Over the past year, the local coalition in Palisades called PACT (Partners in Action for Community Togetherness) has hosted five cycles of the Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth 10-14. Each cycle includes seven weekly, two hour sessions with both parents and their children. The total number of families served so far is thirty-five, with one more cycle planned to be implemented in February of 2013. PACT is also planning to conduct a “booster session” consisting of four classes for any family that previously went through the program.
Thanks in part to the success of the Palisades initiative, Lee Rush, Executive Director of justCommunity and Community Mobilizer for the UBHCHY Coalition, wrote a grant to the United Way of Bucks County for funding to expand the program to both the Pennridge and Quakertown communities. “We are really happy to see the program expanded,” said Rush. “The families in Palisades have loved the program.” Registration details for all three communities are posted at www.justcommunity.com. If you know of any families that may benefit from the program, please let them know of this opportunity. Included each week is a free meal, free babysitting for younger siblings not participating in the program and great bonding time with your family and community members.
Emily French, PACT Community Mobilizer reports, “As both a facilitator and family that participated, I highly recommend this program because of the quality of time spent as a family. Enjoying dinner and then doing activities together during the last hour are both enlightening and fun. The children get to know some things about you besides you being their parent and you get to learn about your children’s dreams.”
