The Children's Enrichment Committee Doesn't Take The Summer Off

 We all love the long days and dreamy nights of summer and this summer was no exception.

But the needs of children don't take the summer off, and the Children's Enrichment Committee was there to help.

We paid for art therapy (not covered by insurance) for one child and made sure an active six-year-old would be kept busy at the local town's recreation program for six weeks. 

Other children got new clothes for school and a backpack filled with school supplies.

We were happy to give a family a baby gate to keep a child safe. For children in need of beds, the CEC, along with private donations, saw to it that bedframes, beds, mattresses, sheets and pillowcases were supplied.

Thanks to the wonderful generosity of the Slate Hill (NY) Quilters, along with the beds came beautiful handmade quilts that can be treasured for a lifetime.

Autumn is a season with its own beauty and challenges. The Children's Enrichment Committee, with friends like the Slate Hill Quilters, will be there to help and support the children of Orange County. 

Fun And Funds

For over a hundred years, the Children's Enrichment Committee has been giving a helping hand to the children of Orange County. To provide that help, we look for ways to raise funds.

We appreciate all the different people and organizations who have shared our mission with their generosity. But sometimes, we admit, it's nice when there's some fun attached.

For example, there was the fundraising theater party provided by the Muddy Waters Players at the Playhouse at Museum Village. CEC members joined other theatergoers for a performance of Agatha Christie's A Murder Is Announced. There was twist after delightful twist, proving (in case there was any doubt) that Miss Marple was smarter than the police and most if not all of the audience (present company very much included). 

If the play wasn't pleasurable enough, during intermission we were invited to have apple pie a la mode. 

The Muddy Waters Players upcoming schedule includes The 39 Steps, Seussical, and Murder Mystery Manhattan. 

But fun and fundraising can take us on different paths. Every month J's Place in Middletown donates $3 from each purchase of his creative and varied "tinis." This month, the "tini" is watermelon based, which sounds perfect for a summertime drink. Actually, the entire menu sounds perfect. 

The CEC will always be grateful to area businesses who help out. But we admit to a little extra gratitude when it comes with a fun time!

 

We Live To Give

The Children's Enrichment Committee loves to give clothes and furniture to children in need. We've been in the habit for well over 100 years. Our donors are a wonderful and varied group. We are especially appreciative of the multi-year generosity of Stewart Shops. Make sure to get one of their wonderful ice cream cones on the next glorious spring day. 

This year we've given school clothes to eight children (remember how excited you were with a new school outfit). To make the gift even more special, we gave each one a hand knit winter cap and a beautiful quilt. 

Clothes and quilts are great, but sometimes a kid just needs furniture. It's hard to sit down and do homework in a home that doesn't have a table and chairs. So the CEC was happy to donate them.

 Of course there's more to life than homework. Kids have to exercise and what better way than by biking, The CEC was happy to provide a bike and a helmet as well.

When the Children's Enrichment Committee gives, it gets in return the incomparable pleasure of knowing we've made children's lives a little bit better and, we hope, a whole lot happier. There are truly fewer things in life more rewarding than seeing a child smile. 

And you'll smile too when you get that Peanut Butter Pandemonium ice cream cone at Stewart Shops!

A Word From CEC President Liz Hrabowsky

 For over 100 years, the all-volunteer Children’s Enrichment Committee has given to children with financial needs in Orange County, with our primary focus on those in foster care. 

This year, in addition to the six Emily Akers Scholarships awarded to graduating high school seniors for use in colleges and trade schools, we gave grants to three current students to help them purchase supplies and books. We gave requested holiday presents to 110 foster children and included with each a gift card, a homemade blanket and hat. One child enjoyed 2 weeks in summer camp. Another got needed therapy utensils and dishes, as well as a stuffed animal to cherish. And two young adults received personalized memory boxes and gift cards in recognition of their aging out of the system. 

Your generous tax-deductible donation will go directly to area children, making their days a little brighter, a little easier. 

As always, we thank you for your support.  

Back To Normal And Delighted To Be There

 It's a Children's Enrichment Committee tradition to have our June meeting be a luncheon with a guest speaker. But as you can imagine, traditions weren't easy to keep during the past couple of years.

