Bester Community of Hope
Cultivating Hope & Well-Being in Children, Families & Communities, Hagerstown MD.
Our sincere thanks to Jim Schultheis of M&T Bank (VP/GM of the Boonsboro branch) and the M&T Charitable foundation for supporting our year long health efforts in the Bester community. The newest member of our team, Rafi Hoq (pictured left) is seen here accepting a check today for $2,500 to support the effort from Banking Officer Joe Werling. Community partners like M&T Bank make all the difference!
Today the BCOH crew partnered with Paul Ostoich of HubNetwork to continue to listen to the strategies being used in the faith community and how we can best adapt those practices to serve families in our region. Building on a HubNetwork event last week in Hagerstown focused on successful social service delivery practices seen in other houses of faith, we continued a deeper conversation about process and lessons learned with Lillie Ostoich and Ken Melloni today in Philadelphia. We are looking forward to partnering with families in need, including those affiliated with the network of churches in the Bester catchment, through our Strengthening Ties and Empowering Parents (STEPS) program starting at the end of this month!
By Don Aines, Staff Writer
Hundreds of parents and children gathered outside Bester Elementary School on Saturday for an afternoon of entertainment, getting to know one another, and learning about resources that can help strengthen their community.
“It’s a great community. Sometimes people don’t look at it that way, and we want to highlight all the great strengths that exist here,” said Keith Fanjoy, the director of Bester Community of Hope, sponsor of the block party.
The Bester Community of Hope was formed last year, but Fanjoy said the group wants the block party to become an annual event. The party, he said, served a couple of purposes.
South End Neighborhoods 1st has much the same goals, said the group’s president, Melanie Pepple.
“We’re working to build stronger communities where we all feel like neighbors again,” Pepple said.
The group hopes is trying to re-establish some old traditions, such as Christmas caroling and Halloween events, and holding its own block parties, she said.
Also available to the residents was information about resources they can access to help their families, Fanjoy said.
“We offer mental health case management to people of all ages,” said Ashley Stouffer, the adult services program manager for Potomac Case Management. “Our goal is to get people connected and stay connected to the different resources in the community.”
Potomac Case Management works with about 500 adults and 300 or more children and adolescents in the county, helping them get proper diagnoses and treatment, Stouffer said.
“In my program … we see about 400 people a year,” said Carrie Tressler, the homeless outreach manager for Turning Point, speaking of another challenge many communities face. The program deals mostly with individuals, but homeless families can be more difficult to track, she said.
Helping homeless families with an emphasis on their children is the job of Dana Pentoney, the homeless education program coordinator for Washington County Public Schools. Last year, there were 712 homeless students in the county, she said.
The latter is a challenge as families tend to move between the homes of relatives and friends, as well as motels and hotels, in their search for stable housing, Pentoney said. The school system tries to keep the children in what would be their regular schools in order to maintain a healthy educational routine, she said.
The event was also about having a good time.
“I think so. They’re kind of scattered,” Charlene Williamson said when asked if the four grandchildren she brought were enjoying themselves. She said it was a good event to give kids something to do and, “It’s hard to find something that doesn’t cost money.”
“This is my community. … All the kids and grandkids went to Bester, so far,” said C. Burker, who was there with her daughter, Laci Hammer, and granddaughter Legaci Jones. While they were enjoying the day, they also had a stroller packed with brochures and pamphlets from the resource providers.
http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/education/bester-block-party-strengthens-community-in-more-ways-than-one/article_a3c81a9c-6738-11e6-9e63-a7997acc944f.html
Over 100 families have registered for the new Bester Health Center in the first week of school! The program, sponsored by the Community Free Clinic, provides convenient access to acute care while all Bester Elementary children are at school for no cost. The program will be available starting September 6th, if your child attends Bester Elementary be sure to sign up today!
