July 2023 Newsletter

FROM KBFPC’S July 2023 COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

Friends,

July has already been an emotional whirlwind at KBFPC. In anticipation of the Roots & Shoots celebration and fundraiser on July 22nd, we have been reminiscing about the past 40 years with previous and current staff, board members, volunteers, and even clinic clients. Check out this Thursday’s Homer News for a profile piece by Christina Whiting who interviewed a few of us about where we’ve been and what comes next.

Good News

We also received word that we are one of the fortunate statewide organizations that received funding through RurAL CAP’s Thriving Communities grant program. We’re appreciative of this new support specifically for our remote clinical services in Homer & other Kenai Peninsula communities, community education & outreach, and sexual health education programs. We have also been awarded another grant as a subrecipient of the State of Alaska’s Title X program, which has supported our clinic’s family planning program and the sliding fee scale for low and no-cost reproductive health services for many years.

Bad News

At a moment when adolescent mental health crises are at an all-time high, working families in our community are challenged to find free and low-cost activities for middle and high schoolers, and the need for inclusive spaces with trusted adult mentors is only increasing, KBFPC learned that the REC Room was not selected as a recipient of the next iteration of the four-year Positive Youth Development Afterschool Program (PYDAP) under the Alaska Department of Health. Since 2010, KBFPC’s REC Room has acted as an essential life raft for local teens and families.

Over the past four years, the PYDAP funding allowed the REC Room to expand its opt-in afterschool and summer programming and grow in popularity, among middle school teens in particular, while also being recognized as a model for other youth afterschool programs around the state, including the Alaska Afterschool Network’s “Afterschool Hero” award. The REC Room was attended more than 1,200 times during the last twelve months by more than 110 individual teens.

While we adjust to the impact of this significant news, I will continue to keep you informed of our progress to preserve the critical and very special role the REC Room plays for youth and families in our community. (See the FAQ’s below.)

Call to Action

In the meantime, I hope to see you at the upcoming Roots & Shoots celebration and fundraiser on July 22nd which will honor KBFPC’s 40th anniversary and its steadfast commitment to serving everyone in our community for many years to come.

Philanthropy from donors like you plays a critical role in how KBFPC and the REC Room are able to support community health and wellness at a time when teens, adults, and whole families need us most.

If you would like to learn how you can support the REC Room program and other opportunities for youth, or have questions about KBFPC, I welcome the opportunity to connect with you.

With gratitude,

Claudia Haines, CEO

ALSO INCLUDED IN JULY’S NEWSLETTER:

• Roots & Shoots Tickets & Auction Information
• New Service Announcement: Vasectomy at KBFPC
• FAQs: REC Room Funding

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