Author Archives: Families First

The past year and a half of COVID-19 changed our Atlanta community and brought with it many hurdles in providing the necessary resources and supplies for our children and their schooling experience. On July 24, from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m., Families First, Starbucks, Target, and Kroger are partnering to help families be prepared to return […]

July 1 marks the start of Families First’s new fiscal year. As the world continues to open up post-COVID, a common thread that emerged is the true power of resilience. Families First believes that resilience is the foundation of building strong families and strong communities. This has been the uniting focus of our work for the […]

By Comer Yates, Renée Boynton-Jarrett & Maryanne Wolf  Comer Yates is the executive director of the Atlanta Speech School, which houses the free and universally accessible Cox Campus. Renée Boynton-Jarrett is a social epidemiologist and pediatrician at Boston University School of Medicine and the founding director of the Vital Village Community Engagement Network. Maryanne Wolf […]

By Grant T. Michelle, Families First Summer Intern  Growing up can be hard. The world seems so big and there is an endless list of options and directions your life can go, making the journey to adulthood a turbulent endeavor. Thankfully, there are other people who have previously or are currently going through those very […]

Hosted by Atlanta’s CBS46 Meteorologist Ella Dorsey, Unity for a Difference was an ambitious event that recognized distinguished contributors to Families First’s mission of building resilient families so all children can thrive.  Honorees included:  Significant moments were in abundance at Families First’s Unity for a Difference event as all of the honorees shared insights into […]

Families First supports clients at various points across the continuum of care including adoption, foster care, parenting, mental and behavioral health, supportive housing, and healthy starts. Our work is a team effort including staff, the board, supporters, and sponsors and donors.  On June 9 at 9:00 am, Unity for a Difference will bring together our supporters […]

“Always believe in yourself and never give up.” – Ms. Rose, a Shelter-A-Family resident.  Ms. Rose is discovering the importance of mental health to build resilience and successfully navigate life’s challenges. At the age of 31, Ms. Rose began her journey of homelessness. Facing the reality of living on the streets, she made the difficult […]

Families First has been “Stomping the Stigma” around mental health throughout the month of May. We started by rallying our staff and volunteers and putting their sneakers to the street to spread the word throughout Choice Neighborhoods on the Westside. Families First representatives went door to door in the Westend Neighborhood with information about behavioral […]

In tandem with finding stable employment, many caregivers and heads of household are dealing with trauma and other socioemotional challenges. That is where Families First comes in. We have developed a screening tool to assess resiliency, a person’s ability to get back out there and their readiness to face life’s challenges. For some it is […]

No one anticipated the myriad of events of the past 14 months. Some may have anticipated one or a few, but no one saw them all coming down on us seemingly at once. For many it’s felt like wave after wave has been rolling over them and they’re doing all they can to keep their […]

For Troya Lusand Underwood Jackson, Families First Program Manager, the power of resilience to change lives is very personal. Troya has been part of Families First for more than 15 years but admits that it was not until she started leading the innovative resilience work for Families First that she looked back on her own […]

By Julio Carrillo, Chief Operating Officer of Families First  April is set aside to celebrate the many volunteers who give of their time, talent, and treasure to positively impact the lives of others. The United Nations estimates that about one billion individuals volunteer each year to support their favorite nonprofits. As a nonprofit, Families First […]

By: DePriest Waddy, CEO of Families First  Quote from Anne Frank…”Dead people receive more flowers than the living ones because regret is stronger than gratitude.” One of my mentees, a young, successful IT junior executive, whom I’ve known since he was 17 years old and at the time making $8.00 an hour in a retail […]

Edward M. Valentin, Ph.D., LCSW, Families First Director of Clinical Services With April being National Counseling Month, this year more than ever, attention needs to be drawn to the need for accessibility to counseling and therapy for everyone and to remove any stigmas some might associate with the need for assistance with mental health. Outside of […]

By DePriest Waddy, Families First CEO  The challenges of the last year have impacted all of us. From social injustices to racial inequality and COVID, our communities are suffering. We have also seen great acts of heroism with our front-line workers who have continued to serve our communities. A common thread that has emerged is […]