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We believe in our mission of "supporting family success in every community" and hope you do too.
Please consider helping us advance our mission by making a charitable contribution to Family Continuity today.
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A very special thank you to Jen Waldron for her tireless efforts to furnish the Peabody Office. Jen's latest conquest is a beautiful conference table and credenza that she found through The Furniture Trust. It was such a great deal that Jen decided to pay the fee herself! "When I think of a conference room, I envision people coming together, as a team and unified; that is our staff," said Jen, adding, "I have donated these items as a reflection of how proud I am of the staff and all the work that they do for the families in our community."
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Greetings from the CEO:
Summer is the perfect time to focus on Family. This is the time when many families plan summer outings and vacations. School age children are out of school for summer recess. Additionally sports leagues and fun at the beach are in the forefront of our thoughts and planned activities. This is a very busy time for many of us.
Unfortunately not all families are able to send their children to camp or take them to sporting activities. Did you know that nearly 1.3 million homeless students were identified in the United States by public schools last year? (Campaign for Children)
Child health and housing security are closely intertwined, and children without homes are more likely to suffer from chronic disease, hunger, and malnutrition than are children with homes. Homeless children and youth often have significant psychosocial development issues, and their education is frequently interrupted. Given the overall effects that homelessness can have on a child's health and potential, it is important for pediatricians [and behavioral health clinicians] to recognize the factors that lead to homelessness, understand the ways that homelessness and its causes can lead to poor health outcomes, and when possible, help children and families mitigate some of the effects of homelessness. Through practice change, partnerships with [behavioral health clinicians and] community resources, awareness, and advocacy, pediatricians can help optimize the health and well-being of children affected by homelessness. (Journal of the Academy of Pediatrics: May 2013)
Addressing these issues is an aspect of the work we do at Family Continuity with children and families. We have an excellent, dedicated Board of Directors and Staff that are focused on this issue among many others. I am extremely proud of this organization and the talented individuals that do this work tirelessly every day!
I wish you all an enjoyable summer and hope that you will find quality time to spend with your family if possible. After all, there truly is nothing more important than family and/or your family of friends!
Best Wishes,
CEO
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Family Corner. . .
Family Continuity - Peabody
has been busy distributing much needed donations provided by Cradles to Crayons.
Cradles to Crayons is an organization that is located in Brighton that collects new and close to new children's items (clothes, shoes, books, toys, etc.). They are partnered with various nonprofits (like us) in order to serve children in need in the area.
Cradles to Crayons' recent donation has helped approximately 25 families within the communities we serve.
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Family Resource Center of Cape Cod -
Serving Communities
The Cape Cod Family Resource Center team was happy to support Cape Abilities at their annual Harbor Walk Fun Run on May 9th - at Aselton Park, Hyannis, MA.
The Cape Cod Family Resource Center team was happy to support Cape Abilities at their annual Harbor Walk Fun Run on May 9th - at Aselton Park, Hyannis, MA.
For more information regarding the Family Resource Centers of Cape Cod and Nantucket Click here
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The North Shore Postpartum Depression Task Force
Jenn Orlando - Site Director at Family Continuity's Peabody has been asked to join The North Shore Postpartum Depression Task Force.
The Task Force was convened in 2007 by Ipswich's Birth to Three Family Center, which is operated under the auspices of the Ipswich Public schools and is a Coordinated Family and Community Engagement grantee funded by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education & Care.
In 2013, The Greater Lynn Postpartum Depression Task Force was developed as a subgroup in order to help support the needs that exist within the North Shore.
The Task Force has been inspired by the following strategies (which were originally outlined by policy analyst Ngozi Onunaku's document titled: Improving Maternal and Infant Mental Health - Focus on Maternal Depression:
- Increase maternal depression awareness to providers in the health care community, early care and education, and family support.
- Perform outreach and education to expectant and new mothers to address the stigma and patient barriers associated with maternal depression.
