With the holidays quickly approaching, there are many needs our students have that must be met. Our schools and the community do a great job of getting things together, but it would all be impossible without our Family Resources/Youth Service Centers (FRYSC).
Mrs. Ashton Patton, GRC’s own YSC Coordinator, said she enjoys working with the students and providing them with the support they may need.
“It’s not monotonous, but I love being able to interact with the students and engage with them,” Patton said. “It’s always interesting, and every day is different.”
The FRYSC coordinators in our district are always trying to manage their time and provide for their students in an efficient manner. They work hard to attend meetings in the school or community, provide home visits, shop for their centers, pick up
donations, organize clubs, and assist with emergency needs.
“I must prioritize my tasks and try to stay as organized as possible,” RDC’s YSC Coordinator Whitney Snell said. “I am thankful for the wonderful staff and volunteers that help me.”
With these many needs and tasks, it can be quite difficult for the schools to provide for every student in need. Because of this, it’s
important to make community connections and relationships to make donations easier to come by.
“Community members can donate items like non-perishable food, hygiene products, or new clothing,” said Mrs. Brittney Combs, FRC Coordinator at Justice Elementary. “Local businesses and organizations can sponsor events, fundraisers, or family outreach programs.”
However, donations aren’t the only thing our service centers could use help with. Most of the time, our coordinators are coming up with ways to help build the school community and bring more awareness to their centers.
“Volunteers are also invaluable for helping with events and seasonal projects. Even spreading the word about what we do helps
families know where to turn for support,” Combs said.
The connection between a student’s home life and their academics is significantly larger than people may think. Stressors in the home can cause school to seem quite overwhelming. This applies to every grade level and every individual student.
The FRYSC coordinators in our district put much effort into bridging that gap, improving students’ quality of life exponentially simply by providing easier access to their basic needs.
“We are the link between home and school,” Strode Station’s Coordinator Rosalinda Gay said. “A majority of the families do not know where to begin in accessing resources for basic needs, and if the FRC can connect families with resources, this can help with eliminating some barriers for the student.”
The coordinators’ work goes beyond our students’ basic needs, however. They are always trying to provide resources for the entire household, lending a hand to parents in need of jobs, residences, and any other needs the family may have.
“Many families don’t realize we are also a key resource for direct employment referrals and workforce preparation resources for parents, as well as providing connections to utility and housing assistance programs,” Casey Davis, Baker Intermediate’s FRC Coordinator, said. “We aim to address comprehensive family stability, not just immediate school-related needs.”
Our coordinators are often working with and in the community to continue to serve and make connections.
“We’re constantly partnering with local agencies and the other Family Resource Centers in the district to host great opportunities and events for our families,” Kristi Carter, Shearer’s Coordinator said. “A huge piece of this is our Advisory Council, which is made up of dedicated parents, community members, and school staff.
The relationships these coordinators build with their students and families are very special. Providing a safe space and a reliable source for anything a family needs is so important and beneficial to a student’s academics and basic health.
“I try to make myself/FRC Center easily accessible by offering a variety of ways to communicate with families,” Brooke Raney, the FRC coordinator at Conkwright, said. “I get to build relationships not only with our students, but our families and hopefully help them along the way.”
