• support-info@gmail.com
  • +242 6868 8888
United Way of the Greater Triangle
  • Home
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Impact Reports
    • FAQs
    • Apply for Funding
    • Rapid Response Fund
    • Contact Us
    • Donate
  • support-info@gmail.com
  • +242 6868 8888
  • Events
  • Get Help
  • Sign Up for Emails
United Way of the Greater Triangle
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Team
    • Board of Directors
  • Our Work
    • Cradle To Career
    • Equity In Leadership
      • 10 To Watch
      • Neighborhood Impact
    • Healthy Families
  • Get Involved
    • Rapid Response Fund
      • Rapid Response Fund Resources
    • Anti-Racism Community Fund
    • Volunteer
    • Apply for Funding
    • Become a Partner
      • Start a Workplace Campaign
      • Become a Leadership Donor
    • Corporate Awards
    • Campaign Leader Resources
    • Careers at United Way
  • News & Resources
    • News
    • Impact Reports
    • FAQs
    • Events
  • Contact Us
  • Donate

SAFEchild, The Green Chair Project, and Pacific Western Bank Partner To Give 100 Cribs To Families In Need

Homepage Cradle to Career SAFEchild, The Green Chair Project, and Pacific Western Bank Partner To Give 100 Cribs To Families In Need
Cradle to Career

SAFEchild, The Green Chair Project, and Pacific Western Bank Partner To Give 100 Cribs To Families In Need

January 17, 2020
By Devin Desjarlais
0 Comment
2685 Views

26 years ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics launched its Back-To-Sleep campaign — now called Safe to Sleep — with the goal of educating parents about safe sleep practices. The campaign had profound results, most notably in reducing the rates of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by nearly 50% since then. But despite those efforts, sleep-related deaths are still the number one cause of death in infants one month or older, with 3,500 reported in the United States annually.

While experts agree that it’s important to provide safe and nurturing environments for children to thrive, families in poverty often aren’t able to afford the basic supplies — like a safe crib with a firm mattress — to do so.

That’s where United Way-funded partners SAFEchild, the only child abuse prevention agency in Wake County working directly with families, and The Green Chair Project, which provides home furnishings to families and individuals transitioning out of homelessness, knew they could make a difference. And thanks to a generous grant from Pacific Western Bank, that dream is becoming a reality.

The idea for the partnership began in 2017 in an unexpected place: a Harvard Business School dorm where Jackie Craig, Executive Director of The Green Chair Project, and Cristin DeRonja, Executive Director of SAFEchild, were roommates while taking a nonprofit leadership course.

In their conversations, Jackie shared more about her organization’s Sweeter Dreams program, which launched in 2015 with the goal of providing beds to all school-aged children in Wake County who don’t have beds of their own.

“From the moment we met, we began talking about the need for cribs in our community and that our collaboration could uniquely see and solve this important need,” explains Craig.

Bijou and her baby Berniece were one of the first 10 recipients of a crib through this collaboration. (Photo credit: Tyler Cunningham Photography)

The duo kept in touch and in early 2019, they mentioned the idea during a meeting with Eric Guckian, United Way of the Greater Triangle President and CEO. The power of partnerships took over from there and resulted in a generous grant from Pacific Western Bank to support the distribution of 100 cribs to babies and families in need this year.

“Pacific Western Bank is passionate about investing in the health and well-being of our local community, and this financial support and partnership will enable under-resourced families to take a step forward in their own wellness,” said Matt Wagner, CEO/President of Pacific Western Bank.

Each organization will play a key role in the crib-delivery process with SAFEchild identifying and screening potential applicants and The Green Chair Project assisting in choosing and delivering a crib to each family.

(Photo credit: Tyler Cunningham Photography)

“While SAFEchild is expertly prepared to deliver evidenced-based parent education and support services, we do not provide basic needs support in the way of household furnishings like The Green Chair Project,” said Cristin DeRonja, SAFEchild’s Executive Director. “We too often evaluate infants and toddlers for physical injuries that could be prevented with the appropriate provision of cribs, parent education, and support.”

In total, families will only need to wait a few days between applying for a crib and when the crib is actually delivered. The organizations have already delivered 11 cribs since distribution began in late 2019.

“United Way and Pacific Western Bank’s faith in both organizations’ missions, bolstered by their financial investment, created a powerful child abuse prevention partnership between SAFEchild and The Green Chair Project.”


Related Articles

Triangle Bikeworks Expands Programming To Offer Mountain Biking For Youth of Color

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Every year since 1903, the Tour de France challenges more...

Former Hope Center At Pullen Student Writes Award-Winning Handbook For Youth in Foster Care

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="10794" img_size="medium" alignment="center"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text]We’re about to tell you...

About Us

Staff
Board Of Directors
FAQ
Privacy Policy
Financial Reports

Our Work

Cradle To Career
Healthy Families
Equity in Leadership
Annual & Impact Reports

Get Involved

Rapid Response Fund
Volunteer
Apply For Funding
Become a Partner
Campaign Leader Resources
Careers at United Way

Contact Us

Address
800 Park Offices Drive Suite 204 Durham, NC 27709
Phone Number
919-460-8687
Copyright ©2019 Bearsthemes. All Rights Reserved
SearchPostsLogin
Monday, 13, Jun
Triangle Bikeworks Expands Programming To Offer Mountain Biking For Youth of Color
Wednesday, 4, May
Band Together And United Way Announce Two Benefit Concerts
Monday, 2, May
Celebrating National Volunteer Week in the Triangle
Monday, 25, Apr
Former Hope Center At Pullen Student Writes Award-Winning Handbook For Youth in Foster Care
Monday, 11, Apr
Raleigh/Wake Partnership To End Homelessness Receives 22% Increase in Funds To Serve Triangle Residents Without Homes
Wednesday, 2, Mar
United Way’s Spirit of North Carolina Awards Shines Light On 8 Triangle Companies

Welcome back,