NEWS RELEASE

June 24, 2021
For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen
Kijana Public Relations Counsel
[email protected]
561-632-6747 

Cross-Cultural Art Collaboration Between Local and Kenyan Artists

Local graphic artist/illustrator Claire Salmon has put her beauty mark on a school across the globe through a cross-cultural collaboration with painter Jesse Otukho from Western Kenya. 

Commissioned by visionary Jim Cummings, co-founder and president of Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative, Salmon has researched and designed more than 20 murals that have been painted by Otukho into large masterpieces on the walls throughout the newly built Kijana Global Innovation School (KGIS) which currently serves students pre-primary through sixth grade. These “talking walls” depict Kenyan wildlife, the oceans, the rainforest, national parks of Africa, birds of Africa, Earth, and biomes. They cover a range of educational themes from the basics of the color spectrum and identification of animals and plants to conservation, geography, and climate change.  

The final product of each mural is cultivated through the exchange of ideas spanning the U.S. and multiple continents–fulfilling Kijana’s mission to promote and cultivate youth empowerment through educational development and cross-cultural dialogue. The mural development process starts with Cummings envisioning the idea and identifying the location for the artwork. He brainstorms with historians, scientists, and educators, and then shares his vision with Salmon. Salmon collects resource images to ensure that these educational pieces are as accurate as possible. After she constructs the composition to match the dimension of the wall to be covered, she draws the sketch on her tablet and then passes the illustration to Otukho who paints the final masterpiece. 

Art is essential to the Kijana Global Innovation School curriculum. Numerous studies show that students who are involved in the arts, visual and dramatic, perform better academically.  

“When Jim had the idea to make the arts such a central part of the school, all those empty walls became perfect canvases,” stated Salmon.

Cummings, a teacher and educational non-profit leader for close to 30 years in schools throughout the U.S. and in Kenya, believes in a holistic vision: “Traditional curriculums are not that valuable if they don’t encourage us to make life more creative and lively. School is not about preparing for a job. It is about preparation for life. Those who have the best skills in creativity often make the most productive and successful people economically.” 

The murals are permanent and will now be seen day after day, week after week, and year after year. The KGIS teachers are using the artwork to connect concepts that are being taught in class. Additionally, they educate visitors and “will inspire other schools to commission artists to do similar things,” hopes Cummings. 

In addition to art being central to the students’ education, Cummings also values aesthetics. “I think schools should be beautiful places. We should aim to make our schools as beautiful as our churches. If students are seeing educational concepts designed in attractive ways, it opens their minds to new things in settings outside the classroom.” 

Although Salmon has yet to see the final product of her and Otukho’s cross-cultural and cross-continental collaboration, she will visit Kenya this July to see firsthand the impact she’s having in Kenya. “It couldn’t be more inspiring or humbling to have my art up at Kijana, to see the kids smiling, and to be working with Jesse. I cannot name a more fulfilling moment in my career as an artist.”

About Claire Salmon
Born and raised in The Acreage, Salmon attended the Dreyfoos School of the Arts before graduating from Florida State University’s film school for screenwriting. She is president of the local nonprofit BAM Festival Inc., a convention for books, art, and music for children and teens to promote literacy.

About Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative
Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that promotes and cultivates youth empowerment through educational development, cross-cultural dialogue, and sustainable and environmentally friendly economic growth, among under-served Kenyan school communities and American school communities. Kijana has served a pivotal role in transforming education in Western Kenya. With hundreds of thousands of dollars of investments, Kijana altered the educational trajectory and raised expectations of citizens by investing in over 30 schools countrywide. Kijana is currently in the process of building a modern pre-k through 12th-grade independent school, Kijana Global Innovation School (KGIS), to serve primarily average-income and highly-talented Kenyan youth and infuse new options in our global educational capacity. KGIS opened its doors in January 2020 with 15 students and one block of administrative offices and classrooms for pre-k through second grades. Today, enrollment is around 84 students and climbing, serving pre-k through sixth-grade classes. KGIS will graduate its first high school class in 2026. For more information or to provide financial support, visit: kijana.org.

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NEWS RELEASE

June 23, 2021
For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen
Center for Child Counseling Public Relations Counsel
[email protected]
561-632-6747 

Youth mental health, an echo pandemic, escalates demand for supportive adults

Online training and public health campaign gives adult caregivers a new way to simply ‘be’ around children and build a trauma-informed community

While COVID-19 physically impacts some, it has impacted mental health on a much broader scale. A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study reported a 31% increase in the proportion of mental health–related emergency department visits for youth aged 12–17 years during 2020 as compared to 2019. 

Stress-induced cognitive and physical impairments and toxic stress related to the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic has been prolonged and exaggerated. Another recent survey found that 64% of teens believe “the experience of COVID-19 will have a lasting impact on their generation’s mental health,” and 6 in 10 teens say their sources of support are harder to reach than normal.

Youth mental health issues have caused an echo pandemic of increased incidences of depression, anxiety, and suicide, escalating the demand for both therapists and other supportive adults who are mentally healthy themselves.

The science of early adversity proves that in the absence of protective relationships, toxic stress in childhood can change the architecture of the developing brain. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) impact everything–classroom behaviors, learning and comprehension, the ability to self-regulate–and can dramatically heighten the risk for future mental and physical health concerns. 

Center for Child Counseling (CFCC) recently launched “A Way of Being with Children: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Building Resilience.” This online training for parents, teachers, childcare workers, or anyone who regularly interacts with children and families, along with a public health campaign, aim to build a more trauma-informed community so that children can grow up with adults who understand the impact of trauma and adversity and do not risk re-traumatizing children through their words or actions.

