Congreso Receives COVID-19 Fund Grant

We're honored to share that Congreso has received a PHL COVID-19 Fund grant! 

A collaboration between the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey,  the Philadelphia Foundation,  and the City of Philadelphia, the PHL COVID-19 Fund is providing financial assistance to nonprofits across the region during the coronavirus crisis. These monetary funds will support Congreso’s continued remote operations and virtual services such as: 

• Telemedicine & Urgent Services including COVID testing 

• Virtual Parenting Classes 

• First-time Homebuyer Weekly Webinars 

• Domestic Violence Hotline & Crisis Counseling 

• Virtual Family Social Services Support 

• Virtual Next Step Coaching & Info Sessions 

• Virtual CDA Classes & Employment Preparation 

Gracias to all the contributors for your support during this time! ¡Pa’lante! 

Congreso Hosts PA Attorney General in Virtual Town Hall 

On May 13th, Congreso hosted a virtual town hall featuring Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro! 

Over 80 Congreso staff members tuned in via Zoom and learned how the Attorney General's Office has been working tirelessly with organizations across the state to support and protect Pennsylvanians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Attorney General Shapiro also took time to respond to staff questions. 

As the town hall concluded, AG Shapiro shared some encouraging words and reminded our staff that their efforts to go above and beyond for our clients and community during this crisis hasn’t gone unnoticed. “The work that Congreso does is so important and I’m proud to be a supporter,” shared the Attorney General. 

Gracias for your office's hard work and continued support of our agency, AG Shapiro! 
 
To check out the AG Office’s recent COVID-19 work and the PA Office of Attorney General’s Rights & Resources Guide, click the link below.

Generocity Highlights Dual Enrollment Partnership with PSU Abington 

In the Spring of 2019, Congreso partnered with Penn State Abington to create a new pathway for high school juniors and seniors in the North Philadelphia community to attain college credits in addition to a college experience.  

After almost a full year of having multiple cohorts of students participate in the program, Generocity spoke to Congreso’s Carlos Cartagena, Director of Post-Secondary Services, and Dorothy Smith, Manager of Programmatic Employment Services, as well as our partners at PSU Abington, about how exactly this partnership is helping students become first-generation college students. 

Read the full story below!

CDA Virtual Classes

Since the beginning of COVID-19, Congreso has stuck by one if its core values: “Adaptability”. Countless programs have shifted to virtual services and our latest program do so is our Child Development Associate (CDA) Program! 

There are currently six students enrolled, all referred through the Philadelphia Careerlink system, who meet weekly via Zoom. In addition to the CDA curriculum, Congreso supports these individuals with case management services and one-on-one instruction as needed. 

Kim Cromer, Manager of Workforce Development Initiatives, is excited to share that every student has maintained perfect attendance and has been submitting quality work despite this challenging time.  

"In the midst of a global pandemic, these ladies come to our CDA remote learning class every day ready to learn and determined to succeed,” said Kim. 

The students are expected to graduate next month and will transition into the employment preparation portion of the program as they set their eyes on securing jobs within some of Philadelphia’s most reputable child-care centers. 

Even though our communities are facing significant hardship, these students are showing what it means to adapt and are making the Congreso Familia proud. ¡Pa’lante!