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Children have an innate need and desire to be loved, nurtured and protected. When there is a lack of parental protective capacity and present vulnerabilities that result in a child failing to experience the love, nurturing and connection they need to thrive, they may experience a deep void that can adversely impact healthy child development.
And while not everyone has the good fortune of being raised by their biological parents, many have loving caregivers, both relative and non-relative, who act as surrogate parents. In many instances, grandparents assume caregiver responsibility in the absence of the biological parents.
The Pew Research Center reports that 7.7 million children in the U.S. are living with their grandparents. This is nearly 1-10 children and many more when you cast the net wider to include aunts, uncles, siblings, etc. The good news is that many successful adults today credit their grandparent's influence and care to their success. Among them include President Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton and Maya Angelou to name a few.
Read More »
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Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
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On Sunday, September 11th, families across America celebrated Grandparents Day. Here in Brevard, over 8,500 children are currently being raised by relative caregivers, including local grandparents.
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (GRG) of Brevard is a local organization that strives to provide a stable home in order to ensure permanent placement with relatives in lieu of foster care.
The organization was established in 1994 by Mary Ann Sterling, a grandmother with a vision to improve conditions for relative care families and the community who care for them. Their mission is to support relative caregivers throughout Brevard County in achieving safety, permanency, & well-being for their families through education, advocacy and community collaboration.
It is their vision that one day all children will live in a safe, loving home with relatives that will help them to develop into their full potential. Living in a place you can call home and knowing that someone will always be there for you is something everyone needs, especially children.
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Tickets on Sale Now: Decades in Revue Lip Sync Battle
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On
Saturday, October 29, 2016, the biggest stars of Brevard County will take the stage to lip sync and perform a song inspired by this year's theme, the "Fabulous 50's".
Inspired by the original Jimmy Fallon "Lip Sync Battle", this feature fundraiser for Brevard Family Partnership, will raise funds to help Brevard's most vulnerable children. Performers will gather community "votes" prior to their performance in the form of donations. Each $1 raised will equate to one vote for the performer of your choice. At the end of the night, the performers will be judged by an expert panel and given scores based 50% on their performance and 50% on money they raised.
Learn how you can support your favorite performer online here.
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Would You Consider Fostering a Teen?
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 There is an ongoing need for more people to become foster parents for teenagers in foster care. Your support, guidance and care can have a lifelong impact.
Would you consider fostering a teen? For additional information, please contact our Foster Parent Recruiter, Jason Simmons at 321-752-4650 Ext. 3034 or Jason.simmons@brevardfp.org.
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The Department of Children and Families' 2016 Child Protection Summit was held last week in Orlando, FL and included more than 3,200 individuals representing approximately 240 organizations. The annual three-day summit is Florida's largest gathering of child welfare professionals to receive continuing education, share best practices, and collaborate to advance child welfare services and partnerships.
Congratulations to the Honorable Kelly J. McKibben, who was recognized at the summit as the recipient of the 2016 William E. Gladstone Award.
Additionally, several youth from our community participated in a panel discussion which gave attendees the opportunity to hear the voices and real life experiences of the youth in the Brevard County System of Care.
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Thank you to the Kiwanis Club of Rockledge Florida for their generous toy donation for our children in care! The club has "adopted" BFP as one of their charity of choices and have planned a mission every month for the remainder of the year to benefit BFP, specific to the current needs of the agency. We greatly appreciate your continued support!
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We would also like to give a very special t
hank you to the Rotary Club of Melbourne Beach for their gracious donation to Brevard Family Partnership and for allowing us to share our mission with your membership. Your generosity allows us the opportunity to continue providing the support and services that help so many children and families in our community.
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