Spring 2019 by Family Building Blocks

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MARCH | APRIL | MAY

SPRING 2019 NEWSLETTER

H I LDREN C G

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

FROM PATRICE Family Building Blocks recently undertook the massive project of updating our strategic plan. As part of this process, we surveyed and interviewed our staff, donors, volunteers, program participants, and community for their input and insights. Thank you to all who participated! You raised some good questions, encouraged us to keep doing the right things in the right way, and challenged us to do better in many ways. We are listening and will share key elements of our plan as they unfold.

OFFICERS Rich Schultz, Chair Cherry City Metals Jeff Moore, Vice Chair Saalfeld Griggs, PC Nita Kennedy, Past Chair COUNTRY Financial Brian Johnston, Past Chair Dallas Glass & Window Jody Rowell, Secretary Community Service Mike Blanchard, Treasurer Johnson, Glaze & Co.

BOARD MEMBERS

Our planning committee is composed of Board members and staff, and though we are not quite done with the process, we are very excited to share our updated Values Statement:

• We respect the unique personhood of each child • We believe in the power of a securely attached family • We are family-centered, caring, and supportive • We strive for equity and celebrate diversity • We are collaborative and ambitious • We emphasize strengths and assume positive intent • We honor vulnerability and courage • We offer optimism and hope

Levi Herrera-Lopez | Mano a Mano

We feel these statements reflect the spirit with which work gets done and the mission is served at Family Building Blocks. We hope they resonate with you. Thank you for being part of the Family Building Blocks family!

Patrice Altenhofen, Executive Director

FAMILY STORY HOME VISITING HELPS YOUNG CHILD SAY “I LOVE YOU”

When a family receives Home Visits from Family Building Blocks, our goal is to strengthen the bond and attachment between parent and child. Home Visitors help parents identify and accomplish goals leading to self-sufficiency. Our Board is committed to ensuring every family served by Family Building Blocks receives Home Visits. Here’s an example of why: “I recently began serving a family through home visiting who never learned positive parenting tools from their parents or extended family. Mom struggled with attachment after experiencing several miscarriages and living with the fear that her child may not come to term. As the child grew, neither parent knew how to play or connect with their son. This family did not have a positive support system to help them through all of it.

During my very first visit, I observed their son experiencing strong emotions that caused extreme behaviors. Unable to self-soothe, he screamed, kicked, and cried. His parents’ reaction was to resort to physical punishment and threaten to put him to bed. The child became frustrated due to his inability to communicate and would begin physically showing his parents how he felt. Both parents gave him directions and orders all at once, as if it were a competition to see who could get him to listen first. They apologized to me for his behavior as they struggled to understand his emotions. Noticing he was not able to express his feelings with words, I asked them how they regularly communicate with him. They said they ask him what he wants until he nods his head ‘yes.’ I sat down with them and shared information about early childhood development. Together, we were able to identify that their son could greatly benefit from focusing on how to meet his social and emotional needs. We spoke about their son’s strengths and discussed how they, as parents, could harness them to create a plan for developing his communication skills. We went on to talk about how prioritizing healthy communication with children is the first step in helping them grow. I shared that, at Family Building Blocks, we believe parents are a child’s first and most important teachers. They hadn’t thought about themselves as teachers before. We talked about how and why their son feels frustrated by his limitations with communication. When asked to put themselves in their son’s shoes by imagining how they would feel if no one could understand them, they answered that they would feel as if no one cared. During my second Home Visit, we discussed how their son engages with play, and found that his only toys were a tablet and one stuffed animal. They also shared that they do not take him to the park for fear something bad might happen to him. We discussed the impact outdoor play has on the development of gross motor skills and socialization, and the benefits of fresh air. I shared with them the negative effects of excessive screen time for children under the age of five and how it can contribute to speech delays. After learning about the significance of play, they began providing gently used educational toys to their son. They also created a ‘time out chair’ as an alternative to spanking, though, after prioritizing more play time with him, they found they didn’t need to use it as often. During the next few visits, we introduced simple sign language and labeling to help him understand his own feelings as well as the feelings of others around him. We also began establishing strong daily routines, especially around naps and bed time, by using picture communication cards. Eventually, he began making sounds and pointing to the pictures. He was even able to match words to sounds, like please and thank you. His mother shared that she was overjoyed when he was finally able to say, ‘I love you.’ Over three months of partnering with this family, I witnessed profound improvements in their parenting skills and a stronger family bond. Their son is no longer screaming, kicking, or crying out of frustration on a regular basis. He often attempts to say words and use simple sign language to communicate. The parents have made a great effort to speak to him slowly, one at a time, to help him learn and grow at his own pace. They also love to play with him and are feeling more confident in their parenting abilities every day. He is now attending our Early Head Start Therapeutic Classroom, which provides him the opportunity to play outside during each class, socialize with his peers, and continue developing his communication skills.” - Family Building Blocks Home Visitor

SPOTLIGHTS CHELSEA’S PLACE TO RECEIVE “MAKEOVER” COMPLIMENTS OF DALE’S REMODELING!

