Children's Hope Initiative

Description

The children we seek to serve are those who have suffered trauma: through physical, sexual, emotional abuse or parental neglect; through exposure to domestic violence that has led to significant emotional harm; or who exhibit acting out behaviors consistent with abuse even if abuse has not been confirmed. Next, we met with 14 existing service providers in Somerset County to find out, in this age of diminishing budgets and resources, exactly what are the unmet needs of abused and neglected children.

The following were identified as critical unmet needs:

• new therapies for children that foster healing--and restore hope
• mentors for abusive parents
• transportation that will allow parents and children to engage in offered services
• volunteers to work with existing agencies to better serve children
• computers, supplies and physical needs of existing agencies that can be fairly simply met by making the public aware of the need--and how the public can help meet those needs.
• enhancing public awareness of the presence of child abuse and neglect in all communities within Somerset County and using the internet and other available resources to make them aware of the help that is available
• fostering cooperation and collaboration among service providers

The Children's Hope Initiative is committed to meeting these needs by (1) identifying existing Somerset County service providers that are able to meet these needs; (2) raising money and gathering resources that are needed to make the new services a reality; and (3) giving the money and resources to the existing agency so the existing agency may provide the needed service. The Children's Hope Initiative is committed to spending no money for its own overhead, office space or even telephone. All money raised will go directly to services--and all services will be offered through existing service providers--not through or by the Children's Hope Initiative.