As COVID and the nationwide uprisings continue to shift our world, we are all adapting to new ways of living. And while some of the changes on the horizon are cause for optimism and hope, the reality is that many families in Durham County are struggling to meet day-to-day needs.
Resulting in personal and financial obstacles that we couldn’t have imagined just six months ago.
The impact on children, parents, and caregivers is staggering. Many of the Exchange Family Center’s (EFC) clients are shouldering a great burden. Trying to maintain some sense of normalcy in their home and family lives.
YOUR support of the wellbeing of children across the county is needed more than ever.
Would you consider joining us for our 51st Annual (Hybrid) Golf Tournament in October to help make a difference for families?
Your participation will help EFC continue to make children’s lives better by strengthening families, teachers, and communities through proven counseling, coaching, and training - all the more important during these difficult times.
This year’s tournament is being held in honor of Jim Barringer, a longtime EFC supporter, board member, and advocate. We hope Jim’s commitment to serving others and ensuring the wellbeing of children in Durham County is an inspiration to you!
Simply by playing a round of golf, you can help the Durham community build a strong foundation for children who may be at risk of neglect, abuse or maltreatment.
People want to be good parents and loving caregivers --- sometimes they just need a little help. Jim knew this and that’s why we want to honor his legacy’s work to protect and support Durham’s children and the caring adults in their lives.
You can pay homage to his memory by donating directly to EFC or by joining us at this year's hybrid golf tournament.
Consider the story of Sara, a single, stay-at-home mother who came to EFC as a new parent.
Without a lot of “mom friends,” Sara was on her own during the day for her son’s first two years. In addition, she was getting lots of advice from family that made her unsure of her own instincts.
Working with EFC right from the beginning built Sara’s confidence and taught her how to lay the groundwork for a healthy and happy life for her son.
She loved reading to him regularly, and even more when her social worker encouraged her.
“I did a lot of paying attention also,” Sara says. “I focused on him a lot and was down there playing with him.”
Focusing on Sara’s priority to give her son “a good start” was the mutual goal between Sara and her EFC therapist. And while Sara knew what she wanted for her son, EFC provided the guidance and tools to help her get there.
Your participation in our annual Golf Tournament could provide more parents like Sara with the support they need to improve the relationship with their child, resulting in healthier outcomes.
Would you consider joining us in October - or even simply donating $100, $250, or $500 to EFC today?
The EFC therapist working with Sara and her son spent time listening to Sara’s goals and working with her to design an approach to parenting that felt natural to Sara. Like reading to Kenny regularly --- especially with the support of her EFC therapist and coach.
Sara’s therapist knew that spending meaningful time together builds those crucial bonds necessary for a child’s growth.
“Having this program gave me the confidence in what I’m doing. I’m fostering his love of learning and imagination and that really made a difference.” —— Sara
EFC’s programs, such as the Family Support Program (FSP) that Sara participated in, have proven results. And with a donation from you, we can help continue that same work across other EFC programs such as our Early Childhood Outreach Program (EChO) and our Parenting of Adolescents Program (POA) to support children ages birth to 17.
On average, it costs approximately $5,970 per child to participate in one of our programs. Fifty dollars, $100, or $250+ from you would go a long way to supporting one of our families and creating a stronger, healthier Durham community.
Please consider joining us for a round of golf in October as a way to make your donation both a fun and feel-good experience.
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on our community, leaving many single parents like Sara with fewer resources than before. Neglect and abuse can happen for many reasons, but one is lack of support.
For those that don’t have built-in help from friends and family, EFC can fill that void. As such, the need for programs like EFC’s is greater than ever before. We need to support our community and our children NOW before our current situation creates a burden too great to bear.
Any help you are able to provide to continue to support, counsel and coach Durham County families would make a huge difference to our children and their caregivers. You can change lives by hitting the links with us in October, or with a one-time donation of $50, $100, or $250.
Or even better, a recurring monthly donation of any amount would allow us to sustain our programming for the long-term.
We are in this together. When one of us betters our community, we all benefit.
EFC and YOU can work together to create a world where all children are emotionally and physically safe, and parents and caregivers are given the resources needed to break generational cycles of abuse and neglect.
You can make this dream a reality. A donation from you can mean the difference between a child who experiences neglect and negative reinforcement and a child who is shown unconditional love and support.
Our families want to do better - and $50, $100, or $250 from you can help them get there.
Thank you so much for your support of EFC, our families, and the Durham community. The old saying “it takes a village to raise a child” has never rung more true than it does right now.
Please follow in Jim’s legacy and be part of the EFC village by donating to support Durham parents, children, and families.