Village Project urges African Americans to Take the Shot
The Village Project, Inc. will be forever grateful for the years of dedicated support we have received from so many great-hearted people in our community. Without your support, many of our accomplishments would not have been possible. As we come to the end of this calendar year, we humbly request your support once again in the form of generous donations to keep us providing much-needed services to children and families in our community.
Despite the challenges presented by the Coronavirus Pandemic, The Village Project has continued to realize successes in each of our programs. Converting from in-person therapy sessions to telehealth therapy (by phone) was a process that seamlessly continued ongoing mental health treatment for Individual adults, children and families. Our Afterschool Academy – the Mae C. Johnson Education and Cultural Enrichment Academy – continues to provide effective academic support for students grades 1-12. A number of students from the earlier cohorts of the academy are now in college, one of whom is a second-year student at historic Spellman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Others are in community college and other 4-year universities. Despite having to attend the academy virtually, our students are still thriving and doing well, academically, which is a tribute to our staff, students and parents. Our prison re-entry program “Nyumbani” –Kiswahili for “Returning Home” – has been successful in assisting returnees with various types of assistance to include counseling and referrals for other treatment services. A number of Returnees were able to find employment as a result of being in this program. Our Equine-assisted program, a still-new program with four horses lodged at a ranch in Carmel Valley - is an increasingly sought-after program for both children and adults. Watching the psychotherapeutic dynamics between the horses and humans continue to amaze us. Our Emanyatta African Heritage Saturday School for children of African Ancestry is still striving as well being held virtually every Saturday.
Our groups continue to function, albeit virtually. The group “One Circle” made up of numbers of youth who were once street rivals which serves to keep our streets and campuses peaceful, remains in great demand as does our girls’/young women’s group Young Ladies of Empowerment, made up of young women ages 12-17. These young women have received mentoring by women who are leaders in the fields of social work, education, business ownership, and corporate management. Groups for adults such as our Grief and Loss group and Emotional Emancipation Circles are being organized. A “Community Warm Line” for people to call for support in coping with the pandemic is still in operation. In addition, we are proud recipients of Foundation and federal funding to assist families in our community with emergency food and shelter needs.
This is a sampling of the activities that continue to take place at The Village Project. Your wonderful donations can be sent to us at The Village Project, Inc., P.O. Box 127, Seaside, CA, 93955, or through the donation button on our website at www.thevillageprojectinc.org. We thank you in advance for your thoughtfulness and caring.
Web photo of Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, one of the scientists credited with developing the Covid-19 vaccine.