All posts tagged: tennessee

May Is Drug And Recovery Court Month

May Is Drug And Recovery Court Month

Gov. Bill Haslam has issued a proclamation stating that May 2018 is Drug and Recovery Court Month in Tennessee! The proclamation recognizes: “ … that when just one person can break the cycle of substance use and crime, the individual, community, and state are better off.”

There are currently 77 recovery courts across Tennessee, and Families Free is proud to hold the contract for the First Judicial District Felony Recovery Court. This recovery court serves Carter, Johnson, Washington and Unicoi County, and we offer evidenced-based and holistic treatment, education, and intervention that addresses each individual’s unique needs.

As of May 23rd, we have 15 clients that are actively taking part in our First Judicial Felony Recovery Court, four referrals to be assessed, and we’re also addressing the needs of two clients in the Morgan County Residential Recovery Court. – Rachel Roden, Families Free’s First Judicial Recovery Court Coordinator

Through our work with the First Judicial Felony Recovery Court, we see firsthand the powerful impact on our clients, their families, and the entire region as a whole. When our clients realize their full potential – it is truly powerful. Their progress is a testament to how hard work and love can transform a life. #LoveRestores

May 23, 2018 Meredith
MeredithMay Is Drug And Recovery Court Month
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Coffee & Grace

Coffee & Grace

Raise your hand if you agree! Whether you view coffee as an essential or daily luxury – you want to make sure it tastes great. Our Woven blend allows you to experience the richness and warmth you expect from a great cup of coffee.

This week we invite you to take part in a special opportunity to stop in and shop our fresh Woven Coffee from our office! Treat yourself or a loved one to delicious coffee that helps provide programs and outreach to families in our community. #LoveRestores

April 30, 2018 Meredith
MeredithCoffee & Grace
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Easter Traditions – Part Two

Easter Traditions – Part Two

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40

On this Good Friday, we continue our series on Easter traditions. In our blog post yesterday, members of our senior staff shared what Easter means to them, the importance of traditions, and why our team takes the time to encourage clients to create their very own. Below we’ve included additional Easter introspections from our team members, and they share the traditions that allow their family connections to thrive.

Judy Clark and Lisa Tipton

Judy Clark, Director of Women’s Services – Our Easter traditions are made up of Easter egg dyeing, cookie decorating, Easter egg hunts and Easter baskets. We always try a new way of dyeing eggs each year that is fun and sometimes messy. My husband would hide the baskets Easter morning and create a trail of marshmallows for them to be able to find their baskets!

Easter is a reminder for me that because of Christ sacrifices on the cross, we can have new life in Him! We drive around during this season, and we see those reminders all around us with trees blooming, flowers peeking through, and the grass turning green. This picture of renewal is a daily reminder for me and my family that God is alive and He lives in each of us!

Lisa Tipton, Executive Director, LADAC – Easter to me is about love, sacrifice, redemption, and freedom – knowing that Jesus loved us enough to make a way for all of us to live in freedom. Bunnies, Easter eggs, and family dinner make the day complete.

We have one more staff story that we will be sharing on Easter Sunday, and we feel that it encapsulates the spirit of the work we do here at Families Free. Until then, we wish everyone a restful Good Friday. #LoveRestores

 

March 30, 2018 Meredith
MeredithEaster Traditions – Part Two
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A Month At A Glance – January 2018

“Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” – Brene Brown

We are right there with those who are exploring the darkness. The programs at Families Free give our team the opportunity to go into these environments, offer treatment, and help build community. From there, our clients see the power of their very own light. While we believe you cannot truly quantify how a changed life will affect a family or even a community, we wanted to share the latest news and numbers from our work in January 2018. #LoveRestores

March 20, 2018 Meredith ,
MeredithA Month At A Glance – January 2018
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Woven Coffee Across The Community

Woven Coffee Across The Community

We are excited to announce that Harvest Community Church will soon be serving our Woven blend coffee!

“When we found out about the good work that Families Free is doing right here in our community with a faith-based model, we wanted to open our doors to support them,” said Tabitha Sells, a Harvest Community Church member.

“One way we did that was by serving as a facility host to the first Mom Power classes that Families Free led. We then learned of Families Free’s coffee enterprise and how it further supports local employment opportunities for vulnerable women. We enjoy a good cup of coffee on Sunday mornings. So now – we’ll be enjoying a good cup of Families Free Woven coffee!”

We would also like to take the time to thank Reclaimed Inspired Goods, Stir Fry Cafe: Asian, Sushi & Thai Cuisine, Kingsport, Bellafina Chocolates, Southern Craft BBQ, Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop Johnson City, Tennessee and River Mountain Antiques for partnering with us to share Woven coffee with our community.

