Building strong families

Life could be so much better for an estimated 1,800 children in Benton County, Oregon. The truth is, their parents are absent, either emotionally or physically. And the family breakdown puts the children on a path of social, emotional, and behavioral problems.

The Kiwanis International Foundation (KIF) is helping the Kiwanis Club of Corvallis, Oregon, direct those children toward a brighter future. The foundation recently awarded the Kiwanis club a US$5,000 grant to support a Strong Families program at the Old Mill Center for Children and Families. The Kiwanians have supported the center for more than 28 years, raising funds, landscaping, painting, and performing some maintenance and construction.

When the center identified a gap in mental health services for at-risk children, its Kiwanis partners once again offered its assistance, including applying for a KIF grant.

The Strong Families program will rebuild families that have been disrupted by poverty, addictions, abuse, poor parenting skills, and mental health problems. The KIF funds will help the center establish counseling, case management, and support for families whose children are passing through critical stages of behavioral development.

“Strong Families will significantly reduce the number of at-risk children who will fail in school and community,” wrote Corvallis Kiwanian Eli L. Ishikawa in the KIF grant application.

Contributions to the foundation’s Annual Club Gift Campaign made this grant—and others—possible. For a list of recent KIF grant recipients, click here.