Children’s Home Society of Florida Receives More Than $6 Million in Federal Funding for Programs to Benefit Children Statewide
Release date: 10/14/2010
Orlando, Fla., Oct. 14, 2010 — During an event attended today by child advocates and elected officials, Children’s Home Society of Florida (CHS) President and CEO David Bundy announced receipt of $6.36 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Three of the four grants, totaling $5,910,000, will expand and extend the CHS Mentors Opening Doors Enriching Lives (MODEL) program. The CHS MODEL program recruits and trains dedicated adult mentors for children and youth ages 4 to 18 years who have an incarcerated parent. In this one-on-one community-based mentoring program, youth are matched with committed adults who offer friendship and advice while helping the youth develop to their fullest potential. Mentors work to build trust and communication skills to help youth perform better in school, have stronger family relationships, and be better equipped to avoid negative activities or peer relationships.
In 2004, a grant from HHS launched the CHS MODEL mentoring program, which currently serves children in Greater Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Pensacola, Tallahassee and surrounding communities. The new grants from HHS will continue services in those communities plus facilitate expansion of the program throughout Florida. To date, the program has created 2,656 mentor matches between children and volunteers. The new grants are expected to serve more than 2,000 children.
“The MODEL program has allowed us to help hundreds of children adjust to having a parent in prison. These children desperately need positive role models in their lives – people they can confide in and trust,” Bundy said. U.S. Congressman John Mica, who spoke at the event, indicated that the MODEL program is a solid investment that reaps tangible results. “Children whose parents are prisoners face daunting challenges,” he said. “Since the inception of the MODEL program, we have seen dedicated mentors make a real difference in kids’ lives, helping them to grow into productive citizens.”
A fourth grant will channel $450,000 into the Street Outreach Program, designed to alleviate the problems of runaway and homeless youth, resolve family problems and promote reunification, promote stable living conditions, employment, education and life skills, and build more dynamic, trusting relationships with youth. Two hundred youth are expected to be served each year of the three-year grant.
About the MODEL Mentoring Program (video time: 1:22)
Photos:
U. S. Congressman John Mica, District 7
Megan Eaves, MODEL Mentor
David A. Bundy, President and CEO , Children’s Home Society of Florida
U. S. Congressman John Mica, District 7
Megan Eaves, MODEL Mentor
David A. Bundy, President and CEO , Children’s Home Society of Florida
David A. Bundy, President and CEO , Children’s Home Society of Florida
Megan Eaves, MODEL Mentor
U. S. Congressman John Mica, District 7
U. S. Congressman John Mica, District 7
David A. Bundy, President and CEO , Children’s Home Society of Florida
About Children's Home Society of Florida
Created in 1902, Children's Home Society of Florida (CHS) is the second-largest private not-for-profit in the United States and Canada accredited by the Council on Accreditation and is the oldest statewide provider of services to children and families in Florida. CHS services include foster care, adoption, child abuse prevention, emergency shelters, residential group homes, independent and transitional living for teens, parent education, counseling, mentoring, and treatment for developmentally disabled children. CHS, which served more than 97,000 children and families in 2008-2009, is headquartered in Winter Park, Fla., and offers services in more than 100 locations by more than 1,900 staff members dedicated to providing child-focused, family-centered care.