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Contents
- Welcome from the Executive Director
- 2019 in Numbers
- Event Highlights
- Program Highlights
- Y.A.L.E. China Experience
Welcome from the Executive Director
Welcome to the Family Life and Community Resource Center (FLCRC) first newsletter. We hope you like the new design, new format and new way of sharing our knowledge and news with you. Each quarter you will receive educational and community services information, resources, helpful tips, event notices, news and even some discount offerings from businesses in our communities. We want this newsletter to be valuable for you so please share your feedback and suggestions to help us improve.
If you have or are related to school aged children and want to learn more about how to best support them as they journey through school, we think you’ll enjoy these quarterly newsletters. Also, if you are a victim of a crime or know someone who has been victimized, this newsletter could be a key strategy to getting individuals connected with the right resources.
In 2019, we kicked off the year with a Youth Ambassador Leadership Education (Y.A.L.E.) program orientation. In year three of this dynamic program, we saw a 20 percent increase in the number of students. On March 1st, we had the largest group of Y.A.L.E. members to date to descend on the State Capitol and engage in the legislative process. The Y.A.L.E. leaders did a phenomenal job presenting their Bills and Resolutions in a One-day Teenpact Leadership workshop at the State Capitol.
Likewise, several high volume programs, services, and events such as the Summer Enrichment Camp, annual Back-2-School Parent Chat, Y.A.L.E. China Experience, Parent Engagement Seminars, Victims Intervention Program and the Community Outreach Conferences have yielded amazing results. With the support of our sponsors, volunteers, and Y.A.L.E. leaders, FLCRC provided over 400 backpacks with school supplies to students this school year and over 4,000 since 2004. Giving back and volunteering in the community is one of the four components of the Y.A.L.E. program. Our Y.A.L.E. leaders earned over 1700 hours in service learning and volunteer experience this year.
More Good News! We partnered with several organizations; Child Advocates of Fort Bend, Fort Bend Juvenile Detention Center, Fort Bend Family Promise, Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice (CSSJ) and Friends of North Richmond to enhance and expanded program services.
FLCRC is transforming this community and with your help we will continue our mission of “Building Better Communities By Building Stronger Families.” In November, Y.A.L.E. leaders had the experience of a lifetime visiting Beijing and Xian, China as they focused on character education and diversity; another key component of the Y.A.L.E. program.
With the assistance of volunteers, donors and staff, the annual banquet was a SUPERB ending for an awesome year. On December 12th, 160 guests helped us celebrate the accomplishments of Y.A.L.E. leaders and CSSJ members. Our youth ambassadors were highlighted, awards and scholarships were presented and CSSJ members were honored for their braveness and commitment to healing.
While educational policies and practices as well as conditions in the community continues to be a challenge for vulnerable populations, FLCRC provided over 1500 hours advocacy and support services to victims and their families. As we continue this work in 2020, we encourage you to join us in our Family First campaign—New Triumphs: A New Building and Van for FLCRC.
Sincerely,
Ilene Harper, Ph.D.
Executive Director
2019 in Numbers
2019 was a time of incredible growth and opportunity for FLCRC. We are pleased to share the following facts and figures demonstrating our involvement in the community.
- $13,150.40 received in individual and corporate donations
2018: $9,793
2017: $9,082 - 500 volunteer hours completed
2018: 484
2017: 460 - $214,625 received in government grant dollars
2018: $176,500
2017: $79,500
2017-18 included both foundation and government grants. - 3 Y.A.L.E. leaders who graduated High School
2018: 8
2017: 2 - 11/11 Y.A.L.E. students enrolled in college
- 1,723 service learning hours that Y.A.L.E. leaders earned
2018: 1,500
2017: 798 - $126,500 in scholarships to-date for graduates 2017-2019
- 11 scholarships & awards given by FLCRC
2018: 6
2017: 5 - 427 families served by FLCRC
2018: 301
2017: 305 - 115 crime victims received 1,500 hours of counseling and advocacy support services
- $44,300 amount fundraised in 2019
2018: $2,500
2017: $1,000 - $272,075.40 received in donations, grants & fundraisers in 2019
- 23 service projects completed by Y.A.L.E. Leaders
2018: 13
2017: 8
Event Highlights
Summer Enrichment Camp
The FLCRC 2019 Summer Enrichment Camp was held from July 22-26, 2019. 18 students in grades 2nd through 12th and college level students participated in sessions on reading, math, online learning, STEM, STAAR, ACT/SAT preparation and essay/resume writing. The program included fun and interactive visits to the NASA Space Center, Texas State Technical College (TSTC), University of Houston Sugarland, Fort Bend Juvenile Justice Center, Fort Bend Children’s Museum and Nathelyne A. Kennedy & Associates (Civil Engineering Firm).
