Smoking Cessation: Pedro s Success

Transcription

1 MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER Volume 6, Issue 4 April 2016 o Smoking Cessation: Pedro s Success Coming Events May 3 National Teacher s May 3 Give Local America! May 4 Star Wars May the Fourth Be With You! May 5 Cinco de Mayo May 6 Who Wants to be a US Citizen? Trivia Competition May 8 Mother s May 18 International Museum May 21 Armed Forces May 28 Amnesty Internationl May 30 Memorial Pedro Torres moved to Erie in 2000, after being born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. In 2014 he decided to get help through MCRC in preparing to get his a GED. He also decided to take advantage of our other support services, including the Tobacco Cessation Program. At the time, Pedro had been smoking for 10 years. His reason for a being a longtime smoker was that he originally just wanted to try it out. Smoking cigarettes is addictive, and led to him continuing this habit. Pedro joined the first Tobacco Cessation class offered at MCRC and attended the entire six week program. After four weeks, he stopped using cigarettes, focusing on continuing the quitting process. Since then he has been breathing easier and started better eating habits while being able to taste his food better. While smoking he was considered underweight, after quitting, he gained some weight. Quitting has also allowed him to focus more clearly on his goal of obtaining his GED. A big surprise for Pedro has been the amount of money he saves each week not having to buy those expensive packs of smokes. With his extra money, he has bought some new clothes that smell nice and has even been able to go see a movie. Pedro said he would encourage others to quit. His advice, Quitting is really the best choice to make. It is easier when you have others to support you, so don t be afraid to ask for help. The process is tough but don t quit on it. Multicultural Community Resource Center of Erie Michael Burns, Esq., Board President Joanna R. Cherpak, Executive Director MCRC Noticias Editorial Team: Cathie Whitmire, ESL Instructor Carol Brigham, Education Manager Gregg Sikora, IT Specialist 554 East 10 th St., Erie, PA Ph: FAX: MCRC@mcrcerie.org For information on our Tobacco Cessation program please contact Jordan Cherpak via at jac554@mcrcerie.org or phone at Ext. 332.

2 P A G E 2 Last Chance to Show Off Your Trivia Skills! MCRC Thanks These Dedicated Volunteers MCRC would like to thank these volunteers for their extended service to our agency and our clients. We would like to specifically recognize Joyce Grandinetti for her five years of service and Carl Hanes for his four years of service. We would also like to thank the following volunteers who have been volunteering with MCRC for over a year: Helen Shimek 2 Years Chris Laird 2 Years Cindy Belczyk 2 Years Becky Siegler 1.5 Years Jim Haas 14 Months Edie Cultu 13 Months We appreciate and value all of our MCRC volunteers, but want to extend a special thank you to the long-term dedication that these individuals have shown. Calling all Trivia Buffs! MCRC will be hosting its 2nd Annual Who Wants to be a U. S. Citizen? Trivia Competition on Friday, May 6, 2016 beginning at 6:00 PM. There are still a couple of tables available for this fun-filled evening! With the success of last years event, which was held here on our campus, the competition will be moving to the Prep Event Center located at 501 West 12th Street to accommodate more participants. Your fun filled evening will be hosted by Jim & Gail Kurre and will include trivia, food, raffles, and a grand prize for the winning team, a 3-hour wine tour in a 14 person limo, graciously donated by La Grande Elite Limousine in North East, PA! There will also be a cash bar available. Entry is $30 per person or $220 for a team of 8. For more information or to register your team, please contact Gregg Sikora at Ext. 317 or via at gsikora@mcrcerie.org. Joyce Grandinetti Volunteer Hours Carl Hanes Volunteer Hours

3 P A G E 3 MCRC Students Learn CPR and First Aid On Wednesday, March 23rd & Friday, March 25th students from LECOM s MMSA (Medical Muslim Students Association) came to MCRC to provide CPR and Basic First Aid training to students. This was the first training of its kind and we hope to develop more trainings in the future! It s All About People at the Community Center Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. These words best capture what we attempt to be put into action every day at the John E. Horan Garden Apartments Community Center. The education programming here is designed simply around creating curriculum to accommodate the needs of the community. Since client needs are everchanging, the modules and schedule are dynamic, flexible, and always evolving. Currently, classes are available Monday through Friday for those aiming to earn a GED, learn English as a second language, pass the naturalization exam, become computer literate, or obtain a learner s permit. Our doors are open to both housing and non-housing residents alike and to individuals of any level of education and experience. Outside of scheduled classes, we develop and actualize independent study programs for adult basic education learners and provide one-on-one support for students in college. Even though our range is limitless, our goal is specific, to help clients reach or elevate their goals in life. For more information Contact Nick Bobango at the John E. Horan Garden Apartments Community Center at or stop in at 730 Tacoma Road, Erie, PA

4 P A G E 4 Another Successful Year of Tax Season Once again MCRC participated in the Erie Free Taxes program, which is a grant provided by the United Way of Erie County. This year we processed 699 clients between MCRC and John E. Horan Garden Apartments! MCRC 615 clients JEHGA 84 clients MCRC raised $112 through a bake sale held at the agency on Wednesday, April 20, This money was raised to help the Housing Authority of the City of Erie (HACE) with their March of Dimes fundraiser.

5 MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER 554 East 10th Street Erie, PA Phone: Fax: Web: Your Donation is Appreciated To make a financial gift to MCRC, send it to Joanna Cherpak, Executive Director, 554 East 10th St., Erie, PA or donate online at MCRC volunteer opportunities exist for one-time or continuing activities. Please visit the Volunteer tab at our Website at or look for us on the Get Connected Erie website at mcrcerie To inquire, send an to MCRC@mcrcerie.org. Be sure to include your name and phone number in your message. What Direction Will the United States Go The hot topic of conversation right now is the U.S. Presidential Election. The front runner candidates for both the Democratic and Republican parties seem to have a myriad of issues. Yet the public seems to keep voting for them in all the primary elections. I can t even postulate what this country is going to be like over the next 4 to 8 years. People have been joking about moving to foreign countries to avoid the potential leadership of this nation. Obviously our concern here at MCRC is how candidates view refugees and immigrants because those are the folks we serve on a daily basis. The bias on immigration that has been expressed by the candidates is staggering. I guess they have forgotten about Ellis Island.. Those of us who were born in this country are descendants from people of foreign lands. My ancestors are British (English, Welsh and Scottish) on my Father s side and German on my Mother s side. My Mom used to tell me that some of my mannerisms were very English. But how is that possible since I was born an American? It is because what my ancestors brought with them when they came to the United States was inherent in their DNA and passed along to me. So unless you are of Native American descent, you are going to have foreign cultures as part of your biological make up. Bottom line is the Americans of today are products of immigrants and refugees. So discriminating against those from foreign lands, is basically discriminating against those who came before us. No one is sure what this election is going to bring. Will Obamacare still exist? Will Immigration reform be turned on its side? Will we be a country divided because of strong polar political views? Will folks really give up living in the United States to move to Europe, Australia, etc? We are certain of one thing at MCRC, we intend to keep serving the serving the Latino, refugee and immigrant communities because that is an evergreen process that truly helps build this nation. The flowers are starting to bloom and the buds are on the trees here in Erie. Everything is starting look green and new. It is beautiful! Please enjoy the Spring Time. Genuinely yours, Joanna R. Cherpak Executive Director Proudly serving the needs of the Hispanic and refugee communities since 1975.