Please Consider an End-of-Year gift to the Brady Faith Center.

Contact Kevin Frank to donate.

Fall 2018404 South Ave • Syracuse, NY 13204 • 315-472-9077 • bradyfaithcenter.org

Thanks for your loving support

Board of Directors 2018Hon. Julie Cecile, Chair Judge Onondaga County Family Court

Robert J. Street, Vice-Chair Product Line Manager Anaren Microwave

Howard Triche, Vice Chair Brewing Technical Training Manager at Anheuser-Busch

Linda F. McHugh, Treasurer VP Finance CADimensions, Inc.

Briana Wright, Secretary Attorney Hancock Estabrook, LLP

JoAnn Adjei Member of the BFC, Immediate Neighborhood

Rev. Cliff Auth Pastor at St. Augustine’s and St. Mary’s

Jim Barry Owner James J. Barry, Jr., C.P.A

Mark F. Cass, At-Large Executive Director Northside Learning Center

Eileen M. Clinton VP Risk Management Brown and Brown of Empire State

Dr. James Duah-Ageyman Director of Office of Multicultural Affairs at Syracuse University

Kevin T. Frank Executive Director at BFC

Andrew S. Lunetta Executive Director A Tiny Home For Good, Inc.

Tim McCarthy Board of Advisors Jail Ministry

Rev. David McCallum S.J. Vice President for Mission Integration & Development at Le Moyne

Nancy McCoy Member of the BFC, Immediate Neighborhood

Louise Poindexter Long time neighborhood activist

Dan Queri Owner DQ Consulting Services

Zakeem Rutledge Member of the BFC, Immediate Neighborhood

Fr. John Schopfer Pastoral Director at BFC

Kate Waltman Auditor The Bonadio Group

Eunice Williams VP/ Chief Diversity Officer Onondaga Community College

Online Giving is here!We invite you to check out our new, safe and secure donation portal!If you are interested in hassle-free giving, visit our website and click "Donate" to see how easy it is!

Field trips, songs and friends are some of the Brady experiences that 14-year-old Raejanae Lacey won’t ever forget. She has been a part of Brady Faith Center since she was five years old, and, according to her, she never looked back. Rae is one of

our students who has grown with Brady, having been a part of Vacation Bible School, the Norma Triche Memoral Basketball Clinic, Youth and Family Outreach, and the Servant and Teen Leadership Program. Rae was connected to Brady through her grandmother because of the faith-based programming and focus on the community. “Brady was all fun and learning when I was younger,” Rae recalls. She explains that Brady was an environment that provided exciting and fun oppor-tunities to explore the world such as the Stone Soup garden, the library and the zoo. “But now, as a teen, I am responsible for the fun while taking care of the children. I am always mind-ful of what I say, knowing that I am on track to earn more privileges and responsibilities.” During YFO she had been responsible for a few morning sessions of the day and several fun and enriching activites. Dur-ing VBS she worked every day with the 5-7 year olds as a teen leader assistant. Emmanuel Flowers, the youth leader at Brady, ex-plains that when Rae came to Brady she was shy, but quickly became well-spoken and confident. “Raejanae is able to hold her own space with others. She compliments any group she is assigned to because she is attentive, responsible and caring. She is a strong girl who is blossoming into a beautiful leader.” Rae speaks highly of the benefits she has experienced with Brady over the years. “I have learned about the community and how to help it. Also, how to be a role model while working with folks of all ages. My teen leaders have become my friends as we’ve experi-enced life together. I always continued to come to BFC because it became an enjoyable ritual and habit.” When asked what she is most proud of, her answer inspires. “I am most proud of being tasked to watch, take care of, and create fun with the children safely. I feel Brady is just as fun with the responsibility.”

