Graduating Seniors Jasmine and Andrea Choose Drexel and Wellesley

After exploring more than a dozen colleges, the two graduating seniors will be heading off to colleges in Philadelphia and the Boston area. Jasmine Laryea (above left) will be entering Drexel University in Philadelphia this fall as a health sciences major. Her choice was influenced by the university’s program that combines the academic program with cooperative “real-world” experience in hospital settings. Described by Lynn Prendergast, Resident Director for GABC, Jasmine is “kind, yet not a pushover, finding humor in difficult circumstances.”

Guilford High School principal, Julia Chaffe, lauded Jasmine as “a most patient teacher who doesn’t talk down and is always encouraging to others. She has keen insight. She often comes up with a single sentence to cut to the chase with a clarity that is rare and appreciated.”

Jasmine’s extra-curricular life at Guilford High School included theater, dance team, basketball, debate team, and track. At the annual Celebration dinner in May, she spoke of experiencing “real Guilford pride, and thanked her family “for their love and support and trusting me to live far away from home.” Her voice full of emotion and warmth, Jasmine expressed her gratitude to her host family, the academic advisors, and her five GABC house sisters, saying “I admire each and every one of you!”

Andrea Kaluma (above right) has chosen Wellesley College and has not yet declared a major. At the annual Celebration dinner, Andrea stressed the importance of the A Better Chance mission, “drawing together all cultures with smart, talented, curious students to develop leaders.” She thanked her parents and host family and Lynn Prendergast, Resident Director, saying “your job is not easy!”

Andrea’s love of singing included performing with the Guilford High School “Voices” ensemble which led to a solo performance at a spring benefit. Her passion for reading often has her disappearing into a book and loving academic life.

Principal Julia Chaffe smiled broadly as she related how Andrea was “always genuinely happy to see me – and that is rare from high school students! She has a beautiful way of making people comfortable, at ease.”

Ms. Chaffe gave the two graduating scholars the book, “We Should All Be Feminists” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

More than 75 supporters of Guilford ABC attended the Celebration dinner honoring Andra and Jasmine on May 21. As the program was ending, the four parents of the two graduating seniors made their way to the front of the Whitfield Room at the Guilford Community Center to thank the volunteers with Guilford ABC.

“We trusted you with our children, and you took good care of them beautifully.”

Quilt Patches Capture the Spirit of Guilford A Better Chance

The six colorful quilt patches designed for our 50th GABC anniversary are more than just a pretty pattern – they are infused with meaning.

The concept of a quilt perfectly captures the spirit of the Guilford ABC house. A quilt is made up of smaller fabric pieces of different patterns that are arranged in an intricate layout and stitched together to make a cohesive glorious blanket known as a patchwork quilt.

So too, our scholars arrive from diverse backgrounds and hometowns to live together at 143 Church Street. As they spend time together in the Guilford community, they form tight bonds that will last a lifetime.

In the quilt design you see in this newsletter, each of those patterns was created based on the individual interests of each student. Co-president Laura Berkowitz Gilbert, a trained graphic designer, talked with each student to get a sense of their unique interests or point of view and developed a design accordingly

GABC 50th Anniversary Benefit Concert

Guilford A Better Chance (GABC) is planning a weekend of activities to celebrate 50 years of the program, its current scholars and alumnae. The centerpiece of the celebration will be a benefit concert. All the way from London, Mo Pleasure will return to his hometown to headline the concert, which will also feature students from the GHS Music Department, including GHS Voices directed by special guest Angela Clemmons, and emcees Stephanie Simoni and Roger Susanin from WFSB, on Saturday, October 19, 7:00pm, at the Guilford High School Performing Arts Center.

Mo Pleasure is a former member and musical director of the renowned Earth, Wind & Fire. He also served as musical director for Bette Midler, and has collaborated with artists such as Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Roberta Flack, Michael Jackson and David Foster, to name just a few.

Angela Clemmons, in addition to leading the hugely popular Shoreline Soul choir for more than 20 years, has been a professional singer for over 40 years working with such greats as Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Elton John, Roberta Flack, among many others.

This special event celebrating five decades of GABC will be emceed by Stephanie Simoni and Roger Susanin of WFSB/Channel 3.

Tickets are now on sale at guilfordabc.org/50th-anniversary. Don’t wait, past GABC concerts have all been sell-outs!

