Unfortunately, stories like this are far too common. Luckily, organizations such as Austin’s Partnerships for Children are there to help. With the support of Partnerships for Children’s Rainbow Rooms—resource rooms available 24 hours a day, seven days a week—caseworkers can obtain the supplies they need to create the best possible situation for children in the care of Child Protective Services.
Thanks to Partnerships for Children’s Rainbow Rooms, a caseworker will provide this foster child with a customized Ready Bag, a durable piece of luggage filled with all the necessities she’ll need for the next two weeks.
During the 2012 Elks National Convention in Austin, the Elks awarded the 2012 Elks Give-Back Grant to Partnerships for Children in support of the Austin Rainbow Rooms. The Elks National Foundation awards this $25,000 grant annually to a nonprofit organization in the Convention host city that espouses values similar to those of the Elks.
“The Elks Give-Back Grant will ensure that the 450 children we serve each month through the Rainbow Rooms have their basic needs met so they can focus on what is most important—being a child, playing, learning and growing up,” says Partnerships for Children’s Board Chair Ellen Ambrose. “We are extremely grateful and excited for the opportunity to be associated with the Elks as we share a similar mission—to provide the needed support for children to become healthy, contributing members of society.”
The Elks look forward to giving back to Austin by supporting Partnerships with Children.
“The Elks are all about giving back to our communities, and for the next week, for all of us here at Convention, Austin is our community,” says ENF Director Jim O’Kelley. “Partnerships for Children is doing great work here, and we’re proud to support it.”
Click here to watch the video of the Give-Back Grant presentation during Convention.
The Elks National Foundation helps Elks build stronger communities through programs that support youth, honor veterans, and meet needs in areas where Elks live and work. For more information on the ENF, visit www.elks.org/enf.