Community Health And Empowerment Through Education And Research Inc

In FY 2024, CHEER served as the lead convener for Long Branch Collective Action for Youth (LBCAY), a multi-year collaborative impact project bringing together community organizations, residents and youth to initiate an agreed-upon common agenda, goals and shared measures to achieve them. Currently in its 5th year, LBCAY plans mutually-reinforcing activities and coordinates with other organizations to improve outcomes for middle and high school youth living in the Long Branch area. LBCAY's collective achievements in FY 2024 have included ongoing community asset mapping; quarterly partner and stakeholder convenings with youth; after school programming for middle and highschool youth (financial Literacy, college and career readiness, and environmental stewardship); college field trips; youth training and leadership opportunities, and regular engagement with families and community. Over the course of the year over 100 youth were served and with youth leaders providing over 500 hours of volunteer service and student service learning.

The Empowerment and Leadership Development (ELD) program empowers community groups in underserved and underrepresented neighborhoods by supporting their efforts to organize local events, engage in civic life, and influence public decision-making. In Fiscal Year 2024, ELD continued to support community advocacy on key issues like public safety, pedestrian safety, parking, and neighborhood improvements. The program helped prepare adults and youth residents on advocacy in education after the loss of the Title I Program designation at one of our elementary community schools, which impacted key resources for the most vulnerable children. From the previous work, a diverse Long Branch residents set shared goals and took action on housing and community development, particularly in preparation for the upcoming Purple Line light rail project. We led a community walk that facilitated community voice to decision makers (over 100 attended) to address safety and effects of the new line. In a meeting convened by community leaders, we helped facilitate working with legislators to make changes to laws or policies that could protect renters from retaliation and eviction without having a reasonable cause. Additionally, ELD continued mobilizing an average of 12 youth community volunteers each month to help distribute food at New Hampshire Estates Elementary School. Over the course of the year, these efforts delivered more than 146,000 pounds of food to 716 households. The food distributions also served as a valuable platform for community engagement, allowing for the exchange of information about resident needs, programs, and local resources. In FY 2024, CHEER continued to foster leadership through community-based gardening by providing about a dozen people who have no access to land to garden on space donated by other community members.

Camp Piney Branch is a free summer camp for Long Branch kids ranging in ages from 1st-7th grade where all students are served free breakfast and lunch daily through MCPS's free and reduced meals program due to the area's high poverty rate . In FY 2024, 40 youth participated in the camp over a two week period. The camp provided a safe environment for students to explore arts and crafts, financial literacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and their neighborhood while developing strong social emotional skills. Students engaged in interactive activities and discussions promoting physical fitness and positive engagement. Arts and crafts activities included sand painting, designing reusable water bottles, slime making, self portraits, and creating clay figures. Financial Literacy lessons included budgeting and spending using monopoly money. Social emotional learning was incorporated into discussions and team building activities which included creating self awareness posters and journaling, while physical activities included swimming (twice per week), games, and sports. Students also participated in a workshop with the Montgomery Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), where they were able to practice various forms of recycling and receive a DEP reusable water bottle made from all recycled materials, a tote bag, and lunch box.The camp also included field trips to the Crossroads Farmers Market where students received tokens to purchase healthy produce for their families and the Long Branch Library, where students designed book marks and learned about library resources, including how to borrow books, use computers, and obtain a library card. Camp Piney also provided leadership opportunities for three Long Branch Youth who received stipends to serve as youth counselors during the camp, assisting teachers and staff with all camp activities.

CHEER acts as the fiscal agent for 2 unincorporated groups that organize community events and activities consistent with the goals of the community. These include Power in the Park ( a community event for the New Hampshire Estates neighborhood), and the Maple Tree Group ( a group of community leaders serving the Maple Avenue neighborhood in Takoma Park).