GAWDA to aid parents in need
It’s a tradition that dates back 11 years. Each year during the Annual Convention, GAWDA selects a charity in the event’s host city and raises funds. Since the program’s inception in 2000, through GAWDA Gives Back, association members have raised and donated nearly one million dollars to help those less fortunate. This year is no exception as GAWDA President Jenny McCall and her husband Chris have selected Hawaii’s Community Closet organization as the 2010 recipient of members’ donations to GAWDA Gives Back.
Community Closet is a program created by Child and Family Service (CFS), the state of Hawaii’s oldest and largest private, nonprofit human services organization. Community Closet’s mission is to provide essential supplies to newborn babies from less fortunate families. The Community Closet was formed in March 2009 when staff members from CFS’ Maui office observed a frightening phenomenon. “What is usually a fun time for many expectant mothers wasn’t for many of our pregnant clients,” says Sheri Daniels, administrator of CFS’ Maui office. Many clients were under stress and ill-prepared for what awaited them. To help, the staff began putting together care packages to aid in meeting the need for basic baby care items. The mothers who CFS helps are all struggling to get by for various reasons. Many are single moms with multiple children. Their budget is already stretched thin and they can’t make ends meet; others are victims of a bad economy and can’t find work; and some have found themselves in a situation where they are caring for someone else’s child. Regardless of their reason, these women want to raise happy, successful children, they just need some help to make ends meet.
More About the Maui CFS The Maui CFS office has been providing services to families on the island since 1992. Many of its clients have a lower economic status and limited access to education. The programs offered have an emphasis on strengthening families and helping clients to develop skills that will create a safe and stable home for children. In 2009 alone, 1,529 clients on Maui were directly served by CFS. Over 13,000 more were impacted through presentations and community health fairs, and another 25,000 individuals were reached by mailed materials and Public Service Announcements.
More About the Maui CFS The Maui CFS office has been providing services to families on the island since 1992. Many of its clients have a lower economic status and limited access to education. The programs offered have an emphasis on strengthening families and helping clients to develop skills that will create a safe and stable home for children. In 2009 alone, 1,529 clients on Maui were directly served by CFS. Over 13,000 more were impacted through presentations and community health fairs, and another 25,000 individuals were reached by mailed materials and Public Service Announcements.