15th Annual Back-2-School Parent Chat
Parents, students, volunteers and staff gathered on Thursday, August 1st for another successful Back-2-School Parent Chat. The 400 parents and children who attended the packed event enjoyed a motivational message, interactive sessions and free backpacks with school supplies.
“Volunteering at the Back-2-School Parent Chat brought me a feeling of joy knowing that packing the backpacks made someone’s life a tad bit easier. Listening to the speakers was a nice, motivational experience. The dragon dancers and science demonstrations kept the audience involved and were a good idea.”
—Dakota Merriweather, 2019 Y.A.L.E. Graduate
“It was a good, successful event. FLCRC gave away plenty of back-packs filled with much-needed supplies to help students get their year started. I loved the information and websites that were discussed to help parents help our children be successful and prepared for the upcoming school year. Thanks FLCRC for all you do!”
—Patricia Daniels, Parent Attendee at the Back-2-School Parent Chat
“I passed out backpacks to the children. I enjoyed the Chinese theme with the white and red dragon dance performance.”
—Landon Bean, Student Volunteer at the Back-2-School Parent Chat
“I think it’s a good activity. Especially if you’re not able to buy a backpack and supplies. I think we should try and continue to this event.”
—Terri Brown, Pre-Y.A.L.E. Leader at the Back-2-School Parent Chat
National Bullying Awareness Community Event
In support of National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month and Unity Day 2019, FLCRC hosted a community event at Friends of North Richmond on Saturday, October 12th for students, educators, parents, and community leaders to “Stand Against Bullying.” The event included informative sessions, fun activities for students, dancing, delicious food, and wonderful prizes. Attendees were encouraged to “Go Orange” by sporting orange gear. Utilizing the PACER’s You’re Not Alone curriculum, several breakout sessions were held to discuss the impact of bullying, the importance of creating safe and supportive environments, and tips on how to support those experiencing bullying.
“I think this experience is really needed as it provided a more in-depth look at the aspect of bullying.”
—Ryan Norman, Student Attendee at the National Bullying Awareness Community Event
FLCRC Third Annual Banquet
On Thursday, December 12th, FLCRC staff, volunteers, Y.A.L.E. leaders, supporters, and guests celebrated a year of great accomplishments. The event included a silent auction, a delicious dinner, special music, scholarship and award presentations, and an inspiring keynote message from Mr. Aswad Thomas, Managing Director of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice.
Parent Seminars
FLCRC held 17 events for two-hundred and twenty parents in 2019. The Executive Director led the monthly parent seminars and was instrumental in getting parent engagement with the youth leaders’ State Capitol visit, service learning projects and fundraising events. In April, FLCRC highlighted National Child Abuse Prevention Month and held several parent centered discussions about child abuse. According to Childhelp, approximately five children die every day because of child abuse. FLCRC’s focus for National Child Abuse Prevention Month was to emphasize the facts and identify strategies to minimize child abuse.
Program Highlights
Restorative Practices & Youth Leadership (RPYL)
FLCRC’s target population for the RPYL program in 2019 included students who were at-risk of negative academic outcomes, students disproportionately impacted by school discipline and students who were victimized. FLCRC’s aim was to reduce the ethnic disproportionality of negative educational outcomes by bridging the gaps between home and school life. In July 2019, FLCRC partnered with the Fort Bend Juvenile Probation Center and provided a component of the RPYL framework to a small group of Lamar CISD students who had court-ordered Truancy violations. According to the Field Director and Case Manager, the Fort Bend County Juvenile Probation Center usually have 100 or more students and parents with Truancy violations during the school year. Recognizing the need for the RPYL program, FLCRC is pleased to announce that Fort Bend County District Attorney, Brian Middleton, wrote a letter of support for a Juvenile Justice grant to fund full implementation of the program.
