half price for 2 adults and 4 children. Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation - Free parking in over 50 of the State Parks. National Black Doll Museum - Admits up to 5 people.Located in Mansfield. Providence Children's Museum - Half price admission for up to 4 people. Roger William's Park Zoo - Admits 4 with a $3.00 discount Sandwich Glass Museum - Admits up to 5 people. Regular admission Adults $10.00 Children $2.00 USS Constitution Museum - Boston, Pass admits up to 9 people.
Play in the snow Build an igloo Build a snowman Go sledding Help a neighbor with shoveling or snowblowing Hang winter decorations Drink hot cocoa Try a new recipe Go for a winter walk Take a drive to enjoy the snowy scenery Read a new book/novel Start a new hobby Take family photos in the snow Visit an indoor mall Visit family and HAVE FUN!!!
WAYS TO GIVE BACK
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Community Spotlight
Sharing the Gift of Holiday Meals
This year the Family Center made a plan - to be able to feed 50 of our families for Thanksgiving Dinner. We always try to obtain Thanksgiving meals but each year our funding for this goal differs. With little time to spare and goals to meet, we were already working on obtaining donations of gift cards to try to make the magic happen. With the impending Turkey shortage as well as recent inflation, we were unsure how we were going to complete our goal. We mapped out locations of local grocery stores and made a plan. During this time, we were fortunate enough to receive an email from a local non-profit, Anisah Cares. Their goal was to provide up to 100 bags of fixings for families in need by partnering with local non-profits. We were ecstatic! Graciously we met with them, to learn more about their mission and begin building a partnership. Now we had to proceed to find out how to obtain our turkeys. We were hoping to be able to allocate funding, or earn enough in gift cards to purchase the turkeys we needed for families. Then came another meeting with a local non-profit, Lights in the Dark Foundation. We had worked with them on a few occasions both to include them as a resource for our 2022 South Shore Leadership Conference, as well as to interview them and write an article about them and all of the amazing things they do for the community. While there wasn’t enough time to formally request help from them, they were able to point us in the direction of a few stores that may be of some help and we made the mutual promise that if either of us had extra, we could help each other out. Lastly, we reached out to our close partner, PACC (People Affecting Community Change). PACC typically holds food giveaways and yearly works in some capacity to offer Thanksgiving meals to families in need. We caught them at just the right time and were able to partner with them for our Thanksgiving giveaway! Jamal Gooding, Executive Director of PACC, told us he should be able to help provide 75 families with a turkey! We had already told Anisah Cares that we would need 50 bags of fixings. Now, it was up to us to fill in fixings for the remaining 25 families. Over the course of the next two weeks leading up to our giveaway, we went to work calling every local grocery store and picking up donations of gift cards. We were able to obtain $375 in gift cards from Shaws Belmont and Crescent St, Stop and Shop on Montello St, Hannafords in Taunton, and Big Y, Target, and Roche Brothers in Easton. Our Coordinator of Community Connections Kasey Martin, School Liaison Leighann Healy, as well as our LCP Consumer Advocate Jackie Cardoso, tackled obtaining these gift cards. The week of the event came, and it was time to shop! We saw the effects of inflation terribly while shopping. Even when shopping for store versus name brands, many of our $25 gift cards could not get 25 of the same item. While canned goods used to be under $1, many were over $1 or even $2. Cranberry sauce, something so small yet a big necessity for Thanksgiving Dinner for many, was over $2 a can. Packets of gravy mix was our best bet for the value, but even those were over $1 each! Fresh rolls which could be frozen until Thanksgiving were pricing at 2 for $5 The cheapest item we were able to purchase was Jiffy Cornbread Mix from Stop and Shop for $.68 per box, and we were lucky enough to use the remainder of that gift card to purchase brownie mix for families. As we confirmed with PACC that we were all set for the event, Jamal let us know that he was most likely going to be able to get 100 turkeys! He asked us if we needed anything else, and we told him any dry, non-perishable goods would be fantastic as we were trying to fill in for as many fixings as needed for the additional 25-50 families. While we ran here, there, and everywhere shopping at all the locations we had received gift cards for. We were