Community Turns Out for Family Resource Center
The local community has come out in force recently to support and participate in events and programs connected to Lakes Region Community Services’ Family Resource Center (FRC) of Central New Hampshire. Because strong families lead to strong communities, the FRC offers respectful, non-judgmental education and support to help families meet basic needs, keep children safe and make positive connections.
More than 100 participants raised over $10,000 during the 4th Annual Autism Center Walkathon, held on Sunday, May 18. This wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment of our event sponsors, volunteers and all of the teams, individuals and donors who are passionate about supporting this cause. Every business sponsoring the Walkathon – Kara Financial, Syl Lapierre Masonry, Peanuts Auto, and Right Angle Construction, is connected to a child who has been enrolled in the Autism Center.
The Autism Center of Central NH empowers parents to educate, encourage, support and advocate for their child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. In a natural, child-friendly environment, the Autism Center’s team teaches parents strategies that they can incorporate into their everyday family routines. The teaching model provides measurable goals and objectives. Staff works with each family to meet its specific needs. To view photo’s of the Walkathon click here.
On Saturday, June 7, Dads, step-dads, uncles, grandpas, etc., spent the afternoon at Opechee Park in Laconia, enjoying quality time with family and meeting other fathers at the FRC’s Fishing with Father Figures event.
“The purpose is two-fold”, explains Shannon Robinson-Beland, Director of the Family Resource Center. “Not only is this a fun event for families, which we always support and encourage, it is also an opportunity to reach out to dads and men to acknowledge how important they are to their children and families.”
Involved fathers have been shown to positively impact their children’s health, safety, success in school, and more. Therefore, supporting and engaging fathers both strengthens individual families and strengthens the community at large. With this in mind, the Family Resource Center has been making conscious efforts to reach out to the fathers in our community. Over the past year we have held workshops for both fathers and professionals on the importance of supporting fathers, and we encourage the participation of fathers in our many family supports to a greater extent than ever before. To view Photos of Fishing for Fathers Day.
After a year of planning, the Family Resource Center is excited to announce that in the fall of 2014, the Nurturing Fathers series will be offered for the first time, beginning on September 11. This free, 13-week series is for men striving to be the best dads they can be. Topics include: dealing with feelings, discipline without violence, communication and problem solving, play, teamwork with spouse/partner and more. For more information contact the Family Resource Center at 524-8811.