Being trauma-informed involves understanding, sensitivity, and a deep knowledge of how trauma can affect a child’s growing brain and potentially result in lifelong physical and mental health implications.

The 5.5 hour online course, accompanied by a spiral-bound manual with over 80 pages of practical advice and technique-building exercises, introduces a new way for adults to simply “be” around children–a better way that can help bring families closer together and make the time spent with children happier and more fulfilling. Based on decades of research into childhood brain development and the expertise of countless childcare workers and professional therapists, “A Way of Being” aims to create family and school relationships where children feel accepted and parents and teachers feel empowered. 

Center for Child Counseling was founded in 1999 with the vision that every child will grow up feeling safe and nurtured in communities where they can thrive. CFFC’s work started in Palm Beach County, Florida, childcare centers, providing therapeutic support for young children experiencing adversity and trauma, while equipping their caregivers with effective practices for building social-emotional well-being and resilience. 

The Center’s work has expanded beyond childcare centers to now working with children birth to age 18 in schools, the community, and the child welfare system. A primary goal is to help providers, educators, caregivers, and child-serving systems to shift their everyday ‘way of being’ with children, families, and communities who have experienced adversity and trauma from a “What’s wrong with you?” to a “What happened to you?” approach. Using a prevention and healing-centered lens, CFCC focuses on changing the systems and practices that keep adversity and trauma firmly in place. 

For over two decades, CFCC has worked in partnership with families and communities, interacting with children in their most natural state of being: when they are at play. “A Way of Being” was developed based on this work and research over the last twenty years–grounded in science, guided by the voices of the families helped, and founded on best-practice principles using a trauma-informed, racial-equity lens. 

In conjunction with the online training, the Center has also launched a public health campaign on social media–including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube–promoting this new way of being. The campaign aims to build awareness and education of the positive ways that adults can interact with the children in their lives to build lifelong resilience. 

“The goal is for all community members to understand and own the idea that we each have a stake and role in child and family wellbeing. The need for adults to provide positive mental health support has significantly increased during COVID-19. Children have tremendous potential–which our society needs–and which we have a shared obligation to foster and protect,” said Reneé Layman, chief executive officer of Center for Child Counseling. 

“A Way of Being with Children” online training and public health campaign has been made possible through the partnership and support of  Florida Blue Foundation, Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County, and Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County. Grants from these funding partners make the training (live and online) available to childcare centers and public schools in Palm Beach County at no cost.

For more information on “A Way of Being” or to register for the online training or purchase the manual, visit: centerforchildcounseling.org/awayofbeing. For more information on training options for childcare centers, schools, or organizations, contact: [email protected].

About Center for Child Counseling
Since 1999, Center for Child Counseling has been building the foundation for playful, healthful, and hopeful living for children and families. Its services focus on preventing and healing the effects of adverse experiences and toxic stress on children, promoting resiliency and healthy family, school, and community relationships. 

Twitter: @ChildCounselPBC Facebook: @CenterforChildCounseling Instagram: @childcounselpbc

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Departure Day: The Lord’s Place prepares to fly to new heights and return ‘home for good’
Community will bid farewell to current campus in preparation for building three times the size

WHAT:

Departure Day–The Lord’s Place staff, volunteers, community leaders, supporters, and friends will gather on Thursday, July 8, 2021, at 2808 North Australian Avenue to say goodbye to the current campus and prepare to reach new heights, building a 25,000-square-foot client service center. 

VISUALS:

Attendees, clad in hard hats and The Lord’s Place t-shirts, swinging the first hammers to demolish the structure, spray painting decorative messages of hope, encouragement, and future dreams on the walls. Final renderings of the new building will be revealed–enlarged and on display. Executive leadership team and board members will be available for interviews.

WHY:
Hidden in the shadows of Palm Beach County’s paradise is the reality that on any given night there are an estimated 3,000 men, women, and children who do not have a safe place to call home. For more than 40 years, The Lord’s Place has been finding solutions for the most vulnerable members of our community. 

HOW:
In a bold effort to fulfill its mission and break the cycle of homelesses for an increased number of individuals, the agency launched a $15 million campaign, Home for Good, in 2019.

The multifaceted campaign is allowing The Lord’s Place to expand services, increase housing, and sustain funding to ensure more individuals and families get Home for Good. The expansion includes the construction of a campus almost three times the size of the current structure. The Lord’s Place is committed to increasing its supportive housing inventory so that more people will have a place to call home. A sustainability fund will provide necessary resources for the agency’s future. Surpassing the original fundraising goal, $18.75 million has been raised. 

The new two-story building, designed by birse/thomas architects and brought to life by AMC Construction, will remain in the same location on Australian Avenue in the heart of West Palm Beach, FL. The “right sizing” of the main campus will bring the plethora of services for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness under one roof–providing training and support services for the nearly 1,700 clients a year experiencing homelessness. Mindful of the changes in the work environment of our post-pandemic world, the space will provide flexible, multi-use offices that create multiple in-person and virtual interactions.

WHEN:
Departure Day on July 8, 2021, from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM is a celebration of the exit from the current building and relocation of staff to begin demolition. Physical demolition will take place later in July, and construction is targeted for completion in early 2023. During construction, staff and programs from the main campus will be relocated to nearby and neighboring facilities. Click here for the full relocation plan. 

Departure Day is open to The Lord’s Place staff, volunteers, community leaders, supporters, and friends. RSVP: [email protected] with name of attendees and shirt sizes.

