Kathie Collins (middle), Executive Director for Treasure Valley Children’s Relief Nursery (TVCRN) for over 7 years. The nonprofit child abuse prevention program will put the funds towards the purchase of a second child care bus to transport children 18 months to 5 years of age to and from therapeutic classrooms held year-round at the Nursery.
“We are so very grateful to all those at Kenworth for this generous donation,” said Collins. “Being a 501(c)(3) organization, we rely on financial support from local individuals, churches, and business, leveraging those funds to procure larger grants from private foundations and to qualify for funds from the Oregon Legislature each biennium.”
Kenworth Sales Company encourages its employees to make charitable contributions by offering to match 50% of their donation to an approved 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization. Each of Kenworth Sales Company’s 21 locations builds a donation budget each year and is expected to help a cause in their area.
As Bill Pahl was looking in the community for an organization to support, his curiosity about TVCRN’s organization was peaked and he decided to investigate. “We toured the facility and after we understood what they really do and saw the kids there, it was obvious to me that they needed the support,” Pahl said. “Their building is right across the street and we never knew what happens there.”
TVCRN is dedicated to helping families relieve prolonged and excessive stress, thus eliminating abuse in the home. Statistics show that those with the greatest risk of abuse and neglect are children six years of age and younger, particularly when the family is in a time of crisis. When they opened in 2009 they had only two half-time interventionists serving fewer than a dozen children and their families.
Today, 9 full-time and 5 part-time staff provide year-round services to nearly 100 children and their families. They operate three therapeutic classrooms, transport children to and from the nursery, and provide monthly Family Connection events. Partnering with Treasure Valley Community College and nearly 20 nonprofit organizations and government agencies in the community, they serve families facing multiple risk factors for child maltreatment, strengthening those families to reduce the likelihood of abuse or neglect.
“The Relief Nursery model prevents foster care placement, reduces criminality and unnecessary emergency room use, and better prepares at-risk children for academic learning in kindergarten, according to independent research studies,” said Collins. “When Relief Nurseries do their job, it saves Oregon taxpayers $4 to $16 for every dollar we receive.”
TVCRN says, “[It is] our mission to prevent child abuse and neglect by strengthening these families. We help children heal from difficult life experiences and wrap a combination of services around families in crisis to help them rebuild their lives and help their children thrive. We nurture hope.”
The nursery focuses on building social-emotional skills in children from 18-months to five years old, helping them develop a stronger sense of self. The nursery achieves this by combining therapeutic classroom time with home visits and family connection events.
Kenworth Sales Company takes its commitment to community seriously and is proud to assist Treasure Valley Children’s Relief Nursery in its efforts to help children and families.
For additional information about Treasure Valley Children’s Relief Nursery contact Kathie Collins: Kathie_Collins@tvcrn.org | 541.823.2526, ext. 320| www.TVCRN.org
