Resources For Resilience

OUR MISSION IS TO SHARE TOOLS TO SUPPORT EVERYONE'S CAPACITY FOR WELLBEING BY OFFERING TRAUMA-INFORMED AND RESILIENCY-FOCUSED PROGRAMS. RFR WAS FORMED IN RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS OF ADVERSE CHILDHOOLD EXPERIENCES (ACES) AND SEEKS TO ADDRESS ONGOING STRESS AND TRAUMA THAT MANY FACE DAILY.

RESOURCES FOR RESILIENCE OFFERS TRAUMA-INFORMED AND RESILIENCY-FOCUSED PROGRAMS TO SCHOOLS EARLY LEARNING CENTERS, AND CHILD-SERVING AGENCIES, AS WELL AS THOSE WORKING IN SOCIAL SERVICES, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS, FIRST RESPONDER AGENCIES, DETENTION FACILITIES, FAITH COMMUNITIES, AND MANY OTHER GROUPS AND ENTITIES FROM ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION IS TO SHARE PRACTICAL TOOLS TO BUILD UP AND SUPPORT EVERYONE'S RESILIENCE. WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF BOTH ACUTE AND CHRONIC STRESS ON THE ABILITY TO THRIVE, RESOURCES FOR RESILIENCE IS COMMITTED TO OFFERING COMMUNITY-WIDE PROGRAMS THAT RAISE AWARENESS AND PROMOTE RESILIENCE. THANKS TO THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF OUR DONORS AND OTHER NOTABLE CONTRIBUTORS, RFR WAS ABLE TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY IN SUBSTANTIAL WAYS IN 2021. AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THEIR GIVING, WE PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING TRAININGS AND OTHER SUPPORTS AT NO COST TO THE COMMUNITY OR TO PROGRAM RECIPIENTS.

RFR PROVIDED MORE THAN 60 LISTENING CIRCLES IN RESPONSE TO THE DUAL PANDEMICS OF COVID-19 AND RACIALIZED TRAUMA, AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS ACROSS WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. PRESENTED EIGHT RESILIENCY TOOLS WORKSHOPS TO NORTH CAROLINA LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND FIRST RESPONDERS IN AVERY, BUNCOMBE, HAYWOOD, HENDERSON, AND WILKES COUNTIES THROUGH THE CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM (CIT) PROGRAM. OFFERED FOUR PARTIAL AND 27 FULL EQUITY ASSISTANCE SEATS TO HELP ELIMINATE BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION IN OUR COMMUNITY RECONNECT TRAININGS. CO-FACILITATED THREE WELLNESS RECOVERY ACTION PLAN (WRAP) TRAININGS WITH VAYA HEALTH FOR RESIDENTS OF CALDWELL COUNTY. DELIVERED MORE THAN 90 RECONNECT ORIENTATIONS TO PARENTS, CAREGIVERS, AND CHILD-SERVING AGENCIES. RFR WAS HONORED TO PARTNER WITH THE PISGAH HEALTH FOUNDATION (PHF) TO PROMOTE RESILIENCE AMONG MORE THAN 200 CHILD-SERVING PROFESSIONALS AND CAREGIVERS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