If you would like to sponsor the 50th Anniversary Benefit Concert or advertise in the event program booklet, please visit www.guilfordabc.org/50th-anniversary. For questions about sponsorships, contact Georgia Cosgrove: gcosmook@gmail.com or (630) 258-6515. For questions about advertising, contact Abby Goodman agoodman0216@gmail.com

Become an Anniversary Sponsor

Place an Ad IN THE CONCERT PROGRAM

Consignments and Donations to Hole in the Wall Support Guilford ABC Education

Tired of that beautiful quilt? Ready to move on from that leather jacket? Downsizing and want to find a home for that exquisite vase?

The perfect place to unload it is Hole in the Wall, the thrift and consignment retail shop just off the Guilford Green where shoppers find special treasures for home and body. There are two ways to utilize this decades-old popular shop:

CONSIGN. You can realize some money by offering quality clothing at the right season for sale. Summer consignment begins May 1st. Make an appointment to show your items by calling the store at (203)453-2088. At this time, only summer wear is accepted for consignment, in lighter fabrics and colors, explains Patty Sullivan, head manager of the store. (All the appointments for spring consignment have been filled.)

DONATE. Get that warm feeling inside when you give to a wonderful cause that is the Guilford ABC program. Hole in the Wall accepts donations year-round of clothing, jewelry, and housewares that are in near new condition and clean, “something that anyone would be happy to pluck off the shelves to have a ‘new to them’ item in superior condition for a great value,” says Patty.

IMPORTANT: do not leave donations outside at the doors. Drop them off inside during business hours, seven days a week. Unfortunately, some donations have been left outside after hours and have been ruined by bad weather. So, bring in your treasures Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday, Noon to 3 p.m. The volunteers will be overjoyed to receive your donations.

The Hole in the Wall store is located at 35 Boston Street (in the complex across from Guilford Savings Bank). Find out more about the Guilford A Better Chance program at guilfordabc.org.

The Great Give 2024

Guilford ABC is excited to be participating in this year’s Great Give on May 1-2. This 36-hour, online, community-wide giving event was created by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to raise visibility and resources for nonprofits serving Greater New Haven.

Your donation to Guilford ABC will allow us to continue providing exceptional educational opportunities and life experiences for talented young women of color, including our current six scholars: Andrea, Irene, Jasmine, Jazzy, Kyra, and Tamojah.

Hole in the Wall Welcomes Judi Wallace as a New Manager

Joining a staff of some nine associate managers at the Guilford ABC consignment/thrift shop, Judi Wallace brings “ultimate patience and a very level head,” says general manager Patty Sullivan. Judi knows clothes. She has spent 30 plus years designing and creating costumes for theaters around the country, including Goodspeed Opera House and Yale Repertory Theater. She supervised all the costumes for the Guilford High School Theatre Arts spring performance of Legally Blonde.

Judi brings deep knowledge of home decorative items as she also has a sewing/creative business where she creates quilts, t-shirts, and custom pillows. Judi has been working with the shop’s consignment items. Patty related that Judi’s laugh and smiles make her “an absolute delight to be around.”

Judi was the Pilgrim Fellowship Director at the First Congregational Church in Guilford for many years. Guilford ABC co-president Laura Berkowitz Gilbert, mother of boys in the program, said, “She was amazing and all the teens loved her.”

College Matters Volunteers Prepare GABC Scholars for College Choice

Christine Dokko

How does a teenager get prepared for and make the best choice of college to attend? As many parents discover, it’s a fraught process. The best college “fit” involves deep consideration of the academic, social, and financial aspects and how they match with the individual student.

“Each student is different,” confirm Marcy Beatty and Sarah Rickelman, educational consultants with College Matters, a firm that counsels the Guilford ABC students as well as students nationally and internationally for initial and advanced college degrees. The firm supports the college search of the two rising seniors with GABC each year.

The company volunteers its educational consultants Marcy and Sarah who spend many hours of individual time with each young woman, discovering “likes, wants, and dreams.” Each of the Guilford ABC students embarks on a journey of self-reflection, identifying their preferred learning style, strengths, current weaknesses, and “social comfort zone.”

Marcy and Sarah recently won an excellence award from the Independent Educational Consultants Association (ICEA) and donated the $1,000.00 prize to Guilford ABC.

College Matters was founded in 2003 by Elisabeth Morgan who has been additionally honored “for her work with and dedication to the A Better Chance organization.”

The team lauds the young GABC women they’ve worked with. “They are respectful of our time with them, ask thoughtful questions, are very appreciative, and have done so wonderfully!”

Marcy and Sarah also praise the GABC Board, all the volunteers, and the Guilford community.

