Kinship Connection Winter 2015

Winter 2015

A Kinship Christmas Kinship Families get “Unfrozen” On Saturday, December 13th Covenant Community United Methodist Church held their 4th Annual Kinship Christmas Event, entitled “Unfrozen.”

Kinship families from all over Buncombe County gathered to enjoy Covenant’s “Frozen” themed celebration. Breakfast was provided, followed by a dance party, arts and crafts, games, an inflatable bounce house, and even an appearance by Disney Frozen characters, Princess Ana and Queen Elsa.

Covenant Community church members provided over 50 kinship children with needs and wishes this year, making Christmas morning extra special for these families.

Princess Ana and her sister Queen Elsa made an appearance at the Kinship Party

Covenant Community United Methodist Church volunteers in front of the awesome inflatable bounce castle!

The Biltmore Baptist Ron Howard Connect Group also joined in on the giving spirit and provided each kinship caregiver with a handmade scarf and $20.00 gift card to Wal-Mart. Thank you to Buncombe’s faith-based community for wrapping around North Carolina’s kinship families all year long!

THANK YOU! Biltmore Baptist Church

Angie Parker Church volunteer and Tracy Weinmann, Director of Children’s Ministry, and her daughter.

Who is Bair & What is Kinship?

Bair’s Asheville Location at Executive Park

T

he Bair Foundation is a child and family ministry with over 40 years of experience in the field of child welfare. Our Asheville office has been providing therapeutic foster care to local abused and neglected youth for the past four years.

We recruit and retain quality homes in Asheville and the surrounding areas that are able to provide structure, stability, safety, and love to children in the foster care system. The Bair Foundation actively recruits teen homes and families who are willing to take sibling groups, as that is where the need is greatest. The objective of our ministry is to strengthen families and ultimately provide permanency for these children, either through returning home, foster-to-adopt, legal guardianship, or kinship care.

Kinship Care is a program designed to help support a child who resides outside of his or her own home, either temporarily or for the long term, with a relative, godparents, stepparents or any adult who has a “kinship bond” with a child. Kinship Care is an option that allows a child to grow into adulthood in a familiar family environment instead of being placed in foster care.

THANK YOU Kinship families for providing transitional care for your “kin” while their biological parents complete the steps necessary so their children can return home.

Questions?

Laura May, Kinship Coordinator The Bair Foundation Executive Park Suite 108 - Bldg. 1 Asheville, NC 28801 (828) 350-5197 (877) 213-0723 toll free (828) 350- 5199 fax email: LMay@bair.org Buncombe County Dept. of Social Services 40 Coxe Avenue, PO Box 7408 Asheville, NC 28802 (828) 250-5500 (828) 250-6235 fax

If you would like to help/give/hold a donation drive please contact Laura!

Kinship

Resources

Head Start (828) 252-2495 All children deserve the best possible start in life, but this goal can be hard for many families to accomplish alone.

That’s where Head Start comes in to make a difference in the lives of children and families.

Head Start is free for families who live on limited incomes and their children ages three to five years old. We help parents with their child’s physical, educational, social, and emotional needs.

Head Start school year begins in August.

However, Head Start accepts applications throughout the year and enrolls children ages 3-5 years old as soon as we have classroom space. Our staff will be glad to help parents complete the application process.

For information regarding Head Start locations in Buncombe County, call 828252-2495.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC 828-253-1470

Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC has been serving young people in Western NC and matching “Bigs” and “Littles” since 1982.

Eligibility: Youth ages 6 – 14 living with relatives/foster parents or from single parent homes. Both the child and parent/guardian must be interested in the program. Participation is based on need, not income. There is no cost for families to participate in the program.

How is a match with a mentor (“Big”) made? A BBBS staff person will very carefully select a mentor for your child

50 S. French Broad Ave. Suite 213 Asheville, NC 28801 based on preferences you and your child have given, mutual interests, personality and your child’s needs. You will have the option to meet the mentor before a final match decision is made.

For more information call 828-253-1470.

facebook.com/thebairfoundation

A Kinship Christmas The Tack Room held their 2nd Annual Tack Sack Event in December.

The Tack Room sponsored current kinship families in the program, as well as kinship families who had taken legal guardianship of the children in their care over the last year. Breakfast was provided, and 36 children were provided with their needs and Christmas wishes thanks to The Tack Room, founder Millie Lewis, and their wonderful volunteers.

Also, as a surprise to the kinship caregivers, Christ Community Church in Montreat provided each family with huge Christmas food bags!

Thank You!!!!

Calming the Morning Rush Hour The morning rush hour can be the most stressful part of a family’s day.

You’re trying to get lunches packed. One child has toothpaste all over his clothes. The other refuses to get dressed at all. Surely there has to be an easier way to get you and your kids out the door on time?

