Emily Mrusko, Development Director, Union-Snyder Community Action Agency, at the Bridge the Gap workshop, explains the many facets and aspects of her agency and how educators and other professionals can make more use of their services.
MONTANDON – When the CSIU and the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way held their recent ‘Bridge the Gap’ weeklong workshop, they expected it would be a learning experience for the four dozen local educators and professionals who signed up.
It turned out to be a real eye opener to the teachers and others who signed up. Luis Lopez with CSIU Five Star Day Treatment facility in Sunbury, “Low income families, they don’t realize there is a lot of help out there. I know our kid’s families don’t even know are out there. People don’t have vehicles…there’s programs to help you go out and get a vehicle, help you get to work. Childcare…they don’t realize. They just feel like they’re in a this rut, in this hole, and you can’t get out of it. You’re there and you just stay there and you can’t do nothing about it.”
The goal of Bridge the Gap, was to make sure that educators and other local professionals, were well familiar with the full spectrum of assistance, human service, and educational programs that are available for families.
Penn Garvin, President of the Board of Directors, Donald Heiter Community Center, Lewisburg, says she was interested in learning about the resources available in two key areas where many children struggle, “Poverty. Trauma. And sort of what are agencies able to do. What are the resources in our community that are out there with pre-school education. The issues that come up with children who end up in the criminal justice system etc. So, it’s a combination of educating people.”
Michael Lord of the CSIU staff said the growing wage gap makes it clear, that there are some new challenges facing school districts. He is a former principal at Mifflinburg schools, “I had staff, support staff, who would work other jobs at night just to make ends meet. And so I know that—yes we have more jobs, and that is probably true, the unemployment rate has decreased, but I wonder about the growing wage gap.”
Garvin said, some of the situations educators, administrators and counselors in The Valley see from their students involve families living in poverty, dealing with parents who are might be hooked on opioids, or dealing with trauma from things they see at home.
