Reach's Service Areas in 2024: Our Impact

As 2024 draws to a close, here are some details on what our service areas accomplished this year.

‍Rockville Emergency Assistance Program (REAP)

REAP Director Odeth Berlin providing information to local residents at a tabling event

REAP provided financial emergency assistance to help local residents avoid eviction, utility termination, or going without needed prescriptions. Calls to REAP have increased as two other organizations that provide emergency assistance have closed, and the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services changed its requirements to receive financial assistance. REAP has helped direct clients that aren't eligible for our funding to other resources throughout the county.

REAP continued to participate in Montgomery County's Holiday Giving Project to provide meal baskets and gift cards for local families that need them during Thanksgiving and December. This year, thanks to an unprecedented commitment of meal baskets from donors, we agreed to provide baskets to over 400 families. A team of 20+ volunteers helped transport and distribute the baskets, helping bring extra holiday cheer to neighbors in the community.

Senior Reach

Senior Reach served 71 clients in 2024 while also resuming social events and launching new partnerships and collaborations.

Early in the year, Senior Reach teamed up with Opportunities, Inc., a Montgomery County based organization that works with individuals with intellectual disabilities.  Clients from Opportunities, Inc, have been volunteering as friendly visitors who meet up with Senior Reach clients to socialize and take part in group activities, like bingo night!

Senior Reach has hosted technology assistance workshops for clients in the past; this year, after clients mentioned how helpful these sessions are, Senior Reach launched a 6-week tech lab series where volunteers met with clients at a local senior residence at set times during the week to provide help with tablets, phones, and laptops.

Language Outreach Program (LOP)

Over 300 students took ESL and conversation classes with LOP this year. The annual graduation ceremony took place in June at the County Council Office in Rockville, where Councilmember Gabe Albornoz gave a speech highlighting the sacrifices immigrant families make and the value they bring to our community - "All of you have sacrificed so much, and I want to thank you for choosing our country, for choosing our community to make this your home."

Two students, Guillermina and Demetrio, also received a scholarship awarded to highly motivated students to help them achieve their goals. They plan to use the award towards their dream of opening their own construction company to create jobs and build a better future for themselves and their children.

In the fall, LOP met with community liaisons at two Montgomery County Public Schools, finding a strong interest for English language classes to help parents communicate more effectively. The parents also expressed concern for their children, who are lagging behind their peers.

Mansfield Kaseman Health Clinic

MKHC went through a major change this year, moving the office to a new location in the Fallsgrove area of Rockville.

The new office, which was completely renovated to suit MKHC's needs, has twice as many exam rooms, a dedicated behavioral health office, and a more modern and uplifting environment with abundant natural light and vibrant colors. In April 2024, we held a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the new space, which was attended by long-term supporters, elected officials, and staff.

MKHC's ribbon cutting ceremony in April 2024

Since the move, MKHC has seen over 900 patients and welcomed several new pro bono providers, in addition to launching "wellness days" to target certain at-risk groups. The first set of wellness days helped women receive low-cost cervical and breast cancer screenings, as well as providing patient education and other important resources on the importance of regular cancer screenings. This fall, MKHC hosted a diabetes wellness day that offered comprehensive diabetic evaluations, advice on nutrition and healthy eating, and more.

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