CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Taking the LEAD: Teens plan second Child Fair

News-Journal - 1/31/2018

Jan. 31--BUNNELL -- When seven local teens first heard about the need to connect Flagler County families with critical early childhood services, they resolved to make those connections happen last year via a special Child Fair.

What they couldn't have foreseen was the potential long-term impact of their initiative -- and the legacy of opportunity they stand to leave local families.

On Saturday, the group will once again stage a Child Fair, the second in what the students are working to develop into an annual event.

"I just really hope that this year it turns out to be a big success, considering that it's my senior year," said group member Lischna Castor.

She said she wants to know that she spent her time in high school doing something to help the community and people in need.

And this year, the teens have set their sights on an even more ambitious goal: they are hoping to establish a sustainable agency that will carry on the work they started.

NEED IDENTIFIED

The teens first took up the cause during the 2016-17 academic year as a project for their Community Problem Solvers class at Flagler Palm Coast High School. They called it LEAD Children, which stands for Love, Engage And Direct Children.

In addition to Lischna, members include Sara Barnes, Katherine Bereznicki, Katherine Espinoza, Julia Hok, Zameena Phillips and Danielle Stoughton.

The project was inspired by a presentation made to their class by Irwin Connelly. The former assistant public defender had seen generations of people turning up in the criminal justice system, which led him to research the root causes.

What he discovered was the importance of supplying young families with the services they need to better ensure future success for their babies and toddlers.

But some of these services were offered no closer than Volusia County, and some organizations had limited office hours.

The first Child Fair brought those services together at a time and place convenient to Flagler County families.

It was a success. Many people attended the fair, which featured 15 diverse agencies and nonprofits. Pleased with the turnout, representatives from the agencies told the teen organizers that they would like to return for a second fair.

Among those who availed themselves of the fair's benefits, one woman stands out in the teens' memories. She had just gotten custody of her grandchild, who was just a baby. But she needed a lot of help.

Between LEAD Children and the organizations on site during the fair, she was able to get the resources she needed to take on her new responsibility.

Sara expressed a hope that this year "we'll just be able to keep getting all these people that we're able to help, and tell them that they're not alone in this journey, that there's someone out there that's going to be able to provide that help."

Meanwhile, LEAD Children members said they learned a lot from the 2017 event, such as how to improve promotion and communication and how to better tailor drawings and giveaways to attendees.

For Julia, the experience instilled a newfound appreciation for the impact she could have on her community. Thinking that as a high school student her influence on the world around her was small, she soon learned otherwise.

"After these two full years working for this project, I realize that it's not easy, but it's very possible to do something for the community as long as you work for it and have a great team," she said.

LEAD CHILDREN 2.0

In October, the students partnered with the school district's Office of Student and Community Engagement to hold a scaled down version of their fair as part of the Flagler Schools Resource Showcase. That event, focused on resources for children in kindergarten through grade 12, was ideal for LEAD Children, which offers help for children younger than that.

It also gave the group a chance to promote their Child Fair, which will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at the George Washington Carver Community Center in Bunnell.

LEAD Children members are hoping a presentation they made at a Flagler Cares Coalition meeting earlier this year will be the catalyst for the new agency they dream of creating. This agency would offer a more individualized "Child Fair on wheels" that would go house to house to reach out to low-income families.

"The Child Fair is a great idea, and it concentrates on the resources you need, but you get the one-on-one thing going on with the person who is in need," said Zameena, explaining the value of such an effort.

"It's just more personal," said Katherine Espinoza. "It's more of an understanding, and it's more privacy."

Just in case the agency idea doesn't succeed, however, the teens hope they will still be able to "pass the torch" for the annual Child Fair to others who will keep it going.

To the seven students who created LEAD Children, this is obviously far more than a classroom project.

"It just shows you their passion and love for the community," said teacher Diane Tomko. "They're going to leave a legacy."

___

(c)2018 The News-Journal, Daytona Beach, Fla.

Visit The News-Journal, Daytona Beach, Fla. at www.news-journalonline.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.