THANK YOU!

START Program staff members are joined by Peg Wright for the grand opening of the Somerville office.

RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMSHomeless, pregnant/parenting adolescents; Homeless, pregnant/parenting women with substance use disorders and their children

KATY’S PLACEOn-site, licensed Child Development Center

ROOTS to RECOVERY OUTPATIENT PROGRAMClients with substance use and/or co-occurring disorders

S.T.A.R.T. (Substance use, Trauma, Assessment, Referral, and Treatment) A new program designed to break the cycle of trauma, addiction, and homelessness throughout Middlesex, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties.

19B Dellwood LaneSomerset, NJ 08873

www.cge-nj.org

GALA – GIFT OF HOPE GALA 2018Friday, October 5, 2018Hyatt Regency New BrunswickFor more information, contact Veronica Finlay 732-427-7003 Ext. 356, vfinlay@cge-nj.org.

Join the Celebration!The Center for Great Expectations is celebrating its 20th Anniversary with our Gift of Hope Gala. Please come and join us! The evening will include a cocktail hour and delicious dinner, great raffle prizes, speakers and videos, a live band with dancing and more at our largest fundraiser of the year. It’s sure to be a very special evening.

20 th A N N I V E R S A R Y

ofGIFTGALA

Hope

“People Heal People”The 20 years of growth and success experienced by The Center for Great Expectations is the direct result of one key factor: people. If you have heard Peg speak, you may be familiar with the phrase “People Heal People.” No phrase has meant more to CGE’s success. The people at the heart of CGE’s work include board members, donors, volunteers and, of course, our dedicated staff. Members of the Board of Trustees have influenced the organization through their dedicated service, going above and beyond in their commitment to the mission. Providing their expertise, vision, resources and countless hours, they have lead the organization on this amazing, 20-year journey. We have a few board members who have been with us since the beginning! The generous financial support received from individuals, businesses as well as private and public grants has created the foundation from which the organization has grown and flourished. Thanks to our funders, CGE is the only provider in New Jersey offering a comprehensive trauma-informed continuum of care. Through this model, CGE continues to build a safe path for over 500 clients each year. Volunteers play an important role at CGE, giving of their time, holding babies, gardening, sorting donations, picking up non-perishable food and much more. Volunteers profoundly affect the organization, enhancing the services we provide and helping to create a safe place for the women, children and men we see. Whether individuals or groups, you have each added value to our work! We could not do what we do without you. Embracing their roles, staff members give selflessly for the sake of the clients. Trained in the Nurtured Heart Approach and the ARC (Attachment, emotional Regulation and Competency) model, staff members foster a positive, uplifting culture throughout the organization, creating a safe presence for those we serve daily. This positivity reflects back on the clients who flourish in this nurturing environment. Every person who has played a role in CGE’s journey to becoming a leader in providing substance use and mental health disorder treatment is important. Since 1998, together we have given over 2,000 individuals the gift of hope. People really do heal people.

Volunteers from AvalonBay Communities join Board of Trustees member Ron Ladell for yet another service project to beautify the grounds at CGE.

GOLF OUTING2018 Annual Ken Daneyko Golf Classic Thursday, July 12, 2018 Suburban Golf ClubFor more information, contact Ed Stankiewicz at (908) 930-9355

“I have been personally involved in supporting the Center for Great Expectations for 20 years. My passion for the Center increases with every visit and interaction I have with this organization. I urge you to participate in the outing and make a call to arrange a visit to see their programs firsthand and learn more about how you can help.” – Ken Daneyko

Exciting New Event!

CGE CONCERTHosted by Music for All Reasons, Randall KirkpatrickStarring Contemporary jazz guitarist B.D. LenzSaturday, November 3, 2018, 6:00 pmVenetian Grille in Somerville

2018 CALENDAR

The flower festooned pots in the front of our building signal a beautification of the grounds that continues out back. Volunteers from J&J Law Department Season of Caring expanded the size of our existing garden to accommodate additional space for a variety of vegetables. Our clients are working hard to plant everything during their weekly horticultural therapy group with Althea MacDonald, a Registered Horticultural Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor, who started the horticultural therapy program last summer. Joining Althea this year is Registered Horticultural Therapist Linda Brown-Kuhn. Together they will lead the women through this novel, hands-on therapeutic group. Through the growing season, the women will continue to care for the plants, grown organically and chemical-free, while they anticipate a harvest that will include cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, watermelon, rosemary, basil, parsley, zucchini, and peppers. The women will also work inside during inclement weather on various plant-related activities that will encourage positive self-expression and creativity. The benefits of a horticultural therapy program are many. Not only are the women learning lifelong horticultural skills, but they are also acquiring a healthy hobby that they can enjoy with their children. They are connecting with nature, working together with a shared responsibility, and taking pride in their role as caregivers and in the final delicious, nutritious bounty, which they can incorporate into their meals.

