Blog

Recently, one of our Ambassadors, Shannon Siders, participated in a shadowing opportunity with our HANDS program. Shannon has been a regular volunteer since she joined the organization in 2014 as part of the inaugural Ambassador class. We’re so excited that she decided to rejoin the Ambassador program.

When I moved back to Louisville in 2014, one of my priorities was to volunteer for an organization that was making a difference in the community. I was connected to Family & Children’s Place within that first year and was thrilled to become a member of their inaugural group of Ambassadors.  

I’ve continued to stay involved over the last five years because of the wonderful and necessary work Family & Children’s Place does for children and families in our community who need it most. Throughout all of my interactions with the programming–from serving as an ambassador and attending the annual breakfast to volunteering at the after school program at Meyzeek Middle School and pitching into other initiatives as I can–it is evident how invested each team member is in the organization’s mission.

Earlier this fall, I had the chance to shadow a home visitation staff member on a site visit for the agency’s Health Access Nurturing Development Services (HANDS) program, which works with new and first-time parents to give babies the best start possible. The staff member, Kaitlin, went over some benchmarks with the family and helped them come up with solutions to further the toddler’s development. It was clear that a strong rapport developed between the family and Kaitlin during her time with them through HANDS, and they were so excited about how far the toddler had come.

Empowering parents to take charge in the care of their little ones so they can go and thrive promises a brighter future for us all, and I feel lucky to have a first-hand view of Family & Children’s Place making this happen.

. . .

Ambassadors are required to shadow at least one Family & Children’s Place program within the first three months of joining. For more information about the 2019-2020 class, visit the press announcement.