Chagrin Falls Park Community Center is a non-profit program of Family & Community Services Inc. of Northeastern Ohio. It is funded by Geauga County United Way, Geauga County Job & Family Services, various foundations, corporations, individuals, and civic groups throughout the Bainbridge area. The Center provides after school and summer programs for elementary, middle, and high school students from primarily minority families in the low to moderate income range. The Strategies for Life program provides supportive services for families including a food bank and other emergency needs. Geauga Department on Aging shares our building. It provides activities for seniors in Bainbridge Twp and surrounding areas.
A training ground for tomorrow’s leaders
Chagrin Falls Park community center is viewed as a “Window of Opportunity”
and committed to empowering individuals and families to reach their full
potential and unify the local neighborhood and the greater community.
The Young Scholars After-School Program
Our goal is to encourage students to achieve by empowering them with the skills that will facilitate their personal growth and academic achievement. This is accomplished by mentoring, tutoring, and providing leadership-focused activities for students from first to eighth grade.
Young Scholars Accomplishments for the 2010/2011 School Year
- Provided 406 tutoring sessions and 288 recreational sessions
- Served 1153 meals
- 2168 snacks for 70 students
- 88% of the students served increased their observed self esteem
- 52% have increased or maintained their reading level
Excel & Explore Summer Day Camps
Our goal is to increase or sustain students’ reading and math levels over the summer months, while introducing them to the greater community. This is accomplished with programming that includes focused reading and math activities in the morning, and recreational activities or field trips in the afternoon.
Excel & Explore Summer Day Camp 2011 Accomplishments
- provided 293 education/leadership sessions and 101 recreational sessions
- 12851 meals and snacks for 57 students during the 39 program days
- 77% of the students in the Summer Day Camp increased their observed self esteem
- 82% maintained their reading level over the summer
- 69% of the group increased their reading level
Career Achievement Program
Our goal is to actively involve high school students in developing plans for their future while gaining work experience, confidence, and academic achievement. This is accomplished by providing mentoring, college and business site visits, and one-on-one and group activities designed to excite and ignite their future.
Career Achievement Accomplishments for the 2010 / 2011 School Year
- provided presentations, tutoring, work readiness, and on the job training for 29 students in high school
- 71% of the students explored at least three options for college or post-secondary education
- 72% enrolled in college upon graduation
The Strategies for Life Program
Our goal is to meet and fulfill the emergency needs of individuals and empower them to make a plan for change one step at a time, making it possible for individuals to reach their fullest potential. This is accomplished by fulfilling the emergent need for food, energy assistance, pharmacy and medical needs, and other individual needs. Then the coordinator works one on one to form a strategy plan for the family’s future. This coordinator also holds groups on specific family topics such as parenting, budgeting, yoga, and other topics that arise from family discussions.
2010 Strategies for Life Accomplishments
- provided supportive services for over 300 families, which included at least 250 one on one sessions for 896 individuals, (540 adults and 356 children) with various needs including emergency food, assistance with utilities, prescriptions, job searching, and general case management
- 75% of those families served made five or more strategy moves toward their goals
- 90% of the families served received emergency food or services in one case management visit
Author: DeAnna Tenney
DeAnna Tenney began her career in social services after receiving a bachelor’s degree from Kent State University. Over the last 12 years she has worked in the non-profit management sector; initially in the area of domestic violence at Safer Futures, a women’s shelter in Portage County. She collaborated with many businesses, organizations and individuals to increase the building size and programmatic options for the clients served. Currently, as director of Chagrin Falls Park Community Center, she led a group of exceptional volunteers and agencies to develop a strategic plan in 2004 that transformed the Center into a vital organization focused on empowerment of families. This group of volunteers worked hard to gain back the trust of neighbors and friends and invited others to take part in the transformation of its programs and services to match the needs of the community.