If your church, business, or group is interested in serving or selling Woven, please contact Kim (at kim@familiesfree.com) for more information.
February 28, 2018 Meredith
MeredithWoven Coffee Across The Community
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Mom Power – A Therapeutic Intervention for Mothers of Young Children

Mom Power – A Therapeutic Intervention for Mothers of Young Children

Families Free is honored to be a part of Mom Power, an evidence-based trauma-informed parenting and self-care skills group designed for mothers of young children (ages 0-6). Mom Power is a 10-week parenting group intervention that was developed specifically to reach vulnerable families, and it is being offered free of charge in part through grant funding from East Tennessee State University. We are thankful that Diana Morelen (Ph.D. IMH-E®, Dept of Psychology, ETSU) worked so diligently to share and facilitate the Mom Power model in Tennessee.

Parenting is hard enough under the best circumstances, and when you add risk factors such as perinatal mental health difficulties, maternal history of adverse childhood experiences, ongoing adversity, financial stressors, etc—it makes parenting that much harder. We believe that by supporting caregivers and empowering mothers to consistently and confidently support their child’s social and emotional development, this not only impacts our region but the entire state. Our next group begins today (February 13th), and we look forward to seeing firsthand how #LoveRestores over the coming weeks.

 

February 13, 2018 Meredith
MeredithMom Power – A Therapeutic Intervention for Mothers of Young Children
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Pie It Forward

Pie It Forward

We are excited to announce that Families Free is the featured non-profit at Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop Johnson City, Tennessee for the month of February!

Pie it Forward is their play on Pay it Forward – they just add pie! Just in time for Valentine’s Day, our Cherry Pie flavor is the perfect blend of sweet & tart cherries and their house made lattice crust. Proceeds from their Cherry Pie sales will be donated to Families Free, and we will be taking part in a few special events with Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop this month, so stay tuned for more details. In the meantime, we invite you to share the love and stop by their shop to pick up our featured flavor.#pieitforward #LoveRestores

February 1, 2018 Meredith
MeredithPie It Forward
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Cards From Our Reentry Life Skills Classes

Cards From Our Reentry Life Skills Classes

There are close to 450 women in the four regional jails we serve and around 100 of those women are engaged in our Reentry Life Skills Classes and Therapeutic Groups. From those women, we received several lovely cards over this past holiday season that were filled with messages brimming with hope and gratitude. In addition to their kind words, we were equally moved to learn that some of the cards were purchased by pooling together commissary money.

It’s our belief that during incarceration we should offer these women support when they choose to take that first step toward building a better life. We have a moral responsibility to meet them where they are at this time in their lives. Our mission is to give them hope, truth, and help teach them community reintegration and family reunification skills. We also provide a bridge to programs through Families Free that will further support them once they have been released. The connections we make during our time in the jails are vital to renewing these women, their families, and our community as well. #LoveRestores

January 16, 2018 Meredith
MeredithCards From Our Reentry Life Skills Classes
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We Are Looking To Add To Our Team!

We are looking to add to our team!
A part-time/full-time position is currently open for a Family Specialist to work with at-risk families within the upper eight counties of Tennessee. The ideal candidate would have at least one year of full-time experience working with clients. A bachelor’s degree is required in either social work, counseling or another Human Services field.

Candidate’s hours must be flexible, and you must be willing to work evenings/weekends. Self-motivation and good time management are required. Candidate must be able to pass a background check and possess a valid driver’s license. Duties will include providing transportation, case management, teaching parenting education, documentation and other responsibilities as assigned. The position will require some travel for training. Visit our contact page, and fill out the form to receive more information.

January 10, 2018 Meredith
MeredithWe Are Looking To Add To Our Team!
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A Very Special Christmas Party

The spirit of giving is a common theme throughout the holiday season, but we’ve been blessed to see this firsthand many times over the course of the year – no more so than when it came time to host a Christmas party for the women in our programs.

Last month we reached out to the community to help us make this Christmas special for our clients and their children, and we received generosity beyond measure. Through our Target wish list and monetary donations, your kindness helped ensure that local children will receive their most-wished-for gifts and necessities.

On December 13th the Families Free team, members of our Board of Directors, and clients all gathered together to enjoy a meal, wrap gifts, and take part in a winter-inspired art project.

A significant moment in the day was when Christmas traditions and stories were shared by our staff. Among several stories, Director Lisa Tipton described how her family received new pajamas each year, and Director of Women’s Services Judy Clark explained how her children love to make their annual gingerbread houses every Christmas. Our hope was that if our clients don’t already have their very own traditions in place, that our stories would inspire them to design Christmas traditions that are unique to their family. Afterward, we then gave each woman a new set of pajamas for their children and gingerbread houses to assemble together!

With the help of volunteers and our staff alike, we then wrapped each gift for the children with care. We knew that excitement was just around the corner for our clients’ families, and this made the day all the more special for everyone involved. We then finished the party with an art project lead by Myra Phillips, a member of our board. This was a wonderful experience for all who took part in painting the winter scene with Myra and bringing home their very own painting will serve as a beautiful reminder of the day.

Once again, we thank every person who contributed to making this day a success. We are so proud of the hard work and grace displayed by our clients throughout this year. #LoveRestores

December 23, 2017 Meredith
MeredithA Very Special Christmas Party
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