Raejanae Lacey: A Leader Blossoms and Grows at Brady

• Howard Triche for organizing and implementing four days of The Norma Triche Basketball Clinic for 20 children• Todd Caputo for donating a much needed passenger van• Paul Anderson for covering the cost of our carpet cleaning•An anonymous donor for supporting a 6-week internship in Earth Care and sustainability by working at the Brady Home Garden and at the Farm 20 hours a week - a big thanks to James Moore for your work!• Juanita Davis for your excellent organizational and cleaning efforts. We appreciate you so much!• Zakeem for the many hours spent driving our youth to our programs this summer! You are a rock star!• Congratulations to Zakeem and Jason Kessler on your new recording made possible by Seeds for the Arts, Subcat Studios and each of your hard work• We thank the Brady Teens for your growing leadership which makes our programs soooo much better. It is so wonderful to see your growth! You are so important to us and to all of our youth!• Shout out to our 4 teens on our Brady Faith Center Summer Servants team: James Moore, John Paul Jones, Sunshine Shorter, and DeVonn Adjei, for your willingness to participate in a mission trip this summer. You were leaders among peers, and your light shined• Notre Dame SSLP program and ND club of CNY for Nicole Benz's and Emma Maggin’s internship• Allyn Family Foundation for a generous grant to provide various oppor-tunities of employment and program participation to our south side neighbors• St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (B'ville), St. Mary's/St. Augustine's (B'ville), St. Mary's of the Lake (Skaneateles), CBA, Dewitt Community Church, Syracuse East Young Life, All Saints (Syracuse), Brady Faith Center teen leader program, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes for your participa-tion in Summer Servants 2018. You made it an unforgettable year!• Jon Ben Snow and Bill Reichart for generous donations toward the Summer Servants internship program • The entire Ahern family for your donation toward our Summer Ser-vants cultural night • Northside Learning Center for hosting cultural exchanges for our Jesuit Come and See trip and Summer Servants. We learned so much, and your partnership and hospitality were so appreciated!

From the Farm. A big thanks to:• Don and Amy Lynch for installing gates for our new pavillion• Dunn and Sgromo for site surveys!!• Onondaga Earth Corps for building washing equipment. Thanks!• Maggie Clymer for her work as a SU Food Studies Intern!• Vinny Frechette for the construction of much needed ramps for the packing shed• St. Mary’s Assumption & St. Augustine parishes for a donation• Barney II for donation of compost• Paul Fabio for construction of packing tables• Adam Hildreth for setting up much needed wash stations• An anonymous donor for covering the cost of our riding mower. Wow! Volunteer Service Groups:

LeMoyne CollegeSt. Mary & St. Augustine parishesOrchard CNYAnaren CorporationHuntington School Garden ClubBoston College High SchoolSummer Servants

Special thanks to the volunteers who keep us going on a daily basis!

Welcome to Darlene Arena, an IgnatianVolunteer Corps member, who will be work-ing at Stone Soup Garden and the Brady Farm, for 8 hours per week.

Welcome to Mary Chirello who will be working as a so-cial work intern at Brady this year for 12 hours per week. She is working toward her MSW at Nazareth College.

Congratulations to Zinaya Adjei on the re-ception of the Mary Ellen Higgison Scholar-ship. This award and monetary scholarship is given each year to a Brady teen who carries on the life values of Mary Ellen: a love of learning, community service and music.

Five staff from Brady Faith Center attended the Global Homeboy

Network Conference in Los Angeles on August 23-

26th. Homeboy Industries serves high risk, formerly gang-involved men and

women with a continuum of relationships and

support services as well as employment through their many social enterprises.

The tenderness and kindness exhibited through their spiritual hospitality is an inspiration to the world.

Our five staff attended workshops to inspire

our hearts and focus our minds on the great need

for tenderness, deep vulnerable storytelling, and

the ongoing development of community to create change.

ChorusPlease be patient with me, God is not through with me yet. (x2)

When God gets through with me,when God gets through with me,I shall come forth,I shall come forth like pure gold.

VerseIf you should see me and I'm not walking right,and if you should hear me and I'm not talking right;Please remember what God has done for me,When He gets through with me, I'll be what He wants me to be.

We sang a lot, and this was a favor-ite! To see a video of the Brady VBS children breaking it down to the song, visit our Facebook videos or: https://tinyurl.com/yb6eeuyv

"Please Be Patient with Me"

VBS in Review Vacation Bible School serves as a cornerstone for many fami-lies' involvment at Brady Faith Center. This year we welcomed 42 children, 6 staff, 9 teen leaders, and about 45 volunteers during our six-week program. Songs, creative projects, outside play, movement, Bible education and earth care are all important aspects to our summer together. Most importantly, we want our kids to know they are loved, valued and affirmed by God. Join us in thanking our wonderful staff and many volunteers!

