Autumn 2020

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AUTUMN 2020 NEWSLETTER

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS & ORGANIZATION VALUES

FROM PATRICE

OFFICERS

With full and grateful hearts, we say “Thank You” to Rich Schultz who is completing his term as Board Chair for Family Building Blocks. Rich has accomplished so much over the last two years, supporting the opening of Classroom 12 at Helen’s Place and Classroom 13 in Woodburn, as well as founding “Capital City Live” (our Kane Brown concert last summer).

R. Taylor, Chair Chemeketa Community College Jeff Moore, Vice Chair Saalfeld Griggs, PC Rich Schultz, Past Chair Cherry City Metals Brian Johnston, Past Chair Dallas Glass & Window Jody Rowell, Secretary Community Service Mike Blanchard, Treasurer Johnson, Glaze & Co.

BOARD MEMBERS Dave Alcorn | PGE Jacob Bailey | Sea Legs Media Troy Blum | Blum Real Estate Ross Carey | U.S. Bank Wally Carson | Retired, OR Supreme Court Brent DeMoe | Polk County Family and Community Outreach Walt Edmonds | Retired, OR Court of Appeals Adrienne Fischer | Legislative Commission on Indian Services Hannah Fouts | HomeSmart Realty Group Deana Freres | Community Service Pedro Gomez | Representing Partnering Families Levi Herrera-Lopez | Mano a Mano Danae Johnson | Capital Financial Planners Rob Kansky | Green Acres Landscape Lillian Kay | HomeSmart Realty Group Nancy MacMorris-Adix | Legacy Silverton Midwives Diane McLaran | Center for Business and Industry Wes McWhorter | Premier Remodeling & Design Jerry Moore | Salem Chief of Police Christy Perry | Salem-Keizer Public Schools Marni Redding | Mother Tree Olive Grove and The Arbor Leilani Slama | Salem Health Ernesto Toskovic | KeyBank Conrad Venti | Venti’s Restaurants Patrice Altenhofen | FBB Executive Director

ORGANIZATION VALUES • We respect the unique personhood of each child.

• We believe in the power of a securely attached family.

• We are family-centered, caring and supportive.

• We strive for equity and celebrate diversity.

Country pop star Kane Brown (L) with Rich Schultz (R), Family Bulding Blocks Board Member and former Board Chair

We are honored and excited to welcome our new Board Chair, R. Taylor, Dean of Business and Technology, Early Childhood Education, Visual Communications, and Internship at Chemeketa Community College. R. is a Dream Builder and has been a member of our Board for over a decade.

This fall begins her 20th year with Chemeketa, where she was formerly a full-time faculty member in Early Childhood Education. Prior to her work at Chemeketa, she worked for Family Building Blocks as a classroom teacher and home visitor, and helped to launch our Gracie’s Place location in west Salem. R.’s deep early childhood expertise has made her an invaluable resource for our staff, and made her the natural choice to Chair our Program and Collaboration Committee for the past several years. She is a lifelong resident of Oregon’s mid-valley, and in her free time can be found on its beautiful waterways with her husband, children, and black lab, Maggie.

Thank you, both, for “Keeping Children Safe and Families Together!”

• We are collaborative and ambitious.

• We emphasize strengths and assume positive intent.

• We honor vulnerability and courage.

• We offer optimism and hope.

• We express gratitude for our community’s generosity.

His entire family supports Family Building Blocks and deeply values our partnerships with children and their families. Cherry City Metals, his family’s company, is a consistent sponsor of our events. Rich and his girlfriend, Chelsea, are dedicated volunteers at our Family Night events, and are known to deliver made-to-order Dutch Bros drinks to our entire staff at all our locations! When the pandemic hit, Rich and his family made and donated 150+ face masks for our team, children, and families. Thank you, Rich, for always saying yes, always answering the phone, and for being “ALL IN.”

Patrice Altenhofen, Executive Director

FEATURED STORY MEET NATALLEA AND JOIN US FOR THE 2020 DREAM BUILDERS CAMPAIGN PRESENTED BY

“Family Building Blocks is the fourth leg on our table.” - Natallea Meet Natallea’s family, watch their inspiring story, and give online!