“Amazing support they give the girls at Guilford ABC! They volunteer with tutoring, give opportunities for travel, and have maintained the quality of the program over time. And we want to give a shout-out to Christine Dokko, Guilford ABC board member, for helping with the essay-writing process, too!”

The College Matters website is www.college-matters.com.

It’s a Celebration!

The girls celebrated Irene’s birthday recently, along with her host dad and host sister Abby. (Host Mom and sister Izzy had colds and couldn’t join.) Right, back row: Andrea, Kyra, Tamojah, front row: Irene, Jasmine, Abby & Jazzy. Left, Irene and her host sister Abby.

Constant Maintenance and Flood Repairs Keep the ABC House Glowing

Multiple loads of laundry every day. Ceiling light bulbs burn out and need replacing. Weeds growing in the landscaping. A home always needs attention. Our beautiful house on Church Street not only houses the six young women scholars with Guilford A Better Chance, it is also the scene of countless meetings and volunteer activities. Maintaining the three-story dwelling requires a team of volunteers and professionals.

First, the home must have complete insurance coverage. This became critical when a water leak in July of 2023 caused extensive damage on all three floors. The water leak destroyed sheet rock and flooring, affected electrical, and required complete re-painting of the rooms. All this had to be completed before school started right after Labor Day.

Fortunately, three key GABC volunteers stepped in immediately. Susan Welsh, a member of the GABC Advisory Board with extensive knowledge of the insurance industry, expertly handled the insurance claim negotiations. Mike Hyrb professionally coordinated the contractors for all phases of the renovation. Ann Street, Chair of the House and Grounds committee, oversaw the budget and communicated with all the parties.

Ann supervises routine maintenance at the house and is always looking for volunteers to step in when, for example, an alarm is going off for no reason, to do touch-up painting, and to wait for repair people to come and keep all the machines running.

As with every “family,” the GABC family home needs constant loving care.

VOLUNTEER TODAY!
Do you enjoy planting flowers?
Have a steady hand for touch-up painting?
Can you spare a couple of hours to wait for the repair person to arrive?

The Guilford ABC House would love to have you as a volunteer to help maintain our lovely house on Church Street – home for our six scholars and the Resident Director. Contact us at: www.guilfordabc.org/volunteer.

Volunteers and Staff Sustain Our Guilford ABC Program

It’s been a little over six months since I began my term as co-president with Judy Wright. It’s been fascinating and gratifying to develop a closer look at this beautiful ecosystem called Guilford ABC. The more I learn, the more in awe I am of this organization.

First off, the heart of the program and the why – the scholars themselves. These brave and smart young women choose to leave their families and their communities at 14 years old to join the Guilford community and attend our stellar high school. The trust that the scholars and their families place in our organization and the sacrifices they make for this opportunity are incredibly humbling.

Then there’s Lynn Prendergast, the resident director who tirelessly creates a nurturing and loving environment so the girls feel like this is their second home.

Our student interns Kaylene and Sharon are incredibly important helping the girls after school and into the evening with their studies or running errands with them as well.

Taylor, our cook, has the near impossible task of cooking nutritious delicious dinners for six teenagers with varying palettes. Can you imagine? But the girls love the food!

Did you know that we are an all-volunteer Board? It’s one of the hardest- working boards around! The work includes direct involvement with the girls’ academic and social activities, vetting future scholars and host families, and raising funds to keep this all humming along. You’ll read about our House and Grounds activity in the following pages, because by the way, we are also property owners!

Our volunteers are crucial – from helping with house chores to driving the girls to activities. There are so many volunteer opportunities that even just a few hours a month makes such a difference. (If you would like to volunteer, be sure to get in touch! There’s a sign-up form on the GABC website or speak to one of us directly.)

Host families are also an integral part of the organization. The girls spend one weekend a month with their host families and form incredible bonds. I was just talking to an alumna who graduated in 1977 and is still in touch with her host sister!

The dedication of everyone involved with the organization, the scholars and the mission, is awe-inspiring. And the fact that we have been doing this for 50 years is amazing! We will be celebrating our 50th anniversary the weekend of October 18-20. The details of this multi-event celebration will be announced soon, so stay tuned!

Did you know that Guilford ABC is self-funded? Our local program receives no money from the national ABC organization? Our main sources of funding are proceeds from the Hole in the Wall consignment/thrift store and our annual appeal to donors. As you’ll read in this issue, just keeping the house running takes an incredible amount of effort.

We are in the process of updating our website so it will be easier for you to find out what’s new and ongoing with the program. The website is also the easiest place to make a donation.