Dear Brothers & Sisters:

St. Pius X is pleased to be a sponsor for Confident Kids through Catholic Charities of West Michigan. This was made possible by our parishioners, where 6 cents of every dollar placed in our Lord’s Day offertory is given away to needy individuals and organizations locally, nationally and internationally through our Master’s Missions Fund.  Thank you St. Pius X for making a difference!

Confident Kids is a day where children in foster care can celebrate their unique identities, their diversity, and feel truly special. At the event, we will provide all children in our foster care program haircuts, styles, braiding, and back to school supplies. This day will be focused on empowering the children in our care to know they are special, loved and worthy. The Confident Kids event will also help educate current foster parents in areas of cultural competence, how to enable children of all backgrounds to connect with diverse leaders in the community, and how to empower children to feel confident. We hope this day provides respite for families and children from the sometimes harsh realities of foster care. Each child in care deserves the right to feel good about themselves, and look their best! 

Every day, Catholic Charities West Michigan cares for 300 children in foster care. These children experience extreme trauma that can affect their bodies, brains, behavior, and self-worth. When entering foster care, children are often removed from their families, neighborhoods, and sometimes even siblings and placed in an unknown home with unknown rules and norms. At CCWM, we work to promote safety and understanding for the children we serve. Across diverse clients and resource parents, we strive to provide foster parents and workers with the tools they need to help children feel loved, heard, and confident while children are in their home. Research has found that cultural knowledge and understanding can lead to better outcomes for the children and families served by foster care programs, which is why we are committed to promoting diversity initiatives within our own staff and foster parent population to better mirror the diverse children and families served, as well as offer education and training to cross-racial homes.

Through diverse sponsorships and partnering with local community leaders, we hope to promote understanding and connection across all of the diverse families we serve.

If you would like to volunteer as a hairstylist or barber, contact smoore@ccwestmi.org.