Dream Builders are donors who pledge to give at least $1,000 a year for three years. Dream Builder pledges can be made monthly, quarterly, or annually, and provide Family Building Blocks a strong foundation.

New and renewed Dream Builder pledges MATCHED up to $25,000 through October 31 thanks to Craig and Cherie Cline!

We will miss seeing you at our annual Dream Builders Luncheon this year. Though we can’t be together in the same room, we hope you will enjoy our presentation and photos in this newsletter as we continue to celebrate and focus relentlessly on the PREVENTION of child abuse and neglect.

As you know, Family Building Blocks’ mission is simple: “Keeping Children Safe and Families Together.” We believe that every parent strives to be the best parent they can be and that NO parent wants to abuse or neglect their child. All parents need and are worthy of support.

We are the only organization of our kind in this community. We provide intensive, specialized supports for families with children newborn to age five, who are at the point of disintegration due to the overwhelming life circumstances they are facing. We are often the last and best chance for parents to keep their family together before a child ends up removed from the home and placed in foster care. This is why we exist.

And what we do works. Year after year, 99% of the children we serve are able to continue living safely with their parents and families - no foster care, no abuse, and no neglect. The children and families we serve are facing crisis every day. They are facing what are sometimes called “risk factors” - homelessness, isolation, poverty, addiction, domestic violence, unemployment, lack of transportation, and other significant stressors. We know that the more risk factors faced by a family, the harder it is for that family to stay strong and together.

A family may walk through our doors facing over 10 risk factors. We know that by partnering with Family Building Blocks, a family can reduce their risk factors by as much as 36% in 18 months of service. Reducing risk factors for children is vitally important. Research shows that preventing a small child’s exposure to adverse experiences results in enormous payoffs in increased graduation rates, improved life-long health, lower incarceration rates, and reduced teen parenthood. The economic rate of return is a remarkable 1:8. For every dollar spent on prevention, there is an $8 return. That’s why we like to say, if you have a dollar to spend, spend it on prevention!

FEATURED STORY Here is the classic example of the benefit of investing early: It costs $7,500 to enroll a child and family in our Therapeutic Classrooms and wraparound services; $42,000 if a family disintegrates and a child ends up in foster care; and, if the child has an abusive childhood, makes terrible choices, and is incarcerated as a juvenile, the annual cost to our community is $110,000.

Many people are not aware that the parents in our programs reach out to us voluntarily. When a parent connects with Family Building Blocks, they are courageously saying “I want to be a better parent and I am struggling. I need your help.” And Family Building Blocks responds.

We respond by providing Therapeutic Classroom environments for children, Home Visits for families, parent education, and wraparound supports like clothing closets, food pantries, and respite child care. We believe every parent deserves to feel joy and that every child deserves to feel secure and be safe. It may be hard to believe, but what comes so naturally to so many of us is nearly impossible for some. Some parents experienced significant trauma as children. Some families are living with toxic stress.

This is what makes it so hard for some parents to establish critical bonds with their babies - bonds that lay the foundations for relationships, emotional regulation, and learning. And when a parent cannot focus on their child, for whatever reason, a once in a lifetime opportunity is missed. This is because a child’s brain is 40% developed at birth and 80% developed by age three. Neglect at this stage in life, even if unintentional, can impact that child forever.

Children cannot wait. A parent’s ability to respond to their baby is CRITICAL. Critical to the parent-child relationship. Critical for the healthy development of this very small child’s brain. Every parent deserves to know this and be given the skills to bond with their child.

It is so simple and so profound.

When you support Family Building Blocks, you are honoring the work our families engage in every day to ensure their children are safe and their family stays together. We are all grateful for your support.

We are recruiting Campaign Captains to reach donors and community members through letters, phone calls, and emails. Campaign Captains can share Natallea’s story with family, friends, and business associates to help raise the funds necessary to continue providing for the youngest and most vulnerable among us.