WHERE:
2808 North Australian Avenue
West Palm Beach, FL 33407

MEDIA CONTACT:                 

Cara Scarola Hansen
[email protected]
The Lord’s Place Public Relations Counsel
(561) 632-6747

About The Lord’s Place
For more than 40 years, The Lord’s Place has been working to break the cycle of homelessness for men, women, and children in Palm Beach County, FL, through innovative, compassionate and effective services. It provides supportive and graduate housing at ten locations; operates social enterprises including three Joshua Thrift Stores, Joshua Catering, and Joshua Treasures; provides job training and placement services, clinical and care coordination, and community engagement services; and has a highly-successful reentry program helping men and women transitioning from incarceration. For more information visit thelordsplace.org.

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NEWS RELEASE

June 2, 2021
For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen
The Lord’s Place Public Relations Counsel
[email protected]
561-632-6747 

Formerly homeless students stay in school and dream big as they graduate high school

The Lord’s Place Youth Services help students defy obstacles created by the pandemic 

A recent study by Bellwether Education Partners warned that three million children in the United States may have missed all formal education, remote or in-person, for a year. This is roughly equal to the entire school-aged population in the state of Florida. The National Education Association reported that a survey by SchoolHouse Connection and Poverty Solutions indicates roughly 423,000 homeless students have slipped through the cracks and are not receiving the support and services they need. The Lord’s Place Family Campus Youth Services Department is assisting marginalized teens in Palm Beach County defy the odds of being part of these statistics.

Fred Weitz, youth education coordinator, and Emily Sardinha, youth education advocate, are always busy planning for The Lord’s Place youth based on their social, academic, and emotional needs. They cater to the needs of the ” whole child.” The results of their planning  helps  the youth who have experienced homelessness and suffered the impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic  build dreams beyond their imagination for the future. This encompasses career planning as well as college planning for the teens. They believe in dreaming big and instilling that mentality in their youth. They say that “if you can see it in your mind, you can achieve it.”  

The Lord’s Place Family Campus Youth Services Department had four successful high school graduates in 2020 who all went on to higher education with those dreams in mind. This year in 2021, the Youth Services Department will have three more high school graduates who will successfully matriculate. 

The Lord’s Place Youth Services team knows that the youths’ present situation does not define their future story.

“Many of our teens who have been homeless, unfortunately only see what is right in front of them and are in survival mode. One of the roles of the youth services team is to remove all obstacles. We tell our teens to try and put aside their current situation and dream about what they want their life to look like in five years from now if there was nothing holding them back,” stated Weitz.

Matthew, a senior at  Inlet Grove High School, is a resident at The Lord’s Place Family Campus who  participated in its youth services programs and hasn’t let his past hold him back. Matthew does virtual school. He finishes classes this Thursday, June 4 and graduates Thursday, June 17. Matthew will attend Palm Beach State College for Marine Service Technology.

“It feels great to graduate high school. I am the first of my family,” stated Matthew. 

When asked about his future, Matthew answered, “My big dream is to help other kids in need and open my own shop. Ten years from now, I see myself in a big house with my family, my mom, and niece and nephew. I also see myself with a good job and driving a sports car.”  

About The Lord’s Place Family Campus & Youth Services:

The Lord’s Place Housing Programs provide shelter for homeless men, women and children and help residents identify the issues that led to their homelessness. The Lord’s Place gives their residents the tools they need to stabilize their lives, while providing safe homes so they can thrive. The Family Campus provides housing for 37 families and on average has 60-80 children living on the campus.

The Campus improves each family’s ability to thrive by helping them develop skills and resources to achieve and sustain independence. The Campus also includes an innovative Youth Services program for the many children who call the campus home. The program is designed to ensure that each child has the same access to opportunities that promote learning and growth as other children. These include after school activities, tutoring, field trips, educational outings, youth council participation, and exploring various interests and hobbies such as sports, art and music.

About The Lord’s Place
For more than 40 years, The Lord’s Place has been working to break the cycle of homelessness for men, women, and children in Palm Beach County, FL, through innovative, compassionate and effective services. It provides supportive and graduate housing at ten locations; operates social enterprises including three Joshua Thrift Stores, Joshua Catering, and Joshua Treasures; provides job training and placement services, clinical and care coordination, and community engagement services; and has a highly-successful reentry program helping men and women transitioning from incarceration. For more information visit thelordsplace.org or call 561-494-0125.

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NEWS RELEASE

June 1, 2021
For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen
The Lord’s Place Public Relations Counsel
[email protected]
561-632-6747 

Kerry Diaz appointed as chief operating officer for The Lord’s Place

The Lord’s Place announces the appointment of Kerry Rodriguez Diaz, J.D. as chief operating officer. Diaz joined The Lord’s Place as the interim COO in March 2021 and accepted the permanent role in May.

As COO, Diaz is responsible for overseeing the agency’s operations, which includes its Information Technology, Property Management, and Housing Acquisition/Expansion components. She has strong knowledge of the many dimensions of nonprofit management, including programming, finance, advancement, research and evaluation, legal compliance, human resources, and administration. 

“Her methodical, strategic, and analytic approach to operations and strategy, coupled with compassion, make Kerry a perfect fit for our culture. She is a thought leader who fully embraces our mission. We are blessed to have Kerry at the helm of spearheading the construction of our new headquarters and housing facilities which will be instrumental in serving more people experiencing homelessness,” stated Diana Stanley, chief executive officer of The Lord’s Place. 

Diaz said she accepted the permanent role because of “the team and the transformations they are able to make in real people’s lives. I do not go a day without being in awe of the work that happens at the street level to nurture people in need and meet them where they are with kindness and compassion.”

