Columbus Dispatch: Second Nurture expands to Columbus

There are a number of exciting things that have been happening in Columbus, Ohio!

This past March we officially launched our first affiliate branch and have implemented the Second Nurture model in three Columbus partner communities: Temple Israel, First Church, and Tifereth Israel. Together, they represent the Broad Street Interfaith Alliance, a co-op of faith-based communities that work in partnership with us to share ideas, leverage resources, and create a more diverse support network for our foster families.

Our expansion was only possible through the generous support of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, The Columbus Foundation, and the United Way of Central Ohio.

The activities of Second Nurture have received attention of the Columbus Dispatch. You can read the whole article here.

Next week, on Tuesday, May 17th, 6-7pm ET we will co-host our first foster orientation with our incredible community partner, The Buckeye Ranch. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. Register here to join us. If you have additional questions, email me at info@2nurture.org.

We hope to see you there!

Courtney Keys, Regional Director 2N Columbus

Second Nurture Newsletter Winter 2021

Growing Families, Loving Communities

Dear Friends,

In this newsletter we give you a peek into our families, an update on our newly launched program in Columbus, and show you our brand new two-minute video conveying our unique model!

Our New Video

Please take a look out our brand new video with narration by our own, inimitable, former foster youth, superstar and 2N Board Member, Tiffany Haddish! Check it out!

A Second Nurture family welcomes teenager L!

L was delighted by the welcome gifts her new community sent, including games for family game night, a pampering basket, and matching slippers for her and her new foster parents for a cozier shutdown during Covid.

Another Second Nurture family welcomes baby brother!

Baby G’s brand new biological brother, L, joined him and his foster mom, K. And we are overjoyed that this 2N community made it possible to keep siblings together! K told us, “As a single mom I thought I would have one child. When I got the call that G’s brother was born, I was in shock. Without Second Nurture I would not have been able to say yes.”

We think the excitement wore little G out!

Columbus

We launched our mentorship program in Columbus! Former foster youth, ages 18-24, joined mentors from Harmony Project. What open-minded, open-hearted young people! It is a privilege to get to know them and join them as they launch into meaningful adulthoods. And we are so excited to see them join the Harmony Project Choir!

And speaking of Columbus…

Welcome to the newest member of the Second Nurture team!

Thank you…

…for taking this peek into our work, our communities and watching our video. We are filled with gratitude for you joining with us to make this all happen. With love, Susan

Fall Newsletter on Giving Tuesday

Second Nurture is circles of love and support—and it is such a gift to be part of that belonging with our families and communities. The Wilshire Boulevard Temple continues to grow and to meet by Zoom for our special brunches of sharing, learning and support. And now we have two more communities meeting monthly: Nefesh and IKAR. We are so grateful for the way the families support each other, families already fostering and adopting lending guidance to those just starting on the path, everyone offering their wisdom to one another, and our professional consultants and social service partners doing all they can to lift our families up.

Our partners at Children's Bureau, always game for a new initiative to give kids the love and stability they need, have helped us initiate a supported path for families to offer transitional care for youth who are newly removed from a household and need a safe, loving place to be while the best possible long-term plan is made for them. A thoughtful transitional plan makes it more likely that siblings can stay together in the long-term, that trauma is minimized, capacity for growth and healthy relationships are maximized and children are safe. This path is now available at all our partner communities.

And Columbus! This has this been a long haul—but worth it. Courtney Keys is on-the-ground coordinating all the partners, Starfish Alliance has completed the insightful and rich curriculum, curious, engaged young people from Carol Stewart Village are signing up and Donato's is giving us loads of pizza over the coming months. And, we are so excited to have have hired our new group mentorship facilitator, Te'Asia Tarver. Check us out—and support us—at 2Nurture.org.

With love and blessings for health and well-being, Susan