On Saturday August 13th, the Lowe’s Home Improvement Store located on Shank Farm Road in Hagerstown partnered with Neighborhoods 1st of the City of Hagerstown and the Bester Community of Hope to beautify neighborhood spaces on a six block corridor of Locust Street. The story of the day was oppressive heat, with temperatures soaring in the high 90’s, a group of almost 40 volunteers worked throughout the day as the heat index climbed over 110. At least it didn’t rain! The story of the day wasn’t simply Lowe’s and their substantial investment of resources and volunteers, but it was also neighborhood residents and organizations such as Lifehouse Church, who found ways big and small to join the effort.
A couple ladies were so impressed that the volunteers kept working through the heat that they started grilling hamburgers and handing out drinks. When asked why, they responded, “I may not be able to physically help, but you guys are doing this for us so I’m doing this for you.” When it came to physical help, some of the younger guys helped load heavy bags of soil, and they even let us use the water supply from their homes for hard to reach power washing. People came out of their homes and helped organize planters and sweep up the street, it was a team effort.
The signature portion of the project that you can now see each time you drive down Locust Street are blue paw prints in newly painted crosswalks signifying the journey Bester Elementary students (Bears) travel on their way to school. It’s important as we drive through these communities that we remember kids and families live and play here, and as a walking school district everything we can do to support a great environment for those families to travel through will improve their daily life experience.
Other highlights included: Every home in the six block range of Locust Point to Antietam Street received high quality planters with soil and flowers for the front of their homes, pressure washing some highly visibly walls and a new coat of green paint on a long wall from the Locust point market past the storage facility, repairing a noticeably damaged fence, new lighting for the interior and exterior of Locust Point Market as well as planting trees behind the market for shade and additional plant life, trash pick up along the entire corridor, and significant enhancements to the Bester Elementary courtyard including furniture and painting. One other addition will come this coming Saturday as Lowe’s returns to paint a couple of areas with green bear paw prints on some sidewalks as well as a hopscotch.
Our sincere thanks to the Bester Communities First Neighborhoods 1st group, Lowe’s of Shank Farm Road in Hagerstown, the City of Hagerstown, and all of those residents who helped to bring this vision to a reality.
By Dave McMillon – Updated
During a Aug. 2 Hagerstown City Council meeting, council members unanimously voted to close South Locust Street from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the community effort.
The project is being headed up by the Bester Community of Hope, Lowe’s Home Improvement and a new Neighborhoods 1st group known as Bester Community First.
Bester Community of Hope is a San Mar-based initiative that works on positive outcomes for children and families in the Bester Elementary School neighborhood.
Initiative Director Keith Fanjoy said his group worked to bring Bester Community First and Lowe’s together for the effort.
Officials said at the council meeting that they are expecting 40 to 50 volunteers to turn out on South Locust Street to pick up trash and remove weeds.
Planters have been purchased for people along the street, and Lowe’s will donate soil and flowers to fill them, said Sarah Nelson, the city’s planning and outreach coordinator.
Lowe’s also plans to improve the exterior lighting on Locust Point Market at the intersection of South Locust and South Potomac streets, Nelson said.
Sam Barrick, leader of Bester Community First, said her organization already existed but under a different name. There were also some different members of the former group, she said.
Barrick, who has lived on Locust Street for about five years, said Bester Community First got behind the idea for the neighborhood beautification project as a way of announcing “we’re here.”
She said that a lot of people did not know the group existed, but she hopes people will be inspired to get involved.
“It will be a big day on Locust Street before the kids start back at Bester (Elementary School),” Nelson said. “I think we’re seeing the beginning of what may be a long-term kind of project.”
Nelson said northbound traffic on South Locust Street will be diverted from the street starting at Memorial Boulevard. Motorists will be directed to South Cannon Avenue, she said.
The work will extend to Antietam Street, although Baltimore Street will remain open, city officials said.
Sunday has been designated as a rain date for the cleanup.
http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/local/community-joins-to-beautify-hagerstown-s-locust-street/article_00da24cc-5f47-11e6-8e02-1ba107954b8c.html
