by Sydney MacDonald, FAN Development Specialist
Family Access Network (FAN) is dedicated to letting kids be kids and supporting children and families in need by providing them with the basic resources they need to thrive in school and life. Through the direct placement of 30 FAN advocates in 65 school sites, FAN provides assistance, possibility and hope to Central Oregon families by connecting them with the crucial resources to help children and their family members flourish.
FAN is inherently collaborative and we work in partnership with a network of 100+ wonderful community agencies, including Thrive Central Oregon, providing hygiene kits, rent and utility relief, school supplies, weather-appropriate clothing, healthcare, food and transportation assistance and much more. As Central Oregon enters the back-to-school season, FAN advocates will see a flurry of activity in their school communities as kids and parents adjust to new teachers, classmates, and new routines.
At the beginning of the new school year, FAN advocates focus on relationship building with incoming students and parents, setting themselves up to be a reliable and non-judgmental resource for children and families in need. Last fall, after hearing about FAN at his school assembly a young boy named Henry knocked on his FAN advocate’s door. He was in unwashed clothes and hadn’t had access to hygiene products that week. He explained that he needed new shoes, his current pair visibly tattered and worn. After talking with him for a few minutes, his FAN advocate learned that his family had recently fallen on hard times and were on the verge of becoming homeless.
The advocate encouraged him to take a look at some of the shoe donations she had in her office. His face lit up with anticipation when he reached for a pair of new black and purple basketball shoes. "I bet these are my size," he said, almost willing them to be. "They are!" he exclaimed after trying them on.
Before he left the advocate’s office that day, she loaded him up with school supplies, a backpack, a snack for the road, and a promise to connect with his parents. Several weeks later, Henry’s family had received the resources they were in dire need of, including crucial housing and shelter resources, and were on their journey back to stability. Henry has since become a familiar face in his FAN advocate’s office eager to say good morning, always sporting his high tops with a smile.
FAN serves families with children ages 0 -18 throughout Central Oregon. To find your FAN advocate, go to your neighborhood school or contact your advocate here.
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