For the past 20 years, volunteers have been a very special part of the mission at the Center for Great Expectations. To be a volunteer, it takes willingness to give time to others, understanding because their lives might be very different, and compassion to truly care about making someone else’s life better. Volunteers in Katy’s Place lovingly care for the children with their gifts of patience and kindness. In-kind volunteers love to see our moms and their children dressed in spring and summer clothing or have their very “first” birthday party. We have volunteers that come to the Center to brighten lives in celebration of Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or Christmas in July. Gala and Golf volunteers have the mission at heart as they assist in raising funds in support of our Trauma Informed Care program that CGE offers, enabling the moms to break the cycle of destruction and live a better life, building new memories. Volunteers have been giving of themselves for 20 years to provide women and children a safe place, safe presence and safe path enabling The Center for Great Expectations to grow, touching more lives every year. Our sincere thanks to every single volunteer for your dedication. Each of you has helped us to realize our mission in amazing ways.

Recreation outings for the women and adolescent clients provide opportunities for self-esteem building, relieving stress, maintaining healthy weight, promoting a sense of normalcy, building connections to the community, and increasing positive social skills. Many of the women and adolescents have never been to state parks or other attractions in New Jersey. Taking them on recreational excursions exposes them to a variety of experiences and places. All recreation outings assist in teachable moments where residents and their children have a chance to learn something new in an area of interest to them. By attending child friendly recreations, the mothers have an opportunity to enjoy time with their children and be teachers in the moment. We are in the process of creating a calendar of outings for the summer and beyond. If you have a contact who can provide a free experience for the moms and their children in the surrounding area, please contact Veronica Finlay, vfinlay@cge-nj.org, 732-247-7003 Ext. 356. A list of outing ideas accompanies this article. The residents enjoy and look forward to going out to eat monthly. If you have a contact at a restaurant who can provide a donation or discount, please let us know. Ideas for possible restaurants: Applebee’s, Fridays, Golden Corral and pizzerias.

Ideas for outings, events and activities

• Balloon Festival • Kendall Park Skating Rink • South Amboy Skating Rink• Local Movie Theaters• Bowlero (North Brunswick) LaserTag & Bowling• Chuck E. Cheese• Kidz Village• The Land of Make Believe• Grounds for Sculpture• Field Station Dinosaurs Park (Leonia, NJ)• Keansburg Amusement Park (Teen Night Activity)• Turtle Back Zoo• Liberty Science Center• Sahara Sam’s Indoor Water Park• iPlay America (Teen Night Activity)• State Theater • Around The Corner Art Center – (Walk-in Activities)• Continental Dance Club (Kenilworth) –

Dance Classes (Salsa, Belly)• Cooking Classes• Baking or Cake Decorating Classes• Etiquette Classes• Rutgers University Recreation Program –

(Swimming Lessons, Fitness Classes, Gym Usage)

Horticultural Therapy

The Butterfly Wall

20 Years of CGE Volunteer Support

Creating Memories Through Outings

“Perhaps the butterfly is proof you can go through a great deal of darkness yet become something... Beautiful.”The butterfly is a symbol of change and growth and if you have visited CGE, you most likely noticed the Butterfly Wall in the lobby of the Adult Women’s house. It serves as a reminder to our clients and staff that while each day brings new challenges, it also brings opportunities on their pathway to recovery. Today the Butterfly Wall also stands as a tribute to the generosity of individuals, organizations and businesses who have made significant lifetime contributions to help the Center for Great Expectations reach many milestones in the past two decades. On May 3, we opened our doors to members of the community as they gathered with former and current Board members to celebrate the dedication of the Butterfly Wall and honor the first class of supports to have their names proudly displayed. Attendees excitedly scanned the wall to locate “their” butterfly and snap pictures as they posed proudly with their butterfly. We are thankful to Board Member Ron Ladell and AvalonBay Communities for generously funding the wall, allowing CGE to recognize donors today and in the future. There are still opportunities to have your name on the wall, as we will be adding new names to the butterfly wall each year. To find out how close you might be to the lifetime giving goal of $5,000 (Individuals) or $10,000 (Businesses/ Organizations), please contact Veronica Finlay, vfinlay@cge-nj.org, 732-247-7003 Ext. 356. If you missed the dedication of the wall and would like to stop by to see your butterfly, please contact Veronica to set up a visit.

Carl and Jim volunteer at CGE once a week picking up food from the Foodbank and delivering it to our moms in our Permanent Supportive Housing Program – thank you for your valuable time!

