Monday, February 25, 2013

KidsFirst Supports Kinship Families With Its First Annual Event To Raise Awareness

Kinship families exist in Placer County.  The challenge is finding them and letting them know about free programs that can help support them and make their journey easier and more enjoyable.  This Spring, KidsFirst is holding its first annual event to raise awareness of this growing problem in our community.

According to national experts, more than six million children in the US live in households headed by relatives other than the parents who provide full-time care, nurturing and protection to these vulnerable children. Raising these children successfully is even more difficult as statistics show that these families are more likely to live in poverty, to be uninsured, and have limited access and knowledge of local community-based resources that can help them.

KidsFirst has a support program specifically designed to help Kinship Families.  From navigating the legal system to handling academic and social issues, KidsFirst helps Kinship families create strong unified bonds that help children succeed.  But in order to locate these families, the entire community needs to be engaged.

To raise awareness of this issue, KidsFirst is holding its first annual Spring Break Fun Pack for Kinship Families Drive.  The goal is to give each participating Kinship family currently enrolled in a KidsFirst Kinship Program (30 families) a Spring Break they will remember forever.  Whether it’s movie tickets, ice-cream cones, bowling, skating, a manicure, fishing, swimming or more, the idea is to create an opportunity for both the child and caregiver to take a break, laugh and bond with each other. 

KidsFirst wishes to acknowledge the following Placer County businesses who have committed to supporting this year’s Fun Pack Drive:  The City of Roseville Parks & Recreation, Re|Create, Nothing Bundt Cake, Roller King Skating & Blading, Baskin Robbins, Golfland Sunsplash, Foothill Bowling Center, Target, Roseville Dermatology, BounceU and Blue Line Arts.

Being a family takes hard work.  These Spring Break Fun Packs will cheer them on and reward those families that are making it work against all odds.  It’s a great way of saying thank you for staying the course and keeping our children safe.

In addition to contributions, KidsFirst is asking all community members to refer any Kinship Family they know to KidsFirst so they too can receive the support and services they deserve and need.

KidsFirst plans on distributing fun packs to families currently enrolled in the Kinship program, during the week of March 11th.  For donations and in-kind support, please contact Dina Navarra, Development Manager, at dnavarra@kidsfirstnow.org or 916-774-6802 x2828.

KidsFirst is a private, non-profit organization established in 1989 dedicated to the prevention and healing of child abuse. KidsFirst provides an array of programs and victim services that prevent and treat abuse including child and family counseling, parent education, youth groups, after-school programs, information and referrals to low/no-cost resources throughout the Sierra-Sacramento region.  KidsFirst family resource centers are located in Roseville, Auburn and Citrus Heights.

For more information about KidsFirst, please visit kidsfirstnow.org.

Blog Post information and picture courtesy o f KidsFirst.


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