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Building strong families, vital communities, and better futures for children.
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The Family Partnership Annual Fund Update
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<<First Name>>,
As you read this month’s e-news and learn about some of the amazing programs happening at The Family Partnership, please remember that we can’t do it alone, and we need partners like you to make these opportunities possible for our clients.
Our 2016 budget includes $1,105,494 in contributed income, and at this time we are $226,299 away from reaching that goal. We typically receive 20% of our income from individual donors like YOU in the month of December, so now is the perfect time for YOU to invest in The Family Partnership.
To ensure we end 2016 in a healthy position, ready to continue to support children and families throughout the Twin Cities, please make your tax-deductible donation before December 31. Thank YOU for being a partner in our work! |
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Thank you for your generosity. Every donation helps, and with your continued support, our vision of a Twin Cities where all children and families, regardless of income or origins, reach their full potential will become a reality.
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Property Offender Program Boasts 95% Success Rate
The Family Partnership provides a number of youth programs aimed at engaging youth ages 11-17, including the Property Offender Program. Managed by Kyanna (Wright) Ford, LSW, the program focuses on helping youth who have committed a first-time property offense such as shoplifting, theft, or vandalism. Activities focus on rebuilding trust with parents, understanding the thought process of the youth when they committed the offense, and brainstorming ways to move past the incident.
95% of the youth involved in the program last year have not had repeat offenses
One parent has this to say, “I feel that my kids were well educated on their crimes. Nothing was left undone. So now it’s up to them.”
The Only FREE Diversion Program in the Metro
While other diversion programs are available in the Twin Cities, some can cost hundreds of dollars – a significant barrier for many families. Our Property Offender Program is the only program in the Twin Cities available free of charge to participants and their families. With the addition of funding from the state, the cities of Brooklyn Park, Champlin, Osseo, and Maple Grove, along with Hennepin County, fund The Family Partnership’s Property Offender Program.
Police departments within those municipalities can refer first-time offenders ages 11-17, who have committed non-felony property offenses such as vandalism, shoplifting, and credit card or check forgery, to The Family Partnership. The program also receives referrals from Headway Emotional Health Services.
Comprehensive, High-Impact Program Gets Results
At our Better Together Luncheon this past May, Jameer, a past participant in the Property Offender Program, spoke to the audience about his involvement with the program and how it enabled him to remain on the path to high school graduation and college acceptance.
Click the image below to watch Jameer's speech.
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"I can't make a difference in the world, and in my community, if I'm behind bars."
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For more information on our Property Offender Program, contact Kyanna (Wright) Ford at 763.569.2633 or kwright@thefamilypartnership.org.
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Engaging Parents as Partners
The Family Partnership is one of only a few organizations in the state that offers comprehensive screenings (developmental, vision, hearing, and dental) with follow up unified therapeutic services provided by a team of therapists including occupational, speech, physical, play, and music therapy.
The Family Partnership is fortunate to employ onsite occupational therapy staff to support preschool and education programs. You might ask: what is the occupation of a child? Their job is to play. A child’s typical day includes lots and lots of play. This work, so to speak, is important for their fine and gross motor development, language acquisition, as well as social and emotional development. Play is the primary mode by which children learn.
It is not simply our success in getting children ready for kindergarten that makes our multicultural therapeutic preschools so successful, it is our approach to partnering with parents to help them alleviate toxic stress that may hamper their child’s healthy development.
83% of our preschool graduates scored ready for kindergarten in 2016
Our teachers work one-on-one with parents to develop therapeutic activities that engage both parents and children in constructive play and learning. These activities are adapted for individual households and build upon resources available to each family. Play-based activities are designed to guarantee a level of success for children and to encourage positive development.
Engaging children at home and outside the classroom is crucial to their ongoing healthy development which is why many parents want to extend the positive impact of their child’s learning and progress. The Family Partnership provides the tools and training to help them do just that.
We asked our team of therapists and teachers to give us their Top 5 examples of games or activities that parents can play with their children at home.
- Play catch with a balled up pair of socks to improve eye-hand coordination
- Try wheel-barrow walking, yoga poses, or animal walks to improve gross motor coordination
- Play eye-spy with objects in the house to develop language and pre-reading skills
- Play Simon Says with 2-3 movements and see if your child can copy you to improve executive functioning skills
- Make up silly stories together to improve language and ignite imagination
For more information about our Children’s First Early Learning Center and our Southeast Asian Program, contact Patti Dailey-Ruddy by phone at 612.294.2653 or by email at pdailey-ruddy@thefamilypartnership.org. For more information about our Four Directions Family Family Center, contact Diane Seurer by phone at 612.722.0766 or by email at dseurer@thefamilypartnership.org.
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We are happy to announce that due to the overwhelming generosity of people in the community (like YOU) who believe in The Family Partnership and our mission, over 450 individuals (young and old) from 100 of our families enrolled in our 2016 Holiday Sponsorship Program will not go without a little extra joy this holiday season.
Hundreds of boxes and bags (and even a few bikes) came through our doors, putting smiles on the faces of our staff, the donors, and more importantly ... the kids.
"The holidays have never really meant that much to me, but this year things are different. Seeing those gifts under the tree made me so happy, and I am so grateful for these precious gifts. This will forever change my thoughts on the holidays."
Weren't able to take part in this year's Holiday Sponsorship? Don't worry, you can still support the children and families we serve by making a tax-deductible donation. Want to make sure you don't miss out on next year's program? Click here and add your name to the 2017 mailing list. |
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Top 6 Ways to Get Involved This Holiday Season!
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 As 2016 comes to a close, we thought we'd share with your our Top 6 Ways to Get Involved. These activities are great for both young and old, and are a wonderful way to inspire your family, neighbors, friends, and coworkers to give this holiday season.
- Collect new and gently-used books for children, youth, and adults
- Make homemade play-doh
- Decorate and/or create personalized journals
- Donate mittens, hats, and socks for all ages
- Support The Family Partnership while shopping online by shopping at AmazonSmile
- Like us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and share our posts with your friends.
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