Since its founding in 1986, Project Self-Sufficiency has served over 19,500 families and more than 30,000 children. During the past five years, the agency has been fortunate to do so from a lovely, 5-acre campus nestled on a hill in Newton. Arriving at this location took years of planning and fundraising, as well as a willingness to be flexible and make do in cramped office spaces along the way. Recently, the agency gathered members of its Leadership Council, Board of Directors, and donors to the capital campaign which funded the new campus at a celebration of the milestones the agency has been able to achieve since they arrived at their new home. The latest round of stunning photographs of agency success stories, the Portrait of Hope, was also unveiled during a tour of the agency’s campus for event participants.
Besides celebrating the agency’s recent accomplishments, the festive event served as the kick-off for Project Self-Sufficiency’s annual fundraising campaign. “During the past year an average of 18 families per day have walked through our doors in need of assistance,” remarked Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director of Project Self-Sufficiency. “While the need for services has always been great, since our arrival at our new location, the number of families in need has increased dramatically. Project Self-Sufficiency is launching its annual campaign today so that these programs can be sustained in the coming year.”
Project Self-Sufficiency’s mission is to assist families along the road to economic self-sufficiency and family stability. Helping local families to achieve these goals can often be a lengthy and complicated process. “We knew that we could do so much more for our families if we just had the space,” noted Beverly Gordon, President of the agency’s Board of Directors and one of the leaders in the design and implementation of the Capital Campaign that allowed Project Self-Sufficiency to develop its campus.
The agency’s first home was a storage closet off a hallway in Sussex Technical School. They soon outgrew the space and relocated to a shed on the school property, followed by a longer stint at the old state police barracks on Route 206 in Newton. Although that space was much larger than the previous locations, agency staff members were often forced to share desks, hallways were used as storage areas, and a daycare center was shoehorned into the same building. The current campus contains a stand-alone daycare center serving up to 83 youngsters; a state-of-the-art Career Center with multiple computer labs, resource centers and conference rooms; a family counseling center complete with food pantry and the agency’s Working Women’s Wardrobe; a GED and Literacy Center; and a spacious Community Education Center for large-scale gatherings, fundraising events, and community meetings. A Board member even recently hosted her own wedding on the site.
“The support of the community was crucial to our success in raising the funds necessary to complete this campus,” noted Deborah Berry-Toon. “Project Self-Sufficiency has served more than 4,000 people in the past five years, and we have been able to offer many new and exciting programs because we now have appropriate facilities.”
Some of the programs which have been launched since the agency’s move to the new campus include a fiber optics certification course, the Youth Connections and Summer Youth Employment program for teens and young adults, the Nurse Family Partnership home visitation program and the Work Connections GED program. Other activities have been able to be expanded due to the larger venue, including family activities and children’s programming, such as the popular Project Vacation, Sister-to-Sister Prom Shop, and the Season of Hope Toy Shop. Several community organizations meet regularly at the site as well. Benefactors even created a community garden on the campus which provides fresh, seasonal produce to clients during the warmer months.
The celebratory gathering featured several guest speakers, including former client Jeanne Farrelly, who offered a heartfelt perspective about the agency’s role in supporting her family during difficult times. “Sometimes hope is the only thing people have,” commented Jeanne Farrelly as she recounted her early struggles as a college student and single working mother of two young boys. Since her arrival at Project Self-Sufficiency, Jeanne has had a successful career and is now the proud mother of two graduates of the United States Air Force Academy. She recently completed a long journey across the country and is looking forward to helping others. “Now it is time for me to give back. I see what I have been able to do because of the help I received from Project Self-Sufficiency, and what my sons have been able to accomplish. How important it is to have help when you need it. For me it was so difficult to even ask for help.”
Jeanne Farrelly is one of the agency clients whose success is documented in the Portrait of Hope photographs which dot the walls of the campus. The photographs were taken by Rob Yaskovic and the mounting and framing was completed by Gravity DesignWorks. “These Portraits of Hope symbolize the success that is available to anyone who walks through our doors who is willing to do the work to become economically self-sufficient,” noted Deborah Berry-Toon. “We are tremendously proud of the people featured here, and of all of our participants over the years who have gone on to achieve an education and a job which allows them to provide for their families with dignity.”
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