also approved to spend some of our budgeted money to purchase additional items. We sent a list of all the things we didn’t get the chance to get enough of: Canned vegetables, stuffing, cookie mix, hot cocoa, rolls or biscuit mix, cranberry sauce, and rice, and our Program Manager Maria Brennan was able to purchase a variety of items we were low on. Finally, as we had everything we had purchased set up on a table and ready to be bagged, we felt confident that we could meet the needs of the families we had promised help between the Family Center and PACC. The day of the event came fast, and the fixings from Anisah Cares were going to be dropped off around 3 to be sorted into bags. We had all hands on deck ensuring we had enough staff to not only pack the bags, but be present for the event for helping people check in, bring groceries to their car, and more. We even had some volunteers from the community come along with PACC to help out. We gave some of them a tour of the building, and really got the chance to connect with each other. By the end of the night, only about half of our families had shown up for their bags. PACC was gracious enough to hold onto them in a temperature controlled environment and they brought them back to us when we needed them.We asked PACC to keep some for their families as well, as we only had just over 60 families on our list and had left some room for walk-ups. We were able to disperse all 100+ bags of fixings and turkeys between us and PACC! The Tuesday after the event, Lights in the Dark reached out letting us know they had extra fixings! I was able to meet them and retrieve these items, which were so helpful for some last minute calls from families. Shantel even offered to Venmo money for extra turkeys As a team and as a village, we were able to meet our goal and more! We look forward to continuing this tradition next year. We cannot thank our partners enough for their help in this event! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you! Families who need help with any resources whether it be food, housing, navigating services, & more are encouraged to call us at 508-857-0272 to make an appointment. We currently have diapers size 1-6 onsite and are able to help with select direct services or help connect families to the appropriate services.
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Featured Article
United Way of Greater Plymouth County recently generated funds for its 8th Annual "United Way Warmer Winters” initiative to purchase warm jackets for local children in need in Greater Plymouth County. Since 2015, this initiative has helped over 2,530 children to keep warm. Generous donations were received this year from Alissa Alley, Bluestone Bank, Colene Byrne, Karen Chapin and Carole Martyn in honor of their parents Richard and Claire Farley, Rosemary Healey, Jackson & Irene Golden Charitable Trust, Joe Kameese, Marie Kelly, Linda Kenney-Logan, Lynch & Lynch, Macy’s, Michael McCarthy, Tracy Rosebrock, Ellen Rosenbaum, Rotary Club of Brockton, Shapiro Scott Foundation, Cheryl Showstack, The Pilgrim Foundation, and Whitman Homes. With funds from the Hurley Trust and with these compassionate donations, United Way was able to allocate $26,979 to help low-income children in Greater Plymouth County. “We all understand that it’s been a tough few years. Many individuals and families are struggling daily- paying the weekly grocery store bill, making up for the learning lost during pandemic school interruptions, recovering from natural and man-made disasters. Our Warmer Winters fund is an annual demonstration that together with our community, we can lighten their load and make lasting change,” said United Way President & CEO Dennis Carman, “Thanks to our generous donors and corporate partners, we are able to provide children with 675 new coats as winter approaches.” The funds to purchase coats were donated to BAMSI’s Helpline, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South, Brockton Day Nursery, Family & Community Resources, Father Bill’s & MainSpring, Health Imperatives, Plymouth County Family Support, Quincy College Plymouth Campus, The Arc of Plymouth & Upper Cape Cod, and United Way’s Family Center. The Family Center and Community Connections of Brockton were also gracious to receive generous donations of various hats, scarves, mittens, and more from both the Bridgewater COA as well as the Brockton Knitting Club! With these donations, we were able to not only give coats to children in need, but other accessoriesfor warmth as well! To see more photos that will continue to be shared in United Way’s Warmer Winters series, please visit www.facebook.com/uwgpc.
Warmer Winters
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Safe Spaces
Keep Me in Rhythm, Keep Me Active by Christopher Bazile
Effective Education
Join CFCE for Playgroup Fun!
