“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” Frederick Douglass
ChildSavers Program Updates
Giving Tuesday

On Giving Tuesday, November 30, members of our giving community raised $63,000+ for children's mental health and development. That day, our office was filled with cheers, happy tears, and gratitude for the 100+ donors who gave, as well as our matching donors: Judy & David Pahren, Tamra & Jeffrey Wilt, Ginny & Riker Purcell, Anke & Russ Jackson, Joyalin & L. Robert Bolling, Wind River Chimes, and Mitchell Wiggins. Thank you for making this Giving Tuesday the largest day of collective giving in ChildSavers' 97-year history.
Crisis Resource Available for Families

The Commonwealth of Virginia has made programmatic and regulatory changes to align the statewide response to mental health crises. The Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) and Department of Behavioral Health & Development Services (DBHDS), two of the governing bodies for mental health in the Commonwealth, have implemented a three-digit number (988) used nationally to assist people experiencing a mental health or suicidal crisis. While ChildSavers will continue to use our Immediate Response helpline to respond to trauma in the community, we will collaborate with partner organizations to connect community members calling with mental health emergencies and crises (i.e. suicidal ideation) to 988.

Our team will work together with other behavioral health organizations to continue meeting the need of this community. Over the next few years, we anticipate changes to the way in which mental health services are delivered locally, across the state, and nationally resulting from an enormous demand for this work. We remain flexible with our program offerings which have lately included a greater emphasis on increased demand for grief services due to the pandemic and violent events. For more information, please visit our website childsavers.org/IR.
Donor Spotlight: Starbucks
Over the last two years, Starbucks at Winterfield Crossing, Midlothian and Carmia, and others in the Midlothian/Chesterfield area collected hundreds of toys and art supplies items for ChildSavers' Children's Holiday Parties. These annual celebrations provide our clients and their families with hot meals, toys, art kits, and hygiene items each December. In addition to Starbucks' generous in-kind gifts and time spent volunteering, these community leaders elected ChildSavers as the recipient of a $2,000 gift from The Starbucks Foundation - helping more children connect to trusted therapists and child care professionals.

"We love working with ChildSavers because what they do for children is unmatched. They are one of a kind in Virginia addressing and supporting mental health and emotional trauma at a young age. ChildSavers is giving these children opportunity and a future." says Kelly Kayes, GM of Starbucks Winterfield Crossing.

We are truly grateful for our community partners at Starbucks who continue to share their time, treasure, and talents with us.
Resource Round-Up

  • Read: How to Help Children of All Ages Manage Their Anger (5-minute read)

  • Watch: Top 3 Trauma-Informed Book Recommendations of 2021 with John Richardson-Lauve, LCSW (2-minute video)

  • Listen: Challenging Moments With Kids - How To Keep Your Cool with Psychotherapist Tasha Lansbury (17-minute podcast episode)

  • We have multiple free and fee-based Trauma and Resilience Training opportunities coming up. Register here!