The Kearney Center News
Learn more about all of the exciting things happening throughout CESC at The Kearney Center, Westgate and The Dwellings.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2019
Contact:
| Kearney Center Communications
850-212-0468 |
DMS Communications
Communications@DMS.MyFlorida.com 850-921-5266 |
DMS Leadership Support Tallahassee Kearney Center by Donating Time and Supplies to Support Big Bend Homeless
~ DMS Staff Donate Time and More Than 10,000 Items to Kearney Center~
TALLAHASSEE, Fla – Today, the leadership team from the Florida Department of Management Services (DMS) joined staff from Tallahassee’s Kearney Center to complete site maintenance and sort more than 10,000 items donated by DMS staff to support the Tallahassee Kearney Center’s mission of assisting individuals experiencing homelessness and economic hardship.
“The Kearney Center is so grateful to DMS for their service and donations. Strong community partnerships help ensure that we can make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring,” said Monique Ellsworth, CEO of CESC, Inc.
“At DMS, we serve those who serve and our mission extends to those organizations in our communities doing great work,” said DMS Secretary Jonathan Satter. “It was an honor to help the Kearney Center give a hand up to people in the Big Bend who need a safe place to sleep, a warm meal and an opportunity to become self-sufficient.”
About The Kearney Center
The Kearney Center is a 24-hour inclusive emergency service center that provides first response to immediate needs of individuals and families until suitable permanent housing can be arranged. The Kearney Center is one entity under the nonprofit Connecting Everyone with Second Chances (CESC, Inc.), which serves clients who come from eight counties across the Big Bend. The center provides overnight shelter administering the most basic needs, such as warm showers, hot meals and clean clothes. They also provide daytime services connecting clients with case management, housing programs and a variety of social service agencies. For more information please visit kearneycenter.org.
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Former FAMU football player Sharard Shabazz organizes donation collections benefitting Kearney Center.
Kearney Center client earns CDL from Tallahassee Community College’s Workforce Development Division.
2018 kicked off with a blizzard and snow in Tallahassee. The cold weather also brought in additional clients and those in need of a warm place to stay. The Huffington Post mentioned us in their article showcasing the frigid weather. Check it out here!
Show your support today by donating to The Kearney Center.
As a severe winter storm that could possibly bring snow to the capital city approaches, the areas’s only homeless shelter is already seeing an increase in people seeking refuge from the cold. The Kearney Center is asking for donations … read more
In honor of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (Nov. 11-19), The Kearney Center hosted a cook-off to raise money for the region’s only emergency homeless shelter. Local community volunteers Jon Brown, Tom Derzypolski, Ann Howard and Matt Thompson went head-to-head in a cooking competition, which took place at The Garden at Township this morning. Each cook prepared a three-course meal that was judged by a panel of three clients from The Kearney Center who also volunteer in the center’s kitchen. After preparing an appetizer of avocado and pickled pigs feet, a salmon and asparagus entrée and a chocolate and strawberry dessert, Derzypolski was crowned top banana.
Join us and our community partners Capital City Youth Services and the Big Bend Homeless Coalition on Thursday, November 30th, 2017 for the third annual Sleep Out and Community Dinner and Discussion, to learn about the issue of youth homelessness and how it affects our community. For one night, we ask community leaders to give up the comfort of their home to sleep outside.
The event kicks off with light appetizers and entertainment at Fifth & Thomas from 6:30pm-8:00pm before the Sleep Out main event at 8:30pm. Attendees must be 18 years of age and older in order to participate. Proceeds from the event will benefit CCYS, the Big Bend Homeless Coalition, and The Kearney Center. Join in on this impactful event by emailing jess.tharpe@ccys.org or filling out the form here.
See you there!
Four local celebrities will face off in a cooking competition during Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week to raise money for The Kearney Center. Participants will each make a three-course meal, but there is a catch to the competition. Each cook can only use ingredients and tools from his or her personal pantry. Pantries will be stocked through donations made online at KearneyCenter.org/Cook-Off, where donors can purchase items ranging from spatulas to steak for the cook of their choosing. All dishes will be judged by a panel of clients from The Kearney Center.
As the only emergency shelter between Pensacola and Gainesville, Tallahassee’s The Kearney Center serves clients from across the Big Bend, providing them with warm showers, food and a safe place to sleep. However, the center’s staff say their mission goes beyond these basics. As they work to make homelessness in our area rare, brief and non-recurring, they help clients address the root causes of homelessness. For many who seek help at The Kearney Center, this means finding employment.
REGISTRATION NUMBER CH 48430. CESC, INC. RECEIVES 100% OF EACH CONTRIBUTION. A COPY OF THE OFFICAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE FLORIDA DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING 1-800-435-7325 TOLL FREE WITHIN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. 496.411(3) FLORIDA STATUTES.