CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – Recently, NBA player Seth Curry, Charlotte native and shooting guard for the Philadelphia 76ers, visited Thompson Child & Family Focus’ (Thompson) campus in Matthews to learn more about the A Child’s Place program (ACP).
Curry visited Thompson’s Matthews campus in late July and was greeted by members of Thompson’s executive leadership team. Also joined by Curry was leadership from The Seth Curry Foundation, a foundation started by Curry, dedicated to serving the most marginalized communities with a focus on education, entrepreneurship and access to tools and resources that aid in creating more stability for children and families.
The visit was prompted largely in response to Curry’s desire to support local families in need. Curry is a Charlotte native, born and raised. He gives back to the same community he was raised in, with special interest to those marginalized families that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
“We are extremely pleased that Seth Curry understands and is equally passionate about our mission,” stated Will Jones, President/CEO of Thompson. “As we help families build greater self-sustainability, we continue to look for those advocates with reach to lend their platforms to helping serve marginalized communities.”
“I am excited to be partnering with Thompson and am incredibly inspired by the work they do and how they have been able to continue their services throughout the pandemic,” stated Seth Curry. “I am hopeful that our donation and support can expand the important work that they are doing in my hometown. We hope this is the first of many visits!”
ACP, one of Thompson’s programs, is modeled as a family-focused, child-centered approach of providing short-term, intensive social work that helps families become empowered in accessing resources, and to become self-sufficient within 90-120 days.
Both the family and child are served, a program design which maximizes the program’s positive impact to the community. ACP, which serves more than 428 families and 890 children, has helped countless families to access resources and achieve greater stability. The program accepts direct referrals from the local school system, child welfare agencies, early childhood centers, hospitals, and other community stakeholders.
Mental health therapy, one of Thompson’s strengths, is also embedded into the program, with more than 100 comprehensive clinical assessments done annually.
ACP has generated highly favorable outcomes, with an overall 91% client satisfaction rate. Based on post-program surveys, 91% of heads of household are more confident in their ability to find services to meet their family’s needs, and 80% displaying improvement in their overall self-sufficiency.
The Seth Curry Foundation cares about moving people and families through the program so that they build self-sustainability. They especially focus on families of children that are marginalized.
The purpose of Curry’s visit was to learn more about ACP through Thompson, and to support local families that are struggling.
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About Thompson
Headquartered in Matthews, North Carolina (Mecklenburg County), Thompson Child & Family Focus is a human services leader transforming lives through early childhood, family stability, and mental health services. As a solutions-driven organization committed to rewriting narratives for the most vulnerable; Thompson achieves this by providing comprehensive, evidence-based services, and trauma-informed care, for children (ages 0-18) and their families, virtually and in-person. Thompson employs over 300 staff in NC and FL, and is led by President/CEO, Will Jones. To read more about Thompson’s continuum of services online, go to thompsoncff.org, or email news@thompsoncff.org.
About Seth Curry Foundation
The Seth Curry Foundation is a registered Donor Advised Fund (Fidelity) created by Seth Curry with the intentions of providing resources to and amplifying the work of organizations that impact the most marginalized communities and whose programming focuses on equal access to education, building entrepreneurship and providing tools that help improve stability for children and families. If you have questions about The Seth Curry Foundation, please email thesethcurryfoundation@gmail.com.