Diaz joins the executive leadership team with extensive experience administering and leading major nonprofit organizations. She is the immediate past president of Quantum Foundation, where she also led the grants committee and served on its board of directors. Previously, she served as the executive director of the OMEGA, director of the California Center for Assisted Living, director of policy for the California Association for Health Services at Home, regional director of the National Environmental Advisory Task Force, and as a Legislative analyst for the Juvenile Justice Committee for the Florida House of Representatives and a congressional campaign field director.

Prior to becoming a member of The Lord’s Place’s workforce, Diaz owned and managed a women’s apparel and accessories boutique. She graduated with a B.A. in English from Villanova University and earned her law degree at Florida State University College of Law. Diaz has been admitted to the Bar in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida. She has served on numerous local boards, including the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, Community Alliance, and the Health Funders Group of Florida Philanthropic Network.

When not working to change the lives of the homeless and most vulnerable and neglected in Palm Beach County, Diaz can be found shuttling carpools, cheering on the sidelines at her sons’ lacrosse games, or doing other philanthropic work. She is a former foster parent and currently lives in northern Palm Beach County, Florida with her husband and three sons—one college-bound, one in high school, and one in elementary school.

“I cry at least once a week – sometimes with sorrow at the difficult lives people live, and sometimes with joy at the steps people make to become stably housed. It is a bonus that my three sons get a ringside seat to their mother working on an issue that matters and modeling service to others,” reflects Diaz on her work with The Lord’s Place.

About The Lord’s Place

For more than 40 years, The Lord’s Place has been working to break the cycle of homelessness for men, women, and children in Palm Beach County, FL, through innovative, compassionate and effective services. It provides supportive and graduate housing at ten locations; operates social enterprises including three Joshua Thrift Stores, Joshua Catering, and Joshua Treasures; provides job training and placement services, clinical and care coordination, and community engagement services; and has a highly-successful reentry program helping men and women transitioning from incarceration. For more information visit thelordsplace.org or call 561-494-0125.

Photo ID:

Kerry Diaz, newly appointed chief operating officer for The Lord’s Place.

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NEWS RELEASE

May 26, 2021
For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen
Center for Child Counseling Public Relations Counsel
[email protected]
561-632-6747 

Center for Child Counseling launches online training and public health campaign to transform adult caregivers 

A new way to simply ‘be’ around children and build a trauma-informed community

Center for Child Counseling recently launched “A Way of Being with Children: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Building Resilience.” This online training for parents, teachers, childcare workers, or anyone who regularly interacts with children and families, along with a public health campaign, aim to build a more trauma-informed community so that children can grow up with adults who understand the impact of trauma and adversity and do not risk re-traumatizing children through their words or actions.

Being trauma-informed involves understanding, sensitivity, and a deep knowledge of how trauma can affect a child’s growing brain and potentially result in lifelong physical and mental health implications.

The 5.5 hour online course, accompanied by a spiral-bound manual with over 80 pages of practical advice and technique-building exercises, introduces a new way for adults to simply “be” around children–a better way that can help bring families closer together and make the time spent with children happier and more fulfilling. Based on decades of research into childhood brain development and the expertise of countless childcare workers and professional therapists, “A Way of Being” aims to create family and school relationships where children feel accepted and parents and teachers feel empowered. 

Center for Child Counseling was founded in 1999 with the vision that every child will grow up feeling safe and nurtured in communities where they can thrive. CFFC’s work started in Palm Beach County childcare centers, providing therapeutic support for young children experiencing adversity and trauma, while equipping their caregivers with effective practices for building social-emotional well-being and resilience. 

The Center’s work has expanded beyond childcare centers to now working with children birth to age 18 in schools, the community, and the child welfare system. A primary goal is to help providers, educators, caregivers, and child-serving systems to shift their ‘way of being’ with children, families, and communities who have experienced adversity and trauma from a “What’s wrong with you?” to a “What happened to you?” approach. Using a prevention and healing-centered lens, CFCC focuses on changing the systems and practices that keep adversity and trauma firmly in place. 

The science of early adversity proves that in the absence of protective relationships, toxic stress in childhood can change the architecture of the developing brain. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) impact everything–classroom behaviors, learning and comprehension, the ability to self-regulate–and can dramatically heighten the risk for future mental and physical health concerns. 

For over two decades, CFCC has worked in partnership with families and communities, interacting with children in their most natural state of being: when they are at play. “A Way of Being” was developed based on this work and research over the last twenty years–grounded in science, guided by the voices of the families helped, and founded on best-practice principles using a trauma-informed, racial-equity lens. 

“A Way of Being” represents a shift in working with children and each other. It provides the foundation for shifting everyday practice to support children’s social-emotional well-being to build lifelong resilience. 

In conjunction with the online training, the Center has also launched a public health campaign on social media–including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube–promoting this new way of being. The campaign aims to build awareness and education of the positive ways that adults can interact with the children in their lives. 

“The goal is for all community members to understand and own the idea that we each have a stake and role in child and family wellbeing. Children have tremendous potential–which our society needs–and which we have a shared obligation to foster and protect,” said Reneé Layman, chief executive officer of Center for Child Counseling. 

“A Way of Being with Children” online training and public health campaign has been made possible through the partnership and support of  Florida Blue Foundation, Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County, and Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County.

For more information on “A Way of Being” or to register for the online training or purchase the manual, visit: centerforchildcounseling.org/awayofbeing. For more information on training options for childcare centers, schools, or organizations, contact: [email protected].

Since 1999, Center for Child Counseling has been building the foundation for playful, healthful, and hopeful living for children and families in Palm Beach County. Its services focus on preventing and healing the effects of adverse experiences and toxic stress on children, promoting resiliency and healthy family, school, and community relationships.

PHOTO ID:

Sample of public health approach awareness campaign being used on social media.

