Spring Break Teen Fellowship
We are delighted to have been able to host our Spring Break Teen Fellowship week again at Families Moving Forward. Although the pandemic prevented us from being able to properly tour college campuses (area community colleges and universities) and provide job shadowing opportunities, our teens had a jammed pack week of activities and projects. The 2021 Teen Fellowship included a class from SEEDs and planting in our garden, information on education and career paths from some of our staff and other local professionals, a songwriting session with Durham’s own Rissi Palmer, a panel discussion with Black Student Movement (UNCCH) + AYA Ambassadors (NCSU), a “project board” art project and of course, food!
“My favorite part of Spring Break was just being able to spend time with the kids outside working on their creative projects. The close relationship the teens have built with each other was beautiful to witness and be around. The teens showed their leadership skills in conversations with our facilitators throughout the week, who were generous in sharing their backgrounds and answering questions about their careers. A big thank you to all our facilitators, especially the staff who kicked off the week by talking about careers in social work.” -Naomi Etsehiywot, AmeriCorps Workforce Development Associate VISTA
We are grateful for the nice weather, donations from local businesses, and the time and talent shared with our teens. Shout outs to Naomi and Olivia for planning the Teen Fellowship and Naomi and Rosalyn for their execution. Our VISTAS and interns rock!
CFC in 2021
Yes, you read that right! After months of waiting to see what the rest of the year would look like for gatherings and events, things are looking up. Thanks to the number of folks who have or are in the process of getting vaccinated, local and state authorities are beginning to discuss how and when gatherings for events like ours can take place. Although the details are still to be determined, it is at least exciting to begin to plan the resuming of our 2020 Chefs for Change Series. Please know that we will be taking precautions very seriously and will not be rushing things, and of course, will be working with local authorities to be in full compliance. Stay tuned!
JB’s 2nd Row Challenge
For the second consecutive year, FMF's Board Chair John Bowman is challenging his friends to support his efforts to raise funding for Families Moving Forward while he competes to complete a 5k on his row machine! To John's credit, he actually rowed a 10k last year and raised over $5,000. This year, he has challenged 4 of his friends to join him in this year's challenge, with a collective goal of 25k (5k per person). John's goal was to raise $1,000 last year and he raised over $5,000.
With 5 folks each rowing a 5k, he believes he can smash his $5,000 fundraising goal from last year. If you would like to support their efforts, please donate to the "2021 25K Row Challenge Fundraising Team" or if you want to support one or more individual rowers, donate specifically to their fundraising page.
Shout out to John Bowman (Team Captain), Bo Glenn, Joe Marion, Larry Tilley, and our own Ryan Fehrman for joining the team this year!
Logistics:
Five row machines will be set up in John Bowman's driveway for the 2021 25K Row Challenge, beginning on May 12th at 8:30 am. It will be live-streamed via the Families Moving Forward's Facebook page.
Every Little Bit Helps
Spring is here and with it comes signs of positive change in our communities. With vaccines going out across the country there is a sign of hope that things are beginning to go back to normal. With that hope on the horizon Families Moving Forward is looking ahead to get ready to serve families and children in need at full strength. This past year the community has responded in amazing ways to make sure our families had what they needed to be safe and stable during the pandemic, and as it begins to come to an end we know they will be there again.
In 2020 we asked those who were able to donate a portion of their stimulus payments to FMF as a way of paying it forward to those who needed it most. With another round of stimulus payments having been sent out we are again asking for those who are safe, secure, and financially stable to consider sending that payment on to help those who are the most vulnerable in our community. Our “Pay It Forward” stimulus campaign will continue to support the needs of both our shelter and aftercare families during this crisis. Whether you choose to donate some or all of your stimulus check, please know that we greatly appreciate your generosity. If you want to help us in other ways please visit our website to view what in-kind items we need, as well as our Amazon Wishlist. Many of the requested items are to encourage engagement with kids and teens in our academic programming and to provide cleaning and sanitizing essentials to each family.
We are extremely grateful for the incredible outpouring of support we have received from our community during this unprecedented and challenging year. We know we can always depend on the generosity of our neighbors to meet the needs of the families and children who need our help. Just as the quote from author Marty Rubin says, “Deep roots never doubt spring will come.” We never doubt that the community will continue to support our mission.
Have You Met Brady? Brady Kaiser Development Associate
We want to introduce the newest member of the Families Moving Forward Team, Brady Kaiser. Brady joined us two weeks ago and we are excited to have him here as our new Development Associate! In addition to being the friendly face at the front door and on the phone, he is responsible for handling all in-kind donation activities. If you wish to make an in-kind donation, have questions about what we do and do not take, or just want to chat about our services please email him at brady@fmfnc.org or call him at 919-683-5878 x29.
Brady is a native of Wisconsin who moved down to the Triangle a little over two years ago after completing a year of AmeriCorps service in upstate New York. He has a passion for nonprofit development and will be graduating from Northeastern University with a Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Management this spring. When he isn’t working Brady spends his time at home with his girlfriend Elizabeth and his two adorable cats Sonny and Nelli.
Please join us in welcoming Brady to our team and we look forward to you all meeting him!
Spring Scavenger Hunt
Saturday, April 3rd the American Tobacco Campus held a spring scavenger hunt with the proceeds going to support Families Moving Forward. Thank you to American Tobacco for supporting our mission and making a donation of $330 in addition to an in-kind donation for our families with children on-site. The event looked like a lot of fun and we are grateful to them for partnering with us to raise awareness and support for FMF.
In-Kind Needs
As we look forward to having more families on-site the needs for twin and full-size comforters, sheets, and pillows have risen. Comforters in particular are our highest priority right now for our families. If you would like to donate please remember that we cannot accept any used bedding. Visit our website or Amazon wish list to see what kinds of bedding are preferred.
Please contact Brady at brady@fmfnc.org or at 919-683-5878 x29 to arrange a drop-off time. Thank you for your support!
Crop Hunger Walk
The annual Crop Hunger Walk is just around the corner! Each year, the Crop Walk raises thousands of dollars to support hunger initiatives around the world through Church World Service. 25% of funds raised go directly to local organizations.
Families Moving Forward has been a proud recipient of some of these funds for many years. While we are not able to walk together this year due to social distancing, you can make your own pledge to walk in solidarity to fight hunger between April 10th--April 18th. Several of our staff and some of the families at FMF will be walking around the downtown loop in support of the Crop Hunger Walk.
Whether on the trail, around your neighborhood, the Duke Wall, etc., we hope you join in on the fun in your own way and also support their fundraising efforts by making a donation at crophungerwalk.org. Our Contact Information *{{Organization Name}}* *{{Organization Address}}* *{{Organization Phone}}* *{{Organization Website}}*
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