Hola! A Snapshot of Outcomes. Celebrating the Holidays

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1 Hola! Welcome to La Voz, The Hispanic Family Center's (HFC) e- newsletter! In this newsletter, you will find exciting highlights of some of our work during the last quarter of 2018! We are excited to continue to bring you information about our programs, upcoming events, partners, success stories, fun facts, and much more! A Snapshot of Outcomes Celebrating the Holidays On December 16, 2018, the Hispanic Family Center partnered with the City of Camden and Cooper's Ferry to purchase more than 1000 toys for children this holiday season, while Respond Inc. did the same. The City of Camden and Mayor Francisco "Frank" Moran hosted the Teddy's Toys at Winter Wonderland event where the toys were distributed. The event was a fun- filled family experience that brought families together from all around the City of Camden. There were snacks, gifts, and activities provided to all families. The Hispanic Family Center offered a host of HFC volunteers to assist with the December 16 distribution at the Camden Aquarium. This toy drive has delivered a message of hope this holiday season. The Hispanic Family Center prides itself on providing children with hope for the future, being a positive influence and enhancing the development of the community's youngsters.

2 Along with participating in the City of Camden's Teddy's Toys event, The Hispanic Family Center hosted its very own toy give away and literacy event, in collaboration with Daisy's Place. Families joined the Hispanic Family Center at the Evolution Family Success Center for a day of parent and child activities, a holiday meal and reading. Our Born to Read program promotes literacy, instills a love of reading, and empowers children to be life- long learners. Each child who attended the event was given two bilingual books to take home. During the event families and staff members read in English and Spanish, to children from our community. Thank you to our volunteers! A special thank you to Holman Automotive for volunteering at the HFC. A total of 15 Volunteers assisted with cleaning, organizing, and painting the Evergreen Family Success Center. They did a fantastic job and we thank them for all of their hard work. We are looking forward to continuing our successful collaboration. Volunteerism is important to our organization because it helps build social networks, connectedness, and community resilience.we appreciate Holman Automotive's support and assistance at the Evergreen Family Success Center. Thank you for the incredible outcome. Congratulations to Our Executive Director! Elsa Candelario, MSW, LCSW, and Executive Director of The Hispanic Family Center, was honored with the prestigious "SOCIAL WORKER OF THE YEAR" award of 2018 by the New Jersey chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. This award is only given to those who exemplify social work values and demonstrate a commitment to social justice and service. The Hispanic Family Center is proud of and grateful for the service Elsa has dedicated to the City of Camden and The Hispanic Family Center over the past 21 years.

3 Celebrating Hispanic Heritage In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Hispanic Family Center hosted many events recognizing and celebrating the strength and achievements of Hispanic Americans. On September 26, 2018, we hosted our annual Hispanic Heritage Event and celebration. This years theme, "Hispanics: One Endless Voice to Enhance our Traditions," honored the history, culture, and influence of Latinos in America. The event featured "Voices from HFC", cultural dances, recognition of HFC students who have become US citizens, as well as local guest speakers who shared their stories and how it enhances our traditions. In addition, the event featured food and stations that highlighted unique aspects of Hispanic culture and traditions. Pictured: A graduate of The Hispanic Family Center's ESL/Civics program receives a certificate celebrating his recent citizenship achievement. Domestic Violence Awareness Month In recognition of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, the Hispanic Family Center held a Domestic Violence Awareness Walk. The theme of the walk was "Unmask the Truth to Stop the Abuse." Members of the community joined the HFC to walk 8 laps around Dudley Grange Park. The 8 laps represented the acts of domestic violence that happen every 8.5 minutes across the state of New Jersey. Our Annual Community Forum This year's event was hosted at the Kroc Center on November 15, The topic, "Behind the Smoke: Truth about Synthetic Cannabinoids" featured a panel discussion lead by Dr. Rachel Haroz of Cooper Hospital, Dr. Richard Casas of NJ Poison Information and Education System, Mr. James Whitaker, LCADC from the HFC and Mr. Toussaint Randle, CADC from HFC.

4 The event provided education on the dangers of synthetic drugs and what we as a community can do to promote prevention, increase access to treatment and support the recovery process for populations who use synthetic drugs. For more information on HFC's Substance Abuse services contact the Family Counseling Clinic at Hours Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Tuesday, Thursday 8:30 am -7:30 pm Save The Date In partnership with La Parada San Juan Bautista, the Hispanic Family Center will be hosting its annual Community Health Fair on Friday June, 7, Upcoming Events

5 All Hispanic Family Center offices will be closed on Monday, February 18, 2019 in observance of Presidents Day. Visit our website for additional monthly calendars and information on events by clicking the above calendar. Support The Hispanic Family Center Keep In Touch Administrative Offices S. 29th St., Cam den, NJ Family Resource Center & Health Education S. 29th St., Cam den, NJ Federal St., Cam den, NJ Family Counseling Clinic & Energy Assistance (Camden) 2700 Westfield Ave., Cam den, NJ Camden Family Success Center 2850 Federal St., Cam den, NJ Energy Assistance Program & Woodbury Family Success Center The Carriage House, 21 Delaware St., Woodbury, NJ