Sophie Sonnenfeld photo
Paris (left) and Abby Feliciano-Cosme (right).
Paris and Abby Feliciano-Cosme were both adopted by their old babysitter to help them escape a traumatic home life.
Now the 14-year-old sisters are working with a New Haven-based adoption and foster care agency to make sure that kids in similar situations get the love, mentorship, and support that helped them survive.
The Feliciano-Cosme sisters are both mentors with ‘r kids Family Center, a 23-year-old nonprofit based out of 45 Dixwell Ave. that provides specialty services for children and biological, foster, and adoptive families.
Plans for the ‘raise the roof’ expansion.
On Monday morning, they joined ‘r kids counselors and directors at the nonprofit’s Dixwell Avenue headquarters to celebrate the service’s planned creation of a second floor that will include an Infant Toddler Family Trauma Center, an adoption counseling center, educational programming for youth in foster care, and more conference room spaces.
The sisters said they come to ‘r kids once a week to work with three foster children who are seven, eight, and 10 years old. Mentoring gives her “the freedom to open up and connect with other kids,” Paris said, and working with ‘r kids has helped her and her sister emerge from a near debilitating shyness that plagued them when they were first adopted.
‘r kids currently has adoption and post adoption, reunification, and “Therapeutic Family Time” services. Debby Kraemer, the co-chair of the fundraising campaign for building out the second floor, said through foster care programs that Paris and Abby went, “kids meet each other, and foster care becomes less stigmatized.”
Hamden Councilman Justin Farmer (left) with Kraemer (middle) and Rodriguez (right).
‘r kids CEO and Executive Director Randi Rubin Rodriguez said Monday that, when ‘r kids first opened in the mid-1990s, the founders wanted the nonprofit to be “in the community where families are, so they could feel comfortable walking in.” Although most of the families they work with are from New Haven or Hamden, Rodriguez said, this year, they attracted families from 26 different towns.
‘r kids has served 177 children and 123 parents through 1,284 therapeutic visits with ‘r kids staff, Rodriguez said. Now they want to expand even further.
Design model for new building.
Monday’s presser included a bid package opening ceremony to mark the beginning of the construction process as ‘r kids selects a contractor for the project.
New Haven architect Craig Newick showed off the plans which will add 11,000 square feet atop the building. Rodriguez said the nonprofit announced the project at a Dixwell Community Management Team back in October 2018. Since then, Rodriguez said, the organization has raised more than half of the proposed $4 million required to complete the expansion.
A Secondino & Son bid $3,286,000; Enterprise Builders bid $4,202,195; Newfield Construction bid $4,103,000; PAC group bid $5,495,891; and Babbidge Construction bid $4,162,089.
“This is not a fixed entity,” Rodriguez said, without picking a contractor then and there on Monday. “There’s still a lot of work left to do in analyzing all the information.”
The state Office of Policy and Management’s nonprofit grant program granted ‘r kids $702,000 and the state Department of Children and Families gave $1 million for the expansion. NewAlliance foundation which provides financial support for charities also gave a $25,000 donation. Co-chair of the campaigning committee Dr. Robert Windom said the board of nine members meets once a month, and every member has pledged a donation for the expansion.
Lindy Lee Gold (left) presents check to ‘r kids.
At the event, donor Lindy Lee Gold presented the organization with $250,000. Gold said the families that ‘r kids works with are extremely vulnerable, and the expansion is necessary to help treat more children. She said she heard stories from children in foster care about their personal trauma and low self esteem, and “there is nothing that is a greater barrier to success than self esteem.”
Playroom for youngest children.
Rodriguez said the new space will allow for two more childcare rooms: one for infants under 18 months, and another for children between 18 months and 3 years old. Mental health clinicians will also be housed upstairs to serve the children and their parents in order to treat substance abuse and family violence.
Kraemer said the organization aims to have a “holistic approach” to helping families. Staff members piece together family histories and situations as they meet with parents, and even look at gaps in education when kids switch schools. Through puzzling out individual stories, Kraemer said they are “looking to secure permanence and consistency for the children.”
All donors received plates decorated by ‘r kids children.
Kraemer said they also aim to “help people parent in an effective way.” They do this by introducing parents to new techniques so they can engage with their kids and soothe traumatized children when they “shut down.”
When contstruction starts later this year, Kraemer said, the organization will move to the lower level of Christian Community Action at 660 Winchester Ave.