July 11, 2023 Trying Together Raises Over $3,000 to Support the Work of Early Childhood in Highmark Walk Fundraising for the 2023 Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community closed last month, and Trying Together successfully trotted away with $3,205. Walk dollars will aid Trying Together’s continued efforts to support the work of early childhood, children, child care professionals, and families. Trying Together’s 2023 Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community Campaign To extend the reach of the Highmark Walk, Trying Together invited early learning programs to create walk teams on behalf of Trying Together, committing to donate 75% of funds raised by early learning programs back to them. With provider participation, Trying Together developed six walk teams which collectively raised the $3,205 total—64% of the $5,000 goal. Team SMYL (Trying Together’s main team) raised the most funds at $1,320. Crafton Children’s Corner came just behind them with $1,000 raised. Here’s how the rest of the funds are broken down: Team SMYL – $1,320 Crafton Children’s Corner – $1,000 Presbyterian Day School – $275 St. Paul’s Weekday Ministries – $160 Dunkin’ Run – $85 Thomas Child Care and Learning Academy – $25 Team success depended on the efforts of individual team members, and a few team members drove funds. Top participants included: Mary Merryman – $265 Kristin Ash – $205 Laura Pollick – $180 Kendall Davis – $150 Maria Snyder – $115 Because of the dedication of these individuals and many others, Trying Together can directly support participating child care programs and use remaining funds to further aid local children, families, and professionals. The entire organization offers a great many thanks to all of those who made and continue to make that possible. Regional Participation & Impact Through the 2023 Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community, Trying Together and 66 other organizations in the Pittsburgh region raised $309,653 for their missions, reaching 77% of their 400,000 goal. Find a list of participating Pittsburgh organizations on the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community website. About the 2023 Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community Part of the Highmark Bright Blue Futures charitable giving and community involvement program, the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community is an annual fundraising walk that benefits local health and human service agencies in regions across Pennsylvania and Delaware. Held since 2003, the primary goal of the walk is to help participating organizations raise money for their individual missions by giving 100% of funds raised back to fundraisers. Through 2023, the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community events have raised more than $17.6 million for more than 500 health and human service nonprofit organizations. This year, the walk was held at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, May 13, with fundraising continuing throughout the month of June.. Learn More To learn more, go online: Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community 2023 Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community Pittsburgh Trying Together’s 2023 Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community campaign Related Content & Resources Trying Together – Vision & Mission Trying Together – Strategic Roadmap Trying Together – Community Reports Trying Together – Support Trying Together – Give Now
February 1, 2022 Register Now: 2022 Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community The Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community is an annual fundraising walk that benefits local health and human service agencies. The primary goal of the walk is to help participating organizations raise money for their individual missions. Registration for the 2022 Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community opens on February 1, 2022 and is free for all participants. Join Our Team If you’re interested in walking or donating, join Trying Together’s team! Registered virtual walkers will have the option to sign up as an individual, join a team, create a new team, or pull up team information from a previous event. Thanks to Highmark’s online platform, participants can donate and track donations made, send templated email reminders to your teammates, and more! Visit our registration page to sign up and learn more! Support Our Goal One hundred percent of the donations received will go directly to the participating organizations. Utilize our social media toolkit to share information about the Highmark Walk on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. All donations must be received no later than June 30, 2022. Learn more about how to donate on the Trying Together website. COVID-19 Information In an abundance of caution, and for the protection and safety of our Walk participants and volunteers, the decision has been made to modify all seven 2022 Highmark Walks for a Healthy Community to an online only fundraiser and virtual walk for this year’s campaign. A virtual walk is a real walk, but allows for more flexibility! Whether on a treadmill or at the park, participants can choose their start and stop times, and then share photos and videos on social media to raise awareness! More Information For more information and answers to common questions, visit Highmark’s FAQ page.
2022 Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community The Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community is an annual fundraising walk that benefits local health and human service agencies. The primary goal of the walk is to help participating organizations raise money for their individual missions. One hundred percent of the funds raised through this event go directly back to the participating organizations. Please share this flyer with your networks. Join Our Team If you’re interested in walking or donating, join Trying Together’s team! Registered virtual walkers will have the option to sign up as an individual, join a team, create a new team, or pull up team information from a previous event. Thanks to Highmark’s online platform, participants can donate and track donations made, send templated email reminders to your teammates, and more! Visit our registration page to sign up and learn more! Donations One hundred percent of the donations received will go directly to the participating organizations. All donations must be received no later than June 30, 2022. Trying Together will accept donations via the online donation platform or mail. If you would like to submit a check or cash donation, please complete a Walker Donation Form. All forms and donations must be mailed to Trying Together at the following address: Trying Together 5604 Solway Street Pittsburgh, PA 15217 Ask your networks to help fundraise, too! Utilize our social media toolkit to share information about the Highmark Walk on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! All registered walkers who raise or donate $30 or more will receive a Walk for a Healthy Community t-shirt while supplies last. For every $50 you raise for participating organizations, you will receive one chance for raffle prizes. Will you help Trying Together reach its fundraising goal? For more information, contact Maria Pisano, Director of Communications, at maria@tryingtogether.org. COVID-19 Information In an abundance of caution, and for the protection and safety of our Walk participants and volunteers, the decision has been made to modify all seven 2022 Highmark Walks for a Healthy Community to an online-only fundraiser and virtual walk for this year’s campaign. A virtual walk is a real walk, but allows for more flexibility! Whether on a treadmill or at the park, participants can choose their start and stop times, and then share photos and videos on social media to raise awareness! More Information For more information and answers to common questions, visit Highmark’s FAQ page.
