Seattle CARES Mentoring Movement received $180,000 recently from the City of Seattle’s Human Services Department to offer disadvantaged families additional services centered on learning, healing and fostering connections.
The Family Support Services program is a new outreach initiative started by the city in 2024. The program invests in community-based organizations skilled in building opportunities for connection and family support while celebrating culture and heritage. Programs must take place within the city limits and involve one or more adult caregivers, either expecting a child or with children up to the age of 24.
Seattle CARES is a respected regional leader in developing programs to serve this audience. The organization provides weekly Community Wellness Circles that provide a safe space for adults, primarily women, who may be struggling to be more effective parents while working on healing themselves. Voices for Change is a monthly webinar launched two years ago that features national experts on wellness and recovery, personal healing, life skills and other important topics.
In April, Seattle CARES will launch InSight, a quarterly presentation that offers tools and techniques which families can use to improve their lives. The first topic will be on building family resilience.
“We are pleased to have this support from the City of Seattle that will allow us to better serve families in our community,” said Don Cameron, Seattle CARES executive director. “The funds will help us enhance and expand our Community Wellness Circles and our virtual and in-person presentations so we can continue to improve lives and transform futures.”
Seattle CARES, founded in 2008, offers innovative programs that provide critical skills and positive support systems to help Black youth and their families succeed and flourish. Guided by the latest research on education, mentorship, race and opportunity, the organization’s results-oriented approach was created by some of the nation’s top educators, wellness professionals, counselors and advocates.