Note: This article originally appeared on Medium.
How you can help at-risk children and why it matters
By Holly Raymond, Chief of Community Engagement
I love being a Texan.
I was born and raised in the Austin area I still call home, earned my degrees from the University of Texas, and have three children who each attended the same school district I did. My husband and I volunteer at our church and get to every local event we can. And with each visit to the grocery store, I’m bound to run into a neighbor, colleague or friend.
It feels good, knowing I’m part of the fabric of our community. But it hurts knowing that at the same time, thousands of Texas children are suffering the effects of abuse, neglect and other traumas. The longer I live here, the more responsible I feel for child wellbeing — one of the greatest, most important challenges facing Texas today.
We know what happens when children enter the welfare system and don’t get the support they need. For example, only 62% of children in Texas foster care graduate from high school. They also face disproportionately higher rates of unemployment, housing instability and incarceration than those of their peers.
These outcomes are tragic and scary. But they’re also avoidable with the right interventions and support. And that, as they say, takes a village.
If you don’t yet know my organization, Upbring, we’re one of the largest, most well-resourced child wellbeing nonprofits in Texas. Our more than 1,100 employees serve over 13,000 children every year across our 76 locations. As Upbring’s Chief of Community Engagement, I’m committed to sharing our mission and building relationships with organizations and citizens across the state. We need the power of partners, educators, health care providers, foster parents and adoptive parents to help Upbring serve those who come into our care and to support our continued growth to reach as many children and families as possible.
We go beyond providing services; our goal is to embed ourselves in our communities. We can’t change a child’s history or erase their trauma, but we can help put them on a path to healing with evidence-based practices and wraparound support. By designing interventions around five key markers of lifelong success — safety, health, education, life skills and vocation — we mitigate the risk factors that perpetuate the cycle of abuse. Here are just a few of the ways Upbring is investing in children across our beloved communities — and how you can help.
Our Head Start Preschools are designed for children from low-income Texas households. While the kids get a high-quality early education to prepare them for kindergarten, their parents work with a family advocate who is dedicated to supporting their success. When we connect at-risk families with job placement resources, health care services and other support, we address the root causes of abuse and help prevent it from happening.
Then there’s BeREAL, our supervised independent living program for young adults who have aged out of foster care. Upbring provides them with support, education planning and mentorship so they can write their next chapter. One of the program’s many benefits is that participants get to form lasting relationships with trusted adults as they transition to independence.
And our deep community roots are on full display in our Lubbock-area programs. Upbring Health for Friends Clinic is a nurse-managed clinic that provides quality, no-cost services for residents who cannot afford health insurance. Neighborhood House helps local families with emergency assistance — food vouchers, utility assistance and more — during vulnerable times. Lubbock County knows they can count on Upbring in their moments of need.
How does this involve and affect you?
These children will grow up to become your neighbors and colleagues. The next generation will work at your local grocery stores and restaurants. Decades from now, their kids will go to school with yours. No town in Texas is immune from the effects of childhood trauma — which is why we need everyone to contribute to the web of support children need.
If you want the best for Texas — if you love where you live as much as I do — then you have a responsibility to improve the wellbeing of our state’s children. There are so many ways to make a meaningful difference, from becoming a foster parent or BeREAL mentor, to donating or volunteering at Upbring events.
I know change is possible because I’ve seen it. And the longer I am part of this work, the more energized I become. Let’s step up for Texas children in need, together.
Ready to join me? Get in touch at [email protected].