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NEWS RELEASE

May 26, 2021
For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen
The Lord’s Place Public Relations Counsel
[email protected]
561-632-6747

A decade of four stars: The Lord’s Place earns top three percent national rating from Charity Navigator

Top ratings help build longtime community support

The Lord’s Place’s strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it a four-star rating for the 10th consecutive year from Charity Navigator and as a result has garnered long-term and increased community support.

“This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator sets The Lord’s Place apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public,” according to Michael Thatcher, president and CEO of Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. “Only three percent of the charities we evaluate have received at least 10 consecutive four-star evaluations, indicating that The Lord’s Place outperforms most other charities in America.” 

Ted Deckert, a local attorney and board member of The Lord’s Place, has devoted his time, talents, and treasures to The Lord’s Place for more than half of his life. Deckert learned about The Lord’s Place in 1983 when founder Brother Joe Ranieri slept in a dumpster for 30 days to shed light on the plight of homelessness and raise funds for a shelter. Moved by Ranieri’s story and mission, Deckert has been actively involved as a volunteer and supporter, including service on the board of directors since its inception.

Deckert reflects, “For our humble ‘community based’ organization to be among the top three  percent to receive this designation is a credit to the dedication of our board and leadership team. This recognition continues to be a key component in our efforts to raise the funds we need to continue this important work. It is a significant resource for assuring our financial supporters that their donations will be utilized responsibly to fulfill our mission.”

Charity Navigator, using objective analysis, awards only the most fiscally responsible organizations a four-star rating. This highest possible rating indicates The Lord’s Place adheres to sector best practices and executes its mission in a financially efficient way. The Lord’s Place is part of a preeminent group of charities working to overcome the world’s most pressing challenges.

“It’s important that our donors trust that we’re using their donations wisely to transform lives by providing solutions that break the cycle of homelessness for the most vulnerable and neglected in Palm Beach County,“ said Diana Stanely, chief executive officer of The Lord’s Place. “Our four-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates that donations are going to a financially responsible and ethical charity when supporters decide to give to our mission to end local homelessness for good.”

The Lord’s Place’s rating and other information about charitable giving are available on www.charitynavigator.org.

About The Lord’s Place

For more than 40 years, The Lord’s Place has been working to break the cycle of homelessness for men, women, and children in Palm Beach County, FL, through innovative, compassionate and effective services. It provides supportive and graduate housing at ten locations; operates social enterprises including three Joshua Thrift Stores, Joshua Catering, and Joshua Treasures; provides job training and placement services, clinical and care coordination, and community engagement services; and has a highly-successful reentry program helping men and women transitioning from incarceration. For more information visit thelordsplace.org or call 561-494-0125.

Photo ID

Ted Deckert, longtime volunteer and supporter of The Lord’s Place, serves food to the homeless at Cafe Joshua. 

Photo credit: David Scarola Photography

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NEWS RELEASE

May 17, 2021
For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen
[email protected]
561-632-6747 

Middleton High Student Raises over $13,000 for a School Bus in Rural Kenya: Part of Youth Empowerment Initiative

Tesia Shibilski, a sophomore at Middleton High School, recently raised $13,865 to help purchase a school bus for Kijana Global Innovation School, a primary school in Western Kenya. 

Tesia has always had a passion for volunteering and helping others, rooted in attending Bonobo and Congo Biodiversity Initiative Program (BCBI) meetings with her grandfather and mother since in utero and joining her father in volunteering every year at a prom for teens with disabilities or special needs. While an attendee at the BCBI meetings, Tesia learned both the importance of protecting apes and the personal stories of what was needed to provide education and building supplies to the local villagers in the Congo. Tesia’s interest in helping youth in Kenya piqued when she saw something in the mail from her mother’s high school social studies teacher, Jim Cummings, who attended UW-Madison, taught at The Prairie School in Racine, WI, and founded Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative–a non-profit organization that had recently started building a school in Western Kenya and needed a bus for transporting students in the three surrounding counties. 

“When I read some information about the school and saw pictures of the students, my Mom told me more about Kijana, and I wanted to be a part of it. I like the idea of students helping fellow students, because we have the process of learning in common no matter how different our experiences might be,” Tesia said in response to what is motivating her to help Kenyan youth.

Tesia began meeting virtually with Cummings, Founder and Executive Director of Kijana, in the winter of 2020. Cummings spoke with Tesia about several things the school needed. A few months later, they started the Kijana Mary Fields Bus Campaign. 

“A new bus seemed like a reachable goal, and something I knew my friends and peers would be excited to support. Knowing that we all, as students, can relate to the experience of riding a bus,” she stated.

Tesia decided to start with a goal of raising $10,000. She knew it was a high goal and would take work but she also knew she could do it. The contributions were slow to start. Using social media and sending personal emails and texts to family and friends with asks to share “got us over the slow start and pretty quickly we had reached our goal.”  

Tesia leveraged social media to get as many fellow students as possible to donate small amounts, hoping that all together they could make the goal. Not only did she ask friends from her own school, but she also recruited one of her best friends who moved to Michigan two years ago and another close friend who attends another school to help with the social media campaign.

“I figured by tapping into different areas and different schools, we would get to as many students as possible. I started an Instagram page for Kijana and started creating content and sharing links to the fundraising site Mr. Cummings had arranged.”   

Eventually, more and more students began following the page, asking questions, and donating.

“We ended up exceeding our goal, and I’m excited to see what we can do in our next campaign for Kijana.” 

