One word to describe my Halloween weekend: AMAZING. I mean, I threw a super lit Halloween house party on Saturday. My closest friends were there, my line sisters came from out of town, and everyone had on SPOOKtacular costumes. As amazing as my super lit Halloween house party was, my favorite part of the weekend was the Halloween party Charm City Love threw the following day.
We had the opportunity to host a Halloween party at The Sage Center for roughly 15 boys and girls, ranging from 18 months to 10 years old. The Sage Center is managed by the Family Recovery Program, which works to reunite families whose children have been placed in court ordered foster care due to parentalsubstance abuse. Of the many hurdles these families face, finding a place to call home is one of the most daunting. Many have criminal records, poor or no credit, and low incomes. In order to participate and secure housing in the Family Recovery Program, client families must attend a multitude of classes and group meetings to ensure a drug and alcohol free environment and develop the life skills necessary to become fully self-supporting. Most importantly, the program brings families together in a safe and nurturing environment.
During our Halloween party we had a variety of activities ranging from creative crafts, a jammin' dance party, and even a poppin' costume parade. It touched me to see all of the children marching around in their costumes proudly; their smiles are forever engrained in my mind. Not only was it wonderful to give the children something fun to do… but to know and understand that this was the first time some of those mothers were able to spend Halloween with their children took me to a whole different level. To give these children and their mothers the opportunity to share this experience was beyond rewarding. It was life changing for those families. And I could feel it. The moment that really sticks with me is having one mother stand up at the end of our Super Lit Charm City Love Halloween Party and say that without us, their children would not have had the opportunity to experience Halloween. It brought tears to my eyes to hear the emotion in her voice when she expressed how thankful she was.
Oftentimes, we discuss the impact addiction has on the individual but we forget to consider the impact it has on their families, specifically their children. After reading an article on drugrehab.us I pulled out a couple of key facts to consider:
• Studies reveal that the children of addicts are more likely to live with a non-parent caregiver or in foster care
• Hard-to-manage kids stand the risk of being bounced from caregiver to caregiver. This has especially detrimental to their sense of stability and security.
• Researchers consistently find links between a parent’s substance abuse and a child’s likelihood of developing alcohol and drug problems later in life. This renders parental addiction a long-term problem that could impact the child’s ability to complete school, get a job, and live a healthy life.
• Children need a safe, predictable environment for healthy development. Parental addiction creates an atmosphere that is anything but stable. When a parent struggles with drug addiction a child’s life becomes centered on the parent’s
It wouldn’t be fair for me to list impact without also providing some solutions. I believe that programs like the Family Recovery Program are a major key to establishing a healthy relationship for these families. It is also important to develop and maintain positive family rituals and to create memories. Something like a family holiday party is a step in the right direction. Charm City Love is excited about our new relationships at the Sage Center. We are looking forward to continuing to work with them in our 6 part series. We have so many great events in the works so stay tuned!
Written By: Erin Phillips, CCL CEO