CHOICE Awarded Verity Foundation Service Grant

Verity Foundation, whose mission is to leverage the skills of volunteers to provide free professional services to non-profits with missions that support education, social benefit and the arts, recently awarded a branding and iIdentity service grant, valued at $30,000, to CHOICE. The Vertity Foundation's programs offer an innovative approach to service-based philanthropy by combining the accessibility of volunteer matching services with the management best practices of business consulting firms. Each grant is staffed by a small team of experienced business professionals who volunteer up to five hours of their time each week. The branding and identify service grant awarded to CHOICE will provide a foundation for marketing messaging and external communications. The package defines how to position the nonprofit to its various audiences and how that positioning shall be translated in marketing materials and messages.

Teen Resource Guide
CHOICE is proud to announce that the Philadelphia-specific Teen Resource Guide is now available for distribution. This is CHOICE's first publication since 1988 and is the only resource guide of its kind in Philadelphia. The guide contains accurate, non-judgmental information written specifically for teenagers about basic sexual health issues, including safer sex and abstinence, pregnancy and pregnancy options, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS transmission and testing, and teen rights. In addition, the guide provides a listing of Philadelphia resources prepared to serve teenagers and experienced at doing so. This list is not comprehensive, but includes a selection of agencies that can serve as a starting point and referral source for teens with more specific needs. We have also included a list of web sites that deal with issues of interest to and important for teens. The guide was developed for distribution at presentations, health fairs, and community events. In addition, the guides will be given to service providers and will be available on-line. The guide fills an unmet need in Philadelphia, helps young people obtain services they need, and lets them know their concerns are universal.

This project was funded by grants from the following:

1957 Charity Trust
AIDS Fund
Louis N. Cassett Foundation
Claneil foundation
Dolfinger McMahon Foundation
Douty Foundation
Family Planning Council of Southeastern PA
Allen Hilles Fund
Independence Foundation
Pennsylvania Department of Public Health
Philadelphia Foundation
City of Philadelphia Department of Public Health
Seybert Institute
Thomas H. and Mary Williams Shoemaker Fund
Joseph Kennard Skilling Foundation
Valentine Foundation
Henrietta Tower Wurts Memorial
Yearly Meeting of the Philadelphia Friends

For information on obtaining a copy of the Teen Resource Guide, please call 215-985-3355.

New CHOICE Partnership
Starting this September, CHOICE is pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with Charles Carroll High School (www.charlescarrollhighschool.com). This new partnership will enable students, faculty, and the community to meet regularly with a CHOICE representative to discuss relevant healthcare issues, and to access confidential healthcare resources easily and conveniently at the school. CHOICE has been affiliated with Charles Carroll High School in the past, but this will be the first year CHOICE will provide individualized counseling to students on a regular, as needed basis.

A CHOICE staff representative will be available to students and teachers, every first and third Tuesday of the month, from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. If you are interested in finding out more information or having CHOICE offer services at your school, please contact info@choice-phila.org.

CHOICE is on the list of instructional resources recommended and approved by the Philadelphia School District to provide comprehensive sexuality education in the City’s public schools.

Community Partnership
January 2002, CHOICE joined with Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania in a new venture intended to expand the access of comprehensive sexuality education programming to young people, particularly middle school-age children, in Philadelphia. CHOICE staff will provide multi-session (5-15 sessions per school/program) sexuality education programming in schools and community-based agencies using the STEPS Toward Adolescence curricula model outlined below. If you are interested in hearing more or would like to know how your school/program can participate, please give us a call at 215-985-3355.

STEPS Toward Adolescence

• Introduction - Growing Up
• Respect/Tolerance
• Puberty
• Male Issues
• Female Issues
• Decision Making/Peer Pressure
• Conflict Management
• Relationships
• Power Dynamics
• Sexual Abuse Prevention
• Sexual Harassment
• Reproduction
• Abstinence
• Teen Pregnancy
• Reducing the Risk of Pregnancy
• Reducing the Risk of STI's

Do Drop-in!
Every other Tuesday night (2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month), from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., CHOICE hosts a community drop-in center at Marian Anderson Recreation Center, located at 1700 Fitzwater Street in South Philadelphia. At this center, community residents are able to receive face-to-face information and referrals, information about children's health insurance, free condoms and condom demonstrations, trainings, and many more services. This is a community service, so feel free to drop-in at anytime!