Thankful Thursday: Day Nursery grateful for Season for Sharing

Myrta Pulliam, chair of the Star Media community engagement team talks to grant recipients at this year’s Season for Sharing presentation. The campaign raised a total of $224,500 to benefit 27 Indianapolis nonprofit agencies that serve at-risk children and families and improve education. The funds raised in the 2011-12 campaign include $75,500 in matching funds from The Indianapolis Star and IndyStar.com.

The Week of the Young Child is coming April 22-28, 2012! This week long awareness campaign sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Children (NAEYC) focuses on the needs of young children and their families and recognizes early childhood programs and services that meet those needs. In anticipation of this special week, we would like to continue to thank our many supporters who make our mission possible.

Thank you to The Indianapolis Star and their Season for Sharing campaign for providing funding to our Tuition Assistance Program.

Day Nursery Indianapolis Thankful Thursday

In anticipation of April showers, the support is raining on Day Nursery and we are so grateful! Thank you to the Indianapolis Foundation, a CICF affiliate, and Shaw-Burckhardt-Brenner Foundation, Inc. for supporting Day Nursery’s Tuition Assistance Program. Their tremendous support provides scholarships for young children to attend Day Nursery.

We are excited to announce a new event, Race into Reading, which will take place on Wednesday, May 9^th at Riverwalk Banquet Center in Broad Ripple.  Race Into Reading is a celebration of early childhood literary. Day Nursery is honored to have Indy 500 2010 Rookie of the Year Simona De Silvestro, as honorary chair and emcee, Bob Jenkins, for this special evening. Tickets are on sale now. If you need more information  on this event, please contact Sarah Ferguson at sarahf@daynursery.org or (317) 636-9197, extension 240.

Day Nursery funders give support to program upgrades and tuition assistance

Today’s guest post is from Sarah Ferguson, Day Nursery Director of Development

Greetings from the Day Nursery Development department! Spring is here! We want to take this time to appreciate the generosity of our supporters.

First, we want to thank the Efroymson Family Fund, a CICF Fund, for their generous support in awarding a $45,000 grant for the Tuition Assistance Program, which currently supports more than 150 families annually.

Next, we would like to extend our appreciation to the Lilly Endowment for supporting the transformation of our Ruth A. Lilly Center’s outside playground area into the Reggio Emilia model. The Endowment made a $25,000 commitment to this project.

We would also like to thank the United Way of Central Indiana and all of the many donors who have contributed to the annual campaign. Your generosity allows us to continue our mission of assuring excellent early care and education of young children in central Indiana.

Day Nursery and Junior League of Indianapolis Emerging Readers Discovery Club

Junior League of Indianapolis volunteers prepare literacy kits for the Emerging Readers Discovery Club.

This afternoon  from 4:00-5:30 p.m., Day Nursery will host volunteers from Junior League of Indianapolis at  our Ft. Harrison and Northwest locations. The volunteers invite the preschool children and their parents to participate in a variety of fun activities. They will have the opportunity to decorate cookies and have their photo taken in a chef’s cap and apron. We will also have story time, where volunteers will be reading books from Day Nursery’s Lending Libraries.

This event marks the launch of the Emerging Readers Discovery Club, an incentive program to encourage young readers. Junior League has donated reading materials for the classrooms at Day Nursery, including kits that children can take home and share with their families. One kit includes recipes and supplies for families to cook together, and is the inspiration for this event.

Please join us this afternoon at 4 p.m. And be sure to check out Day Nursery’s Lending Libraries afterward and choose a fun book or activity to share with your child.

Day Nursery teachers are life long learners

Linda Noble rolls a ball across the floor to model the movements that accompany a song which helps infants and toddlers develop hand-eye coordination, memory recall, and social-emotional skills.

This winter,  Day Nursery teachers are participating in a workshop, presented by Linda Noble of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, to learn more about Making Music in the Early Childhood Classroom. Linda has been a member of the early learning staff of the Symphony since 1996.  The three-hour session models age-appropriate lessons using music that will support students’ development of critically important skills including listening, following directions, taking turns and participating as a group.   Thanks to Patty Fisher, Day Nursery Director of Curriculum for snapping this picture. During the course of the Day Nursery winter institute “Making Music in the Early Childhood Classroom,” 120 lead and assistant teachers will be trained, which in turn will impact  1,350 Day Nursery children a year. The training is generously underwritten by the PNC Foundation which is committed to funding educational and developmental opportunities that improve the school readiness of underserved children.

Day Nursery and the IRA Rollover Provision for 2011

Today’s guest post is from Beth Rodriguez, Director of Development at Day Nursery.

