Black Girl Magic, Black Boy Brilliance Celebrate Culture and Belonging

Joining in our commitment in Franklin County Children Services to promoting inclusion and belonging, hundreds of Central Ohio donors have helped children in the agency’s care receive holiday gifts that honor their culture, celebrate their identities, and offer learning opportunities.

The annual Black Girl Magic Gift Drive and the inaugural Black Boy Brilliance brought out the crowds this December, with hundreds of holiday gifts that celebrate the uniqueness of Black and Brown boys and girls through the agency’s Holiday Wish Program.

The joys of a child holding a doll or action figure that looks like them, reading a book that stimulates their imagination, and being enthralled by an activity that opens their eyes to the world around them are unmatched. 

“I am grateful to be part of a community that prioritizes Black girls,” said our Malaika Mentor Program Director Tonia Still. “It was the presence and partnership of our community that made our 2023 Black Girl Magic event a success!”

A tremendous crowd gathered at Waves in the King /Lincoln district for the eighth annual Black Girl Magic event, donating dolls, books, hair care products, and more. A squad of young girls from the Cheer Institute also proudly marched into the event, eager to share gifts and joy with other children. 

According to Eboni Partlow, our Director of Volunteers and Child Enrichment, FCCS was able to provide more than 230 Black and Brown girls with care packages, specifically designed with them in mind. The packages included culturally-specific hair care products, books, dolls, journals, and inspirational jewelry. 

Not to be outdone, the Simba Mentor Program hosted the first Black Boy Brilliance event at A Cut Above the Rest Barbershop, also in the King/Lincoln district, with guests eager to provide gifts with similar significance for Black and Brown boys in agency care.

“By acknowledging and celebrating the potential, resilience, and brilliance of these young individuals, the Black Boy Brilliance event contributes to dismantling stereotypes, fostering a sense of belonging, and collectively working towards a more equitable and just society,” shared Simba Director Oleatha Waugh.

In partnership with COSI, FCCS collected more than 100 STEM-related science kits, along with culturally specific books, bikes, and sporting goods for Black and Brown boys involved with the agency. 

It’s never too late to donate funds to Holiday Wish to support next year’s Black Girl Magic or Black Boy Brilliance events. Visit fccs.us/holiday-wish to learn how.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Safer Together: First FCCS Director of Safety and Security Selected

Image
Adding another layer to the strategies designed to keep Franklin County Children Services staff and visitors to FCCS buildings protected and safe - and championing a new “Safer Together” approach to security - the agency has welcomed its first official Director of Safety and Security. Robert Collins joined the FCCS Team in mid-November with more than 30 years of private and public safety, security, and emergency management experience. And he’s already been busy. “It will take all of us to keep the agency safe and each other safe,” Mr. Collins shared. “This position will be the lead on enhancing, implementing, and overseeing our comprehensive safety and security efforts,” according to FCCS Executive Director Chip Spinning. “We want Robert to be the point-person in security-related discussions, for emergency and crisis planning, and as a liaison between FCCS and local first responders.” Mr. Collins will also chair the agency’s Safety Committee and is in the process of meeting FCCS staff
Read more

FCCS Visitation Keeps Families Connected

Image
When young people can no longer stay with a parent, it’s still critically important to help kids maintain connections to their loved ones. And over the past year, Franklin County Children Services has coordinated thousands of safe visits to connect children and separated parents - and used the time that families are together to connect them with additional support.  Regularly-scheduled family visitation is an opportunity for children who are in out-of-home care and their parents to spend quality time together, with the ultimate goal of family reunification.  In 2023, FCCS has coordinated more than 6,000 of these family visits over the course of the year. LaTisha Sterling is one of 34 FCCS social service aides (SSA) who helped facilitate these meaningful family gatherings. “My passion is helping people… being an advocate for the people we serve,” says Sterling, who works primarily out of FCCS’s West Region office on Frank Road.  With both a bachelor’s and a master’s degrees in social wo
Read more

FCCS Volunteers Comfort, Care for Children during Crisis

Image
As a volunteer in Franklin County Children Services’ Crisis Center, Michalle DiGiovine fondly recalls dining on “pretend food” and playing “restaurant” with a promising culinary staff of five young children as they tried out recipes prepared on a plastic range.  “It felt good that they could come to me - a stranger - to pretend and laugh a little,” she said, remembering how she connected with the youngsters, all the under the age of 10, who had just endured an extremely traumatic experience at home. As January is National Mentoring Month, it’s a great time to recognize the Crisis Center volunteers who help protect children by allowing them to escape from tumultuous situations for a time and feel safe and cared for.  Mentors and volunteers play an important role at FCCS in surrounding children who come into the agency’s care with kindness and support, letting children know they are not alone. It’s part of the agency’s strategy to protect the “whole” child - mind, body, and heart.  A pla
Read more