60K for 60 Years
May 10th is our Founding Director, Susan Silverman’s, 60th. It’s no surprise that her birthday falls in National Foster Care Month! In her honor, help us raise 60K by funding what speaks to you the most.
100% raised as of May 31
Cohort Meetings
Each monthly cohort gathering fortifies families to navigate the unique challenges and hurdles as they strive to nurture the children in their care. There is never a meeting without families benefiting by shared information and strategies, potential foster parents moving forward, another family added to the 2N WhatsApp group and the fortification needed to continue fostering.
All-Cohort Play Date
All the cohorts gather for food and fun in the park to meet the families from the other cohorts. Amidst laughter, love and kids running around everyone is strengthened and always someone learns something important. Last time one family learned that they were eligible for county funding even though they had completed their foster child’s adoption. Their lives are so much easier now!
Coaching
Families sometimes need the individual focus of our Family Support Specialist. This can be for many reasons, including guiding a foster family through the court process, effecting the best outcome for a child in a complicated case, navigating through grief and loss, and strategies to prevent a harmful disruption.
Raising Community Awareness and Engagement
2N educates the wider communities on fostering through big regional events, cross-community activities and by integrating 2N cultural materials into the holiday and ritual cycles of each community. And through our activities, more people become engaged in many ways. Multiple volunteers have even moved forward to become foster parents!
Trauma Training Workshops for Community Volunteers
There is so much professional expertise in our partner communities. But rarely does a professional have the knowledge to apply those skills to kids with trauma. We provide trauma-informed training for our communities so that they can best serve foster families.
Translating 2N to Systemic Change
Our FSS troubleshoots for our foster families. But we don’t want our efforts to only benefit our families. So we bring what we learn to the larger “System”. For example, when a 2N family had a terrible experience with a respite provider, 2N worked with them to craft a protocol of questions foster parents should ask before putting a child in respite. It is now shared widely.
Identifying New Affiliate Cities
We are currently operating in Los Angeles and Columbus, and just launching in Chicago and Boston. Help us find our new city!
Please join our work, rooted in community and love, to hold families and children in both their exquisite need and magnificent possibility.
Susan Silverman, Executive Director