In 2011, holders of IRAs who are at least 70½ years old, can contribute up to $100,000 directly to a charity. Instead of withdrawing your minimum distribution from your IRA, you can have funds distributed directly to Day Nursery. This is a great way to make a generous gift to help the children and families of Day Nursery. This contribution will qualify as part or all of your IRA’s required minimum distribution.

This kind of gift to Day Nursery has so many benefits including tax savings for you. Traditionally, distributions from an IRA are taxed as regular income. However, if you gift these funds directly to Day Nursery, you will not be required to pay income tax on the distribution. Please talk to your financial advisor right away to see if you qualify. If you have additional questions, please contact me at (317)636-9197, ext. 240 or brodriguez@daynursery.org.

Thankful Thursday: Day Nursery gives thanks for our generous funders

Day Nursery Director of Development Beth Rodriguez returns today with another guest blog post!
Greetings from the Day Nursery Development Department! It’s been an exciting couple of weeks with some fantastic grants coming through in support of the children and teachers! As Thanksgiving approaches, we want to make sure that these generous funders know how much we appreciate them.

First, we want to thank the Lilly Endowment for an extraordinary grant of $200,000 in support of the Tuition Assistance Program and the Staff Education and Self-Sufficiency Initiative. The Endowment has made a two-year commitment of $75,000 each year for the Staff Education and Self-Sufficiency Initiative (a total of $150,000) and $25,000 each year for Tuition Assistance (a total of $50,000).

Next, we want to extend our appreciation to the Efroymson Family Fund, a CICF Fund, for their generous grant of $50,000 in support of the Tuition Assistance Program. Over the years, the Efroymson Family has awarded $120,000 in support of Tuition Assistance and the Staff Education and Self-Sufficiency Initiative.

The good news just keeps coming!

We also want to thank The Indianapolis Foundation for their $25,000 commitment to the Tuition Assistance Program. The Indianapolis Foundation has invested generously in the sustainability of Day Nursery, and we are stronger now than ever because of their support and belief in our mission and programs.

And last, but certainly never the least, we want to thank the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana, a CICF Fund, for their continued investments in the lives of the children we serve and the teachers who care for them. This year, the Women’s Fund granted $25,000 in support of the Staff Education and Self-Sufficiency Initiative.

If you aren’t already familiar with the core programs that these generous grants are supporting, here’s a little more information:

Tuition Assistance Program: Day Nursery believes that all children, regardless of a family’s income, should have access to high-quality early care and education. Support of the Tuition Assistance Program gives families the opportunity to choose quality early care and education for their children while improving their tenuous hold on self-sufficiency. Thanks to our extraordinary and generous funders, 300 children from low-income families attended Day Nursery this year and got the best start in life.

Staff Education and Self-Sufficiency Initiative: This comprehensive professional development program provides our early education teachers with the tools and financial support they need to earn a Child Development Associate credential (CDA), an Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree in Early Education. Day Nursery employs more than 150 early education teachers in its centers and, since good teachers are the heart of Day Nursery’s excellent programs for the children in our care, it is essential to provide them with high quality educational opportunities.

If you would like to make an investment in these programs, please visit http://www.daynursery.org and donate today! If you would more information about our exciting planned giving opportunities, please contact me, Beth Rodriguez, at (317) 636-9197, ext 240.

Clarian West Presents AED to Day Nursery Avon Center

In Indiana, 1 person in 20 suffering from sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital will survive. Today’s post is courtesy of Ericka Bethel, Clarian West Marketing Communications and Public Relations department.

When sudden cardiac arrest strikes every second counts, if not treated immediately, it can be fatal.

Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the United States killing 250,000 people each year.

Monday afternoon, Josh Halon, Director of Cardiovascular Services at Clarian West presented the AED to Joy McCall, Day Nursery Center Director.

An automated external defibrillator (AED) is the only measure that can help reverse sudden cardiac arrest if performed immediately.

“Clarian West’s donation of the AED to thIS organization is about saving lives and represents our continued commitment to improve the health and quality of life for the members of our community. Through my personal and professional experiences I have witnessed how this technology can make the difference between life & death. I am proud to be apart of this initiative in the community for Clarian West and my dream would be to see an AED installed in every public place,” Halon said

Last month was Sudden Cardiac Awareness Month and in an effort to increase sudden cardiac arrest awareness and reduce the number of deaths resulting from it in Hendricks County, Clarian West Medical Center presented two neighboring not-for-profit organizations with  battery-operated AEDs.  Sheltering Wings in Danville received the other device.

Clarian West is also providing hands-on training to all employees of the Day Nursery Hendricks County Early Care and Education Center in Avon and is offering the latest guidelines and techniques, in AED utilization.

