Celebrating Families

After a year of virtual visits and fewer opportunities to help connect families in our programs with each other, the Tennessee Valley team celebrated the successes of families in Bradley, Rhea, Marion, and Sequatchie counties at the Chattanooga Zoo in June. Our Parent Parties are time for parents to meet other parents and create a broader network of support. And being without these events for the past 15 months made this one extra special.

Graduations from our Healthy Families program are an integral component of our work, and we were thrilled to hold a graduation ceremony at the zoo for three families. Watching families grow during their time with us is such an honor as is celebrating their progress and successes. 

We also recognized Rebecca Allen, our East Tennessee Unsung Hero. Celebrating Rebecca during our zoo trip allowed our other parents to see the struggles she overcame and the milestones she met. An Unsung Hero is a parent who demonstrates incredible resiliency, draws upon a strong support system, understands their child’s developmental needs, shows empathy and support toward their child’s feelings, and who is not afraid to ask for help or receive help.

After all our celebrations, everyone enjoyed the zoo. Home visitors provided a fun activity for parents and children to share while they strolled through the zoo, learning about the animals, what they look like and what kinds of noises they make. Activities like this are a great way to promote parent-child interaction, which is one of the goals of the Healthy Families program.

Surviving 2020 took support and resiliency. We provided support while parents developed resiliency. While it wasn’t always easy going, we made it — and making it deserved this celebration. It’s the embodiment of our mission: raising the next generation, together.