“Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary.” — Fred Rogers
Isn’t that true? When we take time to build relationships with others, we are taking time to invest in their lives. We are saying we are in this together…we are not alone.
Addis Jemari’s ability to build personal relationships with the mothers and children in our Family Empowerment Program has been vital in meeting the needs of the families we serve. It has allowed us a beautiful picture of who they are truly, the hardships and challenges they face, and their overall tenacity and grit to push forward despite it all. Learning to handle life’s adversities with real tools and resources is a fundamental part of overall wellness…one that we believe we can do better together.
One area that we have a clearer understanding of now is the need for a trained psychologist to work with our families in further identifying tools and strategies in specific areas. We believe this will further equip our families in areas such as trauma, abuse, and poverty, just to name a few. We know that children born into poverty are more likely to experience a wide range of health problems, which can include poor nutrition, chronic disease and mental health problems. Poverty puts additional strain on families, which can lead to issues with parental mental health, relationship and financial problems, as well as substance abuse problems.
Your giving today will be a huge gift to our mothers as they learn to navigate and best cope with real issues they face. It will allow our children an opportunity to work through barriers now instead of later. I truly believe this will help them become strong and resilient adults, better prepared and equipped for their future.
By: Cindy Douglass, Co-Founder and Executive Director
Addis Jemari
You can help us meet our Giving Tuesday Goal! We are trying to raise at least $7,500 today to help put into place a psychologist on staff who can work with our Family Empowerment Program families for 20 hours/week in 2021 to work with the 50 families in our program in the areas of trauma, abuse and grief. The year 2020 has shown us that we need to give mental health a real focus and our families need this service now more than ever! Anything you donate this week to this area will be matched! Just go to www.addisjemari.org/donate and select “Giving Tuesday- Psychologist- 2o hours/week” in the drop down box!