There is still work to be done. Kijana has set a goal to raise $450,000 in 2021, and they are about one-third of the way there. They are preparing to launch a campaign to raise money to build a library/media center in addition to their need for more classrooms, technological resources, books, a dining area, increased staff, sports fields, and a playground. Tesia is currently working with Jim Cummings and other high school youth across the country in developing a national Kijana youth leadership team that will work with high schools throughout the U.S. to develop cross-cultural dialogue and financial support to under-served Kenyan school communities.

In addition to volunteering with Kijana, Tesia is a member of the National Honor Society, Global Outreach Club, Club Connect, and Link Crew at Middleton High School.

Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that promotes and cultivates youth empowerment through educational development, cross-cultural dialogue, and sustainable and environmentally friendly economic growth, among under-served Kenyan school communities and American school communities. Kijana has served a pivotal role in transforming education in Western Kenya. With hundreds of thousands of dollars of investments, Kijana altered the educational trajectory and raised expectations of citizens by investing in over 30 schools countrywide. Kijana is currently in the process of building a modern pre-k through 12th-grade independent school, Kijana Global Innovation School (KGIS), to serve primarily average-income and highly-talented Kenyan youth and infuse new options in our global educational capacity. KGIS opened its doors in January 2020 with 15 students and one block of administrative offices and classrooms for pre-k through second grades. Today, enrollment is around 84 students and climbing, serving pre-k through sixth-grade classes. KGIS will graduate its first high school class in 2026. For more information or to provide financial support, visit: kijana.org.

PHOTO ID: 

001: Sophomore Tesia Shibilski stands in front of Middleton High School.

More photos and IDs available upon request.

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For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen
[email protected]
561-632-6747 

Addressing Children’s Mental Health by Leading the Fight Against ACEs  and Building Resilience

In recognition of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, Center for Child Counseling (CFCC) is raising awareness of infant and early childhood mental health in an effort to lead the fight against adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Children are not born with resilience. It is produced through the interaction of biological systems and protective factors in the social environment.The active ingredients in building resilience are supportive relationships with parents, teachers, caregivers, and other adults in the community.

CFCC’s Childcare and Community Social-Emotional Wellness (CCSEW) Program focuses on prevention, early intervention, and treatment for young children. Developing the capacity of adults through workshops and consultation in our community to meet the social-emotional needs of young children is an essential part of this program. CFCC’s team of CCSEW therapists are co-located in 30 childcare centers, elementary schools, and shelters throughout Palm Beach County.

CFCC focuses on the youngest children because research shows that this period of life  (prenatal to age 6) provides the foundation for health and learning throughout the lifespan. 

Through CCSEW, an array of interventions are provided–individual and family therapy, parent and teacher workshops, and mental health consultation. Services are co-located, with our therapists and interns working as a part of the fabric of the school and community to meet the therapeutic needs of children and their families.

Current partners include: YWCA Child Development Center, Opportunity Early Learning Center, Florence Fuller Child Development Centers, Achievement Centers for Children and Families, Lutheran Services Palm Beach County, Urban Youth Impact, the School District of Palm Beach County and AVDA.

CCSEW has won two prestigious awards, including the Blue Foundation’s Sapphire Award and the National Easter Seals Award of Excellence for programming in early childhood mental health. 

Since 1999, Center for Child Counseling has been building the foundation for playful, healthful, and hopeful living for children and families in Palm Beach County. Its services focus on preventing and healing the effects of adverse experiences and toxic stress on children, promoting resiliency and healthy family, school, and community relationships.

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Justice Barbara Pariente to Lead the Fight Against ACEs in Statewide Panel on Thursday, May 20

WHAT:

Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente is leading the fight against adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as the moderator of Part One of a statewide panel and resource series hosted by Center for Child Counseling (CFCC) on Thursday, May 20 at 10:30 AM. CFCC has developed this new action series in response to the pandemic and the urgent need to move forward policies and practices that support children’s mental health and resilience. 

Research shows that ACEs are the root cause of many crises our communities face. Gun violence, domestic abuse, overflowing jails, homelessness, child abuse, addiction, chronic disease, and mental illness–compounded by systemic racism, adverse community environments, and now, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Congresswoman Lois Frankel will offer opening remarks about the importance of community leadership in treating and preventing ACEs by using a public health approach and building trauma-informed communities. 

This exclusive, virtual event for system, business, philanthropic, civic, and school leaders aims to combat childhood trauma and adversity within families and communities through education, discourse, action, and advocacy. CFCC is excited to have this important conversation during Mental Health Awareness Month and more specifically on May 20th where everyone in Palm Beach County is encouraged to Get Your Green On to support mental health.

The panelists include:

Dr. Eugenia Millender, Associate Professor, Florida State University
Dr. Mimi Graham, Director of Florida State University Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy
Dr. Shannon Fox-Levine, President at Palm Beach Pediatrics and President of the Pediatric Society of Palm Beach County
Judge Kathleen J. Kroll, Circuit Court Judge in the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County
Kathy Leone, Vice Chairman of the Community Alliance of Palm Beach County
Julie Fisher Cummings, Philanthropist, Board Chair Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties

Note: there is no fee for this virtual event. Register early as capacity is limited.

Partnership sponsors who are leading the fight in making this important and necessary panel conversation possible include: Florida Association for Infant Mental Health, Ward Damon Attorneys at Law, Keiser University, GL HOMES, The Florida Center, and Lesser, Lesser, Landy & Smith.

CFCC’s Fighting ACEs initiative to build trauma-informed communities is made possible with the generous support of Quantum Foundation, Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, and private donors.

WHEN:

Thursday, May 20, 2021
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

WHERE:
Click to register to attend this virtual event. 

MEDIA CONTACT:                 

Cara Scarola Hansen

[email protected]

(561) 632-6747

Center for Child Counseling has been building the foundation for playful, healthful, and hopeful living for children and families in Palm Beach County since 1999. Its services focus on preventing and healing the effects of adverse experiences and toxic stress on children, promoting resiliency and healthy family, school, and community relationships.

