Families Moving Forward (FMF) was established in 2016 after the successful merger of Genesis Home and Durham Interfaith Hospitality Network. This merger made FMF the largest housing and services provider for homeless families in Durham, NC. Together they provide temporary housing, case management, skills education, and connections to community resources to help families in need strive while they're in their care and beyond.
Haelee and I were introduced to FMF by way of Durham Chapter. Links Incorporated. The Links is a not-for-profit volunteer services corporation. It was founded in 1946 with a goal of enhancing the educational, cultural, physical, and economic development of persons of African descent. It is comprised of 12,000 distinguished women of color such as Traci Gaskins-Bermiss and Tiffany Smith-Bennett.
Tiffany and Traci specifically reached out to Haelee and myself in letting us know that they would be hosting a vision board program for the children of FMF on the evening of January 19, 2023. Having done so, they asked if Haelee would be available and willing to facilitate the workshop. She happily agreed towards doing so given that one of her stretch goals is to establish her own non-profit under the auspices of The Rules of a Big Boss. One of the children had a particular affinity for sweets hence Haelee had a great time helping her search for pictures of delicious treats such as cakes, cookies, and candies. Another child had a particular affinity for animals thus I enjoyed helping her search for pictures of dogs, kittens, polar bears, and dragons. We told the young ladies that they could achieve anything that they placed on their respective boards so long as they were willing to work hard towards it and envision it. On that note, we also helped them search for affirming statements while sharing with them the power of them.
Moving along, one of the young ladies touched our hearts when she told us that she hoped that we came back to see them again. She specifically said, "People usually come to see us once and then we never see them again. I hope you come back." Haelee teared up as she vowed that we would come back again if they'd have us. Shiona Caldwell, Enrichment Programs Manager, FMF told us that we're absolutely welcome back. We proudly accepted her invitation hence we'll be holding true to our promise to return in that regard.
As of now, FMF is soliciting funds to help families get back on their feet and find their way home. You can contribute to their ongoing efforts towards doing so by going here. While that's the case, the greatest gift that you can give is some of your time. You can find out how to do so by going here. Perhaps you can run into us at one of the events like Kaleisha Council, Executive Director and Founder, Sistah's Who Care. Kaleisha recognized Haelee right away from following her exploits on Instagram. Sistah's Who Care is a small non-profit that's dedicated towards serving communities.