So, there’s this thing – #GivingTuesday, to follow Black Friday & Cyber Monday, where people (supposedly) were all being self-indulgent. I like it not only because I’m raising money for Austin Children’s Services, but it seems to balance things out. Let me tell you why you should give to Austin Children’s Services.
I’m training for a half-marathon in February with a group whose charity is ACS. Here’s what they say about themselves:
Our Mission
Austin Children’s Services protects and heals children, young adults and families in need.
Who We Are
At Austin Children’s Services we believe that every child and young adult in our community deserves to feel safe and to receive nurturing care in order to grow into happy, responsible and fulfilled adults. Our goal is to end child abuse and neglect; to create a community and a world that has no need of a shelter for abused or neglected children.For the first 25 years, we worked toward achieving that vision by providing emergency shelter for children that had been removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect. Today, we embrace a broader continuum of services to address the needs of children and their families. Our programs include Austin Children’s Shelter residential care (Emergency Shelter, Transitional Living Program, Teen Parent Program and Respite Care), Foster in Austin, Care Academy child development and family support center and a child abuse prevention program through Strong Start.
We are:
A social service provider focused on protecting and healing children, young adults and families.
A founding partner with SafePlace in the LIFT Alliance, a partnership of victim/survivor-centered non-profit agencies responding to and preventing child, domestic, and sexual abuse.
And we are committed to individual and collective action at a community, statewide and national level.
This time of year, thinking about kids who face the kind of situations that call for a place like the Children’s Shelter is pretty hard. Here is one of their success stories, to tell you what they do:
Building Trust and Confidence
Adriana came to the Austin Children’s Shelter as a 17-year-old, pregnant and with a toddler in tow. She and her siblings had been taken into the care of the State because of ongoing neglect in their home. From her life thus far Adriana had learned to survive by trusting no one – the adults in her life couldn’t be trusted to care for her – much less help her learn to care for her children. One of our most important goals has been to help this teenager grow in her confidence as a mother and to do so has required that a bond of trust be built between Adriana and ACS Youth Care Workers.
Adriana brought a lifetime of mistrust and shattered hopes with her when she came to the Shelter. She consistently avoided personal interactions and became defensive when offered support of any kind. In some ways, she was like a phantom in the house, drifting in and straight to her room. When Adriana’s second child was born, the added stress became immediately evident. She would swing the full spectrum of emotions; from trying to do everything on her own to becoming overwhelmed and wanting the shelter youth care workers to care for her children full time.
“Adriana’s circumstance led to an opportunity for us to step in and teach her how to juggle the responsibilities of motherhood, school and life as a teen,” said her ACS Case Manager Amanda Moreno. For several months, the youth care workers spent one-on-one time with Adriana, teaching basic positive child care and guiding her day to day. Together, they established boundaries and expectations regarding care for her children and created daily routines that fostered a sense of normalcy, moments of calm, and nurturing interactions.
Helping Adriana see her way through a stressful time, and helping her set the rules for her own children, slowly built her trust of staff while also building confidence in her abilities as a mother. Recently, Adriana established a time out structure for her two-year-old child, wrote it on the white board, and asked staff to follow it. This simple act demonstrated her new confidence in her own capabilities as a mom and her belief in cottage staff as her partners.
Now, having learned to trust and to manage her time, she is often seen around the cottage giggling with the other mothers, playing on the floor with her daughters, or reading a book for her toddler while rocking her infant. Her youth care workers continue to be there for her as a sounding board and to provide advice and support.
please give to Austin Children’s Services, any amount is welcome – my goal is $750 & I’m nowhere near it, so no matter the amount, it’ll make a big difference
And because it’s traditional, a U2 song – a cover of I Believe in Father Christmas, which may make you cry – it certainly does for me
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