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Kids Oneida happy to make room for readers

Utica, NY (Tuesday Nov 1 2011)

 

 

Kids Oneida adds lending library made possible through partnership with the All Inclusive Care for Children Coalition.

 



Kids Oneida collaborates with local agencies every day, but successful partnerships rarely leave parties diving into a good book.  That’s why Kids Oneida is excited to announce its partnership with the All Inclusive Care for Children Coalition.  Together, they’ve created a unique resource for the Mohawk Valley: a library stocked with material targeted to help people further their knowledge of emotional health.

Hosting the library is the first collaboration between Kids Oneida and the Coalition, a local group working to enhance quality of life for seriously ill children.  “I think it’s a great example of community partnership,” said Virginia Whitford-Anken, Clinical Director of Kids Oneida.  When Whitford-Anken began liaising with the All Inclusive Care for Children Coalition in 2010 she learned they’d hit a snag in their library plan.  “They had a collection of books without a home.” 

The Coalition had nowhere to set up their library, although a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provided them with money for books.  Kids Oneida had acquired its own building at 310 Main Street in 2009, meaning it could pledge office-space for the library. "The Coalition worked hard to obtain and develop the resources necessary for this very unique lending library.  We are very grateful that Kids Oneida has stepped in to offer a wonderful location for these items, making them more accessible to the community." - Laurie Fazekas, Coalition Chairperson.

The first of its kind in the Mohawk Valley, the library will give readers - child, parent and professional - a new resource for emotional health education.  “You won’t find this stuff in a lot of places,” said Linda Hamilton, a Kids Oneida Case Supervisor, taking stock of the books, pamphlets and other media.  Materials covering special interests like children’s health care, grief and loss, coping skills and parenting needs were catalogued over several months. 

Pool resources, catalogue a collection … those are big steps, but without the cooperation of Kids Oneida staff, there would be no way to accommodate library visitors.  Hamilton is grateful for their understanding.  “We may tweak a few things, but we’re ready to start.” 

Whitford-Anken points out that the lending library is an example of how the community benefits when local organizations collaborate. “Together, we were able to do something neither one of our organizations could have done on its own.” 

Hosting the library is bringing the community closer to Kids Oneida in the literal sense.  Because its collection will be available to the general public, visiting the library will give many people their first opportunity to see inside the renovated brownstone Kids Oneida calls home. 

The collection will be available to Kids Oneida staff, parents and providers on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.  Hours are the same for general public although individuals are encouraged call 315-792-9039 to set up an appointment prior to visiting.  Alternative visit times can be accommodated by appointment only. 

Kids Oneida is a nonprofit organization based in Utica, NY empowering children and families.  Since 1996, Kids Oneida has consistently diverted out-of-home placements for seriously emotionally disturbed children, proving that keeping families together maximizes long-term emotional health.  Kids Oneida develops a unique care plan for every child and networks with over 150 local professionals to fulfill children’s individual needs.

The All Inclusive Care for Children Coalition began in January 2004 in order to offer the children of the Mohawk Valley, their families, and providers a network of agency representatives that could act as a resource, advocates, and unite as a team of professionals who had a common goal of enhancing the quality of life of seriously ill children.  Since that time the Coalition has expanded their vision to include a dedication to children’s health care needs, family support services, and educational and resource services.  The mission of the Coalition is to provide family support services to all families with children facing various health and wellness challenges, by working in partnership with community based service providers, health care providers, volunteers and families to address psycho-social, physiological, and spiritual needs of families in a dignified, culturally sensitive and holistic manner.

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