Our community is facing a rapidly changing world. The global COVID-19 outbreak and uprisings around the country have created challenges - and opportunity - we could not have imagined just a few months ago. While we are optimistic for a better future, the reality is that right now many of Exchange Family Center’s (EFC) clients are facing personal and financial obstacles. These challenges can result in significant strain on home and family lives. Your support of the wellbeing of children and their families across Durham is needed more than ever.

Would you consider donating $50, $100, or even $250 to support a Durham County family in need of positive parenting services? Any amount you’re able to donate helps continue to make children’s lives better by strengthening their families, teachers, and communities through proven counseling, coaching, and training. You can help Durham families get the support they need when they need it --- key to building resiliency in families and strong supports for children who may be at risk of neglect, abuse or maltreatment. 

Consider the story of Erica, a single mother of three who initially came to EFC for help with her middle child.  Before Erica started with EFC she says: “I went to bed every night with ‘mom guilt.’ I yell at my kids; they are physically fighting. I’m totally failing them as a mother.” Erica and EFC decided to target the most challenging time of day for Erica’s family - dinner time. As such, an EFC therapist conducted sessions in Erica’s home during and around mealtime. The emphasis EFC places on flexibility and customizing its programs to the unique needs of each family allowed Erica to receive real-time coaching from a trained therapist, right at the time of day it was needed most.

Erica wasn’t failing as a mother - but she did need help. And EFC was there with her on every step of her journey. A donation from you could provide more families like Erica’s with the support they need to improve their relationships, resulting in happier and healthier outcomes. Would you consider donating $50, $100, or $250 today?

Part of improving the relationship with her children involved what Erica called “designated, special playtime.” And by only the third session she began to see progress. “They were so excited to have this time where we could play together and I was not fussing at them for anything.” After completing two programs with EFC, Erica reports, “Now I’m so much more confident.  I don’t have to feel ashamed.  I don’t have to yell.  I know that I’m effectively communicating and we’re all on the same page.  I feel like I’ve gotten control back as a mother.”  

EFC’s programs, such as the Family Support Program (FSP) that Erica participated in, have proven results. And with a donation from you, you can help continue that same work for Durham’s children and the caring adults in their lives.  On average, it costs approximately $5,970 per child to participate in one of our programs. Fifty dollars, $100, or $250+ from you would go a long way to supporting one of our families and creating a stronger, healthier Durham community.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on our community, leaving many homes without one or two incomes. Social distancing and the lack of in-person school/childcare has put immense strain on many families who were already struggling. The need for programs like EFC’s is greater than ever before. We need to support our community and our children NOW before our current situation creates a burden too great to bear.

Any help you are able to provide to support, counsel, and coach Durham County families would make a huge difference to our children and their caregivers. You can change lives with a one-time donation of $50, $100, or $250. Or even better, a recurring monthly donation of any amount would allow us to sustain our programming for the long-term.

We are in this together. When one of us betters our community, we all benefit. EFC and YOU can work together to create a world where all children are emotionally and physically safe, and parents and caregivers are given the resources needed to break generational cycles of abuse and neglect. 

And you can make this dream a reality. Please consider a one-time or recurring monthly donation to EFC to make Durham County even stronger for all of the families and children who live here.

A donation from you can mean the difference between a child who experiences neglect and negative reinforcement and a child who is shown unconditional love and support. Our families want to do better - and $50, $100, or $250 from you can help them get there.

Thank you so much for your support of EFC, our families, and the Durham community. The old saying “it takes a village to raise a child” has never rang more true than it does right now. Please be part of the EFC village by donating to our programs today.