So this June was first time in three years we've been able to return to normal. Even our meetings during the past couple of years have been a challenge. Once, we met in a park and learned meetings are hard to hold outdoors on a windy day. For a long stretch we met at the Dispute Resolution Center in Middletown, NY. We were very appreciative of their letting us use their meeting room, but it still didn't feel like home.

This spring our regular meeting space at Middletown Thrall Library reopened and we were thrilled to be back.

And now it's June and time for our luncheon.

Everyone pays for their own lunch, since we take pride that all money donated to the CEC goes to children. We vote on how much we're willing to pay and we find a restaurant that works with our needs and we get to eat good food, socialize, conduct a little bit of business, and learn from our guest speaker.

This year our lunch was at Delancey's Restaurant, in Goshen, NY. As you can see, they did a lovely job, making the space charming and hospitable. 

Pat Kind, chair of our Emily Akers Scholarship Committee, told us about the six Orange County high school seniors we had awarded with scholarships, each one selected for showing great determination and achievement while facing significant personal challenges.

Our guest speaker was Cynthia Weintraub. She's on the board of both Jewish Family Service and People For People Fund. She told us about both organizations and her personal journey to them.

It promises to be a busy summer for the CEC. Previous winners of the Emily Akers Scholarships have turned to us for help with purchasing items for their dorm rooms or book for their classes. We're also looking into how we can help children attending summer camp with shoes and supplies they will need. 

Normal for us is giving. And we are delighted to be back to normal!

The Season For Giving and For Giving Thanks

The holiday season is a joyous one but it is also a time to reflect on our blessings and to share with others what we have been fortunate enough to receive.

The Children's Enrichment Committee has been able to help children in financial need for 110 years thanks to the dedication of its members and the generosity of the community. We would especially like to thank the following organizations and businesses for their support this past year:

Dispute Resolution Center, Middletown NY

Galleria at Crystal Run, Middletown NY

Gardnertown United Methodist Church

The Interact Club of Pine Bush High School

Orange & Rockland, Spring Valley, NY

The Prayer Shawl Ministry at Cold Spring UMC

Rotary Club of Middletown NY

Stewart's Holiday Match, Stewart's Shops

The Trinity United Methodist Parish

The Vail's Gate United Methodist Church

Warwick Lions Club, Warwick NY

The Yarntastics at Gardnertown UMC

Thanks to them and the donations of people like you, the CEC has had a place to hold its meetings and its fundraisers. It has received beautiful handmade items to give as holiday presents to 100 children in foster care. It has been given gift cards to brighten those children's holidays. And it has been given money which is spent directly on the children, whose requests for items like bunk beds, sports equipment, a bicycle helmet and lock, we have been able to fulfill, as well as financing our 4 Emily Akers Scholarships, given to outstanding high school seniors to help them with expenses their freshman year in college. 

If you would like to help us help children, please send your donation to:

The Children's Enrichment Committee

PO Box 297

Middletown, NY 10940

All donations are tax deductible and all money goes to the purchasing of requested items or to the Emily Akers Scholarship Fund for the children of Orange County, NY. 

We wish you a wonderful holiday season and a better and brighter 2022!

College Is Their Future And Their Future Is Bright

 The Children's Enrichment Committee has always taken special pride in our Emily Akers Scholarships, named for the first administrator of our scholarship committee. This year we awarded four Orange County NY high school seniors $1000.00 each to help them with their freshman year expenses. 

The scholarship committee works hard to determine which students will win these scholarships. It reads the essays of the applicants, looks at their GPAs, and evaluates their extra-curricular activities, community service, and work history. Financial need is also a major determinant. 

In 2021, two of our Emily Akers winners come from Middletown High School, one from Newburgh Free Academy and one from Port Jervis High School. Their goals include becoming a social worker, going into  mechanical engineering, and majoring in business administration with a focus on the sports industry. 

"They say the sky is the limit," one Emily Akers winner wrote in her essay. "But for me, I want to reach beyond the sky."

We have faith that all our Emily Akers Scholarship winners, past and present, will soar beyond the sky.