RSVP to become a Campaign Captain, receive campaign updates, and more! Contact Julie Hilty at jhilty@familybuildingblocks.org.

Please make a gift to support children and families today. Pledge to give a monthly, multi-year, or one-time gift of any amount online, by completing and returning the insert, or by texting FBB to 91999.

YOU can help build the dream for generations to come! THANK YOU!

HIGHLIGHTS

EXPANDING TO SERVE 218 MORE FAMILIES

This fall, we will begin expanding to serve 218 more families, (a nearly 40% increase) totaling 774 in Marion and Polk counties. This includes $2.8 million of annual funding plus startup costs for two new Relief Nursery satellites in Woodburn and Stayton, increased Healthy Families Home Visiting services for 66 new families, and three new Therapeutic Classrooms in southeast Salem through Oregon Pre-kindergarten (OPK).

EVACUATED FAMILIES HAVE NEEDS MET

With growing and changing needs during this pandemic and families displaced by wild fires, we are so grateful to all who have donated to support our partnering children and families in the Santiam Canyon. We are overwhelmed with gratitude and filled with so much hope. Special thanks to you and our staff who are supporting our families through this crisis. To donate needed items, visit us online at familybuildingblocks.org.

DORIS’S PLACE ADDS CLASSROOM SERVICES

Since 2010, Doris’s Place has served families in the Santiam Canyon through parent education, playgroups, and Home Visits thanks to support from the Oregon Community Foundation – Doris J. Wipper Fund. With this expansion, Doris’s Place will become a new Relief Nursery satellite offering classroom services and Respite Care. Along with four new classrooms in Woodburn and southeast Salem, we will operate a total of 17 Therapeutic Classrooms.

WEAR A MASK TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 Protect each other and “Keep Children Safe and Families Together!”

STAY HOME. STAY HEALTHY. STAY SAFE. HOW ELSE CAN I PROTECT MYSELF AND OTHERS? • Wash your hands often

• Connect virtually or outdoors

• Avoid touching your face

• Avoid indoor gatherings

• Stay home when possible

• Avoid touching others

• Stand six feet apart in public

• Avoid sharing food and drink

FOR UPDATES AND RECOMMENDATIONS, CALL 211 OR VISIT:

OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY: www.govstatus.egov.com/OR-OHA-COVID-19 MARION COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH: www.co.marion.or.us | POLK COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH: www.co.polk.or.us

GIVE IMMEDIATE NEEDS FOR COVID-19 & FIRE EVACUEE SUPPORT Due to persistent stressors from COVID-19 and significant loss from wild fires, families continue to need our support more than ever. Please see below for needs and how to donate or give online at familybuildingblocks.org/donate.

HOW TO DONATE Deliver: Please deliver donations to Chelsea's Place at 2425 Lancaster Dr. NE, Salem, OR 97305 between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm, Monday through Friday, or call Mackenzie at 971.353.8320 to schedule a different time.

Mail: Please send to the address above, attn: Mackenzie Frazier.

QUESTIONS? Please contact Mackenzie Frazier at 971.353.8320 or mfrazier@familybuildingblocks.org.

NEEDED ITEMS (MUST BE NEW) • Cleaning supplies • Children’s books • Blankets • Pillows • Towels • Diapers size 6 • Pull Ups sizes 2T, 3T, 4T, and 5T • $25 and $50 gift cards for gas/groceries

ANNUAL HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS GIVING PROGRAM SPONSOR A CHILD OR PARENTS IN NOVEMBER

‘Tis the season! We are delighted to kick-off our annual Hope for the Holidays giving program in November 2020. To ensure our families’ basic needs are met during this holiday season and that they can create memories together for years to come, we are partnering with businesses and individuals in our community to collect donations of winter coats, age appropriate educational toys, pajamas, books in multiple languages, and gift cards for food for local families raising young children.

Because of your generous support in 2019, Family Building Blocks was able to provide gifts and needed items and create sweet holiday memories with over 500 children and their parents in our community. YOU made all of this possible.