Music makes people feel jubilant, peaceful, and serenaded. Music is the answer to mental breakdowns. So is exercising. Music while exercising is a great daily combination. I listen to music every time I work out or complete a sporting regimen. If I did not have an Air Pod in my ear hearing tunes while exercising, I would be perplexed or a little uncoordinated. Music is a melodic and thrilling boost, in a person’s dopamine. I love listening to music during my runs at DW Fields Park in Brockton. Viewing the beautiful naturistic scenery of DWs on a sunny day. A sunny day, with minimal wind chill, and colorful leaves on the trees. My style/taste of music for my exercise and pump up is interesting; too a few (at least I hope). My go-to exercising artists I listen to are Drake, Pop Smoke, the Jonas Brothers, Future, Kid Cudi, Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, Rihanna, Fivio Foreign, Migos, Jack Harlow, reggae music, and konpa music. These artists and genres are my frequent listens while exercising. Besides these artists and genres, other people have their own taste in music while they exercise, and those selections are what I prefer. With social media being used every minute of the day, there are a lot of social media outlets/apps to listen to music such as: Apple music, Spotify, SoundCloud, and more. Music adds assistance to a person’s exercise routine. Tunes make you feel as if you are a superhero while working out. Nothing wrong with music in your ears while exercising. Music and exercising connect people to feel uplifted and healthy.
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Take the First Step Toward a Nicotine-Free Life
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“So much of being a leader, bringing people together, is just telling people ‘they can’.” The educational TV show, Hero In U, featured this statement by Brockton Rox Baseball Co-Owner Norm Laviolette on the latest episode on unity. Unity was an essential topic to him while he rebuilt the baseball organization this year. After hearing all the great things Laviolette has been doing in the community, including the baseball league, we decided to highlight him as a “Hero.” The Hero In U cast and crew (Team Hero) interviewed him at the Campanelli Stadium in Brockton. According to Norm Laviolette, leadership is key to a unified team. “Teams go where the leader goes,” explains Laviolette. “When you start telling people ‘they can,’ oddly enough, they do. When you tell people ‘they can’t,’ they won’t.” That’s how Laviolette united the Brockton Rox after he bought them prior to this past season. Before owning the Rox, Laviolette had a background in entertainment. He owns comedy clubs and theaters across the country. Like his entertainment background, Norm wanted another platform to impact families. But most importantly, he also wanted to make sure that the Rox players were having fun. “Remember, at all levels, from the best athlete to the guy sitting on the bench, make sure everyone is having fun… it becomes really hard to stop a positive culture.” Laviolette’s leadership style is working for the Brockton Rox. They extended their winning streak to three games this past Fourth of July. The team added the sons of Red Sox legends Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, and Manny Ramirez on their roster. Finally, the Rox will soon host the Savannah Bananas at Campanelli Stadium on August 16, 2023. When asked about the meaning of sportsmanship and how it relates to unity, almost all the Rox players interviewed on the episode gave similar answers: respect for the game, your teammates, and the other team with a focus on the bigger picture. “Sportsmanship means, at the end of the day, this is a game—nobody dies, it’s a game,” explains Laviolette. “When everyone is having fun, sportsmanship is amazing… Sure, we’re opponents on a field, but we’re teams delivering an entertainment product together. I always thank the opposing team for being here—we can’t play if they don’t come!” Another important aspect of unity for the Rox is acknowledging accomplishments and holding each other accountable. As Rox Left-Hand Pitcher Frankie Murphy explained, “Be the teammate that makes your teammates better.” This statement reflects Norm’s vision of the Rox encouraging Brockton residents to support one another as a team. To watch the rest of the Hero In U: Unity episode, please go to www.findthehero.com.