Awards and Scholarships
In October 2019, FLCRC was named the recipient of the Trailblazer Scholarship Award at Ever Ready Lodge #506 Banquet. This award was instrumental in supporting the Awards and Scholarships program. FLCRC presented certificates of program achievement to 27 Youth Ambassador Leadership Education (Y.A.L.E.) students and announced the recipients of eleven awards and scholarships during the Third Annual Banquet in December. It was a SOLD OUT event! Students, parents and guests enjoyed an evening event that included a silent auction, a delicious dinner, special music, and an inspiring keynote message.
Victim Intervention Program Services (VIPS)
Utilizing a trauma-informed care model, FLCRC provided counseling and advocacy support services to 115 crime victims in 2019. We held several outreach events that resulted in early inventions for over 25% of our crime victims. FLCRC networked with the Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice (CSSJ) to promote healing opportunities for victims. Our crime victims received 14 hours of training. CSSJ members were empowered to meet with local government and law enforcement officials to promote awareness about victim services. Furthermore, 25 crime victims participated in the National Day of Healing vigil held in April and nearly half of our VIP clients participated with the Survivors’ Fit outreach in July and the Painless Paint healing event in August. Forty-one CSSJ crime victims were honored in December 2019 for completing the program. Fifty percent of VIP clients completed the end-of-year survey. FLCRC received a 90% satisfactory or higher rating for the VIP services: 60% excellent, 20% above average and 10% average. FLCRC anticipated that 25% of VIP clients would achieve their targeted goal. We are excited to announce that 70% of the clients that completed the program also completed their targeted goals for the year; which resulted in 30% of the VIP clients completing their goals for the year.
“This is a spiritual healing process where I feel loved and accepted for who I am. The journey hasn’t been easy, but with CSSJ it has been GREAT!”
—Kendra Hutchinson, Participant in the Victim Intervention Program and Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice (CSSJ)
Youth Ambassador Leadership Education (Y.A.L.E.)
The Youth Ambassadors had an action-packed year. In January 2019, we launched year-three of the Y.A.L.E. program with 35 members joining the group—a 40% increase over last year!
Linking our Y.A.L.E. leaders with various activities related to leadership, service learning, and college and career readiness in the community was an FLCRC priority. According to the Gallup Student Poll, engaged students are 2.5 times more likely to do well in school and 4.5 times more likely to be hopeful than actively disengaged students. Our Y.A.L.E. leaders excelled in school, received awards, participated with extra curricular activities and dedicated numerous hours to volunteer service learning. The Y.A.L.E. leaders worked all year crafting their unique student portfolios. The showcasing of their collective efforts were a HUGE hit at FLCRC’s End of the Year banquet.
Y.A.L.E. China Experience
On November 22nd, Y.A.L.E. leaders traveled abroad to Beijing and XiAn, China spending 11 days on the trip of a lifetime.
FLCRC partnered with To The Top International in 2017 and since that time six international students from China have participated with the Y.A.L.E. program. Our 2018 keynote speaker Mr. Shakiri Murrain’s fluency in Mandarin and experience working in China generated a profound interest in the Chinese culture. In February 2019, we established an online Mandarin class for students as well as some cultural background information. Shortly thereafter, students began a fundraising project for an international trip to China.
A group of 18, Y.A.L.E. leaders, parents and FLCRC staff spent four days in Beijing touring the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China, and the Central Radio & TV Tower. We jumped on the bullet train to XiAn and visited the Terracotta Warriors, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and Buddhist Temple, the Bell Tower, Muslim Street and several markets. It was a real-life experience of embraces diversity for our group. We enjoyed eating authentic Chinese Food like the “roasted duck.” Our traveling tour guides, Li, Jiayi and Wenshan made it a first class experience.
One of the most memorable experiences was when one of our group members became ill and received wonderful care from a hospital XiAn. The experienced doctor quickly diagnosed and ordered the lab test, IVs, x-rays and prescriptions for a low cost of $139 US dollars.