The flower festooned pots in the front of our building signal a beautification of the grounds that continues out back. Volunteers from J&J Law Department Season of Caring expanded the size of our existing garden to accommodate additional space for a variety of vegetables. Our clients are working hard to plant everything during their weekly horticultural therapy group with Althea MacDonald, a Registered Horticultural Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor, who started the horticultural therapy program last summer. Joining Althea this year is Registered Horticultural Therapist Linda Brown-Kuhn. Together they will lead the women through this novel, hands-on therapeutic group. Through the growing season, the women will continue to care for the plants, grown organically and chemical-free, while they anticipate a harvest that will include cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, watermelon, rosemary, basil, parsley, zucchini, and peppers. The women will also work inside during inclement weather on various plant-related activities that will encourage positive self-expression and creativity. The benefits of a horticultural therapy program are many. Not only are the women learning lifelong horticultural skills, but they are also acquiring a healthy hobby that they can enjoy with their children. They are connecting with nature, working together with a shared responsibility, and taking pride in their role as caregivers and in the final delicious, nutritious bounty, which they can incorporate into their meals.

For the past 20 years, volunteers have been a very special part of the mission at the Center for Great Expectations. To be a volunteer, it takes willingness to give time to others, understanding because their lives might be very different, and compassion to truly care about making someone else’s life better. Volunteers in Katy’s Place lovingly care for the children with their gifts of patience and kindness. In-kind volunteers love to see our moms and their children dressed in spring and summer clothing or have their very “first” birthday party. We have volunteers that come to the Center to brighten lives in celebration of Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or Christmas in July. Gala and Golf volunteers have the mission at heart as they assist in raising funds in support of our Trauma Informed Care program that CGE offers, enabling the moms to break the cycle of destruction and live a better life, building new memories. Volunteers have been giving of themselves for 20 years to provide women and children a safe place, safe presence and safe path enabling The Center for Great Expectations to grow, touching more lives every year. Our sincere thanks to every single volunteer for your dedication. Each of you has helped us to realize our mission in amazing ways.

Recreation outings for the women and adolescent clients provide opportunities for self-esteem building, relieving stress, maintaining healthy weight, promoting a sense of normalcy, building connections to the community, and increasing positive social skills. Many of the women and adolescents have never been to state parks or other attractions in New Jersey. Taking them on recreational excursions exposes them to a variety of experiences and places. All recreation outings assist in teachable moments where residents and their children have a chance to learn something new in an area of interest to them. By attending child friendly recreations, the mothers have an opportunity to enjoy time with their children and be teachers in the moment. We are in the process of creating a calendar of outings for the summer and beyond. If you have a contact who can provide a free experience for the moms and their children in the surrounding area, please contact Veronica Finlay, vfinlay@cge-nj.org, 732-247-7003 Ext. 356. A list of outing ideas accompanies this article. The residents enjoy and look forward to going out to eat monthly. If you have a contact at a restaurant who can provide a donation or discount, please let us know. Ideas for possible restaurants: Applebee’s, Fridays, Golden Corral and pizzerias.

Ideas for outings, events and activities

• Balloon Festival • Kendall Park Skating Rink • South Amboy Skating Rink• Local Movie Theaters• Bowlero (North Brunswick) LaserTag & Bowling• Chuck E. Cheese• Kidz Village• The Land of Make Believe• Grounds for Sculpture• Field Station Dinosaurs Park (Leonia, NJ)• Keansburg Amusement Park (Teen Night Activity)• Turtle Back Zoo• Liberty Science Center• Sahara Sam’s Indoor Water Park• iPlay America (Teen Night Activity)• State Theater • Around The Corner Art Center – (Walk-in Activities)• Continental Dance Club (Kenilworth) –

Dance Classes (Salsa, Belly)• Cooking Classes• Baking or Cake Decorating Classes• Etiquette Classes• Rutgers University Recreation Program –

(Swimming Lessons, Fitness Classes, Gym Usage)

