Building Strong Families & Safe Communities
We often get asked, “How do you offer your services free of charge and serve so many families?” and we say, “Grants, donations and volunteers!” Grants are the largest piece of the pie and where Pause got funding to start its program 7 years ago. As promised, once a quarter we will feature a grant funder that helps Pause operate!
Introducing… Strong Families, Safe Communities (SFSC), a project through Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) to reduce risk of harm and provide the best possible outcomes for families in local communities. Since 2013, the Strong Families, Safe Communities project has been engaging local systems to identify community-driven solutions that highlight collaboration across agencies to develop the best possible outcomes for these families.
Pause was first funded to innovate the way respite was provided. Pause offered Parent’s Night Out events a couple of times per month and it mattered then just as much as it does now! Providing caregivers with a break isn’t something that is “nice” every once in a while - it’s a preventative measure to reduce adverse experiences, keep families together and create better outcomes for families with disabilities. We know. We’ve said that 100 times in 100 different ways - but, we want you to soak up every. single. word. because it’s that important.
When we first received SFSC funding in 2014, we could only imagine what the program would develop into! In the beginning, Pause was providing one respite event every month serving roughly 12 kids. Last month alone, 82 children started the enrollment process into Pause. EIGHTY-TWO. We have grown from 2 Parent Night Out events a month to over 120 rest, support, connection and fun events annually. We are proud of that and you should be too!
While our grant opportunities have increased, so has our support from the community and we wouldn’t be an existing program without it. In year one, donations were just under $6,000. In 2021, cash and in-kind donations totaled over $350,000! Why is that important? Because through the CAN DO Network we are making grant funds, like those given to us from Strong Families Safe Communities go farther! Last year alone, the CAN DO community doubled the impact of the SFSC grant award!
Because of sustainable funding through the Strong Families, Safe Communities grant, we are able to continue the bread and butter of Pause AND expand services and supports to meet the needs of our January enrollment and the next 82 kids who will come.
Thank you, Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services for investing in your community and for showing that wrapping families in support is necessary to create strong, healthy families and safe, thriving communities.
This is CAN DO. This is COMMUNITY. This is YOUR SUPPORT.
