Safe Families For ChildrenWisconsin - Hendricks Family Foundation

Safe Families For Children

Neighbors Loving & Serving Neighbors

Safe Families For Children

Neighbors Loving & Serving Neighbors

We all have moments in life when a challenge, whatever it is, feels bigger than something we can tackle on our own. No matter how resourceful or determined we are, the support of family, friends or neighbors can make the difference between feeling isolated and overwhelmed and immobilized or
feeling strong enough to overcome.

the power of neighbors helping neighbors

Safe Families for Children (SFFC) Rock County exists for just these moments, working to create extended family-like supports and relationships between struggling families and a network of community volunteers – motivated by compassion – to help others and keep children safe and families intact. The SFFC goal: build social connectedness to prevent child abuse and deflect families from entering the child welfare system. It is a transformative example of the power of neighbors helping neighbors.

Kayla and Kenzie live together and support one another and their combined five children. While they support one another in a vareity of ways, the fathers of the children are rarely involved and the sisters have no local trustworthy family members to support them.

SFFC connected Kayla and Kenzie to a “Family Friend” who has come alongside the mothers, offering the things family and friends often do. This family friend offers regular child care, car rides, park dates and dinners. Kayla and Kenzie’s children join in weekend trips and the families share birthday celebrations. The family friend’s church family gives additional support. Genuine loving relationships have developed and grown.

This network of support has been enough to free Kayla to gain employment, adding to the income Kenzie provides, allowing the sisters to make progress to reaching their goal of strengthening the financial wellbeing of their family. And just as important, these connections are strengthening the social fabric of our community.

The Hendricks Family Foundation awarded a $215,776 grant to fund the SFFC Rock County pilot program. The project allows the Foundation to help build a strong and vibrant community and to support our neighbors in helping one another.

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