| New 2008
NFW agency observances to be added soon!
Agencies Link Year-Round Work to NFW Celebrations
Some examples include:
Family &
Children Services, Palo Alto, CA
By maintaining a
close connection to its community, Family & Children Services
clearly understands that its citizens and clients would value a
National Family Week event focusing on empowering parents and
families in the areas of economic self-sufficiency and financial
literacy.
The event kicked
off National Family Week, and included
workshops, information, and access to experts with a goal of
connecting event-goers to community resources.
An emphasis was placed on helping
families move off and stay off welfare and dependency programs and
helping families move toward a more stable financial future.
In addition to reaching out to the Latino
community, the event expanded to include the
Vietnamese-speaking population by linking this group to a local
financial literacy and tax filing program.
Family Foundations, Jacksonville, FL
Although Jacksonville, FL has had some
success with building affordable housing, many families are not able
to remain in their homes due to predatory lending leading to
foreclosure. To address this issue and Jacksonville’s high
foreclosure rate (seventh in the nation), Family Foundations, held a National Family Week community forum to:
- Discuss
federal initiatives and legislation to expand affordable housing
and reduce foreclosures. Senator Mel Martinez, former Secretary
of Housing and Urban Development, was invited to lead this
discussion.
- Discuss
Jacksonville’s progress on affordable housing and foreclosure
reduction. Jacksonville will be launching a city-wide campaign
against predatory lending called Don’t Borrow Trouble in the
next few months. The Mayor and/or the Executive Director of
Housing and Neighborhoods was invited to lead this
discussion.
- Discuss the
State of the Family report and how families are impacted by
affordable housing and foreclosures. Family Foundations CEO,
Dawn Lockhart, lead this discussion.
Family Foundations
is working year-round to influence systems change so that families
can stay in their homes.
Jane Addams Hull
House Association, Chicago
As a way to continue their yearlong commitment of addressing
various systemic barriers impacting families, ChildServ, hosted a
National Family Week policy forum focused on the unique challenges
facing the black family.
By using information from their research project, Minding the Gap:
An Assessment of Racial Disparity in Metropolitan Chicago and the
research found in the Dellums Commission work on the state of young
men of color, Hull House convened key community stakeholders and
area families to discuss obstacles hindering their development.
Specifically, emphasis of the discussion was placed on highlighting strategies for action to strengthen children and
families as well as issues of community capacity building.
Centerstone’s Early Childhood Network, Columbia, TN
Seeking an opportunity to identify gaps in services for children
and families in Maury County, Centerstone, hosted a round table
discussion with key community leaders and families during National
Family Week.
Centerstone utilized this information by developing new
programs and services that will improve the overall economic
self-sufficiency of families. In addition to the round table
discussion, Centerstone held other NFW activities including an
informational resource fair, educational conference for
professionals, and workshops.
Topics explored during the workshops included reliable
childcare, health care, affordable housing, and transportation
issues.
Jewish Family Service of Bergen County, Teaneck, NJ
Understanding that individuals and families affected by
substance abuse encompass an ever-increasing and still underserved
population in their community, Jewish Family Service of Bergen
County, offered a community-wide Substance Abuse Family
Awareness Day.
The event held
during National Family Week, provided attendees with a magnitude
of information and resources about substance abuse. Specifically,
attendees learned about the signs and symptoms of substance
abuse; networked and drew support from individuals and families who
shared common experiences related to problems with substance abuse;
learned from leading experts in the field; gained skills and ideas to
help families affected by substance abuse; and gathered information
about available community resources.
In the coming months, Jewish Family Service plans to form and lead a
broad coalition of local/community leaders, policymakers, educators,
and service providers who are invested in prevention and treatment
initiatives in the field of substance abuse. The proposed coalition
will take advantage of the NFW event format by forming and/or
maintaining established partnerships and coordinating collaborative
efforts to provide the most efficient and effective range of
services to the substance abuse community.
Family Service Agency, Phoenix
As a way to curtail the economic challenges of the community, Family
Service Agency along with an array of local partners hosted a
National Family Week Connections Count kick-off event and job fair,
which was attended by more than 1,000 people.
The event which built on the agency’s year-round
family-strengthening and self-sufficiency efforts featured more than 30 informational resource booths, family fun activities
and cultural entertainment.
A significant emphasis was placed on attracting local businesses to
attend the job fair. Over 15 businesses with open employment
positions assisted individuals with job opportunities and placement.
Youth Haven, Naples, FL
In an effort to mobilize a year-round initiative that seeks to
alleviate family crises and stressors, Youth Haven held a National
Family Week event that promoted family integrity and freedom from
public and private dependency.
Specific NFW plans included an informational resource fair, family
festival, and family reinforcement workshops and trainings. Youth
Haven also utilized the media to educate the public regarding the
biopsychosocial struggles and stressors facing children and their
families.
ChildServ, Chicago
Realizing the importance of providing a wide range of
family-strengthening efforts to the community, ChildServ employed an
interactive educational experience designed to train community
residents and agency parents in four critical areas of community and
family need: public education, housing, immigration and adequate
food.
Using civic engagement principles and techniques, participants
received training in advocacy and developed strategies designed to
increase community and parent action to strengthen communities and
empower citizens.
Participants also received voter education and registration
information and will have multiple opportunities to meet one or more
of their elected representatives through visits to aldermanic and
legislative offices before, during and after the National Family
Week celebration.
Auberle, McKeesport, PA
With the ultimate goal of strengthening and preserving the family,
Auberle connected their year-round efforts with National Family Week
by offering a comprehensive informational resource fair and
educational “break-out sessions.”
A variety of community organizations committed to the event and
provided information regarding available programs and services,
including educational and employment opportunities, foster care
information, in-home programs, and specialized treatment offerings.
The focus of the educational sessions were revolved around service
availability, parenting education classes, public policy
discussions, and other sessions designed to highlight specific NFW
topics of interest.
Family & Children's Service, Minneapolis
Looking for an opportunity to further deepen and enhance
connections among families and the community, Family & Children's
Service hosted a community leadership celebration in honor of
National Family Week.
Over 100 community leaders were recognized at the celebration for
their involvement in supporting strong families, vital communities,
and capable children. The celebration also included: the engagement
of public officials in dialogue with families on issues, solutions
and action steps; a resource fair with informational booths offering
civic engagement opportunities and resources for families; and a
multi-cultural dinner.
Family & Children's Service also held a two-day event leading up to
NFW that featured interactive workshops revolved around families and
their strengths.
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