The Carney Family Charitable Foundation Awards $15,000 to the Caring Network Program

Thankyou to the carney family charitable foundation

Child & Family Services’ Caring Network Program received a $15,000 grant from the Carney Family Charitable Foundation to support its efforts in helping children who have experienced or witnessed violence in their homes, schools, or communities.

For almost 30 years, the Caring Network has been providing support to children ages 4-14 who have been traumatized by violence. The program offers free weekly psycho-educational groups. These groups are aimed at helping through the initial trauma, teaching how to manage feelings and improve self-image, developing safety plans for potential future violence, and demonstrating healthy ways to resolve conflict and tension.

With the help of local grant funding and other community fundraising efforts, the program has been able to purchase hundreds of individualized care kits which are provided to each child enrolled. Each kit contains a variety of arts and crafts, activity books, fidget toys, and other comforting items designed to engage the children’s minds and bodies during therapy, helping them more effectively process their trauma.

“The Carney Family Charitable Foundation’s generous contribution to the Caring Network Program will greatly enhance our ability to provide this critical service to those in need. The foundation recognizes the deep and lasting impact that exposure to violence can have on individuals and families—especially on our children.” said CEO Wendy Botelho.

Founded in 1989, the Carney Family Charitable Foundation serves as a catalyst and resource for organizations to expand and sustain their capacity to build equitable and vibrant communities, with a focus on Greater New Bedford.

Caring Network is partially supported by the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance through a Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA) grant from the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.