Our themes each week were reflected in each activity

The night before my first day working at the Brady Farm I was excited – but mostly nervous. I had no idea what to expect. After just a few days at the Brady Farm my worries were set to rest as I learned how gratifying growing food is. I quickly found a new pas-sion in farming. My day-to-day work on

the farm involved different tasks, including harvesting food, packing CSA boxes, weeding, planting, and more. Additionally I supervised a group of CNY Works youth employed at the farm for 6 weeks. I worked alongside them daily, and we went on a few field trips that gave them new learning experiences. While this was extremely challenging at times, I learned a lot about myself and others through this experience. An interaction I had with another staff member served as a transformative moment for me. On one day in particular, I was feeling a little burnt out and tired. She noticed this and gave me advice that stuck. She told me that everyone is dealing with something, and usually you can’t tell when someone is going through a tough time. Despite these hardships, it is important to remain positive, work as a team, and get the job done. That became a major theme at the farm. No matter how we were feel-ing or what the weather was like, we had to work together as one in order for the farm to be successful. We leaned on each other for support, and always gave our best effort. I applied this to life in general – not just life at the farm. It is important to remember that everyone is dealing with one struggle or another, so let’s all love and support each other. Going forward, I hope to carry the things I learned with me in my studies and in life after college. I plan on minoring in Envi-ronmental Studies because of my newfound love and apprecia-tion for agriculture. I also hope to carry the virtues of compas-sion, empathy, understanding, and patience in every situation I encounter in my life.

Notre Dame SSLP Interns Share their Journey

by Emma Maginn by Nicole Benz

Coming into my SSLP expe-rience at Brady, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was living and working thousands of miles away from my home of California, and I was ner-vous. These feelings melted away quickly as I was wel-comed into the Brady family from day one. I can’t thank this amazing community enough for their generosity,

kindness, and enthusiasm. I had a feeling coming in that my Brady experience would be transformative, so I came into the summer focused on keeping an open mind and heart, ready to take in ev-erything I could from the children and my coworkers. I served as the lead counselor for the five to seven-year-old group at VBS. I loved spending time with my group and learning their personalities—their passion and energy inspired me. For the first two weeks of camp, I led the Arts and Crafts station, where we created projects such as self-portraits, Emojis out of paper plates, duct-tape flowers; I was always impressed by their creativity! Later in the summer, I led the Storytime station: we would read a story, often with historical or social justice themes, and discuss it with them as a group. A moment that stands out to me this summer is from our first trip to the pool on the first day of camp. I had only known my group of 11 campers for a few hours, but still, I noticed one girl looking nervous about getting in the water. Friends were encour-aging her to join them, and she finally agreed. She looked straight at me and said, “I’ll jump in only if you catch me!” I happily obliged, and within a few minutes she was splashing and playing. I am amazed at how much trust she placed in me even though we had barely met. I am so blessed to have had the chance to trust and be trusted by the Brady kids. Brady taught me so much about what it means to be a family and a community. These memories will stay with me forever, and have shaped my worldview for the better.

Thank you to the following persons for their efforts in making VBS 2018 a huge success!

• Terri Condon from St. Charles-St. Ann's and Cindy Heath from St. Joseph’s for developing and implementing a wonderful week of activities for our Brady youth and a big thank you to the teens from their respective parishes who served as teen leaders• Returning staff, Chidera Joseph for sharing your expertise implementing a week of Arts and Craft activities and Natalie Nisco-Frank, now a Teach for America first grade teacher, for your teaching expertise leading Stories for two weeks of VBS• Lisa Matto and her teens from St. James Church in Cazenovia for creating great memories with us on Thursday afternoons• Anita Bono from Cornell Cooperative Extension for the Gar-den and Nutrition educational program with our 8-9 year old group• Heidi and Kristina Gitzen for the lesson on labyrinths and the donation of beautiful stones.• Rachel Guido-deVries, we missed you this year and hope that your foot has healed 100%. • Phil Eisenman for leading an excellent workshop on auditory processing• Rhea Allen for leading an inspiring and informative workshop on resilience to our staff.• Joanne Adjei for her expertise teaching Gospel singing to our youth on Thursdays•Teens and adults from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Mary's in Skaneateles for their support and love as Summer Servants volunteers

The children wrote affirmations of self, so they could acknowledge what they liked and felt about themselves. "We want them to be able to tell someone about themselves in a positive way," Mr. Flowers said.

2015 Graduates:Esrayel Flowers - Jefferson CC

2016 Graduates:Eijuel Flowers - OCC

2017 Graduates:Dwayzsha Adjei - Bryant and StrattonChaunel Flowers - Works at Villa and MAS

2018 Graduates:Zinaya Adjei - SUNY MorrisvilleEmmanuelle Flowers - Culinary Institute of America, Hyde ParkZachary Holloway - Buffalo StateAngelique Warren - OCCJayla Chandler - OCCNasjere Bowman - workforceAlonzo Grant - Works at Right Price Companies

We celebrate our teens as they graduate from high school and journey onward!