Child Welfare Community Outreach Sponsorship (Human Services)

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2020

The Community Outreach Sponsorship Team (COST Team) faces challenges that are multifaceted. The team works to identify and respond to the ongoing needs and wishes of children in the foster care system. They ensure equitable distribution of donations, while maintaining and identifying relationships with community partners and providing amble storage for Child Welfare items. In response to the need for storage and a coordinated donation process to support the county’s Child Welfare program efforts, the Child Welfare Division of Wake County Human Services formed the Community Outreach Sponsorship Team (COST Team) in January 2018. The COST Team strives to;•Maintain existing community partner relationships;•Identify & establish new community partners;•Identify ongoing needs/wishes of children involved with Child Welfare; •Determine how community partners can assist with meeting the needs/wishes of foster children on an ongoing basis;•Develop a centralized process for all donations;•Develop comprehensive data collection for all items;•Decrease duplicate donations and equal distribution;•Develop ongoing roundtable discussions with community partners;•Identify and manage ongoing storage options for Child Welfare items;•Acknowledge and show appreciation to community partners. During the first year, the COST Team was able to distribute 100 Easter baskets, 79 book bags and secured Christmas sponsorships for over 600 children. The following year they distributed 100 Easter baskets, 201 book bags, sponsorships for 100 families to receive Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas sponsorships for over 800 children. In the two short years that the COST Team has been active it has secured donations with a total estimated value of $232,174. These generous donations are the result of continued partnerships with various agencies and individuals in the community. These include the Friends of the Guardian Litem, Knights of Columbus, Wake County Public School System, Bovenizer & Baker Orthodontics, a teenage Eagle Scout, a teenage female with her own non-profit organization and multiple faith partners.