It is not hard to see that rebuilding a life free of violence is a difficult endeavor, oftentimes taking years to accomplish. Even more challenging, though, is the work cut out for mothers – and their children – who enter The Nest domestic violence shelter. Growing up in a violent home throws children for a loop. Many have a seemingly impossible struggle ahead of them.
That struggle just got a little easier, thanks to Matt Bridges, Board Chair of the Boys and Girls Club of Sierra Blanca, a local non-profit organization that offers cost-effective educational and inspirational services to children from a variety of families in Lincoln County.
Bridges contacted Coleen Widell, Executive Director at Help End Abuse for Life (HEAL) and The Nest domestic violence shelter, to discuss how to collaborate on providing services to kids from families at the Nest. The two of them met with Tim Coughlin, Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club, to discuss how to roll out this exciting partnership.
The afterschool program run by the Boys and Girls Club is an effective supplement to what The Nest provides in-house. Participation in the program helps children learn and develop new skills with help from youth development professionals. Activities focus on developing children’s minds, bodies and spirits, so kids can expect to learn everything from physical education, martial arts and healthful eating to positive relationships, communication, decision-making and leadership skills.
The supportive staff also helps children by providing a safe environment full of stimulation for their budding curiosities and imaginations. Finally, the program offers children a chance to build the tools they need to navigate difficult situations through drug awareness and anti-bullying lessons.
The organization has chosen to take its support of The Nest above and beyond. It has begun offering a sliding scale payment plan for residents of The Nest during and after their 90-day transitional period. This cooperation illustrates an acknowledgement of the challenges families will face and a support of their efforts to live as a healthy family unit once again. It is a grand and generous way of adopting the age-old wisdom that, “it takes a village to raise a child.”
The program is inspired by the drive to give children an opportunity to become more. “I believe that every kid deserves a chance at knowing a sense of normalcy,” said Coughlin. “Their situations right now are tough, but I don’t want that to be their destiny. I had my share of difficulty as a child, and statistically, I shouldn’t have made it to where I am today, but I did.”
Though this partnership is certain to change and mold young lives in our community, the two organizations still need your help.
“There are so many services we want to provide to our clients at the Nest but finances sometimes prevent it from happening,” said Widell. “What we need to make this wonderful opportunity fully available to our kids is for community members to step up and help sponsor the children.”
A single $50 donation will fully sponsor a child’s participation in the Boys and Girls Club afterschool program for the entire 9o days that she or he resides at The Nest. While the donation is a one-time donation, the effects of it will have lasting, long-term impact in the life of a child recovering from domestic violence.
Staff at HEAL and The Nest extend their gratitude to Coughlin, Bridges and the entire team at the Boys and Girls Club for their willingness to step up as champions for all youth in our community and for their embrace of HEAL’s mission to end the cycle of domestic violence.
Pictured are the staff of the Boys and Girls Club of Sierra Blanca.
