Happy Giving Tuesday! We hope that this message finds you feeling abundant in health and good spirit. Today is the day that many non profits carefully craft appeal letters, emails, mailings, and campaigns at one last attempt to raise money by the end of the year for their next year of programs and services. We here at Miracle on Craig Street are taking this opportunity to launch our Final Countdown to the start of renovations on The Carver Community Center. Who better to help us have a successful launch then our beloved community of believers.

The Final Countdown to Carver

It has been three years of strategic planning, networking, collaborating, researching, grant writing, determination, unwavering faith and community support. We are counting down until the doors of Carver Community Center reopen! We have 6 months and $120,000 left to go before we begin renovating! We are slated to re-open the Carver Center in the fall of 2019 as the historic home for Miracle on Craig Street and many other organizations in Schenectady NY. We are so excited to finally be able to open the doors to the community again. We have raised $180,000 to date for the renovations of the center. With the help of our community we know that we can reach our goal to restore this community asset back to use. We are asking that you and all members of our community who are able pay it forward give to our cause generously. Your donation will have an impact on future generations to come. You can donate here.

My Giving Story

For the past three years the revitalization of the Carver Community Center has been my passion project. I have given my time, energy, money, effort, love, and dedication to this project. I have learned how to detach myself from the outcomes of my work so that I can keep going. I have seen my community come through and give to this project consistently for three years and continue to do so increasingly. More than anything the community has taught me about real faith, love, abundance, optimism, courage, and sacrifice. I am so thankful and grateful for all the people that have put their hands on this project and all the people who have encouraged me and inspired me along the way. There is no I in team and there is no me in Community. I truly could not have come this far without the hands of many. I understand that this project is bigger than me, it is even bigger than this city. This project is about servant leadership, labor of love, investment into our healing, ownership in communities that lack all over, being resilient enough to dream and having the tenacity and patience to see that vision through. I ask that especially at this time, our community continue to carry the load together and move closer to our goal by donating what you can today. We are truly making miracles happen right here in our hometown!

Looking Back on 2018

This year we have shared and opened up space for our community to learn about farming and growing their own food through project backyard, becoming physically active and engaged in our community through our summer basketball league, reflecting on our personal journey and path to healing and joy during our self care series with Chelle, celebrating and validating each other’s self expression and experience through spoken word, and laughing and feeling pride in our ability to create artistically at our painting events. We feel so honored to be able to hold this space for our community. We are ecstatic to think about all the ways we will continue to support, celebrate, and build community together in our newly renovated space. Please help us to get there if you can!

New Board Member Alert!

We are excited to add new members of the community to our board of directors here at Miracle on Craig Street. This month we are introducing Rachelle Pean. Rachelle “Chelle” Pean is a licensed clinical social worker whose passion is making trauma informed healing and wellness accessible. She is the founder of Chelle Marie Wellness, LLC, a therapy private practice that uses mind body healing techniques to help people heal themselves from their past and live fully in the present. She recently published her book: “Balance Your Sh*t: The Chakras”, a beginner’s guide to self reflection and energy balancing. She has received her 200 hour vinyasa yoga teacher certification from Yoga to the People in NYC, a day long Trauma Informed Yoga training from the Prison Project, her level 1 Reiki certification, as well as an EMDR certification (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) to help her clients heal from past traumas. Help us welcome Chelle to the team.

Community, thank you for being the amazing, beautiful, light that you are!

Many Blessings,

Rosa Rivera