November 2017 Updates – Pray for Puerto Rico

by | Feb 20, 2020 | Uncategorized

On September 20th, Hurricane Maria made a direct hit on the entire island of Puerto Rico, with category 4 winds causing unimaginable devastation. Power, phone service and clean water are still unavailable to large parts of the island, and many are suffering. As Hurricane Irma, which passed just to the north two weeks earlier, had already left 1 million Puerto Ricans without power before Hurricane Maria hit, many have been without power for nearly two months. 

How You Can Pray

  • Please pray for the people of Puerto Rico and for the ongoing recovery efforts – in particular, pray that electricity will be restored quickly.
  • Please pray for Esperanza staff members and their families. Many of our staff members have family who live in Puerto Rico and have lost their homes and belongings, and some still have not heard from family members who live on the island!

How You Can Help

  • In-Kind Donations – We are partnering with In The Light Ministries, a church with a local North Philadelphia congregation, through their Viva PR (www.vivapr.org) initiative to provide direct support to people in Puerto Rico. Esperanza will be collecting items to be shipped to Puerto Rico, such as food and household items, at all three of our sites over the next several weeks. For the week November 6-10, we will collect cans of tuna.
  • Monetary Donations – We will soon be accepting monetary donations that will help cover shipping costs to send in-kind donations to Puerto Rico. Donations will also be accepted to provide diaconal support for families in Puerto Rico, and for Esperanza families who are affected. More information will be provided soon about ways to give through Esperanza to support Puerto Rico relief.
 “Little Free Library” Opens at Esperanza! 
Earlier this fall, under the leadership of Marilyn Childs, Esperanza’s Literacy Coordinator (photo, top L), we opened our first “Little Free Library” in front of our Hunting Park site. Said Marilyn: “My hope and prayers for Esperanza and our neighborhood is that all children would have a personal library of books they love to read. My hope is that Esperanza is a destination for books with the Little Free Library, and a gathering place for Story Times and mentor reading in partnership with our schools, libraries, and churches.”  Since the opening of our Little Free Library, on average we’ve given out between 100 and 120 books each week! These literacy initiatives and Marilyn’s work as Literacy Coordinator are possible because of the support of a generous donor. 
  • We are always collecting books in good condition for our Little Free Library, and would welcome volunteers to read to children during Story Times and in our waiting rooms!. Please contact Marilyn at marilyn.childs@esperanzahealth.com if you are interested.
  • Also, for the past 10 years, we’ve participated in the national Reach Out and Read Program, providing free books and literacy guidance during well-child visits for our youngest patients from newborns to five years of age. You can give to support our Reach Out and Read Program by clicking below.
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Esperanza Staff Member Receives PACHC APEX Community Ambassador Award
At the Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC) in October, Esperanza’s OB/GYN Nurse Care Manager/Administrator, Michelle Randolph, RN (photo above, C) was presented with the APEX Community Ambassador Award – Clinician category for 2017. This award was made in recognition of “an individual who champions the community health center mission through a steadfast commitment to build relationships, enact change, and promote awareness and bring positive attention to their health center.” Michelle has been an advocate for Esperanza’s patients and for the Kensington community in many ways, including helping to connect women from her neighborhood with Esperanza’s new free pregnancy testing program, which she initiated and now supervises, and co-leading our Centering Pregnancy program. This is the third consecutive year that at least one Esperanza staff or Board member has received an APEX Award. As Susan Post, D.Min, MBA, Esperanza’s Executive Director, noted: “Over the past year, Michelle has championed the larger mission of Esperanza in humble but profound ways, and has served as a true ambassador for the Kensington community where she lives and works.”

Opportunities at Esperanza

We have a number of open positions across many departments. To learn more and to apply, please visit our website’s Opportunities page.

Give to Esperanza Today!

Your gift of any amount is deeply appreciated – please click “Donate Now” below to make a secure, online donation — all gifts are tax-deductible. Thank you!
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OUR MISSION:

“Compelled by the love of God in Christ Jesus, in cooperation with the Church and others, Esperanza Health Center is a multi-cultural ministry providing holistic healthcare to the Latino and underserved communities of Philadelphia.”