Community
Winter 2012
L. I. N. K. INSIDE Get Involved J. Thompson Brown Awards Leslie’s Letter ...and more!
It’s Not Just Our Name. It’s Our Promise. Together, we’re making a difference
L
ooking at the happy faces of William, age 2, and Suniyah, age 3, surrounded by their family in the sunny mentoring room at Stubbs Elementary, you’d never guess what happened just a year ago. On December 9, 2011, their mother Lawshawn received a call at work with the kind of news that every parent dreads: her two youngest children had been injured in a fire. William and Suniyah were at home with their grandmother when the fire broke out, sparked by faulty electrical wiring. Luckily, firefighters were quick to respond and were able to rescue the children. Both children spent two weeks in the hospital recovering from their injuries. But here’s where you helped…where together, we made a difference. Lawshawn’s two older children attend Stubbs Elementary School, part of Children & Families First’s Eastside Community Schools project. Nambia, now in 3rd grade, and Camden, in 5th, are connected members of the school community, taking advantage of virtually everything the community school has to offer – from the Girl Scouts afterschool program to mentoring with Big Brothers Big Sisters, and so much more. Nambia loves reading
and art (Keith Haring is a new favorite), and Camden is excited to learn the saxophone and earn badges in Girl Scouts (including Reading and Good Deeds). Luckily, the older girls were safe at school when the fire happened. And when news of the fire spread, the school community rallied around the family. Lawshawn says, “There was an outpouring of support. Everybody came together for donations, clothes, volunteering. Anything that we needed, the whole school came together for us.” Lawshawn attributes the generosity to the school’s love for her girls and adds, “It’s very reassuring to know that we can come into the school and get help if we need it. It’s a good thing.” This is the heart of what Children & Families First believes – that together, we are stronger. That together, we can overcome our hardships. That together, we can succeed. With your investment in Children & Families First through our Friends Campaign, we are able to touch the lives of thousands of people in Delaware, offering them a brighter future. Please consider making as generous a gift as you can. Your donation will make a world of difference to children like these.
Visit www.cffde.org/donate