December 23, 2020 Understanding the Behavior of Grieving Children Join the Highmark Caring Place on January 13 for their webinar “The Curious Observer: Understanding the Behavior of Grieving Children” to learn how behaviors can serve as a manifestation of children’s grief. About We often misunderstand grief in children, or mistakenly believe that children do not experience grief at all. Yet, anyone old enough to love is old enough to grieve. Because young children and infants experience and respond to grief in unique ways, their grief is not always clear to adults and caregivers. Children’s grief can even be masked for adults because children communicate via their behaviors, such as play. Since it can be difficult for children to verbally express their complicated and confusing feelings about the death of their loved one, especially during times of grief and loss, it’s important that we understand behaviors such as play as ways of communication. This webinar will discuss how behaviors can serve as a manifestation of children’s grief. As a caring adult, you will learn activities and interactions that can support the children in your life through their grief work. Featured Topics During the webinar, participants will: learn how behavior (such as play) is a form of communication for children from birth into adulthood, recognize how behaviors can serve as an expression of a child’s grief, and identify activities and interactions that support children in their grief work. Registration To register for this event, visit the online registration page. Share this flyer with your network.
November 10, 2020 Supporting the Voices of Grieving Children Join the Highmark Caring Place on November 19 for their webinar “Can You Hear Us Now? Supporting the Voices of Grieving Children” to learn about unique grief responses seen in children, ways to practice self-care, and opportunities to elevate the voices of grieving children. About Children’s Grief Awareness Day provides an opportunity for all to raise awareness of the painful impact that the death of a loved one has in the life of a child, and an opportunity to make sure that these children receive the support they need. It’s a day on which often-unnoticed kids can become heard for a change. A day when all of us can take the time to realize how much it can help grieving children for them to get support. In this webinar, presenters will work to educate the community about children who are grieving, equip peers and adults to become companions for grieving children, and honor the children and their loved ones who have died. Featured Topics During the webinar, participants will: learn about the background and vision of Children’s Grief Awareness Day; gain knowledge of the unique grief responses seen in children; understand the ways that encountering grief and offering support can be challenging, and explore ways of practicing self-care; and identify one to two ways they can elevate the voices of grieving children by raising awareness in their own school, community, or place of work throughout the year. Registration To register for this event, visit the event webpage. Share this flyer with your network.
August 19, 2020 From Mourning to Meaning-Making Join Highmark Caring Place on September 2 for their webinar, “From Mourning to Meaning-Making: How to Meet the Needs of Grieving Families.” About This webinar will discuss the ways in which grief and mourning are both unique and universal. Presenters will look at Alan Wolfelt’s six “reconciliation needs” and discuss the ways mourners can recognize and address these basic grief needs in order to find hope and healing. This is a free webinar. When registered, you will receive a Zoom link the evening before the webinar. No Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be provided. Presentation materials can be provided upon request. Learning Objectives By attending, participants will be able to: explore both the personal and the communal elements of grief, understand Alan Wolfelt’s “reconciliation needs” model of mourning,” and discuss creative and helpful ways of addressing the needs of mourning. Registration To register, visit the event webpage. Registrations must be submitted no later than September 1 at 6 p.m. More Information For questions, contact Patrick McKelvey at patrick.mckelvey@highmark.com. Share this flyer with your network.
July 17, 2020 Wait, My Grief Has a Shape? | Webinar Join Highmark Caring Place on August 5 for their webinar, “Wait, My Grief Has a Shape? Understanding the Loss Experience for Our Children and Ourselves.” About Grief is often experienced not as a set of linear stages, but as a spiral where emotions come and go in intensity. In their webinar, Highmark Caring Place will discuss the spiral shape of grief and explain the differences in these spirals between adults and children. In understanding our grief experiences, and those of our children, we are better able to manage our own grief and support others in their grief journeys. Learning Objectives By attending, participants will be able to: recognize the distinctions between various models of grief, identify common grief responses, and discuss the differences in grief between adults and children. Registration To register, visit the event webpage. Registrations must be submitted no later than Tuesday, August 4. More Information For questions, contact Patrick McKelvey at patrick.mckelvey@highmark.com. Share this flyer with your network.
February 20, 2020 Helping Youth Deal with Grief and Trauma Join the Highmark Caring Place on March 13 for their workshop exploring how to help children cope with grief and trauma. About This training provided by the Highmark Caring Place, A Center for Grieving Children, Adolescents and Their Families, will explore grief and loss for children with a focus on how traumatic events may impact a child’s ability to cope. Participants will begin to learn about activities that may support children in a variety of environments to help with healing. Following the presentation, participants are invited to take a brief tour of the Caring Place to learn more about the program. Register To register, visit the Eventbrite page. Parking is available free of cost in the Stanwix Riverfront Center Garage located at 625 Stanwix Street. More Information For more information, contact APOST at 412.456.6876.