Brockton Rox: Uniting the Community by Jensen Denoyes
Caring Adults
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If you or a loved one want to quit smoking, vaping, or using tobacco or nicotine products, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health can help. Its campaign, Take the First Step, gives information about 1-800-QUIT-NOW, the Massachusetts’ Quitline for tobacco/nicotine, encouraging you to call for FREE support or to connect online at mass.gov/quitting. When you’re ready to take the first step to quit nicotine, 1-800-QUIT-NOW will connect you to a FREE coach who is ready to support you. They’ll help you develop a quit plan that works for you, identify triggers, plan out your day without nicotine and manage withdrawals. They’ll offer email and text support to help you stay on track. In addition, 1-800-QUIT-NOW has a dedicated Spanish line (1-855-DÉJELO-YA) and interpreter services available for 200 other languages. 1-800-QUIT-NOW also offers FREE medicine to help you quit like nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges, and advises on the best way to use them. A brochure about quitting, wallet cards with 1-800-QUIT-NOW information, and other materials are available free of charge at the Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse. Talking to a coach and using quit medicines can more than double your chances of quitting for good. You can take the first step toward a nicotine-free life by speaking with a FREE trained quit coach on the phone or online. No lectures and no judgments at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or via mass.gov/quitting. For more information, contact Patrick St Martin at the Greater Boston Tobacco-Free Community Partnership, Pstmartin@baystatecs.org or 617-653-4916
Health and Wellness
Welcoming Our New Staff United Way of Greater Plymouth County and The Family Center
Fabiola is our Administrative Assistant at the Family Center. Fabiola joined us in September of 2022. Fabiola has many duties, including but not limited to welcoming visitors, working with all other Family Center staff, upkeeping inventory, submitting order requests, managing billing, and organizing and upkeeping the admin office. Fabiola chose this job because she worked in a similar position in her country and enjoys helping people in need. She feels like it is home! Fabiola is Haitian and speaks Haitian Creole, French, English, and a little bit of Spanish. She studied science of languages for 4 years at the Faculty of Applied Linguistics after High School. Unfortunately, in January of 2010 a devastating earthquake hit resulting in losing friends and teachers, and a lot of changes. Following the earthquake, Fabiola was hired as an Executive Secretary for 7 years, followed by a Program Coordinator for 2 years at the Special Olympics in Haiti. Recently, Fabiola worked as a COVID vaccine ambassador for the Brockton Worker’s Alliance from 2020 to 2022. She also currently works as a CNA for a health agency while working with us. In her spare time, Fabiola enjoys talking about the Bible with others, listening to music, and watching cartoons with her little one. In 2013, Fabiola married the love of her life. Unfortunately, 2 years later he was diagnosed with a rare cancer which ended their union in March of 2020. Fabiola is lucky to have their 4 year old daughter, her consolation and reason for living. Since losing her husband, she has been in a strange place where everything is unknown. However, thanks to her friends, she has had the strength to climb the slope and set new goals in her life to continue reaching. If Fabiola could do one, big thing to make a positive impact on the world, it would be to ensure everybody has the same rights and privileges and eradicate inequality, inequity, and racism. Fabiola enjoys all of her work so far and her role in helping people.
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Hafsatu Stevens is our DECI Clinical Advocate at the Family Center. Haffie has worked with us since October of 2022 and has her MSW from Simmons University. Her responsibilities include working with families, agency staff, and community partners as a conduit for information and sharing resources, data, and communication with the local stakeholders across Plymouth County as an advocate for drug endangered children. Haffie also assists families, youth, and communities impacted by substance use disorders through identifying and accessing supportive services designed to improve family functioning. When asked about a time she truly made a difference in her work or the community, Haffie shared a beautiful and touching recollection: “When I was the first healthy role model for a 13 year old teen girl. I was the person she opened up to about her low self-esteem along with her suicidal ideation. Working with her, I was able to speak life into her, and her situation while fostering a healthy relationship with her. She viewed me as her refuge and was always in my office after school because she viewed it as her "safe home". Because I was her confidant and safe person, it allowed me to get her the proper treatment for her suicidal ideation along with other concerns she was battling, and there she met great peers, and finally she did not feel alone for the very first time. She is now a living testimony of how words of encouragement, along with the power of words, and great rapport can really save a soul.” If Haffie could make one, big, positive change to the world, it would be practicing the ideas stated in the Code of Ethics, by pursuing social change on the behalf of oppressed people through providing services and promoting cultural and ethnic diversity. Haffie loves to travel and spend time with family and friends, and also being spontaneous. “I look for humor in anything, including myself.”