Well, the key is very simple. It is to be organized. Easier said than done, right? Well for starters, prepare some things the night before. You’ll save a bit of time in the morning. Once you’re up, get yourself ready first, before your child. It’s also recommended you don’t have the TV on in the morning. Once the children are completely ready to leave you may want to turn it on. Otherwise it is a distraction.

It also helps to let your child know ahead of time what you expect them to do before you leave. Teaching children to get dressed by themselves helps them become more independent too. They soon realize how important it is to be organized. And a child who brushes his own teeth, or makes her own bed will make life easier for you.

You may also like to try the “beat the clock” game. The goal is for your child to be ready before the alarm clock sounds off. If your child wins, he earns a small treat or reward – perhaps a favorite snack in his lunch box. Tell your child exactly what tasks he must do to be ready to leave

(and win the award.) Make sure you set the timer with plenty of time.

Try not to repeat instructions all the time or nag your child to hurry up. Often you’ll be able to phase out the rewards and the clock after about two weeks. But of course, remember to always praise your child’s achievements as they become better organized.

With consistency, you should find that your mornings become filled with a lot less stress, and a lot more calm. Good Luck!

-Professor Matt Sanders; www.triplep-parenting.net

Family Support Groups Kinship & Conversation Support Groups Taking care of someone else is a selfless act of love, but it can easily become overwhelming. With 2015 in full swing, it’s a great time to seek out activities that can relieve stress and have a positive impact on your role as a caregiver. The Bair Foundation would like to invite you to “Kinship and Conversation,” A monthly kinship support meeting.

When you come to a kinship support meeting, you get a chance to connect with other kinship caregivers by sharing stories, resources and offering support. Coffee and pastries will be provided!

WHERE: The Bair Foundation’s Asheville office, 108 Executive Park, Asheville, NC 28801; WHEN: 1st and 3rd Tuesday of Every Month (March 3rd & 17th, April 7th & 21st, May 5th & 19th) from 9:30 AM 10:30 AM. Please let Laura May know if you plan on attending. You can RSVP via phone call or text, 280-0407 OR email Laura at LMay@bair.org.

The Family Support Network of Western North Carolina (FSN of WNC) is a parent-to-parent program serving caregivers of children with special healthcare needs and developmental concerns. FSN of WNC facilitates Family Groups that offer education, support and resources for each family member (this not only includes you, but the children in your care) at monthly meetings. While friends and family provide much needed encouragement, perhaps no one offers emotional understanding, information and advice as well as people who are in a similar life situation.

Please RSVP. Signing up will help insure there is enough food for dinner and volunteers for groups.

To Register: Call 828-213-0047 or email Kerri.Eaker@msj.org WHERE: Mission Reuter Children’s Center FSN of WNC 11 Vanderbilt Park Drive, Asheville NC 28803

*We are not able to provide childcare at this time.

Mar. 3rd: 5:30-6:00, dinner; 6:00 – 7:30, meeting May 5th: 5:30-6:00, dinner; 6:00 – 7:30, meeting April 7th: 5:30-6:00, dinner; 6:00 – 7:30, meeting June 2nd: 5:30-6:00, dinner; 6:00 – 7:30, meeting

Free Tax Assistance Offered

Dial 2-1-1 United Way’s 2-1-1 of Western North Carolina is a community service information line that links people to health and human services in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, McDowell and Transylvania counties.

2-1-1 service is free, confidential and available 24/7 to speakers of all languages. Whether you want to find or give help, trained referral specialists are available to answer your call and identify the right resources for you.

Taxes can be tough; especially when people aren’t sure which deductions they qualify for, whose first language isn’t English, or who have trouble because of their age or a disability. The NC 2-1-1 Asheville Center can connect you to more than 18,000 services throughout the state including financial education and tax preparation assistance. Four AARP Tax Aide sites are open throughout Buncombe County on a walkin basis on different days through April 15. Sites are located in Downtown Asheville, Weaverville, West Asheville and Black Mountain.

Hours: Feb. 5 - April 9, 2015; Thurs., 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Intake Process: Walk-in Program Fees: None Eligibility: Provides free tax help for low to moderate income individuals, with special attention to those 60 years and older; It is not necessary to be over 60 or retired to qualify.

2-1-1 Downtown Site, AARP Tax Aide 67 Haywood Street Pack Library Asheville, NC 28801 (828) 250-4700 Weaverville Site, AARP Tax Aide 41 North Main St., Weaverville Public Library Weaverville, NC 28787 (828) 250-6482 West Asheville Site, AARP Tax Aide 942 Haywood Road West Asheville Library Asheville, NC 28806 (828) 250-4750 Black Mountain Site, AARP Tax Aide 105 North Dougherty Street Black Mountain Public Library Black Mountain, NC 28711 (828) 250-4756