Community Initiatives

Haddington-Cobbs Creek Vision 2010 and the Haddington-Cobbs Creek Community Development Corporation
AchieveAbility is teaming up with the community in implementing Haddington-Cobbs Creek 2010: A Plan for Our Future. This comprehensive neighborhood strategic plan is the fruit of the recently completed Haddington-Cobbs Creek  Visioning Project, a collaborative effort of residents, local organizations, institutions and community leaders in these communities of West Philadelphia. The planning project's primary goals were to develop a comprehensive neighborhood strategic plan and to identify and cultivate community leaders. The project was funded by the Wachovia Regional Foundation and co-sponsored by The Partnership CDC, with consulting services provided by Baker and Company LLC. AchieveAbility is a co-founder, a board director and continues to provide strong support to the Haddington-Cobbs Creek Community Development Corporation, whose task is to facilitate the implementation of its comprehensive neighborhood strategic plan.

IDA Program
AchieveAbility collaborates with United Way to provide the Individual Development Account (IDA) program to the AchieveAbility families and to the community. The program uses a federal grant and is in partnership with Citizens Bank and Beneficial Savings Bank. The IDA program encourages families to save over time toward a specific financial goal by matching their savings, $2 for every dollar saved. Other aspects of the program include economic literacy training and homeownership classes. Once families have acquired the education and life skills necessary for true, lasting self-sufficiency, through the IDA program, they will have saved the money for a down payment on their first home.

Digital Inclusion Project
AchieveAbility has worked with United Way and its project partners Cisco Systems, UNISYS, IBM, One Economy Corporation, PEC and Teaming for Technology, to ensure that the AchieveAbility families do not land on the disadvantaged side of the digital divide. The project enables AchieveAbility families to access the Internet and its computer center's resources from their homes. The project has also been instrumental in keeping the AchieveAbility Computer Center at the forefront of technologies relevant to current education and job environments.

Teen Technology Network (TTN)
AchieveAbility and United Way's Teaming for Technology group have provided AchieveAbility and neighborhood teens the opportunity to develop their use of technology as a tool for personal development. AchieveAbility and local neighborhood teens come to the AchieveAbility Computer Center for 60 hours of classes. At these classes, teens are engaged in academic activities, service learning projects and an online mentoring relationship with adults from the community. Various internships are available upon completion of the program. To date, TTN participants have refurbished over 50 computers, set up the networks at AchieveAbility's new offices and created a community website for Haddington.