The ReEmployAbility team works hard to help injured or disabled employees get back to meaningful work with nonprofit organizations while they recover. With over 45,000 nonprofit partners in our network, each dedicated team member understands the importance of service within the community. We value our community here in the Tampa Bay Area, as well, and take any opportunity to give back.
ReEmployAbility Donates to A Kid’s Place of Tampa Bay
This past June, ReEmployAbility collaborated with a local nonprofit, A Kid’s Place of Tampa Bay, to organize an internal food drive. ReEmployAbility employees had the opportunity to bring in boxes of cereal for the foster children under the care of A Kids Place. This food drive lasted around a month or so, and thanks to the generosity of all those who made their donations, we collected enough cereal to last the nonprofit about a week.
Controller, Michelle Nihoul, Nonprofit Relationship Manager, Lindsey Bressi, and Client Service Coordinator Team Lead, Jolissa Chase, took time out of their busy day to transport all the donations to the nonprofit site in Brandon, FL. While at A Kid’s Place, they learned more about the nonprofit and the meaningful work staff and volunteers do for the foster children that reside there. When recounting her visit to A Kid’s Place, Jolissa stated, “I was thrilled when the ReEmployAbility team delivered cereal from a drive we did and the amazing staff offered to give us a tour! I am always in awe at their accomplishments and how much it takes to keep the kids happy and healthy. Each week they use 75 boxes of cereal and wash 200 loads of laundry!” Even with all the donations they received, there is never enough to support the hundreds of children in need of resources.
Some resources needed at A Kid’s Place are toilet paper, laundry detergent, deodorant, food goods, etc. With so many children housed on the five-acre location in Brandon, FL, the nonprofit is always accepting donations. Like any kid, the children housed at A Kid’s Place enjoy a homecooked breakfast in the mornings before school. Thanks to ReEmployAbility’s cereal contribution, hundreds of children will be able to enjoy the most important meal of the day: breakfast. Visit www.akidsplacetb.org/ways-to-help/ to learn how you can help!
About A Kid’s Place
Since opening its doors in 2009, A Kid’s Place has serviced children from birth to age 18 who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. The organization provides a variety of services that meet the social, educational, medical, and psychological needs of its residents. A Kid’s Place focuses on keeping sibling groups together in an environment where they can thrive together. Jolissa stated, “Since A Kid’s Place focuses on keeping sibling groups together, the kids there have grown older and A Kid’s Place has adapted by introducing new areas for older kids, like a state-of-the-art game room with arcades and gaming consoles and a computer room for completing homework assignments.” As foster children adapt to their new environment, it is heartwarming to know that there are places like A Kid’s Place that can adapt, as well, to ensure those children are in a safe, loving, and nurturing home.
Typically, the residents at A Kid’s Place are removed from their homes due to bad situations, so in times like this, they are required to leave in the middle of the night with just a garbage or grocery bag of clothes if they can take anything at all. Jolissa informed us that, “A Kid’s Place has a room full of clothes and necessities so that the kids can pick out any clothes or shoes that they want when they arrive.” She continued, “The donated items at A Kid’s Place that really resonated with me are the suitcases- this way when a child is ready to go home or has to leave, they have an actual suitcase to put all their belongings in instead of a plastic bag.” A detail that can make the most significant difference in a child’s transition.
ReEmployAbility hopes to collaborate again with A Kid’s Place in the future. Lindsey stated, “We talked about different drive ideas based on what their coordinators said their biggest needs are, and are hopeful to one day set up a volunteer day for the team to experience A Kid’s Place and interact with the children and give them a day they look forward to, and a day that they’ll remember.” Our team not only represents our core value of Service through the Transition2Work program, but it is something that we strive to represent within our own communities.
A Kid’s Place has many programs to offer including:
Residential Care – Providing residential services to children of all ages who have been displaced from their homes. Click to learn more >>
Education Program – A Kid’s Place provides a dedicated space for homework, tutoring, and virtual classes to help students excel in their developmental years from Kindergarten through 5th grade. Click to learn more >>
House Parent Model – The nonprofit is based on a live-in “House Parent” model that allows brothers and sisters to live on-site with “House Parents” who simulate the nurturing home they need. Click to learn more >>
Independent Living – Children aged 13 and older are given the opportunity to learn “independent Living” skills in an effort to better prepare them for the future. Click to learn more >>
Click the link to learn more about A Kid’s Place of Tampa Bay and the impact they make on the foster children of Tampa, FL.
To read more about how ReEmployAbility contributes to the community, click the blogs below:
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