- Assure early identification of maternal depression in health care settings by addressing barriers to recognition, screening, assessment, and referral.
- Encourage investment in evidence-based interventions that improve mother-child relationships.
- Build a comprehensive network of community perinatal service providers to strengthen mental health in the pregnant and postpartum family.
Thank you Jenn for participating in this very worthwhile cause and fostering the Family Continuity's mission of "supporting family success in every community".
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Family Continuity is a great
place to work.
We might just be the perfect
fit for you.
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July - National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
To honor a life-long advocate for mental health, Congress designated July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in 2008. Before her untimely death in 2006, Campbell was an author and co-founder of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Urban Los Angeles. The goal of National Minority Mental Health Month is to increase awareness of mental illness, prevention, treatment, and research in diverse communities.
According to the Office of Minority Health:
- The death rate from suicide for African American men was almost six times that for African American women, in 2008.
- African Americans are 20% more likely to report having serious psychological distress than Non-Hispanic Whites.
- Older Asian American women have the highest suicide rate of all women over age 65 in the United States
- Suicide attempts for Hispanic girls, grades 9-12, were 70% higher than for White girls in the same age group, in 2011
- While the overall death rate from suicide for American Indian/Alaska Natives is comparable to the White population, adolescent American Indian/Alaska Natives have death rates at twice the rate for Whites in the same age groups
- National Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander mental health data is limited at this time. Data will be published as it is released in reports published by the CDC.
National Mental Health Crisis Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK
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August is Family Fun Month!
What better way to celebrate the end of summer with the ones that you love most than by observing Family Fun month? For many across the country, the month of August marks the start of this exciting time of year, which makes it the perfect time to encourage parent like you to find fun and unique activities to help work in some extra time with your family.
Whether you're hanging out with your kids or getting in some time with the siblings or parents that you might not see too often, don't be afraid to get creative and change up your regular routine with a few exciting activities! Here are a few of our favorite family friendly options that are perfect for creating some amazing end of summer memories this month -
- A picnic in the park or beach
- Visit your local fire house
- Attend a local minor-league sporting event
- Introduce the kids to new cuisine
- Do a family volunteer day and let your child pick the cause
- Family Treasure Hunt On your own, plant little dime-store jewels and treasures in the garden. Then draw up a map with directions
- Teach the children how to cook - Kids especially love making pie crusts, biscuits, and pizza, because they can squish the dough with their fingers. Watching yeasty dough rise and then punching it down is especially entertaining.
- Daughter dress-up day
- Play kid-friendly card games - Play different card games based on the age of your children Go Fish, Spoons, Old Maid, Concentration and Snap are the favorites for children
- Watch kid-friendly classic movies. For 100 kid-friendly classic movies, click here.
- Family Car Wash in the driveway
- Go for a family bike ride
- Teach your children to fish
- Backyard Obstacle Courses
- Hold a Children's Craft Day
- Family Game Night - Guess Who, Candyland, Monopoly, MouseTrap and Operation
- Many factories offer tours so kids can see their favorite products created from start to finish. Get info on visiting more than 500 factories across the nation from factorytoursusa.com.
- Visit your local community park. Community parks offer an endless array of free and low-cost day camps and activities, including swimming, improv, arts and crafts, click here for arts and craft ideas music, archery, tennis lessons - even nature and farm programs. Kids ages 5 and up can also participate in team sports leagues. For dozens of programs, call your city parks department or check out the National Recreation and Park Association Website, nrpa.org.
- Attend story time at the local library. Barnes & Noble, Borders, and most independent book shops, as well as libraries, host story hours for kids. Find schedules and other information at bn.com, borders.com, or by phoning your local library or bookstore.
- Visit a museum on a budget Some 120 museums across the country will admit you and your kids for free the first full weekend of every month. Many museums, big and small, offer free (or heavily discounted) admission for families one day a week. Put in a call to your local museum to inquire about dates and fees.
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