Five local families were recognized and celebrated on June 29 for completing the requirements of The Healthy Families Program, provided by Neighbors Organized for Adequate Housing (NOAH) of Belle Glade.

Healthy Families is funded by the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County and is designed to work with “at risk,” expectant mothers from early pre-natal stages until the child is five years old. The program promotes positive parenting, enhances the health and development of the participating children and prevents child abuse and neglect.

At the graduation ceremony, the five graduating families were honored with a lunch, gift bag and a Certificate of Completion. Each mother of the program shared her feelings as to how the program has enriched her life. “I don’t know what I would have done had it not been for Mrs. (Ketia) Cidoine (NOAH Family Support Worker) visiting me at the hospital and every week in my home,” said one mother.

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NOAH was recently recognized by a state organization for its leadership role in the development of the Belle Glade Renaissance Homeownership Program.

The Florida Community Development Association presented Edna McClendon, president of NOAH, and Executive Director Thomas Roberts with the 2006 Excellence Award on June 22 at the National Community Development Associations Annual Conference. The conference was held at the Seminole Hardrock Casino and Hotel in Hollywood, Florida.

“NOAH is pleased and proud to receive such a prestigious award,” said Roberts. “But we cannot accept sole credit because this initiative is the work of a collaboration among The City of Belle Glade, The Local Initiatives Support Corporation, The Community Financing Consortium, Wachovia Bank, Palm Beach County (Housing and Community Development) and T&S Construction, without which NOAH would not be able to deliver such lovely, affordable homes to a community that has been overlooked for many years by the conventional development sector.

The flagship project of the Belle Glade Renaissance Homeownership Program is the Belle Glade Renaissance / Covenant Gardens housing development. Phase One of the development, which celebrated its ribbon-cutting in January, featured 22 owner-occupied, single-family homes. Under the initiative, an additional 50 single-family homes are planned over the next three years.

NOAH HONORED BY WORKFORCE ALLIANCE FOR HELPING TO TRAIN WORKERS FOR SECOND CAREERS

The Community Work Experience Program recently added to NOAH’s cluttered wall of honor on June 28 with a Certificate of Appreciation for its participation in the Community Service Work Experience Program.

As part of the program, NOAH provides a supervised job training experience to participants who need increased employability skills. The training is used to improve interpersonal skills, job retention skills, stress management and problem-solving by learning to attain a balance between job and personal responsibilities, said Maryann M. Garrett, Welfare Transition Program Manager for Workforce Alliance, Inc., Palm Beach County region based in West Palm Beach.

“NOAH Development has been a partner in the Community Work Experience Program for many years.” Garrett said. “Our CWEP Appreciation Luncheon and the Certificate of Appreciation award were Workforce Alliance’s way of saying ‘Thank you’ to a community partner.” Workforce Alliance is a private, nonprofit organization that acts as a liaison between employers and potential employees. It has three career centers around the county, as well as a professional placement center in Palm Beach Gardens.

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NEWS FROM THE RETREAT: MORE FUNDRAISING, DIVERSE BOARD TO PUSH NOAH TOWARD GOAL FOR MORE SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING

Edna O. McClendon’s perspective of housing is skewed upward by the vibrant growth in and around her Royal Palm Beach residence and its impending encroachment further west. The president of NOAH’s Board of Directors sees grand single family homes extending all the way out to the Glades, and she wants NOAH to make sure its clients are in a position to benefit from that growth.

“I have to have a vision. I have to see beyond what we are doing now,” she said. Based on what the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners is doing, where the available land is, what is happening to the sugar industry and the attraction of Lake Okeechobee, McClendon believes the Glades will be booming with new homes and schools, and that is part of the vision she shared with other board members during a Delray Beach retreat in June where goals were set and NOAH’s performance was evaluated.

NOAH plans to venture further into single family homes, compete for more donor dollars and diversify the expertise on its 11-member board, said McClendon, who has been on the board since 1989. “We have a full agenda that we have to move forward.”

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NOAH Job Posting:

Position: Paraprofessional / Family Support Worker I (Bi-lingual) English & Spanish

Division: Social Services / Healthy Families

Immediate Supervisor: Healthy Families Program Supervisor

If you have any questions, please call (561) 992-8687
or send an e-mail to cgarrison0526@hotmail.com.