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NEWS RELEASE

May 6, 2021
For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen
[email protected]
561-632-6747 

Local Teacher Builds School in Kenya: Improving Our Collective Global Well-Being

Local history teacher James “Jim” Cummings has been cultivating youth empowerment locally and globally since 1987 and just recently opened the doors of Kijana Global Innovation School–a pre-primary and primary private school located in Western Kenya. 

Fresh out of college with a BA in History and International Studies, Cummings joined WorldTeach and landed on the other side of the world teaching English in Bunyore, Western Kenya. Shedding the comforts of first-world living, he lived and volunteered for 15 months with no electricity or running water and learned the incalculable value of cross-cultural dialogue and education which mapped his journey for the last three decades–a life of traveling between continents and fostering relationships among under-served Kenyan communities and American school communities. 

Over the course of Cummings’ career as an educator in the US, he taught at The Prairie School in Racine, WI, The Benjamin School in North Palm Beach, FL, and Seminole Ridge High School in Loxahatchee, FL. He also earned his MA in History and studied both African history and Kiswahili–the official language spoken in Kenya and by an estimated 80 million people in East and Central Africa. Cummings’ continued studies expanded his knowledge of the continent’s rich history and afforded him the opportunity to develop a larger network of contacts in Africa to serve him in establishing Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative in 2002 with co-founder and fellow teacher, Bruce Huber. 

Kijana is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that has served a pivotal role in transforming education in Vihiga County in Western Kenya. Vihiga County, among the relatively poorer areas of Kenya, suffered from very limited educational resources, and relatively low educational outcomes. Potential for advancement to higher education was limited. With hundreds of thousands of dollars of investments, Kijana altered the educational trajectory and raised expectations of citizens by investing in over 30 schools countrywide. Partnerships and funding support from local Palm Beach County community members transformed a few Kenyan schools, like Ebusiloli Secondary School and Mwituha Secondary School, from dilapidated remains to burgeoning institutions. Kijana’s investment and redevelopment of schools in this area spurred over a 1400% increase from the late 1990s to today in students obtaining a high school education in the area and a significant rise in students from the area matriculating into universities. 

Kijana’s vision, driven by a diverse Board of Directors, continues to enliven the educational experiences of our global youth so that more of the hundreds of millions of young people who need greater and more creative educational opportunities will find them. With this goal in mind, the visionaries launched a capital campaign in May 2019 to build a modern pre-k through 12th-grade independent school, Kijana Global Innovation School (KGIS), to serve primarily average-income and highly-talented Kenyan youth and infuse new options in our global educational capacity. 

To fulfill this vision, local philanthropists Stephanie and John Pew stepped forward with a large leading donation to support Kijana in contributing to Kenya’s and the world’s educational fabric.

“After giving $100,000 initially, we gave another $100,000 six months later. We were so moved in recognizing how many students the new Kijana School will benefit for so little compared to wealthy countries and how much Kenyan students and families appreciate it,” stated the Pews.

In 2019, $310,000 was raised and Global Innovation School opened its doors in January 2020 with 15 students and one block of administrative offices and classrooms for pre-k through second grades. By March 2020, 28 students were enrolled, and then the entire country shut down due to the global coronavirus pandemic. During the shutdown, the Kijana team made huge advances in the physical development of the school. KGIS reopened in January 2021 with 54 students and pre-k through sixth-grade classes. Today, enrollment  is around 84 students and climbing. By January 2023, KGIS will include a Form 1 class (equivalent to 9th grade) and the secondary school will graduate its first high school class in 2026. 

This new school serves students in Kakamega, Vihiga, and Siaya Counties, which have a combined population of 3 million people. 

There is still work to be done. Kijana has set a goal to raise $450,000 in 2021, and they are about one-third of the way there. They are preparing to launch a campaign to raise money to build a library/media center in addition to their need for more classrooms, technological resources, books, a dining area, increased staff, sports fields, and a playground. 

According to Cummings, “Human society suffers as significant human capital is underutilized and unfulfilled by our traditional socio-economic and global educational systems. The inaugural Kijana Global Innovation School invests creatively and energetically in this underutilized global human capital, improving our collective global well-being. Their expanded opportunity will be the world’s gain as these young people fulfill their academic, social, and creative promise, becoming positive world change-makers.”

Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative promotes and cultivates youth empowerment through educational development, cross-cultural dialogue, and sustainable and environmentally friendly economic growth, among under-served Kenyan school communities and American school communities. For more information or to provide financial support, visit: kijana.org. 

VIDEO:
Students at Kijana Global Innovation School perform a Maasai dance. 

Students recite a poem.
More videos available on Kijana’s YouTube Channel.

PHOTO ID: 

001: View of Kijana Global Innovation School classrooms from the inner courtyard.

002: Jim Cummings, President and Executive Director of Kijana, hands out new backpacks filled with school supplies to the students who attend Kijana Global Innovation School in Western Kenya, Africa. 

003: The Entrance to Kijana Global Innovation School in Western Kenya.

Click here to view more photos. IDs available upon request.

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Eagle Scout Project Meraki Aims to Help with Kids’ Well-Being During Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week

WHAT:

Joseph DiMare, 14-year-old Life Scout with Troop 13 West Palm Beach, is working on becoming an Eagle Scout--the highest rank attainable by Boys Scouts of America. Joey chose Center for Child Counseling to be the beneficiary of his Project Meraki which aims to inspire children living through the global COVID pandemic to experience art, engage and occupy their minds, and transcend their current situations. 

