Latest news with #Children'sHomeSociety
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Children's Home Society of North Carolina's Institute for Family Honors North Carolina Professionals with Third Annual Family Champion Awards
Greensboro, NC, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Institute for Family, a Children's Home Society of North Carolina (CHS) program, is proud to host the third annual Family Champion Awards September 30, 2025, at The Duke Endowment in Charlotte, NC. This special event will honor family service professionals and advocates in an inspiring afternoon celebrating the heart of our communities. The 2025 Family Champion Awards will come to life through powerful speakers and moving narratives that spotlight the experiences and resilience of North Carolina families. This free public event will shine a light on the professionals who go above and beyond to uplift families and promote family well-being. 'The Institute is pleased to continue to have this opportunity to highlight the outstanding work being done by compassionate family advocates across the state,' said Claudia Perry, Director of the Institute for Family at CHS. 'This year we are expanding the Family Champion Awards to recognize even more family advocates. The network of helpers that support family well-being is vast! We want to acknowledge that and honor their work through our Family Champion Awards.' The Family Champion Awards recognize family service professionals and advocates from various industries throughout North Carolina. Sponsored by the Institute for Family, the awards honor professionals who actively work to build stronger, healthier communities by championing families. Nominations are now open for the 2025 Family Champion Awards and will be accepted through July 31, 2025. Nominators are encouraged to submit family service professionals and advocates who exemplify outstanding dedication and service in support of families. To learn more or to nominate a Family Champion, visit Honorees will be recognized during the luncheon event and awarded a $150 cash prize. The Institute for Family is a program of the CHS. Grounded in the CHS mission and belief in family, the Institute works to raise awareness on the broad conditions affecting families, celebrate families for their strength and resilience, and promote equitable, family-centered solutions that elevate family well-being. By leveraging our existing relationships with families and national partners, we aim to promote family as the foundation for creating safe, happy, and healthy communities. ### About Children's Home Society of North Carolina Children's Home Society offers a network of services and support throughout North Carolina to help establish and sustain healthy, loving relationships in every family. For 120 years, Children's Home Society has provided a broad spectrum of programs and services including adoption, foster care, parenting education, family preservation, and teen responsibility. Children's Home Society believes in the importance of family, not only in the life of a child but also in the foundation of a community. For more information, visit CONTACT: Molly Hayden Gold Children's Home Society of North Carolina 1.800.632.1400 mgold@ beim Abrufen der Daten Melden Sie sich an, um Ihr Portfolio aufzurufen. Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
To help students struggling with poverty, trauma, Milton school looks to community partners
W.H. Rhodes Elementary School is one step closer to becoming Santa Rosa County District Schools' first Community Partnership School. Leah Harrison, executive director of the Children's Home Society of Florida, said the organization wants to partner with the Milton school in the Panhandle region, which stretches from Escambia County to Jackson County. 'We have identified six to eight high-needs schools statewide, including Rhodes Elementary. We have met with the team there. They are incredible, and we're so excited about the potential partnership,' Harrison said. Community Partnership Schools funding for the 2025-2026 academic year was awaiting approval from the state legislature, which extended its session through early June. Schools can apply for CPS grants beginning July 14. Rhodes Elementary opportunity: Community Partnership School changed lives in Pensacola. Can it do the same in Milton? The Santa Rosa School Board has not approved the measure, but Superintendent Karen Barber said the district will apply for a CPS grant as soon as possible. 'We have been in close communication with Children's Home Society and will be prepared to apply shortly after the grant window opens in July,' she said. If Rhodes Elementary is selected a CPS, Harrison said the first year an $80,000 planning grant will be used to hire a director this fall to work with the University of West Florida on a needs assessment for the school. During the first three to five years (after the planning year), the school will receive about $270,000 in grants, annually from the state. After five years, the grants will drop to $120,000 annually. 'We count on a lift from our community partners as the state funding decreases,' Harrison said, adding the director will also establish relationships with Rhodes Elementary teachers and students during that planning year. If Rhodes Elementary becomes a CPS, it would be the fourth one in this area. Escambia County Public Schools' C.A. Weis Elementary, Bellview Middle and Pine Forest High are all Community Partnership Schools. Initiated in partnership with Children's Home Society, the University of Central Florida and community organizations to address educational and social challenges in underserved areas, the CPS model offers mentoring, after-school programs, continuing education and health services to students, their families, teachers and community residents. Community Partnership Schools also benefit from a 25-year agreement and collaboration with four core partners – the lead nonprofit agency (the Children's Home Society, which oversees 31 of the state's 44 CPS programs), a local school district, a secondary education partner (UWF), and a healthcare provider (Community Health of Northwest Florida). In April, Kacie Reaves, Rhodes Elementary principal, said the school becoming a CPS will be lifechanging for students and parents. 'Around 80% of our kids live at or below poverty level. We have a lot of kids who have been through trauma. We have a lot of foster families. We have a lot of single-parent homes,' she said. During the 2024-2025 school year, Rhodes Elementary had 740 pre-K through fifth graders, with 626 or 87.2% of those students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Barber added the Santa Rosa County school district is dedicated to prioritizing student well-being as well as academic success. 'We understand that meeting the basic needs of our students is the critical first step in fostering meaningful learning and growth,' she said. 'By addressing this, we aim to provide a supportive foundation that empowers our students and families to achieve their full potential. Our goal is to have this opportunity available in Santa Rosa County District Schools, as we know this would be a great resource for our students and families.' This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: W.H. Rhodes Elementary prospective Community Partnership School
