The Neighborhood Youth Center at Mi Casa Family Service and Educational Center in Hartford was honored with United Way’s 14th Annual Dr. Frederick G. Adams Award May 5 at a reception at The Village for Families & Children in Hartford.  The award, established in 1996 to honor Adams, a longtime United Way board member, recognizes innovative and effective programs at local health and human service organizations. The focus of this year’s award is on services and programs that help children build skills to succeed in school. Academic success for youth is a key goal of United Way.

The Neighborhood Youth Center, at Mi Casa Family Service and Educational Center in the Frog Hollow section of Hartford, is designed to help youth ages 10 to 17 succeed academically while developing their interpersonal and leadership skills. Youth at the center receive tutoring and homework help from certified teacher advisors and school personnel, and they strengthen their literacy through activities such as storytelling, theater, and book discussions.  The center keeps participants on track through strong communication with staff and teachers as well as school and home visits. Parenting workshops and other family support services are also provided.

“We are able to identify people’s needs and create a system that can respond to those needs, and I think that’s one of the unique things about this program,” said Jorge Rivera, executive director of Mi Casa. “It’s not just about academics; it’s also about the issues that the family is confronting, which are affecting the kids. What you have is a very comprehensive, family approach to problem solving. That’s why we have been so successful with this program.”

Two New Britain-based programs were also honored at the event as runners-up: Moving Mountains Sullivan Academy, a program of Opportunities Industrialization Center of New Britain, Inc., andParenting for Academic Success, a program of Literacy Volunteers of Central CT, Inc.

The event also featured artwork by FAVARH: The Arc of the Farmington Valley and the Boys & Girls Club of New Britain, and entertainment by The Women’s League Child Development Center. Students from Our Piece of the Pie also soldtheir artwork, projects and crafts as part of their Youth Business Program

United Way is a non-profit organization that has been meeting human care needs throughout central and northeastern Connecticut for 85 years. United Way works to advance the common good by focusing on the building blocks for a successful life: education, income and health and a safety net of services.