The Barber Law Firm is proud to announce the selection of Centers For Youth & Families as the Barber Law Firm Century Fund’s Nonprofit Partner for 2011-2012.
“We want to support efforts that are making a difference in people’s lives today while impacting them for years to come,” says Joe Kolb of the Barber Law Firm. “The mission of Centers For Youth & Families is a perfect fit.”
Centers For Youth & Families, the oldest continuously operating not-for-profit in the state, provides specialized prevention, intervention, and treatment services to Arkansas children and families to promote their emotional and social wellness.
In addition to a financial contribution, the Barber Law Firm will provide volunteer time and other resources to help create awareness for Centers For Youth & Families and its programs. The Barber Law Firm is especially pleased to provide primary support for a new training program, Mental Health First Aid, garnering attention nation-wide. Centers For Youth & Families will initially offer the program to school personnel and community members to help them better understand mental illness and how to react in a mental health crisis situation.
“Just as traditional first aid or CPR equips us to help with a physical injury or a medical emergency, Mental Health First Aid prepares us with a five step plan to use in assisting a person who is developing or experiencing a mental health crisis,” says Sharon Long, M.S., Parent Education Coordinator for Centers For Youth & Families.
“We are excited to partner with the Barber Law Firm to offer Mental Health First Aid training as a resource to all of our community,” says Doug Stadter, President and CEO of Centers For Youth & Families. “The program will provide all of us with the tools to recognize the symptoms of mental illness and a practical approach to helping our friends and family members who are dealing with this condition. Our community will be strengthened by reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues.”
All of the more than 100 counselors in the Little Rock School District will receive Mental Health First Aid training starting this month.
Mental Health First Aid Trainings Free To Public In 2012
Support from the Barber Law Firm Century Fund will allow two Mental Health First Aid training workshops to be offered to the public at no charge in 2012. Both will be two-day workshops.
The first public training workshop will be held March 1 & 2. The second public training will be held May 10 & 11. For more information or to reserve a spot, please contact Sharon Long at slong@cfyf.org or by phone at 501-666-6833.
Details will be available soon at www.centersforyouthandfamilies.org.
The Barber Law Firm Century Fund, founded in 2010 in celebration of the firm’s 100th anniversary, is a major endowment focused on the future. It is designed to give back to the communities the firm serves for the next 100 years. The fund will spin off approximately $8 million in charitable contributions over the next century with total annual distributions of approximately $250,000 by 2110. The design of the fund is simple: The Barber Law Firm has committed to making an annual contribution to the fund for the next century. Each year, the fund will distribute a portion of its annual earnings to a designated charitable partner. As the firm adds to the principal, it expects the fund to grow steadily, generating greater and greater impact each year.
The Arkansas Children’s Hospital Diabetes Research Working Group received the fund’s inaugural contribution in 2010.
The Barber Law Firm Century Fund accepts nominations for and from nonprofits statewide before choosing a designated nonprofit to contribute to and partner with each year. Qualifying 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organizations that are either based in Arkansas or make a significant impact in the lives of Arkansans are eligible for consideration for the Barber Law Firm Century Fund’s annual contribution and partnership. The nomination period for the Barber Law Firm Century Fund’s Nonprofit Partner for 2012-2013 will begin in Spring 2012.
