Dear friends and supporters,
In the spirit of building partnerships in the nonprofit community, I recently invited Lauren Zuchman, Executive Director of BeWellPBC, to visit Center for Family Services of Palm Beach County.
BeWellPBC’s mission is to bring together stewards from every corner of our community to lead the change they want to see in their families, their schools, their workplaces, and their cities – and Lauren is doing a remarkable job towards their mission.
However, this newsletter isn’t about that. Instead, it’s about the fact that from Lauren’s visit and related conversation about BeWellPBC’s mini-grants, we discovered that two of the many remarkable staff at CFS have completed projects funded by BeWellPBC mini-grants (and revealing to us another facet that we were previously unaware of, one that was unrelated to their work here at CFS. It’s about taking a minute to celebrate their accomplishments, and the passion and dedication they (and the rest of our staff) bring to the behavioral health and wellness of our community:
Carine’s project was in two parts, the first was designed to provide education about mental and behavioral health
to the Haitian community, and the second to honor the service of Haitian women with a self-care retreat day (titled POZÉ, meaning “Relax” in Creole) with a focus on experiencing and learning about the importance of selfcare and why prioritizing their mental wellness is important.
Carine’s hope is that her work will help remove stigma around mental health, while encouraging Haitian women to include themselves in the caring and giving they do for others.
Katie’s project was designed to nurture wellness among our youth by demonstrating the emotional outlets
offered by various forms of artistic expression, while bringing together people of different backgrounds.
The participants in the program Katie created had the opportunity to try poetry, drumming, painting and singing in different settings across the county.
Katie’s hope is that those who participated learned how to use artistic expression to support their own mental wellness, and then share their knowledge with others in the community.
Center for Family Services has been providing mental health services and education to children, adults and families since 1961. Our clients are some of the most vulnerable in the community due to their age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Donations are a crucial means to their mental well-being. On their behalf, thank you for your support.