We are excited to announce an amazing partnership with Dale’s Remodeling. Dale’s Remodeling, under the leadership of General Manager Joe Fennimore, chose Family Building Blocks for a large-scale service project. Thirty of their skilled tradespeople will be on site at Chelsea’s Place, our Relief Nursery in northeast Salem, on Friday, March 29 to complete an extensive list of renovations. Formerly Chelsea’s Restaurant and Pie Shop, the building that would become Chelsea’s Place was donated to Family Building Blocks to be our first permanent location after offering services from the basement of the United Methodist Church in downtown Salem from 1997-1999. Families visiting Chelsea’s Place will soon enjoy new flooring in Classroom 4, upgraded countertops in the kitchen, updated cabinetry in our conference room, new sinks and counters in two classrooms, plus new flooring in a bathroom, laundry room, and food pantry. We are also replacing window blinds, painting walls, repairing a fence, and much more! On behalf of Family Building Blocks, Dale’s Remodeling has recruited many of their friends and vendors to participate in the project including 5 Star Electric, The Marble Center, Cherry City Interiors and Design, HomeSmart Realty Group, Academy Mortgage Chrysalis Interiors, Elements Construction, Wongs Building Supply, The Cabinet Guy, Fairway Mortgage, Withers Lumber, and Sherwin Williams. Operations and Quality Assurance Director Heather Peasley shared, “We are beyond the moon excited about this remodel. Chelsea’s Place is one of our busiest Relief Nurseries and after 20 years, is showing its age in many areas. This is an incredibly generous investment that will impact the lives of children, parents, visitors, and staff. Thank you, Dale’s Remodeling, and partners!”

THERAPEUTIC CLASSROOM VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! JOIN US FOR A TOUR OF THE RELIEF NURSERY. NE SALEM: Wednesdays, March 20, April 17, May 15 from 11:00 am-12:00 pm at Chelsea’s Place, 2425 Lancaster Dr. NE DALLAS: Wednesday, March 27 from 11:00 am-12:00 pm at the Dallas Academy Building, 182 SW Academy St. Suite 210 SE SALEM: Wednesday, May 1 from 11:00 am-12:00 pm at Helen’s Place, 180 18th St. NE SIGN UP: Contact Contact Camille Stricklin at 503.798.4744 or volunteer@familybuildingblocks.org.

HIGHLIGHTS CAPITAL

CITY LIVE! IMAGINATIONS GROW WITH MORE BOOKS

With encouragement from coworkers, Tanner Helt developed a GoFundMe account to share the story of his wallet being stolen. After receiving the donated funds, he was inspired to ‘pay it forward’ by purchasing books for children at Family Building Blocks. When the team at Readers Guide heard about his donation, they generously offered a 50% discount allowing us to buy even more books. Thank you for nurturing the minds of young children!

CHILDREN BENEFIT FROM OUTDOOR PLAY

Relief Nurseries incorporate outdoor play as a critical part of our Therapeutic Classroom program. Our Gracie’s Place location recently received some much needed support to improve our outdoor materials. Thank you to Matt Mathews and his son, Christian, who led the West Salem Boy Scouts Crew 150 in a volunteer project to remove and replace a rotting shed. This allows us to safely store and care for strollers, toys, educational equipment, and more.

SURPRISE HEADLINER TO SUPPORT FAMILIES

Introducing Capital City LIVE!, a new concert benefiting Family Building Blocks. Slated for Wednesday, July 31, 2019, Capital City LIVE! will be held at the LB Day Amphitheatre at the Oregon State Fair Grounds. Stay tuned this April when we announce the surprise headliner and how you can purchase tickets. If you’d like to sponsor this concert, please contact Director of Business Partnerships Julie Hilty at jhilty@familybuildingblocks.org.

