Special Statement- SPARC Program Closed as of 10/01/2023
9/8/2023
Children First Community,
Eleven years ago, the Board of Directors made the decision to expand our organization’s range of services beyond Athens-Oconee CASA to include both Safe Care and SPARC. These programs - and the staff that make them possible have become a part of the everyday fabric of Children First and the community we serve.
However, in the last few years our organization has experienced a significant reduction in revenues, particularly in regard to the major grants that we count on to sustain the specialized work. This drastic downturn in the support that fuels Children First Inc. has made it necessary for the Board of Directors to reevaluate our strategic goals and organizational capacity.
To remain fiscally viable, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue the Safe Care and SPARC programs effective 1 OCT 2023. This decision was not made lightly and is a personal source of heartbreak to all of us. Yet by closing these programs, we are confident that we can maintain the vital CASA resource for the children and families of our community. During this transition, we will do everything possible to make sure that our clients are transferred to other similar resources within our community.
At the heart of what we do as an organization are the children of Clarke and Oconee Counties, and the need for our services has not decreased. There are still over 300 children in foster care in Clarke and Oconee counties. Roughly 140 children in foster care still need a voice in court and in our community. As we look to the future, we will be directing our focus to the Athens-Oconee CASA program which has now been in existence for 32 years. We’ll work closely with our Georgia CASA affiliate, local funders and stakeholders to ensure that our advocacy services to foster children maintain strong.
There are many changes coming, and we are taking them week by week. However, the leadership and the Board at Children First are committed to maintaining the current CASA staff and volunteer pool. We will continue to recruit and train additional volunteers to work toward serving 100% of the children in foster care in Clarke and Oconee. Our goal through this transition period is to maintain transparency and trust. If you have immediate questions and concerns, please reach out to our Executive Director, Susie Weller for more information: susie@childrenfirst-inc.org, 706-617-8811
Molly Petner Charlie Carabello Jed Dews
David Meyers Rachel Andrews Kimberly Locklin
Alan Platt Matthew Welker Elizabeth Earl
Jake Foote Katie Bemisderfer
Children First Community,
Eleven years ago, the Board of Directors made the decision to expand our organization’s range of services beyond Athens-Oconee CASA to include both Safe Care and SPARC. These programs - and the staff that make them possible have become a part of the everyday fabric of Children First and the community we serve.
However, in the last few years our organization has experienced a significant reduction in revenues, particularly in regard to the major grants that we count on to sustain the specialized work. This drastic downturn in the support that fuels Children First Inc. has made it necessary for the Board of Directors to reevaluate our strategic goals and organizational capacity.
To remain fiscally viable, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue the Safe Care and SPARC programs effective 1 OCT 2023. This decision was not made lightly and is a personal source of heartbreak to all of us. Yet by closing these programs, we are confident that we can maintain the vital CASA resource for the children and families of our community. During this transition, we will do everything possible to make sure that our clients are transferred to other similar resources within our community.
At the heart of what we do as an organization are the children of Clarke and Oconee Counties, and the need for our services has not decreased. There are still over 300 children in foster care in Clarke and Oconee counties. Roughly 140 children in foster care still need a voice in court and in our community. As we look to the future, we will be directing our focus to the Athens-Oconee CASA program which has now been in existence for 32 years. We’ll work closely with our Georgia CASA affiliate, local funders and stakeholders to ensure that our advocacy services to foster children maintain strong.
There are many changes coming, and we are taking them week by week. However, the leadership and the Board at Children First are committed to maintaining the current CASA staff and volunteer pool. We will continue to recruit and train additional volunteers to work toward serving 100% of the children in foster care in Clarke and Oconee. Our goal through this transition period is to maintain transparency and trust. If you have immediate questions and concerns, please reach out to our Executive Director, Susie Weller for more information: susie@childrenfirst-inc.org, 706-617-8811
Molly Petner Charlie Carabello Jed Dews
David Meyers Rachel Andrews Kimberly Locklin
Alan Platt Matthew Welker Elizabeth Earl
Jake Foote Katie Bemisderfer