THANKS TO THE GENEROUS FUNDING THAT WE RECEIVED THROUGH PHF, OUR TEAM OF RESILIENCY EDUCATORS WAS ABLE TO TEACH 10 RECONNECT TRAININGS, OFFER FIVE RESILIENCY CHAMPIONS WORKSHOPS, AND PROVIDE IMPLEMENTATION COACHING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO 25 NEW RESILIENCY CHAMPIONS. THESE CHAMPIONS, WHO ARE EMBEDDED IN EARLY CHILDCARE CENTERS THROUGHOUT BUNCOMBE, HENDERSON, HAYWOOD, MADISON, AND TRANSYLVANIA COUNTIES, ARE NOW CHARGED WITH PROMOTING TRAUMA EDUCATION AND SHARING RESILIENCY TOOLS IN THEIR ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE REGION. IN ADDITION, RFR PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILY ENGAGEMENT AS PART OF THIS RESILIENCYFOCUSED INITIATIVE. THROUGH THE YEAR, OUR TEAM HELD FIVE RECONNECT ORIENTATIONS FOR PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS. THESE EVENTS WERE DESIGNED TO FOSTER STRONG, COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN THE CHILD-SERVING AGENCIES WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS PROJECT AND THE FAMILIES WHOM THEY SERVE. THESE BRIEF, 90-MINUTE PRESENTATIONS OFFERED FAMILIES A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE RECONNECT MODEL AND ITS RESILIENCY TOOLS ARE BEING USED IN THE CLASSROOM AND ENCOURAGED RESOURCE-SHARING BETWEEN THE HOME AND SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS TO PROMOTE CHILDREN'S RESILIENCE. RFR CONTRACTED WITH 19 NORTH CAROLINA AGENCIES TO BRING THE RECONNECT CURRICULUM TO THEIR STAFF AND LOCAL PARTNERS, ALLOWING US TO REACH MORE THAN 600 COMMUNITY MEMBERS. IN ADDITION TO THESE INDIVIDUAL PARTNERSHIPS, RFR UNDERTOOK SEVERAL LARGE-SCALE PROJECTS TO PROMOTE OUR ONGOING RESILIENCY-BUILDING EFFORTS ACROSS THE STATE. NC DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FAMILY PRESERVATION SERVICES RFR WAS PLEASED TO CONTINUE ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (NCDHHS) AND TO SUPPORT THEIR ONGOING RESILIENCE-BUILDING INITIATIVES. THIS YEAR, WE PROVIDED FOUR RECONNECT TRAININGS FOR RESIDENTS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS AND PRODUCED 60,000 RESILIENCY TOOLKITS TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS ACROSS THE STATE. THESE INTERACTIVE TOOLKITS WILL INCLUDE VIDEOS, JOURNALS, WORKBOOKS, CALENDARS, AND INFORMATION ABOUT HOW RESIDENTS CAN TAP INTO AND BUILD THEIR RESILIENCE USING RFR'S SIMPLE TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES. OUR TEAM HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF PROVIDING 38 LISTENING CIRCLES FOR FAMILY PRESERVATION SERVICES (FPS), A NORTH CAROLINA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROVIDER. THESE EVENTS PROVIDED THEIR STAFF WITH BI-WEEKLY OPPORTUNITIES TO PRACTICE THE RESILIENCY TOOLS IN REAL-TIME TO RESET, CONNECT WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND BUILD THEIR INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL RESILIENCE. THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH CHARLOTTE RECAST AND THE CHARLOTTE AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTER (CHARLOTTE AHEC), OUR TEAM PROVIDED NINE RECONNECT TRAININGS FOR MORE THAN 225 SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND EDUCATORS IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY. WE ALSO OFFERED TWO OPPORTUNITIES FOR PAST PARTICIPANTS TO REFRESH THEIR TOOLS AS THEY CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT THE RECONNECT CURRICULUM IN THEIR SCHOOLS AND CLASSROOMS. IN ADDITION, RFR OFFERED FOUR COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS PRESENTATIONS TO 240 MECKLENBURG COUNTY RESIDENTS AND HELPING PROFESSIONALS, INCLUDING LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, EARLY CHILDCARE PROFESSIONALS, SOCIAL WORKERS, FAITH LEADERS, AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROVIDERS. . RFR SUPPORTED THE CONTINUED EXPANSION OF CIRCLE OF SECURITY PARENTING (COSP) ACROSS OUR STATE. THIS EVIDENCE-BASED, 8-WEEK PARENTING PROGRAM WAS DEVELOPED BY CIRCLE OF SECURITY INTERNATIONAL AND OFFERS CAREGIVERS A ROADMAP TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR CHILD'S EMOTIONAL WORLD AND GIVE THEM A FEELING OF SECURITY AND CONFIDENCE. COSP ON THE QUALLA BOUNDARY BUNCOMBE COUNTY "CIRCLE UP" PROJECT RFR WAS HONORED TO PARTNER WITH QUALLA BOUNDARY HEAD START AND EARLY HEAD START TO BRING COSP TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS WHO ARE LIVING AND WORKING ON THE QUALLA BOUNDARY. THROUGH THIS INITIATIVE, 35 OF THEIR STAFF COMPLETED THE 8-WEEK COSP PROGRAM TO FURTHER THEIR ONGOING COMMITMENT TO FOSTERING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS AND RESILIENCE IN THE CHILDREN THEY SERVE. RFR SET OUT TO PROVIDE 10 COSP GROUPS FOR NC INFANT, TODDLER, AND FAMILY SPECIALISTS. THESE INITIAL GROUPS WERE SO WELL-RECEIVED, THAT THREE ADDITIONAL GROUPS WERE ADDED. THIS ALLOWED US TO REACH A TOTAL OF 104 EARLY INTERVENTION PROFESSIONALS, 11 OF WHOM HAVE NOW BEEN CERTIFIED BY CIRCLE OF SECURITY INTERNATIONAL TO FACILITATE COSP GROUPS. . WE CONTINUED OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH BUNCOMBE COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (BCHHS), PROVIDING NINE COSP GROUPS AND THREE REUNION EVENTS TO CAREGIVERS WHO ARE RECEIVING SUPPORT FROM CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES (CPS). IN ADDITION, 55 CPS STAFF HAVE NOW PARTICIPATED IN THE FULL, 8-WEEK SERIES WITH OTHERS REQUESTING THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN 2022. AS PART OF THIS INITIATIVE, RFR PARTNERED WITH THE TRIANGLE-BASED NONPROFIT, PARTNERS FOR IMPACT, TO CONDUCT TWO FOCUS GROUPS FOR COSP FACILITATORS, ALONG WITH A YEAR ONE PROGRAM EVALUATION. THE OUTCOMES OF THEIR ANALYSIS REVEALED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE IMPACT ON WELLBEING AMONG PARTICIPATING FAMILIES. RFR HAS SINCE BEEN INVITED TO EXTEND CIRCLE UP FOR A THIRD YEAR, AND THIS PROGRAM IS BEING HELD UP AS A MODEL FOR OTHER COSP PROVIDERS NATIONALLY.