JOIN US FOR THE MARION COUNTY BLUE RIBBON EVENT

APRIL 5, 2019 | STATE CAPITOL | 8:30 AM | FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC April is Child Abuse Prevention Month! To spread awareness and show your support for child abuse prevention, please join us at the State Capitol on April 5 at 8:30 am for Salem Chamber Greeters. At 10:30 am, we will kick off the annual Marion County Blue Ribbon event alongside representatives from Marion County and other community organizations as Salem Electric hangs blue ribbons on a tree to represent victims of abuse and neglect in Oregon. Community members are encouraged to participate by filling in the blank of our “I will _________ to prevent child abuse” signs and place pinwheels under the blue ribbon tree. For more information about the event, please contact Julie Hilty, Director of Business Partnerships, at 503.566.2132 or jhilty@familybuildingblocks.org.

GIVE Thank you for your support in “Keeping Children Safe and Families Together!”

DIAPER DRIVE

SUSTAINER

DREAM BUILDER

Donate diapers for the annual Les Become a monthly donor and give Schwab Tires Diaper Drive honoring online! www.familybuildingblocks.org child abuse prevention month in April.

Diapers size 4, 5, 6, Pull Ups, and Wipes For a list of drop-off sites and for more information, please contact Julie Hilty at jhilty@familybuildingblocks.org.

TEXT TO

mo.

Milk For 1 Classroom

mo.

Formula For 1 Infant

mo.

Diapers For 5 Children

STEP 1

GIVE!

Text FBB to 91999

Give $1,000 a year for three years. brandy@familybuildingblocks.org

yr.

Home Visits For 1 Family

STEP 2

Click the link in the reply to complete your donation

THANK YOU GALA OF TREES DONORS AND VOLUNTEERS! In December 2018, Family Building Blocks partnered with Boys & Girls Aid to raise money for children and families. Over 350 community members attended the event featuring live and silent auctions with themed holiday trees and one-of-a-kind gifts, and helped raise over $155,000 for children and families partnering with both organizations. Thank you to our event sponsors, our dedicated volunteers, and to all of our guests for helping ensure children and families will have a brighter future! PRESENTING SPONSOR

SAPPHIRE SPONSOR

EMERALD SPONSOR

Mike and Steffani Klein

Freres Lumber Co., Inc.

YOU’RE INVITED! NEW THIS YEAR! 12TH

UNCORKED

A N N UA L

UNCORKED

REVELRY

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PRESENTING SPONSOR

BALTHAZAR SPONSOR

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2019

SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2019

7:00-10:30 PM | 21+ ZENITH VINEYARD $75 TICKETS

5:30-10:00 PM | 21+ ZENITH VINEYARD $300 TICKETS | $3,000 TABLES OF 10

COCKTAIL ATTIRE ENCOURAGED

BLACK TIE ENCOURAGED

THE MID-VALLEY’S PREMIER AUCTIONS BENEFITING FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS Held at picturesque Zenith Vineyard in the heart of Oregon’s esteemed wine country, Uncorked is celebrated over two evenings. Kicking off on Friday, Uncorked Revelry features Oregon wineries, breweries, handcrafted cocktails, a silent auction, and more. Culminating Saturday evening, Uncorked Live boasts a luxurious three-course dinner and live auction offering exclusive experience packages. PURCHASE TICKETS AND LEARN MORE AT FAMILYBUILDINGBLOCKS.ORG/EVENTS/#UNCORKED

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID SALEM, OREGON PERMIT NO. 64

2425 Lancaster Dr. NE Salem, OR 97305

PRINTING SPONSOR:

HILDREN C G

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E S TO G E T CHELSEA’S PLACE 2425 Lancaster Dr. NE Salem, OR 97305

F E & FA M

K E E PI

To update your physical address for our quarterly newsletter and to join our monthly IMPACT e-news list, contact Elena Goodenberger at egoodenberger@familybuildingblocks.org.

GRACIE’S PLACE 1135 Edgewater St. NW Salem, OR 97304

DORIS’S PLACE 383 N. 3rd Ave Stayton, OR 97383

BROADWAY PLACE 1255 Broadway St. Salem, OR 97301

DALLAS ACADEMY 182 SW Academy St. Suite 210 Dallas, OR 97338

HELEN’S PLACE 180 18th St. NE Salem, OR 97301

Family Building Blocks (Central Office) 2425 Lancaster Dr. NE, Salem, OR 97305 | 503.566.2132 | www.familybuildingblocks.org