Stay tuned to hear more about the Family Center! Do you have questions about services, referrals, resources, or opportunities? Call the Family Center at 508-857-0272 Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm or Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Do you wish to volunteer your time but don’t have much time to share? Do you want to help out the community but you’re not sure how? United Way’s Volunteer SouthCoast is the perfect way to participate on your own time! Not only will Volunteer SouthCoast track your hours and allow you to easily get in touch with an organization to give back, but it can connect you to various organizations in your area with all kinds of opportunities. We at the Family Center, a program by the United Way of Greater Plymouth County, use Volunteer SouthCoast to organize our volunteer opportunities. Currently, as we embrace reopening to the world post pandemic, we offer low-contact volunteer opportunities. Two of our current opportunities include: -Content Writing for this magazine! Participating by submitting content you have developed or worked with peers to develop counts as volunteer time (articles, art, poetry, etc.)! https://www.volunteersouthcoast.org/need/detail/?need_id=755706 -Magazine Distribution : We have bundles of new and previous editions of this magazine ready to be delivered to local grocery stores, medical offices, and more. Anywhere that will accept them we are happy to share these resources with the community! Help us deliver them to the community. https://www.volunteersouthcoast.org/need/detail/?need_id=755081 -Translation: While we service families who speak: English, French, Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian Creole, Spanish, and Portuguese, we are always looking for help servicing families in all languages! Translation help is always welcome not only at our events, but also during regular business hours. Some languages we have had inquiries about that we are unable to service include: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and more. https://www.volunteersouthcoast.org/need/detail/?need_id=383987 -United Way Allocation Panelist: Opportunity runs March – May. Help review funding requests and conduct site visits at local health and human service nonprofit agencies: https://www.volunteersouthcoast.org/need/detail/?need_id=755834 OPPORTUNITY TO COME: We are going to open up an opportunity to work on our Community Garden come Springtime! Keep an eye out! In the season of Holiday Spirit, donate your time or whatever you can to organizations and people in need!
Opportunities to Serve
Volunteer SouthCoast
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Christmas carols would have us believe this is the season to be jolly. But not all of us have something to be jolly about, and no one can be happy all the time. Thankfully, even though happiness comes and goes based on what’s happening in our lives, we can always have joy. Happiness and joy are often used interchangeably in our culture, but they’re not the same. We might feel good when there’s pleasant weather, our kids obey, we take a vacation, or we buy a new car. That surface-level emotion is happiness. Joy is something much deeper. It isn’t circumstantial. It has nothing to do with the tangible things of this world. It’s based solely on Christ. Joy is found in our salvation and in the sacrifice that secured our eternity. In the final moments before Jesus died, one of the criminals who was also being crucified asked why Jesus didn’t save Himself if He was really the Messiah. That’s a fair question. Anyone who has seen a reenactment of a Roman crucifixion, and especially someone who was experiencing the same horrific pain, would ask the same question. Why choose to endure this if you didn’t have to? In a letter to the Hebrews, the Apostle Paul says that Jesus endured the cross “for the joy that was set before Him.” No, dying a painful death for our sins was not something Jesus enjoyed. He suffered excruciating mental, emotional, and physical stress. He didn’t go to the cross with happiness, but with joy. Jesus knew what awaited Him was eternity with the Father and fellowship with us. He had joy knowing that His death and resurrection would overcome the betrayal, heartache, pain, and death of this world. We have joy for the exact same reason. Even in the hardest seasons, we have joy because we know we have an eternal hope and future. As Jesus shows us, having joy doesn’t mean we’ll never experience pain. So often in this life, joy and pain coexist. However, as Christ followers, we’re able to look beyond the pain to what we’ve been promised and know God has more for us. One day, we’ll be reunited with Him in a place where there’s no more sorrow, crying, or pain. Maybe this holiday season your in-laws are endlessly critical, you’re in the middle of financial hardship, or you’re struggling with a scary diagnosis. Maybe you’re just finding it difficult to be happy. No matter what you’re going through this Christmas season, know that God understands. He sees you, loves you, and will never leave you alone in your hurting. Even in the midst of sadness, you still have joy because your eternity is promised and His promises are true. Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4 NLT A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:38-43 NLT We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Hebrews 12:2 NLT He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:4 NLT but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:10-12 NLT
Faith
JOY
From the Living Changed at Christmas Devotional on the Bible App, submitted by Magalie Pinney
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We have NEW hours! We want to better serve our families and allow time for us to offer services outside of regular work hours so families can come after work and school! Monday: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Tuesday: 9:00 am to 7:30 pm Wednesday: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Thursday: 9:00 am to 7:30 pm Friday: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm We will be open select Saturdays from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm as well. As a reminder, we are currently open by appointment only. Please call us at 508-857-0272 to schedule an appointment. Thank you.
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