Benchmarks’ Partnering for Excellence (PFE) project works closely with local child welfare agencies to implement trauma-informed shifts in the community. This is done through educating the community on the effects of trauma while also working with local child welfare agencies to screen youth who become involved and connect them with a Trauma Intensive Comprehensive Clinical Assessment (TiCCA). As a result, we know many of our youth in foster care experience higher rates of trauma than their peers who are not involved in foster care. When youth come into foster care and are removed from their families, much of their world changes in a short amount of time. These changes, though needed, often result in a disruption of any sense of normalcy the youth did have, causing many youth to develop feelings of displacement and disconnection which can be especially worse during the holiday season.
To counter some of these effects, our PFE partners at Pitt County Department of Social Services (DSS), in partnership with Bridge Foster Ministry and Great Harvest Bread Company, recently hosted their annual ‘Bready Bear’ event. This event is meant to raise funds for youth in the local foster care system to help provide them a more enjoyable Christmas. Each year, Pitt County DSS partners with Bridge Foster Ministry and a local bakery to sell bear-shaped breads. During the event, $4.00 of each sale is donated to DSS to help buy Christmas gifts and cultivate holiday cheer amongst the foster youth they serve. This year, they sold over 260 bready bears and raising over $1000 to contribute towards the Christmas wish-lists of the children.
We are proud to partner with those who make such a big impact on those in our community who need it most. A special shout-out goes to our permanency planning dream team at Pitt County DSS who continuously works to support our kiddos involved in foster care. Thanks for everything you do!
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