The Relatives’ Family Update – March 2018
Please ensure you scroll down to read all of the recent stories in this month’s newsletter. If you would like to be added to our email distribution please email your information to development@therelatives.org.
Safe Place provides access to immediate help and supportive resources for youth in need. The Relatives serves as the managing agency in this area.
National Safe Place Week
National Safe Place (NSP) Week is celebrated nationally during the third full week in March each year. This recognized week honors Safe Place, an outreach and prevention program for youth in crisis. NSP Week serves to recognize the many valued partners who work together to provide immediate help and safety for all young people. It is a dedicated time to acknowledge licensed Safe Place agencies. Safe Place locations and community partners and volunteers. These individuals and groups are the pillars of strength that support the national safety net for youth.
The Relatives has been the managing Safe Place agency for the area since 1988 which has created a local network of over 650 businesses, churches, schools, transportation services, and community locations that were willing to post Safe Place signs and identify as a place for youth in crisis to get help. A child/teen in crisis can request help at any of the Safe Place sites in our community and immediately be connected to The Relatives’ Youth Crisis Center, accessible 24/7.
Youth may experience difficult problems during their young lives. These may lead young people to make difficult, and sometimes dangerous decisions in an effort to escape what it is they are going through. Sometimes, youth feel they don’t belong, and leaving home is often not a choice they want to make. Providing Safe Place as a resource for youth provides a safety net for them, thereby strengthening families and communities.
Please join The Relatives grow awareness about Safe Place by participating in these events throughout the week:
Monday 19th: Wells Fargo’s Duke Energy Center and The Vue lit with The Relatives colors
Tuesday 20th: Eat at 2 Chicks and a Truck as they become the first designated food truck Safe Place mobile site
Wednesday 21st: Check out Wilson’s World on WCCB in the morning and join us at the Kendra Scott Fundraiser at South Park Mall 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Thursday 22nd: Safe Place art winner announced at CATS Media Day
Friday 23rd: Find a Safe Place sign at one of our local Safe Place partner sites listed below
Saturday 24th: Robert’s Walk and Community Celebration (see information below)
Why We Walk for Robert
Last year 33 kids in our community relied on the Safe Place program for help because they were homeless, had runaway, or were experiencing family conflict which put them in crisis. Robert was one of those kids and now each year we end Safe Place week with a walk in his honor.
Robert had been verbally and physically abused his whole life. Two weeks shy of his 18th birthday he had been abandoned by his parents and left homeless. Robert slept on a bench in Freedom Park that night and for a few nights after that. He was making his way up East Blvd. when he noticed the ‘Safe Place’ sign outside of our Crisis Center. He recognized what the sign meant from a presentation done in his school. Robert knocked on the door and asked for help. Robert stayed at the Crisis Center for two weeks while we took care of his basic needs such as having access to showers, food, and clothing. Then our counselors assisted Robert in finding a stable home to transition and obtaining employment. Robert transitioned to a stable environment when he left the Crisis Center with the help of our counselors. He went on to manage a local retail store. Recognizing the ‘Safe Place’ sign changed the course of Robert’s life.
Robert’s Walk and Community Celeberation
Please join The Relatives as we journey from Freedom Park up East Boulevard to The Relatives Youth Crisis Center in honor of those who have taken the journey from crisis to safety, stability and successful futures.
Celebration Schedule
9:00am—9:30am: Vendor Setup
9:30am—10:00am: Walk Registration at Freedom Park
10:00am—10:15am: Robert’s Story at Freedom Park
10:15am—10:30pm: Robert’s Walk from Freedom Park to The Relatives Youth Crisis Center
10:30am—12:30pm: Community Celebration, The Relatives Youth Crisis Center, 1100 East Boulevard
10:30am and 11:30am: Mission Tours by staff about all of our programs, inside the Crisis Center
Free food, music, entertainment, kid’s activities, partner organization booths, giveaways, face painting and more
Parking for Community Celebration
Sumwalt Law Firm (1114 East Blvd.)
Dilworth United Methodist Church (605 East Blvd.)
Hankins & Whittington Funeral Home (1111 East Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203)
First Christian Church (1200 East Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203)
Kendra Scott Event
Join us at Kendra Scott in the Southpark Mall on Wednesday, March 21 from 6 pm to 8 pm. 20% of all proceeds will go back to The Relatives.
To find out more about this event see the flyer.
#Seek1Tag5
To help grow awareness seek out a Safe Place sign, take a selfie with it, then tag 5 friends and #TheRelatives. Or, don’t have time to find a Safe Place sign, then start a fundraiser on Facebook.
To start a fundraiser click here.
2019 Ballantyne Ball
Last month the Ballantyne Ball committee announced that The Relatives would be their 2019 benefiting charity. The ball will be held on February 23, 2019.
To learn more about the Ballantyne Ball or how you or your business can get involved please visit the website.
