2024 FOSTER CARE LUGGAGE PROJECT:

Rising Ground has been at the forefront of evolving community needs, growing into a respected and wide-reaching human services leader recognized for the quality of its services and its results-focused and evidence-based practices. Rising Ground provides children, adults and families in the greater New York City area with the resources and skills needed to rise above adversity and positively direct their lives. Rising Ground’s Family Foster Care program provides safe and nurturing care in the homes of trained foster parents to children who temporarily cannot be with their birth parents. At a time when it is needed most, Rising Ground provides the caring support a child needs and most importantly, deserves. Being placed in Foster Care can be a destabilizing and frightening time for children and young people. Many times foster care youth do not have luggage when moving from foster home to home, they can use to pack their belongings, resorting to using plastic garbage bags. Having their own duffel bag or suitcase can help to make this difficult time a little bit easier and a lot more dignified.

2024 WATER PROJECT:

WESTERN KENYA – SPRING PROTECTION – TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO CLEANER & SAFER WATER WITH REDUCTION IN FETCHING TIME TO 244 MEMBERS OF THE ESHIAKHULO COMMUNITY

The 244 community members who live in Eshiakhulo rely on Omusotsi Spring as their primary water source, but the water source is unprotected, its water is questionable, and it is nearly impossible to access when it rains. An attempt was made to protect the water point in the past, but it does not meet safety standards. And although the community does its best to keep the area clean and the grass cut back, there are still several issues with the structure itself. There is a crumbling cement retaining wall, and the water collection pipe is missing entirely. The spring box floods, especially during the rainy season, because there are no drainage channels to prevent runoff from overtaking the area. And there are no stairs to ease access or side walls to keep debris and animals out. To collect water, individuals place their buckets against the wall under the hole where a pipe should be to collect the trickle of water flowing out of the wall. It is a ridiculously slow process that wastes everyone’s time and energy for very little return. Sadly, those who consume the water experience vomiting, fever, and diarrhea regularly. But without an alternative solution, the only other choice is to buy water which most cannot afford. With proper spring protection, community members should be able to safely and efficiently collect water and drink the water without the worry of becoming ill. And then, hopefully, they will have the time and energy to use to improve their daily lives.

2024 TURKEY MISSION: Turkey & Pernil Distribution to families in need in Corona Queens, PS 337 supporting 54 families living in shele, and Foster Care families at Rising Ground.

2024 10TH ANNUAL TOY DRIVE

• Rising Ground: For 190 years, Rising Ground (founded as the Leake and Watts Orphan House) has been helping people rise above adversity. Over the decades, they have expanded their services to address emerging needs and help the most vulnerable among us, and in the process, have become an integral part of communities throughout New York City and Westchester County.

• Urban Upbound: Urban Upbound provides low-income New Yorkers the tools and resources needed to achieve economic mobility and self-sufficiency.