Lifebridge Community Services Inc.

May 30, 2019

Bridgeport, CT May 2017

$5,000 granted to Lifebridge Community Services Inc. (Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition) merged with LIFEBRIDGE which is located in Bridgeport, CT. This nonprofit organization has a long history of helping to improve the lives of children and families through research, education, advocacy, and mobilization.

Bridgeport is a challenged city; Bridgeport’s 34,555 children fare worse than their counterparts statewide and in Fairfield County on just about every social and economic indicator. In 2015, 32.4% of Bridgeport children lived below the Federal Poverty Level.

They will be using the grant money to support the RULER program an acronym meaning (Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating) Emotions. This program was created by Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence which helps children and families cope with trauma. Emotional learning is crucial to a student’s success academically, cognitively, and behaviorally both in and out of the classroom.

All BPS children have been taught the RULER program and the FSP Foundation grant is to support 15 trainings for 500 community members in both English and Spanish. Community members are: fire officials, clergy, police officers, and resource officers just to name a few. This population is important because they deal with children every day.

Program impact:

  • Helps children cope with trauma
  • Improves the achievement and opportunity gaps
  • Reduces chronic absenteeism and truancy
  • Creates a safe and stimulating environment for special needs
  • Improve overall school climate by reducing in-school and out-of-school suspension

 

“Thanks to The FSP Foundation for your support of LIFEBRIDGE the children will truly benefit!”
~Mary Pat Healy, Executive Director

Posted in The FSP Foundation