United Community Corporation is closing out April strong with two events over the final two weeks of the month.
On Friday, April 22, United Community Corporation will host an Autism Awareness Resource Fair at the West Side Park football field in Newark from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The Community Action Agency will return to the West Side Park football field on Wednesday, April 27, to host its annual #BKind Resource Giveaway from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in conjunction with National Crime Victims Rights Week.
The #BKind event is run in the memory of UCC Board Secretary and Newark humanitarian Pastor Veronice Horne.
The surge of events came after UCC had a busy weekend.
On Saturday, it gave out masks, candy and comic books to 150 people at Clinton Hill Community Action’s Easter Eggstravaganza at Mildred Helms Park and Sunday provided 200 bags of groceries and tabled at the City of Newark’s Easter Celebration Grab & Go event, which served 300 satisfied families.
“Partnering with the City of Newark and other like-minded organizations, such as Clinton Hill Community Action, is extremely important to serving the needs of our community,” Director of Community Engagement Richard Greco said.
“When UCC and other agencies connect with a common goal, we are so impactful. Working together is a crucial piece of bringing important services directly to those that need them.”
Both the Autism Awareness Resource Fair and #BKind Resource Giveaway are sponsored by Amerigroup.
The Autism Awareness event will have an Easter egg hunt and egg decorating station as well as groceries, books, masks, COVID-19 tests, comic books, water bottles and resources - such as Autism organizations, Housing Assistance - including UCC’s DCA-funded Eviction Prevention program - and Energy Bill Assistance. COVID-19 tests were provided by Saint James Health.
“This event is dear to my heart,” UCC Housing Assistance Program Manager Tabatha Perez said.
“As the mother of a special needs child, I know the difficulties and struggles some families can experience. I take pride in being able to assist and/or advocate for individuals from all walks of life. I want the community to know that UCC is a safe place to come when in need of assistance or resources.”
The #BKind event will provide the community with groceries, socks, hand sanitizer, face masks, COVID-19 tests, and resources that can help Victims of Crime.
UCC will be pairing up with Beauty For Ashes to host this event.
The event is run in honor of Pastor Veronice Horne, who died on November 9, 2020. Horne was a soldier in the War on Poverty in the City of Newark and helped serve thousands of people through her mission of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked.
She founded The Hands of a Woman Ministry, which offered a hand up to women dealing with homelessness, addiction and abuse.
She served as a board member for both the Goodwill Rescue Mission and United Community Corporation. This event is to honor her spirit and give back to the community in the same way that she would have.
“It’s a joy to give back,” Horne said in an August 2020 interview with UCC.
“All of the things that I’ve done for my community never felt like work. It was a pleasure to come up with ideas and figure out how to get them to work. Whether we gathered clothes or went to businesses asking for food, furniture, or whatever, it never felt like work.”