In the community with Comcast @ Monmouth Junction

Monmouth Junction, NJ -- Thanks to the wonderful team at Monmouth Junction for inviting Beyond Expectations and Anchor House onsite to accept donations they assembled in-house during Comcast Cares Day.

Kimberly Smith, Comcast Regional Director of Community Investment, organized the collaborative meeting where our respective organizations were presented with 100 toiletry bags as well as 100 backpacks filled with porftolios, pens, notepads, a tie (for the guys) and a scarf (for the ladies).

We'll provide the portfolios to our older teens to help give them a professional appearance for events and job interviews. The toiletry bags will be used by Anchor House to distribute to youngsters who pass through the doors of their shelters and directly to youth on the streets of Trenton.

Special thanks to Arlene Tami, Ralph Portuguez, and Rosa Quagliariello who led the in-house initiative and every single person who gave their time to support this project. We were absolutely delighted for the chance to meet the team and extend our gratitude in person. 

2014 Comcast Cares Day w/ BE @ Anchor House

Trenton, NJ -- "AWESOME!" We must have said it a hundred times throughout the day volunteering with Comcast at Anchor House. We envisioned. We pitched. We planned. We organized. And yesterday it all came to life. Our wonderful, dedicated team at Beyond Expectations working side by side at Comcast Cares Day with some of the most friendly, caring (and fun) volunteers that we've ever encountered!

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photos courtesy of Shelley Kusnetz and Carla Hicks

Hard to believe how much each of the teams accomplished in just a few hours ... from landscaping to painting,  organizing the food pantry, assembling toiletry bags, and wrapping mounds of toys. We could hardly contain our excitement as we launched our new 18 Cookie Project! Everyone seemed to connect with the "backstory" of the project as we baked, wrapped, and custom designed each gift bag ... then witnessed the very first cookies being purchased.

It's never just about us.

In addition to our goal of helping to raise awareness of the plight of young people in foster care, we helped introduce a whole new group of people to Anchor House and their work with homeless, runaway, and abused youth.

Our sincere thanks to all of the wonderful volunteers, families, and friends who helped to make the event so memorable. To say it was amazing to watch the day unfold is an understatement.

It's really a testament to the power of everyday people working together to do whatever we can to impact young people throughout our communities whose lives deserve a chance.

>> Trenton Times spotlight

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Independent Living Skills with Executive Chef Kahlil Wyche

Trenton, NJ -- For the past four weeks, students from our Young Professionals Leadership Initiative have been working under the direction of Executive Chef Kahlil Wyche on the principles of proper food handling for the culinary industry and preparing healthy meals on a limited household budget. This week, they had a chance to put their training into practice by working collaboratively in the kitchen to prepare a complete meal including salad, entree, and a dessert.

The afternoon was spent continuing their studies on budgeting with a comprehensive session on "How Money Works" with certified financial advisor Wendy Walston. The interactive session focused on the Basics of Savings/Checking Accounts, Understanding Credit Cards, Compounding Interest, Starting Early with Retirement Savings, and The Rule of 72 which illustrates how money can double over time.

The day ended with a review of their final Video Resumes which were created for each student in preparation for their live job interviews with corporate partner AMC Theatres which will take place during our session next week.

Personal Branding Workshop w/ NSA President Kevin Thompson

Trenton, NJ - We're moving closer to the live job interviews for the participants of our Young Professionals Leadership Initiative. This week, Kevin Thompson, president of the National Speakers Association (NJ Chapter) and Distinguished Toastmaster, facilitated a workshop on Personal Branding.

Our team of facilitators then worked individually to help develop their own personal brand statements and conduct online background research on the interviewing company. They had an opportunity to put their statements immediately into practice during individual mock interviews with Mr. Thompson.

Executive Chef Kahlil Wyche continued his Independent Living Series with an introduction to general budgeting principles. The budgets will be used to help the participants develop a greater awareness of earning, managing, saving, and spending money.

We wrapped the day with a review of media terminology and crew positions as we plan for our annual Spring Film Screening (in collaboration with SCRA - Society for Community Resource & Action) on Sunday, May 18.