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Miracle on Tejon
Families lined up outside Old Chicago on Tejon Street Christmas Day 2008
Thanks to the hard work of Barbara Peterson and the staff and volunteers of Pikes Peak Community Action Agency, Rock Bottom Brewery, and Old Chicago, 108 low-income families from Pikes Peak Community Action Agency Peak arrived at Old Chicago on Tejon Street in downtown Colorado Springs for a Christmas Day celebration for the fourth year. Each guest received a warm welcome and an extraordinary dining experience. Seated at tables dressed in white linen tablecloths and napkins, silverware and china, 398 guests enjoyed a traditional meal complete with all of the trimmings. New gifts distributed included warm adult and children’s clothing, children's books, toys and essentials. Each family or individual went home with a portrait to commemorate the day thanks to Simon Andrews of Active Vision Photography.
See more pictures from Miracle on Tejon here
A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO:
The Safety Net
I am out in the community almost daily and when I talk about PPCAA most people say, “Who are you and what do you do?” Folks are surprised to hear that PPCAA has been serving El Paso County Citizens for 45 years and has helped tens of thousands of households remain, or become self-sufficient. PPCAA continues to serve nearly 18,000 citizens per year and during these tough economic times our demand is holding steady at about 20% above previous “non-recession” years. We simply “get on with it” and through our unique and innovative programs find creative solutions to serve “vulnerable” families by providing a hand-up, not hand-outs. Most of our families are otherwise stable households, working paycheck to paycheck, that have suddenly found themselves in crisis for one reason or another. PPCAA steps in to stabilize these families and help them stay on the path towards self-sufficiency, or get on the path, and avoid having to apply for welfare – We are the county’s safety net.
Unfortunately, the safety net has been required a bit more during these tough economic times and we are continuing to meet the need. PPCAA is doing everything from stabilizing households with rent, utilities, rehab, medical assistance, IDs, food, clothing, transportation, job skills training, income tax assistance, matched savings programs, and post-secondary education. Every case is unique and we are flexible enough to handle each case on an individual basis and develop a plan tailored specifically to the situation that will have impact, with measurable outcomes and successes. We are not an entitlement agency and our clients know that when we help them we expect them to “help themselves” and develop a plan to avoid being in crisis again next month, or next year. We walk with our clients, and sometimes carry them, but they all know this is a “quid pro que” – They do something, we do something and together we move toward true and lasting self-sufficiency.
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“PPCAA is an unsung hero. Since the early 1960s, the agency has helped hundreds of thousands of people. We’re talking 44 years of PPCAA working its little 'tail' off, and hardly anyone has ever heard of it!”
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Leslie Cook, former Executive Director
Pikes Peak Chapter, American Red Cross
A Success Story
Jennifer Hanson has always been a self-motivator – and she has discovered with the help of Pikes Peak Community Action Agency that she is one savvy business woman. Early on in her professional career, Jennifer realized family funds were not going to stretch far enough for her to go to college to study art, particularly during the 1980s recession. She, however, was determined to “buckle down and do what you have to do” to pursue her dreams: She worked multiple jobs in high school, saving enough funds to pay cash for her first university semester.
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