Thrive Initiative Kicks Off, Sets Stage for Impact in Coming Year

Sep 27, 2016 | UA News

Article by Urban Alliance staff. 

The first quarterly meeting for ThriveUrban Alliance‘s initiative that helps young children become socially, emotionally and academically prepared for kindergarten by collaboratively increasing the impact of local family-based programs, was kicked off on September 22.

Representatives from Building Healthy FamiliesNew Dimension Christian Center and Mustard Seed Outreach Center discussed the role that churches and Christian organizations can take in promoting healthy attachment relationships between caregivers and children, how to increase caregivers’ knowledge about child development, and how to best connect families to pregnancy and parenting resources in the community.

Ideas shared will shape upcoming opportunities for these organizations to make an impact in the lives of the young children, along with types of support that will be offered by Urban Alliance.

If your organization would like to participate in Thrive, contact Rosaicela Rodriguez, Urban Alliance’s Director of Implementation,Children & Youth Initiatives, at 860.986.6052 or rosaicela.rodriguez@urbanalliance.com to learn more. 

Click here to learn more about Thrive.

The staff at Urban Alliance are familiar with Pastor Frank because he is a regular attendee to many of the trainings Urban Alliance provides on subjects like domestic violence, addressing childhood trauma, and better counseling techniques. โ€œThatโ€™s been so valuable to me to be able to bring that back, not only in my counseling but also in my teaching and preaching ministries, โ€œ shared Termine.

Pastor Frank was also one of the original members of the Micah group, a group of pastors that meets at Urban Alliance to discuss and strategize about challenging issues that face the church today. One of those earlier discussions on justice, incarceration, and returning citizens was particularly memorable. โ€œWe all lamented the fact that these men and women were coming out of prison into our churches and just kind of being thrown there,โ€ said Termine, โ€œWe could do better than this.โ€ That discussion planted the seeds that eventually led to the creation of Second Chance Churches – an opportunity for churches to provide support and mentoring to returning citizens that continues today.

When we asked Pastor Frank what he would say to another church that was unaware of Urban Alliance, he said, โ€œIf you are looking to get out in the community and make a difference in the community, Urban Alliance is a super way to do it. Weโ€™re a small church โ€ฆ we canโ€™t do everything. Urban Alliance is a pathway to get our people involved in ministries that are already doing it, doing it well, and just need extra volunteers.โ€

Pastor Frank Termineโ€™s story embodies many things we are trying to accomplish at Urban Alliance: supporting organizations in the communities they serve with training, resources, and opportunities to make a difference. Pastors and non-profit leaders face a wide range of challenges and, therefore, need a wide range of help and resources. Your support can help turn stories of struggle into stories like you find at Calvary Church.

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