My Project Of Volunteering At The Orchard Place, A Children 's Mental Health Facility

These statistics are overwhelming. After being removed from their family and placed in an unfamiliar environment, these children became a behavioral health concern. The inadequate government policies set forth to protect children scarcely graze the requirements for children’s overall health.

According to the Children, Youth, and Families Office (Winter 2012) the CYF news discusses the significance of mental health effects on youth in foster care. Understandably so, youth in foster care are susceptible to maladjustment due to their exposure to events that have led to the removal from their homes and the foster care process. Evidence suggests that youth in foster care exhibit both short and long-term, clinically substantial mental health issues that are rarely reviewed (CYF, 2012, p.1).

In today’s society many kids have live within a broken home. For instance the character Jared in The Accent by Ron Rash deals lies with parents that abuse drugs on a daily basis. Kids that live in a stressful environment tend to find themselves creating a fantasy world to escape his or her problems. On the other hand some kids may tend to find a physical place of sanctuary to cope with feelings of distress. Some kids develop distrusting thinking towards mankind which may cause many conflicts between them and society. Furthermore, it’s not healthy for any child to live in a mentally unstable environment.

In the past quarter century there has been increasing evidence that the quality of parental care in the early years is vital in the future mental health of children. (Bowlby, 1953)

Prior to taking the plunge I was not aware that even with government programs there is still a need for pantries in our local area. This brings a very large challenge to my educational environment. I will need to find out which students will require this need to be addressed. As a classroom teacher, I will need to bring awareness to the students that do not have this need that a part of their role in our community is to help those in need. This can be done through volunteering and donations.

In the past two years, I've had the privilege of volunteering at the "Ready for School" event at Faith Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights. Ready for School, or more commonly known as "Backpack Day", is an event where Arlington Heights school districts and other community members help fund to purchase school supplies for under privileged students in Arlington Heights. In addition, on the day of the event there are multiple community services, such as the police and fire departments, the library and park district in attendance to help families understand the resources they offer. The numbers of families and students that attend increase each year, this year with over 600 backpacks.

My first step of this project was creating flyers that I hung up in the park near my house and passed out to my neighbors. I also texted family and friends to see if they were interested in donating. All advertisement/donations

The life of child in the foster care system is unimaginable. Not knowing where the next placement is or not having a place to call home are just small challenges that children in the foster care system encounter. Caseworkers are often overwhelmed with the number of cases of children which circulate through the system. It is common for children to slip through the cracks of the system, and struggle with medical conditions that are left untreated. Children who have experienced the foster care system are left with traumatic situations that have most commonly led to mental health conditions. After further research, I concluded that children in the foster care system are at more increased risk of developing mental health defects than any other child.

These disproportions can occur by geographical region, gender, socioeconomic status, racial or ethnic background and sexual orientation (Ngui, Khasakala, Ndetei, & Roberts, 2010). All populations suffer from an inadequate system, but the prevalence of unmet mental health needs is especially high among children and youths. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (1999, pg. 124), “In the USA, 1 in 5 children suffers from a mental disorder, with 1 in 10 affected by a serious mental or emotional disorder.” However, less than a quarter of these children receive the care they need. Additionally, across the world, individuals living in poverty are at a higher risk of developing mental disorders compared to others. Poverty can be viewed as both a ‘determinant and a consequence of poor mental health’ (Ngui, Khasakala, Ndetei, & Roberts, 2010). Individuals with mental disorders are more prone to living in poverty, in part due to their inability to properly function and/or obtain and sustain employment. On the other hand, living in poverty has been known to increase the likelihood of developing mental

I completed my service project working alongside Dawn McKee from the Centre County Women’s Resource Center. She, along with the director of the Children’s Advocacy Center, director of the Youth Service Bureau, a representative from Children and Youth Services, and a representative from YMCA of Centre County came together to organize an event for sexual assault and child abuse. They coordinated an event on the courthouse steps in Bellefonte where they recognized members in the community who were dedicated to preventing and spreading awareness of sexual assault and child abuse.

Time 1 study was done by children that was remove from their home and placed in a facility in Southern California County;

Every individual in my class brought an item or two to donate to the patients of the hospital. Although it was not a big thing, I am hoping it means a lot to a sick patient. Therefore, I anticipate to make a positive impact on the children and hopefully can brighten their day.

This author is a MSW candidate at Barry University. She is also an intern at the Center for Family and Child Enrichment, Inc. (CFCE). CFCE is a private, nonprofit, community-based organization that serves children in foster care who have been abused, neglected and/or abandoned; children with severe emotional disturbances and in need of mental health care; children in the custody of parents or relatives who are chronic runaways and/or are ungovernable; and children who come to this country without parents or guardians (unaccompanied minors). The agency has three primary focus areas: counseling and therapy service, foster care and adoptions, and family and community support programs. Their mission states

The psychological health of children around the world is detrimental to their abilities to cope, succeed and be able to function normally within social settings. According to Evans and Shamberg ( 2009), “Chronically elevated physiological stress is a plausible model for how poverty could get into the brain and eventually interfere with achievement” (p. 6545- 6549). Children residing in poverty stricken neighborhoods and families tend to experience environmental stressors as well as physical stressors such as educational setbacks, lack of resources and physical demands that are not being met. These stressors can cause a problem in the psychological health of children because of the need to continually adjust to changes and setbacks that stem from poverty.

It has always been close to my heart to help others who are in need; therefore, I chose to volunteer my time toward helping to make Project Backpack a success. Some time ago I chose to join the Project Backpack team in order to help under privileged school kids. Project Backpack is a project where members go out and buy items that children need in order to make it through school. Some items that were purchased to fill backpacks were school supplies, such as notebooks, pencils and pens, crayons, and other school essentials. We also would get personal items for the children, such as toothpaste and toothbrushes, shampoo, body wash, and deodorant. Then we might even get a few toys, such as cards, football, or another small toy. We chose to do that because we realized that we were giving these backpacks to children who are under privileged and they may not have many toys, and it is just a way to make the backpack more comforting to the children.