Please join us again this year to provide hope for the holidays to children and families during one of the most challenging years in our community’s history.

DONATE: Visit us online at familybuildingblocks.org/hopefortheholidays to fulfill the need for these gifts and make an online donation.

BONUS: Please also see our AmazonSmile Wishlist at https://a.co/35PAJmM where items will ship directly to us at Chelsea’s Place AND Amazon will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to Family Building Blocks.

Hope for the Holidays 2019: Our friends at Epic Fitness (R) with FBB staff Nikki Paxton and Denise Sanchez (L)

TEXT TO GIVE!

HOST A “GIVING TREE”: To participate as a business and collect needed items, please contact Julie Hilty at 503.566.2132 or jhilty@familybuildingblocks.org.

FBB

TEXT FBB TO 91999

EVENTS SAVE THE DATES

PRESENTED BY

Holiday Tree Tour and Online Auction

DECEMBER 2-5, 2020

Join us Wednesday through Saturday online and in Downtown Salem

BECOME A SPONSOR

Contact Julie Hilty at 503.566.2132 or jhilty@familybuildingblocks.org

VISIT US ONLINE TO LEARN MORE

familybuildingblocks.org/events/#galaoftrees

THE MID-VALLEY’S PREMIER HOLIDAY TREE TOUR AND ONLINE AUCTION BENEFITING FAMILY BUILDING BLOCKS

Please join us for some festive holiday cheer during our favorite time of year! Though we can’t be together for our annual gala, we can still celebrate the holiday tree extravaganza we all know and love - with a twist!

Enjoy the tour of dazzling trees while safely visiting local businesses and bid on favorites from the comfort of your own home. Our community’s health and safety are paramount. We can protect ourselves and others while continuing the legacy of this beloved event that supports children and families in Marion and Polk counties.

THANK YOU TO OUR PREVENTION PATRONS! PREVENTION PATRONS ARE INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES THAT SPONSOR OUR RELIEF NURSERY THERAPEUTIC EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS Thank you to our summer/fall event sponsors who transferred their sponsorship dollars to our Prevention Patrons giving program. To become a Prevention Patron, please contact Julie Hilty, Director of Business Partnerships, at jhilty@familybuildingblocks.org or call 503.566.2132.

HEALTH SPONSOR

COMMUNITY LEGACY SPONSOR

SAFETY SPONSOR

SUPPORTING SPONSOR

WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM

Cascade Collections | Childhood Health Associates of Salem | Dallas Community Foundation Dallas Glass & Window | Dallas Retirement Center | Grove, Mueller & Swank, PC | Instant Fire Protection Landmark Professional Mortgage Co | Lane & Francine Shetterly | Mid-Valley Garbage and Recycling Association Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace | Salem Electric | Willamette Valley Fiber & MINET | Valley Credit Union

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID SALEM, OREGON PERMIT NO. 64

2425 Lancaster Dr. NE Salem, OR 97305

PRINTING SPONSOR:

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To update your physical address for our quarterly newsletter and to join our monthly IMPACT e-news list, contact Esmeralda Chan Tuyub at echantuyub@familybuildingblocks.org.

E S TO G E T

GRACIE’S PLACE DORIS’S PLACE BROADWAY PLACE DALLAS ACADEMY HELEN’S PLACE WOODBURN CLASSROOM CHELSEA’S PLACE Santiam Center 1255 Broadway St. 182 SW Academy St. 180 18th St. NE First Presbyterian Church 2425 Lancaster Dr. NE 1135 Edgewater St. NW 11656 Sublimity Rd. SE Salem, OR 97301 Salem, OR 97304 Suite 210 Salem, OR 97305 Salem, OR 97301 950 N Boones Ferry Rd. Woodburn, OR 97071 Sublimity, OR 97385 Dallas, OR 97338

Family Building Blocks (Main Office) 2425 Lancaster Dr. NE, Salem, OR 97305 | 503.566.2132 | www.familybuildingblocks.org