Spotlighting Celebrating Families
March 14, 2022
Last year, Children’s Advantage started facilitating Celebrating Families™, an innovative family group that brings parents and children together. Celebrating Families!™ works with family members, ages 3 through adult, to strengthen recovery, break the cycle of addiction, and increase resiliency factors and decreasing risk factors while incorporating addiction recovery concepts with healthy family living skills.
The overwhelming success of this program has had a major impact on our Family Center, clients, and providers. NiCole Thomas, Director of Program Development and Trauma Services, states “Celebrating Families is unlike any other group I have ever been a part of or witnessed in my career. The emphasis on whole family fellowship and building of recovery community is just amazing. Even more amazing were the group facilitators. Their servant hearts for the mission of this group was evident in every step of the way, from planning to implementation, to sitting with the families at dinner. We gathered every week with an intention for recovery. Parents who struggled with addiction remained sober, formed positive relationships with one another, and families healed. The kiddos shared very intimate details of the impact of addiction on their families and on themselves in a supportive and trusting environment. These kids taught US what it is to be resilient.”
Families would gather at our Family Center and cook a meal together every session, providing a life skill that they can take home with them and an opportunity to work together. During the holidays, the Family Center was filled with the smell of homemade pumpkin pies & a turkey roasting. Families were able to have a homecooked Thanksgiving meal and make lasting memories.
The group is built to connect families inside and outside of our walls. “Another feature of the group is to connect with families again after each individual group break out. Each week, these families would either be given a task to do together to build/strengthen the relationships within their family, provide feedback/insight from their break out group, or simply connect with their family for a closing. I got to witness these families coming together, sharing ideas with each other, holding hands, hugging, and truly connecting with each other. I cannot express how much this touched my heart each week!” stated facilitator Lori.
Every one involved has been impacted positively by this amazing program. Parents and children alike remarked that they couldn’t wait to come back. Each family participating for 16 weeks consecutively. Group facilitator Kenny said, ” I believe we provided the perfect space and atmosphere for them to begin their healing process and to learn some healthy ways to manage their daily struggles that life throws at us. I have personal experience with dealing with addiction and living in a family who has addicts so I know how much it would have meant to me to be able to have an opportunity like this.”
All of the food used for Celebrating Families was generously donated by Duma Meats and The Akron/Canton Food Bank. Special thanks to the Portage County Mental Health and Recovery Board for their support with the SOR grant to fund this programming and all our the wonderful staff that made it possible.