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The different ways you can help foster children
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) —May is National Foster Care Awareness Month, which has local organizations doing what they can to stress the importance of foster parents. More than 1,200 children are in foster care in South Dakota each year. 'These are kids that are dealing with circumstances that are well beyond their control. And in order to have a healthy community, a strong community, it's important. It's critical to make sure that those kids have the same opportunities that everybody else does,' Executive Director, The Foster Network, David Moody said. Former deputy sheriff charged with rape after standoff Becoming a foster parent is one of the most obvious ways to help. Without foster families, children don't have many options. 'They can go to shelters. And so there are a few youth shelters here in the state. And so those youth are homeless. They stay in DSS offices, with caseworkers. Not always is it their own caseworker, so it could just be somebody that they don't know in a DSS office and then hotels,' Children's Home Society, Community Health Worker Team Lead, Jenica Woods said. Children's Home Society offers Therapeutic Foster Care services for foster children and their foster families. 'So we provide 24/7 support to the child and to the family. And then, we provide therapeutic services. So the therapy is in-house. That's individual and family therapy,' Woods said. If you can't become a foster family, at The Foster Network, there are also volunteer opportunities. One thing volunteers help with is 'The Closet', but there are also other ways to help out. 'So, depending on what their interest is, they can absolutely contact us, find out what meets with their schedule, with their expectations, what's meaningful to them. And we will provide those opportunities if they want to assist here,' Moody said. It's a way to help some of South Dakota's most vulnerable children by giving them the stability and safety that they need. 'Because they are just kids that are in a system no fault of their own,' Woods said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bike Night roars into Rowena
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The weather has been pretty stormy the past couple of days, but did you hear that thunder last night east of Sioux Falls? It was super loud as a storm of motorcycles rolled into a local establishment. It's where bikers and bands join together to raise a few bucks. 'This is a kickstart of another summer,' owner Mitch Runge said. Last night was the first night of Bike Night, the annual fundraiser at the Red Rock Bar & Grill. It's now in its 11th year. Judge grants Mines student injunction against DHS 'When we started it, we thought we could get 35 to 50 bikes a week to come out we've been blessed to get 350 to 500 a week to come out,' Runge said. Bike Night is a fundraiser for the Children's Home Society, a non-profit shelter for kids who have been abused. It's a cause a lot of these bikers take to heart. 'Helping kids, local kids, kids who don't have a voice or have a choice is something we've always felt strong about and try to support,' Runge said. 'It's free to attend, you don't have to buy anything, you can bring a lawn chair and hang out ; check out the band,' emcee host Frank Anderson said. As part of the fundraiser, Red Rock is also selling raffle tickets for this new Indian motorcycle to be given away later this summer. Last year Bike Night raised $40 thousand dollars for the Children's Home Society and it hopes to do the same again this year if not more. 'These events that are going on on the fringes are essential to keep our funding where it needs to be to continue to provide the services that we do for the community,' Assistant Director of Development at the Children's Home Society Andrew Hewitt said. A cause that revs up a lot of money every summer for the Children's Home Society. 'So it's a great middle-of-the-week activity that doesn't take you too far outside of Sioux Falls and you can sleep in your own bed at night,' Anderson said. To learn more about Bike Night and a look at the lineup of bands that'll be playing this summer, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal cuts hit local organizations
SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO) — Nearly $10 million in federal spending cuts are striking organizations of all sizes across South Dakota. The list of cuts includes school districts, universities and hospitals, along with dozens of agencies that offer treatment for mental health and substance use. KELOLAND News reached out to several organizations on the list of federal spending cuts, including Children's Home Society which lost $325,000. The agency, which helps vulnerable children, adults and families, says it's disheartened. Children's Home Society planned to use the funding for a new service and is now looking at other ways to continue that mission. Another organization seeing a $10,000 grant cut is Feeding South Dakota. Local reaction to all-women space flight 'The impact of losing that $10,000 grant to Feeding South Dakota means that we're unable to connect to the Nexus system, which would allow us to connect to other partners and really help us just with technology,' CEO of Feeding South Dakota Lori Dykstra said. But the nonprofit said it's even more concerned about U.S. Department of Agriculture cuts happening at the federal level. 'About 30% of the food that we received in our 2024 fiscal year was received through the USDA programs,' Vice President of Public Relations for Feeding South Dakota Stacey Andernacht said. 'We use that food in our mobile food distribution programs. We use it to serve our senior box program.' The USDA recently cut $500 million specifically intended for food banks. Feeding South Dakota said it's already been notified about discontinued funding. 'We know that that food is essential food that we get out to our neighbors in need. We'll have to take a look at that,' Dykstra said. 'That could mean up to 14% of our food is cut in the near future.' Even during an uncertain time, Feeding South Dakota said it is confident it will continue to serve South Dakotans. 'We're keeping an eye on things. We are not changing any of our programs or the way that we're serving our communities across the state at this point,' Andernacht said. 'But the process has just started.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
