Rent and utility bills (gas, oil, electric).

This grant is for those people who have been denied by other agencies and/or have reached their maximum allowed limit with other agencies.  There is a cap on the grant per household.  An application process is required, and not all applications are granted.

For more Information contact our Faith In Crisis Alleviation Coordinator, Annette Monday thru Thursday at 302-732-6550 extension 6.

Interviews are by appointment only after applications are completed.  You can download and print the application HERE or by stopping by the Unite Sussex, located at the Dagsboro Church of God, 32224 Dupont Blvd in Dagsboro, DE 19939.

• 95 children from the Frankford and Selbyville are enrolled and attending US Camp at the Frankford Park, more enroll each day.
• 440 meals were served in the first week!
• Partnership with the Town of Frankford to promote fitness with the organized phusical activities.
• Partnership with the Indian River School District to teach the educational activities.
• Many volunteers from Dagsboro Church of God, Trinity Holiness Church in Frankford, and 25 Students and Leaders from West Mont Christian Academy in Pennsylvania have served at US Camp.  There are also serveral people from the community who are volunteering their time.

Check out these pictures from the first two weeks of camp.

We believe some of these children will go without lunch this summer, and Unite Sussex believes that the children will also go without structured educational activities, and structured physical activities.  Summer, we fear, has become the time when children are left unsupervised, under challenged and without proper sustenance.  This is not acceptable to us and we have created a program that addresses these issues for the children in our community.

US CAMP will be the mechanism to distribute lunches to at risk children in our community who otherwise would go without.   Plus, we will provide them with physical and intellectual challenges.  Our first year of US CAMP, will be targeted to a minimum of 60 children living in the Frankford area of Sussex County.

US CAMP will rely heavily on volunteers.  We expect to partner with the faith based community in an effort to match our need and program with the skill and desires of potential volunteers.  Additionally, we will partner with the town of Frankford; we plan to partner with the Indian River School District, the Delaware Food Bank, plus other non-profit and government organizations to make our camps successful and productive.

US CAMP is FREE and as presently planned, will have four components:  1) the serving of a healthy lunch already prepared from the Food Bank; 2) organized physical activities; 3) a mentoring aspect; and 4) tutoring in math, science and reading related to “race to the top” program.  We have strong indications that we can enroll 60+ children from the Indian River School District and operate US CAMP at the Frankford Park, as approved.  All children will be enrolled in the local elementary school from grades 1 to 5.   US CAMP will begin on June 20th, the first full week of summer vacation, and run until August 11th .  It will include the following:

•    Healthy snack and lunches to be served to each child attending the camp.  This is a crucial portion of our       program.  Each child will be given a snack, and a healthy lunch, including fruit, vegetables, a starch, and        protein.Tutoring in math, science and reading will take place for 45 minutes per day, in both group activities, and       one on one assistance.
•    Led by local physical education teachers, the children will spend 1 and a ½ hours playing in an organized       group activity, outside, in the town parks of Frankford, as approved.
•    Transportation for children will be provided to and from the camp as needed.

If you are interested in enrolling a student you can download the registration packet HERE.

If you would like to volunteer to help with US Camp, you can download the volunteer application HERE.

For more information on the US Camp or Unite Sussex please call us at 302.732.6550.

Serving together….

For more details on how to help out, please contact Program Coordinator David Herr at 302-732-3371.

Save-The-Date!  United Way of Delaware Supports the Sussex Community!

Please mark your calendar and plan to join us for a special Sussex County United Way Beach Beautification Project and Awareness Event:

Saturday, April 30th, 2011
9:00 – 11:00 am
Delaware Seashore State Park
Lewes, DE

Additional details and registration information will be sent by e-mail. Supplies, refreshments, a shuttle to the beach site, and FUN will be provided! For more information, contact UWD’s Michael Shockley at 302-856-7884 or mshockley@uwde.org.

With this approval, Unite Sussex now has access to apply for more grants. It also means that any donations made to Unite Sussex are now tax deductible.  If you are considering any end of the year charitable giving, Unite Sussex is now a great option!

Thank you all for a great year.  We are just getting starting and are really excited about the coming year.  From everyone here at Unite Sussex, we hope that you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year!

After spending almost a year holding town meetings and listening to the community, UNITE SUSSEX began to organize and work toward consensus building and problem solving.  First, we defined the issues and priorities that were of greatest concern—those issues that weakened our neighborhoods and our community.  Our newly committed board of directors decided that our program priorities would be substance abuse, homelessness, mentoring and community transition.  It was an easy choice.

• With the closing of the Ellendale Detoxification Center, those in our community reaching out for help were suddenly forced to travel to Wilmington for assistance.

• Homelessness is on the rise in Sussex County and the lack of family oriented shelters forced families to separate in order to find shelter and get back on their feet.

• Mentoring programs are not as affective as they could be because of the lack of volunteers wishing to serve as mentors and a consolidated approach to matching the children/teens to a qualified adult.

• As our small towns face issues that have plagued large cities for decades, administrators have reached out for help to governments, non-profits, individuals and faith based organizations to work toward maintaining the integrity of our communities.

UNITE SUSSEX has stepped forward to take a leadership role in solving these issues and we pledge to work with existing non-profit organizations, government officials, leaders in the faith based community and individuals to strengthen our neighborhoods and help create a healthy and positive Sussex County.

AND THE WINNER IS…… CROSSFIT REHOBOTH Jessica and Chris Beebe!!!!  Jessica and Chris flew through the Amazing Challenge on Saturday to break all anticipated records for reaching the finish line.  Pictured above is Pastor Kim Tepabock, chairperson of UNITE SUSSEX with Chris and Jessica.   Jessica and Chris are a living advertisement for their fitness center.   They pushed and pulled and were so focused.    They are the ones to beat next year!

Thanks to everyone who helped make this Amazing Challenge a huge success.  Keep an eye out for some more pictures and videos of the race.