Horticultural Therapy

The Butterfly Wall

20 Years of CGE Volunteer Support

Creating Memories Through Outings

“Perhaps the butterfly is proof you can go through a great deal of darkness yet become something... Beautiful.”The butterfly is a symbol of change and growth and if you have visited CGE, you most likely noticed the Butterfly Wall in the lobby of the Adult Women’s house. It serves as a reminder to our clients and staff that while each day brings new challenges, it also brings opportunities on their pathway to recovery. Today the Butterfly Wall also stands as a tribute to the generosity of individuals, organizations and businesses who have made significant lifetime contributions to help the Center for Great Expectations reach many milestones in the past two decades. On May 3, we opened our doors to members of the community as they gathered with former and current Board members to celebrate the dedication of the Butterfly Wall and honor the first class of supports to have their names proudly displayed. Attendees excitedly scanned the wall to locate “their” butterfly and snap pictures as they posed proudly with their butterfly. We are thankful to Board Member Ron Ladell and AvalonBay Communities for generously funding the wall, allowing CGE to recognize donors today and in the future. There are still opportunities to have your name on the wall, as we will be adding new names to the butterfly wall each year. To find out how close you might be to the lifetime giving goal of $5,000 (Individuals) or $10,000 (Businesses/ Organizations), please contact Veronica Finlay, vfinlay@cge-nj.org, 732-247-7003 Ext. 356. If you missed the dedication of the wall and would like to stop by to see your butterfly, please contact Veronica to set up a visit.

Carl and Jim volunteer at CGE once a week picking up food from the Foodbank and delivering it to our moms in our Permanent Supportive Housing Program – thank you for your valuable time!

THANK YOU!

START Program staff members are joined by Peg Wright for the grand opening of the Somerville office.

RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMSHomeless, pregnant/parenting adolescents; Homeless, pregnant/parenting women with substance use disorders and their children

KATY’S PLACEOn-site, licensed Child Development Center

ROOTS to RECOVERY OUTPATIENT PROGRAMClients with substance use and/or co-occurring disorders

S.T.A.R.T. (Substance use, Trauma, Assessment, Referral, and Treatment) A new program designed to break the cycle of trauma, addiction, and homelessness throughout Middlesex, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties.

19B Dellwood LaneSomerset, NJ 08873

www.cge-nj.org

GALA – GIFT OF HOPE GALA 2018Friday, October 5, 2018Hyatt Regency New BrunswickFor more information, contact Veronica Finlay 732-427-7003 Ext. 356, vfinlay@cge-nj.org.

Join the Celebration!The Center for Great Expectations is celebrating its 20th Anniversary with our Gift of Hope Gala. Please come and join us! The evening will include a cocktail hour and delicious dinner, great raffle prizes, speakers and videos, a live band with dancing and more at our largest fundraiser of the year. It’s sure to be a very special evening.

20 th A N N I V E R S A R Y

ofGIFTGALA

Hope

“People Heal People”The 20 years of growth and success experienced by The Center for Great Expectations is the direct result of one key factor: people. If you have heard Peg speak, you may be familiar with the phrase “People Heal People.” No phrase has meant more to CGE’s success. The people at the heart of CGE’s work include board members, donors, volunteers and, of course, our dedicated staff. Members of the Board of Trustees have influenced the organization through their dedicated service, going above and beyond in their commitment to the mission. Providing their expertise, vision, resources and countless hours, they have lead the organization on this amazing, 20-year journey. We have a few board members who have been with us since the beginning! The generous financial support received from individuals, businesses as well as private and public grants has created the foundation from which the organization has grown and flourished. Thanks to our funders, CGE is the only provider in New Jersey offering a comprehensive trauma-informed continuum of care. Through this model, CGE continues to build a safe path for over 500 clients each year. Volunteers play an important role at CGE, giving of their time, holding babies, gardening, sorting donations, picking up non-perishable food and much more. Volunteers profoundly affect the organization, enhancing the services we provide and helping to create a safe place for the women, children and men we see. Whether individuals or groups, you have each added value to our work! We could not do what we do without you. Embracing their roles, staff members give selflessly for the sake of the clients. Trained in the Nurtured Heart Approach and the ARC (Attachment, emotional Regulation and Competency) model, staff members foster a positive, uplifting culture throughout the organization, creating a safe presence for those we serve daily. This positivity reflects back on the clients who flourish in this nurturing environment. Every person who has played a role in CGE’s journey to becoming a leader in providing substance use and mental health disorder treatment is important. Since 1998, together we have given over 2,000 individuals the gift of hope. People really do heal people.

Volunteers from AvalonBay Communities join Board of Trustees member Ron Ladell for yet another service project to beautify the grounds at CGE.

GOLF OUTING2018 Annual Ken Daneyko Golf Classic Thursday, July 12, 2018 Suburban Golf ClubFor more information, contact Ed Stankiewicz at (908) 930-9355

“I have been personally involved in supporting the Center for Great Expectations for 20 years. My passion for the Center increases with every visit and interaction I have with this organization. I urge you to participate in the outing and make a call to arrange a visit to see their programs firsthand and learn more about how you can help.” – Ken Daneyko

Exciting New Event!

CGE CONCERTHosted by Music for All Reasons, Randall KirkpatrickStarring Contemporary jazz guitarist B.D. LenzSaturday, November 3, 2018, 6:00 pmVenetian Grille in Somerville

2018 CALENDAR