Entergy Awards The CALL in Southeast Arkansas Grant To Launch Family Reunification Project
August 15th, 2024 by Submitted
Entergy recently awarded The CALL in Southeast Arkansas (SEA) with a $10,000 open grant to support the launch of the SEA Family Reunification Project for Ashley, Bradley, Chicot, Desha, Drew and Lincoln counties!
For children and families separated in foster care, regular, positive visitation experiences promote better family reunification outcomes. To address those needs, The CALL in SEA is developing Family Support Sites across its service area through local church partnerships with plans to have a Family Support Site in each of its six counties by the end of 2025.
A Family Support Site is a homey, private visitation space for children and families to build positive memories and attachments together while navigating the child welfare system.
The local community will have the opportunity to serve these children and families by volunteering or providing snacks and other forms of nurture and encouragement.
Family Support Sites will also have freezer space reserved to provide foster families with meals for the long days of court, family visits or new placements.
Each Family Support Site is supported as an extension satellite of The CALL Support Center in SEA in Monticello, which holds the local CALL offices, the Drew County Family Visit Center, Resource Libraries and the CALL Mall. The CALL Mall provides free shopping for clothing and necessities for all children and youth impacted by foster care in SEA. In future phases, county CALL Closets will be developed as extensions of the CALL Mall.
Currently, Family Visit Centers are under development in Drew (inside The CALL Support Center of SEA) & Ashley (on the Mt. Olive Baptist Church campus) counties. Southside Baptist Church (Lincoln County) launched an Outreach House earlier this year with our support that holds a Family Visit Center.
In the coming months, The CALL will begin developing Family Support Sites in Bradley, Desha & Chicot counties.
Available space within local churches, time given by volunteers, and resources provided to sustain these projects are forms of community involvement needed to bring this project to life. Interested partners, volunteers, or parties should contact County Coordinator, Betsy Anderson, to get involved. (870)308-9502 / banderson@thecallinarkansas.org
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