Attendees at this year’s National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) not only had the opportunity bring some joy to families in the Pittsburgh area through the annual “Make a Child Smile” community service event, sponsored by Qualia, but they also supported a non-profit near and dear to one of their colleagues.
Participants volunteered to help fill comfort bags to be distributed to single minority mothers and their children by the Bartko Foundation. Essent Title Chief Business Officer Nathan Bossers is secretary for the foundation’s board of directors.
“We always look forward to the opportunity to help children in our host NS3 community,” October Research, LLC CEO and Publisher Erica Meyer said. “The fact that we could also support a charity directly connected to a title industry member makes it even more special. Thank you to Qualia and all our attendees for helping support Pittsburgh families.”
At the Make a Child Smile event Monday night, Qualia team members guided NS3 attendees in filling bags with coloring books, toys, stuffed animals and other comfort items. The bags were presented to the Bartko Foundation on Tuesday.
“One of the biggest highlights for Qualia at NS3 is engaging with the host community through the Make a Child Smile event,” Qualia Chief Marketing Officer Greg Schneider said. “This year, we’re thrilled to partner with the Bartko Foundation, an organization doing crucial work to empower single minority mothers and uplift their children in the Pittsburgh area. Our team looked forward to creating comfort bags together with NS3 attendees, a hands-on way for our community to show support for these local families.”
The Bartko Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to investing in the self-sufficiency of single minority mothers, helping them achieve the goals they have set for themselves related to education, housing, employment and transportation.
“The Bartko Foundation is deeply grateful to October Research and Qualia for shining a light on the incredible strength of single minority mothers and their children through the Make a Child Smile event,” Bossers said. “Every care package assembled is more than a gift — it’s a message of hope, love and encouragement. Together, we are helping to lift up families, reminding them that their dreams matter and that they are never alone on their journey toward a brighter future.”
The Bartko Foundation will distribute the NS3 comfort bags to local organizations like Catapult of Greater Pittsburgh, which offers emergency resource distribution, peer-to-peer support, wealth building, trauma-informed financial counseling and policy advocacy to ensure systematically disenfranchised communities can meaningfully achieve economic justice and lead dignified and equitable lives.
For more than 12 years, October Research has been hosting the Make A Child Smile event at NS3. It has supported community service organizations across the country, including the Sunshine Kids Foundation, The Saint Louis Crisis Nursery, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, Texas Foster Care and Adoption Services, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Florida, Charlotte Ronald McDonald House Charities, Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities, The St. Bernard Project, Toys for Tots and Ohio Guidestone.