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Children's Trust CEO Sue Williams
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As I reflect on this Thanksgiving holiday, I am reminded of what pulls us together when concerns threaten to divide us, what keeps us strong through adversity, and what supports us in many ways - big and small - throughout the year. All of us have families and friends in our lives for whom we are thankful. They give us a sense of belonging by providing us with protective factors that wrap around us and keep us safe. That's what we envision for every child in South Carolina.
We are very proud of our accomplishments this year and thankful for the generous donors who believe in our mission, support our work, and make it all possible.
We are thankful for the many partnerships and collaborations that helped us reach more families, achieve amazing outcomes, and challenge us each day to do our best.
I, personally, am thankful for our team at Children's Trust. Our board and staff are unparalleled in leadership and determination, striving every day to keep all children safe from abuse, neglect and unintentional injury.
We know South Carolina's future lies in what we do today to build stronger families, more supportive communities and more resilient children. We know these are the most important investments that we can make in order to yield the best results over the long term.
I hope this holiday season you will join us. Help a neighbor. Add your voice to ours. Make a donation.
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Opening Hearts on Giving Tuesday
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Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving driven by the power of social media and collaboration.
Observed on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving in the United States - Nov. 29 this year - it kicks off the charitable giving season by encouraging the donation of time, resources and talents to address important issues in local communities.
Now in its fifth year, this annual charitable celebration, known as #GivingTuesday, has become a movement that celebrates and encourages individual and corporate philanthropy.
Please
consider helping us on #GivingTuesday by supporting Children's Trust and our mission of keeping South Carolina kids safe from abuse, neglect and injury.
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Donor Spotlight: Stephen Leicht
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Stephen Leicht joined the Children's Trust board of directors in 2016 and is currently serving as the vice chair of the board of directors.
Stephen is a founder and managing director of UberResearch, which has a mission of helping organizations, nonprofits and governmental institutions make more informed decisions about science funding. He is also an investor, board member and advisor for software and communication companies and industry groups. Stephen previously enjoyed a career with IBM.
The father of two children with his wife Mandy, the family resides in Lexington. Stephen and Mandy have a long-standing passion for children's issues and safety. They have been leadership donors to Children's Trust.
After Stephen joined the board, he made a commitment to learn as much as possible about the work of our organization. Please take a look at his story about watching our programs in action.
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Strengthening Families Program Continues Expansion
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Program To Be Available Through 15 Agencies Serving 20 Counties
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The Strengthening Families Program continues to expand across South Carolina.
Children's Trust recently selected four new grantees to begin providing SFP in early 2017:
- Westview Behavioral Health in Newberry County
- Greenville Family Partnership in collaboration with Middle Tyger Community Center in Spartanburg County
- SAFY of Pickens in Pickens County
- Foothills Alliance in Anderson County.
In addition, a current provider, Growing Home Southeast, will expand services to York County.
A selection process also has begun to identify new SFP providers for Richland, Lexington and Lancaster counties. Those providers will begin service in 2017.
This ongoing expansion is the result of
$9.5 million awarded to Children's Trust over three years (2016-18) by The Duke Endowment and the S.C. Department of Social Services.
SFP is a 14-session program that works closely with families to teach effective parenting and reduce problem behaviors and conflict through positive discipline. Program facilitators also guide children in the development of life skills needed for success in school and life.
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ACE Summit Showcases Experts, Planning and Collaboration to Address Health, Social Problems
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Children's Trust hosted the state's first summit focusing on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) for 300 attendees in early November at the USC Alumni Center.
ACES are traumatic events that occur in a child's life and can lead to negative health and social outcomes as an adult.
Attendees heard from Washington state advocates who have led community-based efforts to address and prevent interrelated and intergenerational health and social problems. The event featured
national experts Laura Porter, who directs the ACE Learning Institute with the Foundation for Healthy Generations in Seattle, Wash., and Deborah Daro, a senior research fellow at Chapin Hall, the University of Chicago, who offered a blueprint for building a statewide framework to mitigate and prevent ACEs.
The summit also included the release of the annual South Carolina ACE data and the unveiling of a prevention planning framework. Attendees participated in regional planning meetings to make community-based actions plans for preventing child maltreatment and other ACEs.
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Home Visiting Roundtable Links National Director With Program Providers in South Carolina
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Five of Children's Trust home visiting partners in the Upstate had the opportunity to meet with Dr. David Willis, the director of the Home Visiting and Early Childhood Systems for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in October.
They discussed the impact of the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program during a roundtable session hosted by Children's Trust at the Mary Black Foundation in Spartanburg. Dr. Willis shared his national perspective with the local implementing agencies by addressing the essential work being done for families, mothers and new babies to help them reach their full potential in areas of health, development and early learning.
Dr. Willis welcomed the input from local partners as they gave updates and addressed their challenges in home visiting, which is a proven early-intervention strategy that pairs volunteer families with specialists such as nurses or social workers. Through home visits and pediatric visits, the program models allow parents with newborns the opportunity to receive health care and parenting information.
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Children's Trust Working to Expand Triple P Across South Carolina
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Children's Trust hosted regional meetings seeking current practitioners and new ones that might be interested in implementing this effective parenting program.
Working with Triple P America, Children's Trust is available to discuss potential implementation supports, networking with other Triple P practitioners, and opportunities for future collaboration.
Triple P's support system is designed to help parents address behavioral and emotional issues in children and teenagers that can lead to problems in the family, school and community. As a way of creating environments that encourage children to realize their potential, Triple P offers five different levels depending on the needs of parents. The levels can include single-visit consultations, public seminars or group courses, and private sessions. They are designed to offer something for every parent.
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Two Join Children's Trust Staff
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Amber Schrenkel is the resource coordinator for the home visiting program responsible for supporting the work of the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting grantees and the Home Visiting Consortium. She earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Houghton College (N.Y.) and a master's in social work from USC.
Kortez Scott is the grants accountant responsible for reviewing all grant requirements and
budgets, tracking financial requests, and assisting grantees
through site visits. With an accounting degree from Limestone College, he began his career as a tax specialist preparing international income taxes at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
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Children's Trust News is published by Children's Trust of South Carolina.
We invite you to join with us to strengthen and support public and private prevention efforts that keep South Carolina's children safe.
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