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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Spring Young Professionals Leadership Initiative is a wrap!

It's a wrap! Our Spring 2014 Young Professionals Leadership Initiative came to an end on Saturday, March 29. Beyond Expectations works with teens across the entire state of New Jersey. This Mercer County session focused on young adults from the Anchor House Youth Achievers Council, Anchor Link, and Anchor Line programs who successfully completed the six-week leadership training in 3 tracks:

• Careers and Employment Skills
• Independent Living Skills
• Media Advocacy

The objective of our leadership program is to help students uncover their own existing talents, work collaboratively as they learn new skills, and build professional relationships with our facilitators and volunteers.

To address the real issues around independent living, a strong emphasis was placed on budgeting and the basics of finance on "how money works". Executive Chef Kahlil Wyche related hands-on practices in the culinary industry to managing a household budget. During week 5, students had an opportunity to put the instruction to use by developing a budget, selecting the menu items, and preparing a three course meal for the entire group within their budget.

There was a focus throughout our entire program to strengthen communication skills particularly to prepare them for job interviews on the final day of class with our corporate partner AMC Hamilton 24 Theatres. 

In preparation, students received direct training from our team of facilitators, Toastmasters, National Speakers Association, and Dow Jones News Fund. They prepared personal brand statements, conducted background research on AMC, and participated in mock interviews. 

Finally, through ongoing hands-on instruction, confidence grew as students became more comfortable in front of and behind the camera working collaboratively as part of our production crew. Efforts will continue as we prepare to implement their ideas for the Family Film Screening slated for Sunday, May 18.

Special thanks to the staff at Anchor House, AMC Hamilton Theatres General Manager Gregory Rice and Senior Manager Tracy Brangan, Kat Clayton at Jersey Cares, Dr. He Len Chung's Collaborative Research Lab students at The College of New Jersey, our entire crew of facilitators and volunteers.

Another great program with another group of phenomenal young adults!

>> more highlights

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.