Provided by the Bristol Township School District:
Credit: BTSD
The Clara Barton Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is committed to making a difference in the Bristol Township School District. Through its fund-raising efforts, the PTO supports projects that provide assistance to children. On December 3, 2014, PTO President Raeann Simmons and Treasurer Tara Kelley presented a check for $750 to Robert Wood, Coordinator of the Synergy Project, a program that assists homeless youths, age 12-21, with basic necessities and access to services.
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Synergy Project was suggested to the PTO by Joy McDonald, Clara Barton School Social Worker. “There are homeless adolescents and teens who do not live in shelters or transitional housing. They are unsheltered and fending on their own outdoors. Synergy Project locates these children and provides them with necessities and tries to connect them with housing programs and social agencies,” said McDonald. These youths are often runaway, homeless and aging out of foster care.
Synergy Project coordinators travel throughout the county connecting youth with the help they need. Homeless youths receive access to emergency shelter, survival aid, counseling, referrals for specialized services, crisis intervention, and education and employment assistance.
Last year, the Synergy Project worked with about 180 youth.
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The Warminster-based Synergy Project is part of Valley Youth House, an Allentown-based nonprofit that aids abused, neglected, and homeless youths and their families throughout the region.