In conjunction with the final day of Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, Troop 13 Boy Scouts will gather in uniform this Saturday, May 8, 2021, starting at 2:30 PM, in the backyard of Joey’s North Palm Beach home to assemble 250 art kits which will later be distributed to 50 children who receive services from Center for Child Counseling. 

Meraki is a word from modern Greece used to describe doing something with soul, creativity, or love. Project Meraki will provide a unique craft box each day over a period of five days. Each box will include 5 different craft projects with all of the art supplies needed and an instruction card which explains the activity and has a URL to a YouTube channel with a video guide for the activity using the EDGE method–Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, and Enable. Joey is also creating an online portal for the children (or parents) to upload photos of their finished artwork to share.

Troop 13 was founded in 1937 and is the oldest active Scout Troop in Gulfstream Council, covering a 7-county area including Palm Beach county. The Troop has a distinguished history and has produced over 100 Eagle Scouts since its founding.

Center for Child Counseling has been building the foundation for playful, healthful, and hopeful living for children and families in Palm Beach County since 1999. Its services focus on preventing and healing the effects of adverse experiences and toxic stress on children, promoting resiliency and healthy family, school, and community relationships.

WHEN:

Saturday, May 8, 2021
2:30 PM – 5:00 PM

WHERE:
Email or call for directions.

MEDIA CONTACT:                 

Cara Scarola Hansen
[email protected]
(561) 632-6747

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For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen
[email protected]
561-632-6747

In recognition of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, Center for Child Counseling (CFCC) is raising awareness and building prevention methods for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in Palm Beach County. 

According to the CDC, heightened stress, school closures, loss of income, and social isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the risk for child abuse and neglect. Adverse Childhood Experiences, such as abuse and neglect, are a leading public health issue. In the absence of healthy and buffering relationships, childhood trauma and adversity can have a devastating impact on the minds and bodies of children and lead to a lifetime of issues for individuals, including mental and physical health difficulties and a shorter life expectancy. 

“ACEs are the single greatest unaddressed public health threat facing our nation today,” said Dr. Robert Block, former president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

While the focus has undoubtedly been on the pandemic, the resulting emotional fallout and other unexpected and unintended consequences are going to be part of the so-called “echo pandemic” for years and possibly decades to come. Children already living in tenuous circumstances have almost certainly fallen through the cracks when it comes to abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. The rates of alcoholism and drug abuse have skyrocketed in American homes, as has childhood depression. According to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, from April through November of 2020, there was a 35% increase in children who needed mental health assistance compared to 2019 and an uptick in suicide attempts as well.

Center for Child Counseling continuously works to fight ACEs and promote solutions. Building a resilient community to support child-wellbeing is the overarching goal. 

“If we ensure that every community is equipped to support people who have experienced traumatic events, we make resilience a real possibility. Abuse and neglect don’t discriminate and neither do behavioral issues or family dysfunction,” states Renée Layman, Chief Executive Officer at CFCC, which aims to fill critical gaps in the system of mental health care for young children and their families.

The local nonprofit’s Fighting ACEs initiative includes an array of prevention and early intervention activities including direct services for children and families, clinical training and supervision, and educational workshops for caregivers and professionals–teachers, social workers, childcare workers, police officers, attorneys, nonprofits, foster care homes, pediatricians, etc.–who work with children on how to recognize signs of Adverse Childhood Experiences and combat toxic stress in children. The ultimate goal in preventing abuse and mitigating long-term effects is to create a system-wide network of adult ‘buffers’ who are trauma-informed and ‘ACEs aware.’  

“Fighting ACEs is at the core of our mission. Mental, emotional, social, and physical well-being are directly linked to what happens in early childhood. We are able to provide multi-layered interventions and support for families and caregivers who are dealing with the effects of ACEs,” says Layman. 

In addition to intervention, CFCC also recognizes the importance of prevention as a key solution. During this period of uncertainty and change, many children are craving reassurance and support from the adults in their lives–parents, family members, caregivers, and educators. Adults are also likely finding the need for extra support to navigate the chaos of a pandemic-driven world. One way that Center for Child Counseling is building a resilient community is through free online trainings and workshops that offer practical advice and coping techniques to meet the expressed needs of our communities. Topics range from ‘Resilience Building – A Guide for Educators’ to ‘How to Manage Sibling Rivalry’ to ‘Supporting Children During COVID-19.’

To nurture children’s potential and to promote greater health and wellbeing throughout Florida, one of the most impactful things community members can do is address Adverse Childhood Experiences. National Child Abuse Prevention Month recognizes the importance of families and communities working together to strengthen families to prevent child abuse and neglect. Through this collaboration, prevention services and supports help protect children and produce thriving families. Join CFCC in building resilience and raising awareness and prevention of ACEs, like abuse, by participating in one of the free trainings through the Institute for Clinical Training. For a full listing of courses and to register, visit: www.centerforchildcounseling.org/training/. 

Since 1999, Center for Child Counseling has been building the foundation for playful, healthful, and hopeful living for children and families in Palm Beach County. Its services focus on preventing and healing the effects of adverse experiences and toxic stress on children, promoting resiliency and healthy family, school, and community relationships. For more information, visit: centerforchildcounseling.org. For schools, organizations, and individuals interested in learning more about the effects of toxic stress and ACEs, please contact [email protected]. The Fighting ACEs initiative is made possible with the generous support of the Quantum Foundation and private donors. 

PHOTO ID: 

Center for Child Counseling therapist Ungria Castillo provides small group play therapy to students at Bethune Elementary. This therapy is through the Childcare and Community Social Emotional Wellness program and is one of CFCC’s prevention methods for Adverse Childhood Experiences.

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