Wrapping Up Our 10 Ways in 10 Days Challenge!

Well, our 10 ways in 10 Days Challenge has come to an end and we think it was a great success!  We kicked off our campaign on Tuesday, December 3^rd, #GivingTuesday, the new official start of the Giving season by posting several of our employees holding signs about why they give – called “UNselfies”.  This was a fun project and seemed to spark quite a bit of interest from our Facebook community. 

If you missed any of our 10 Ways in 10 Days campaign, here is a summary of the challenges we presented to our community of friends and supporters:

• Marrakech’s Village Café cooks up more than fresh food.  The restaurant also serves as a training site for adults who want to enter the culinary field.  Stop by for breakfast or lunch and support their education.  Better yet, ask the Cafe to cater your next event!  The Village Café is located at 520 Whalley Avenue in New Haven. (203) 389-1102
• Stock the shelves of Marrakech’s food closet during “10 Ways in 10 Days!”  Drop off donations of brown rice, tuna fish, oatmeal, canned fruit in juice, nuts, raisins, peanut butter, whole wheat pasta, tomato sauce, and canned or dried beans to our offices at Six Lunar Drive, Woodbridge, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and help our consumers in need.
• Give Marrakech a high-five!  Ask 5 of your friends to “like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to learn about our programs and services, celebrate our consumers, meet our staff, and support our work in the community. Facebook: www.facebook.com/MarrakechincCT; Twitter: www.twitter.com/MarrakechincCT
• Want to feel like a million bucks?  Donate to Marrakech’s Annual Fund during the “10 Ways in 10 Days” campaign. Your gift, in any amount, will contribute directly to improving the quality of life for our consumers.  Learn more about our mission at www.marrakechinc.org   
• Don’t say goodbye after “10 Ways in 10 Days”- stay in touch by joining Marrakech’s contact list.  Sign up for emails or our mailed newsletter from Marrakech at www.marrakechinc.org or call (203) 389-2970, ext. 1030. 
• Share a gift from the heart during “10 Ways in 10 Days.” Bring a home-cooked meal to Marrakech’s Taking Initiative Center (TIC), a warm, safe place for those who are homeless.  Breakfast and lunch are served seven days a week, as caring staff help connect people to the services they need.  E-mail Mike at mmorgan@marrakechinc.org or call him at 203-389-2970 ext. 1340 to cook up a plan.
• Marrakech needs reliable and qualified staff for our various programs.  Support “10 Ways in 10 Days” by referring someone looking for a job in the human services field to Marrakech.  Candidates can view our job openings and submit applications online at http://www.marrakechinc.org/employment.html, or interview at our monthly open houses.    
• Take 10 minutes for “10 Ways in 10 Days” and watch the story of Marrakech, Inc. at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dEQ8CFgecw.  Share the video with your friends and help our agency continue to grow.
• Make a clean sweep during “10 Ways in 10 Days” and donate gently used office furniture or equipment, home furniture, or other household items to Marrakech for use in our consumers’ homes and program sites.  Items must be in good condition.  Contact Kashti at kwalters@marrakechinc.org or 203-389-2970 ext. 1005 to arrange a donation.

Thank you to everyone who participated in some way this year. Our campaign brought us several new Facebook friends, additional donations and an increased awareness about Marrakech, the people we serve and the work we do.

If you didn’t have a chance to participate during the challenge, but would still like to get involved, the ideas above are really open opportunities and are not restricted to just the 10-day challenge. As always, we really appreciate your support of our mission.

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

#GivingTuesday and Marrakech's 2013 10 Ways in 10 Days Campaign!

Marrakech has joined #GivingTuesday, a first of its kind effort to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. Coinciding with the kick off the holiday shopping season, #GivingTuesday is meant to inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they support, and help create a better world.

On #GivingTuesday, December 3^rd, Marrakech will kick off our 10 Ways in 10 Days Challenge, which provides 10 different ways you can support Marrakech over the course of 10 business days (December 3^rd – December 16^th).  There is at least one thing everyone can do in the challenge in order to participate and we really hope you do!  Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to see each day’s challenge and to get involved.

Either way, we are pretty sure the 10 Ways in 10 Days Challenge along with our #GivingTuesday activities will continue to help you get to know us a little better as an organization.   

From our Marrakech family to yours, we wish you the happiest of holiday seasons and a joyful New Year!

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MarrakechIncCT

Twitter: www.twitter.com/MarrakechIncCT

The Association of Artisans to Cane Celebrates their 25th Anniversary!

The Association of Artisans to Cane (AAC), a project of Marrakech Inc., is a transitional work program for adults with disabilities. Celebrating their 25^th anniversary, the program was started in 1988 by Arlene Szczarba and later became a program of Marrakech, Inc.  Located at 597 East Street in New Haven, AAC specializes in repairing chairs and furniture with hand cane, press cane, rush, splint woven, Danish cord, and shaker tape seats or backs. 

AAC employs 10 individuals on a part-time basis as independent contractors each learning the art of seat weaving on a wide variety of projects.  Through their work on chairs, the artisans learn important job skills with the goal of making the transition into other jobs in the community.

Individuals as well as antique dealers and furniture restorers are the primary source of customers.  Through word of mouth and advertising this program has become very successful and fulfilling for the Artisans. As the Artisan gives new life to a damaged or worn chair, so the challenge to cane gives new direction and motivation to the Artisan.

To learn more about the Association of Artisans please call (203) 776-6310 or stop by 597 East Street, Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Marrakech’s Work with Youth: The Community Based Life Skills (CBLS) Program

In 2008, Marrakech was awarded the DCF Community Based Life Skills (CBLS) program for Metro New Haven and Greater New Haven. CBLS provides certification in Life Skills to youth in the foster care system who are 15 years of age or older. The program utilizes the Ansell Casey Life Skills curriculum, which includes an introductory life skills assessment and a combination of experiential learning approaches (www.caseylifeskills.com). 

In addition to the self-assessment, primary caregivers or other adults involved in the youths’ lives are requested to take part in a matching assessment of the youth’s life skills. Once assessed, a program consisting of a minimum of 100 hours is designed for the youth that covers classroom time, individual time and community-based services over a span of 12 months.

The life skills curriculum includes the following domains: educational/vocational planning, career planning, communication, daily living, home life, housing and money management, self care, social relationships, work life, work and study skills and parenting when applicable.  Primary caregivers are engaged in the program and are encouraged to carry over the skills taught in the classroom to the home environment.

Upon completion of the program, youth participate in a graduation ceremony, receive completion certificates and earn up to $125.00 (based on attendance and participation). The youth are also provided a modest stipend for each hour of classroom time that they complete.  This program is designed for youth who do not need or cannot commit to the more comprehensive Work to Learn program, but who do require the life skills development to transition successfully from foster care to independence.

Together, the Work to Learn program and Community Based Life Skills Program serve approximately 115 youth at any given time and up to 150 youth in the course of a year. That is about 11.5% of the total Marrakech consumer base.  While that is still a fairly small portion, it growing every year.  Marrakech is a youth services provider!

If you want to learn more about the Work to Learn program or and Community Based Life Skills Program, please contact Gerry Zarra at (203) 389-2970, extension 1303 or gzarra@marrakechinc.org.