Philadelphia Foundation Recognizes Hopeworks Hopeworks was notified in mid August that it had received Honorable Mention for the 2004 Alfred H. Williams Award from the Philadelphia Foundation.  The award recognizes " the important role nonprofit organizations play in building strong communities and developing strategies to meet changing needs."  Two GIS Surveyors are Recognized for their Overall Performance Naimah Allen received the Michael J. Walker Award from The Philadelphia Youth Network's SCEP Program. Naimah was nominated because she achieved perfect attendance and her performance evaluations showed 100% accuracy and productivity. Naimah received a plaque and a $25.00 gift certificate to Borders. Congratulations Naimah!! Natashia Wilson's work portfolio was submitted to selected judges to review based on content and completion. Congratulations to Natashia for receiving a certificate of recognition. These awards were presented at the PYN closing ceremonies on August 13th. Hopeworks Reflects On Summer 2004 Hopeworks played an important role in increasing the work force of Camden. This summer, we hired 23 Camden county youth to survey parcels throughout the city. These youth included 7 NJ tree, 3 ARCC, and 13 CHA surveyors. Youth accomplished many tasks and learned great new navigational skills while working at Hopeworks for the summer. Hopeworks also enlightened youth by hosting a  6 week work readiness program that finished up with the youth being able to attend a resume writing workshop. All of our youth were able to successfully create a professional resume, and print copies for their use in future employment ventures. Hopeworks and Veritas Offer Training, Work Experience and Fun On August 19th and 20th Hopeworks through a grant from Veritas hosted 2 days of learning and fun.  In the morning several community businesses and organizations came to Hopeworks to experience a backup training offered by Hopeworks.  Fr. Jeff Putthoff, SJ and Angel Rodriguez facilitated the training. After the training all enjoyed a meal from Aunt Berta's.  In the afternoon 23 of Hopeworks youth participated in a technology scavenger hunt sponsored by Veritas. This was a great way for the youth to learn while having fun and winning great prizes. On Friday, Veritas' Sr. Staff Instructor Sue Rich and Fr. Jeff escorted the youth to SunGard where they were given a tour and treated to lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. A great time was had by all. Many thanks to Veritas and our staff for making these two days so successful. Veritas Vice-President Lenny Agula speaks to Hopeworks Youth Hopeworks Trainees enjoy Ice Cream Sundae's at the Hard Rock Cafe in Philadelphia, following a tour of SunGard. London Conference Father Jeff attended the Digital Generations Conference in London, England.  Father Jeff, along with Carole Thompson, presented a paper on Hopeworks and the various social identities that youth form while attending Hopeworks.  It was a great opportunity for meeting people from around the world and hearing of the great things that so many youth are doing! MOS Credits Earned Through a partnership with the Juvenile Justice Commission, Hopeworks has become an official testing site for MOS certification.  Through this program, youth are eligible to earn the valuable and industry accepted MOS certificate.  Hopeworks is integrating the MOS certificate into our current curriculum.  As part of their ongoing employment at Hopeworks, youth who work in GIS will earn certification in Excel, Access and Outlook, while web production trainees will earn Access, Word and Outlook certification. College Visits Kathleen Deitch arranged for Hopeworks youth to participate in college visits. The  youth visited St. Peters College and New Jersey City University in Jersey City, NJ.  Patrice Williams, Endrix Afanador who are upcoming seniors and Noel Hernandez enjoyed the tours and the excitement about future possibilities. All agreed that seeing a college first hand is very helpful in making the big decision about where they want to attend college. "Thank You's" To So Many KnightRidder JJC Philadelphia Foundation Cherry Hill Rotary Club These groups, through their generous funding and equipment donations help make possible the good works at Hopeworks!