The Nazareth Home has progressed well in their ongoing program titled “Staff and Volunteer Trauma and Stress Management” that began in July of last year at the Centennial Park conference room.
There were two main goals for this psycho-educational program. Firstly, the program is meant to provide a better understanding of the effects of early childhood trauma and to provide training to educate staff and volunteers about it. The members of the staff need to be able to respond to children’s behavior in order to provide the appropriate care. Secondly, the program is meant to assist staff and volunteers by teaching them how to deal with sadness, anger and stress in children. It is normal for a child to have feelings of loss, grief, anxiety and concern after experiencing trauma.
The program’s existence for future years looks promising as the Nazareth Home continues to apply for funding, including the Foundations of East Chicago (FEC) grants. At the beginning of 2018, the Nazareth Home will be eligible to apply for funds to support the program from its founding congregation, The Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ. The Anderson Foundation currently provides support for the Nazareth Home and could contribute to sustaining this program, as well.
This program will positively impact East Chicagoans by providing this training to community members. Since many of the children, half of the staff and part of the volunteer community reside in East Chicago, having staff and volunteers better equipped to perform their jobs will directly benefit the city.
The Nazareth Home is a grantee of FEC. To learn more about the great ongoing programs at Nazareth Home and other exciting activities FEC grantees are participating in, visit www.FoundationsEC.org