According to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation an individual has an estimated survival rate of five percent when an AED is not available. However, defibrillation within three minutes increases the chance of survival 70 percent.

For more information, please contact Ericka Bethel, Clarian West Marketing Communications and Public Relations at (317) 217-3897.

Auxiliary Style Show gets support from Day Nursery alum

Day Nursery Director of Development Beth Rodriguez is our guest blogger today. Beth has been working closely with our Auxiliary on the production of the Day Nursery Auxiliary Luncheon and Style Show which is October 1 at the Oak Hill Mansion on 116th Street in Carmel. Tickets are still available. For more info, click the link to the right. Beth wanted to share some information about the sponsors who are supporting this year’s fashion show.

I want to tell you about two special sponsors of the Day Nursery Auxiliary Style Show- DL Lowry Hairspa and Boutique and Fresh Fettle.

DL Lowry Hairspa and Boutique will provide the hair styling and make artistry for the Helen Wells Models at our upcoming style show on October 1. This fantastic salon has been making its mark as the go-to hairspa for cutting edge styles and boutique accessories. We are very excited that they have so generously donated their services to our event for which all proceeds directly benefit the children and families we serve. Be sure to join us at the Style Show to see their amazing work!

DL Lowry Hairspa and Boutique is located at 1300 E. 86th Street in Nora Plaza. Call them at 317.843.2611 to make an appointment or visit their website for more information. And be sure to check out their new location, DL Salon, at 49th and Penn.

Fresh Fettle

This year, the Day Nursery Auxiliary has engaged Danielle Smith (a Day Nursery graduate!) and owner of Fresh Fettle, an Indianapolis-based fashion events and creative consulting company to produce the Style Show. Danielle’s background includes a Bachelors Degree in Fashion Design, and her experience includes work as a fashion journalist, wardrobe stylist, on-air fashion personality, public relations and special events coordinator and corporate merchandising coordinator. She also served as Technical Editor for the popular book Fashion for Dummies (Wiley) and is an adjunct fashion illustration instructor at The Art Institute of Indianapolis.

Smith credits some of her earliest child memories of enjoying art (and discovering a dislike of raisins) while being a student at Day Nursery’s Lilly Center Preschool Program in 1983. The excitement of working with color, shapes, and texture follows her today. “Day Nursery provided a great foundation and helped enhance the creativity my parents and sisters were already nurturing at home. I can remember feeling advanced in this area and wanting to learn more. I am a true believer of the saying ‘Never stop learning.’ The beauty of creativity is that it is unlimited and uninhibited…especially for a child. “

Day Nursery donors lead the way to support children

 

Day Nursery Executive Director Carolyn Dederer (left) with event hosts David and Nancy Berst

(L to R) Donna Oklak, Chair, Day Nursery Philanthropic Leadership Team; Honoree David Hillman, Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust and Shirley Bishop, President, Day Nursery Association Board of Directors

We couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather for Friday night’s first Leading the Way donor recognition event.  Day Nursery supporters David and Nancy Berst opened their home and their beautiful garden for a reception to honor the first group of donors inducted into the Leading the Way society, a group of loyal and generous supporters. After enjoying delicious hors d’oeuvres prepared by Chef Sam Brown (a former Day Nursery parent) and his assistant, the guests gathered to listen to Day Nursery Executive Director Carolyn Dederer introduce each donor and tell a bit about their history of support of our organization.  Each honoree was presented a signed, limited edition Leading the Way print by Indianapolis illustrator Candice Hartsough McDonald. The event was underwritten by Goelzer Investment Management, Ogletree Deakins and NCB Consulting. Special thanks to Chef Sam Brown and  Bruce Westphal at the Great FrameUp for their support of the event.

Honoree Dr. Jacquelyn E. Clency, respresenting Indianapolis Public Schools

Day Nursery Board Member-elect Valerie Erb Tully, Honoree Wanda Fortune and Day Nursery Director of Development Beth Rodriguez

Honoree Debbie McGuire representing Clarian Health Partners

Honoree Ellen Annala representing United Way of Central Indiana

Honoree Gene Tanner representing Nicholas H. Noyes Jr. Memorial Foundation

Honoree Leisa Richardson, representing the Indianapolis Star Season for Sharing and the Gannett Foundation

Honoree Julie Manning Magid, Vice-chair of the Advisory Board of the Women's Fund of Central Indiana

Honoree Brian Turley of Edwards-Rigdon Construction

Honoree Joanna Nixon, Fund Manager, Efroymson Family Fund

Honorees Joan Lyday and Spencer Scott, Co-Presidents representing the Day Nursery Auxiliary

Event sponsor Greg Goelzer of Goelzer Investment Management and and our host David Berst