EAST ST. LOUIS, IL —Crisis Nursery was recently awarded funding to support its child abuse prevention, education and wellness outreach program for young members of the Christian Activity Center (CAC).

The Deaconess Foundation and Incarnate Word Foundation each granted the Crisis Nursery $5,000 to facilitate small group counseling, for adolescent girls, that focuses on life skills, healthy relationships, self-awareness and pregnancy prevention. The sessions, known as Real Talk about Real Issues, are open to girls beginning in the eighth grade.

Crisis Nursery also hosts small group counseling and trainings for pregnant and parenting teens. Like those enrolled in the Nursery’s Family Empowerment Program, CAC teen parents receive crisis intervention, assistance with basic needs items (e.g., diapers, formula, sheets, etc.), stress management tips, access to supportive services, and parenting education.

Funds from the foundations help eliminate barriers to information and resources, and give youth access to professionally trained and licensed counselors. CAC youth who attend Crisis Nursery groups demonstrate improved social skills, better parenting and stronger family connections.

Crisis Nursery’s community outreach at CAC is free and available from 4 to 6 p.m., Wednesdays and 3 to 5 p.m., Thursdays. For more program information, contact Dana Buemi, MSW, Crisis Nursery family empowerment coordinator, at (314) 533-6900 or [email protected].

CAC is located at 540 North 6th Street, East St. Louis, IL 62201.

Saint Louis Crisis Nursery is committed to preventing child abuse and neglect by offering real help and real hope to families in crisis. The Crisis Nursery is an independent, not-for-profit agency providing short-term, safe havens to more than 7,000 children a year, birth through age 12, whose families are faced with an emergency or crisis. The Crisis Nursery provides care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at five sites, serving families throughout the greater St. Louis, St. Charles, Southern Illinois and surrounding regions. Since 1986, the Crisis Nursery has cared for more than 77,000 children, and provided support and counseling to more than 94,000 families. For details, call (314) 292-5770 or visit www.crisisnurserykids.org. For the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery 24-hour helpline, call (314) 768-3201. For the Saint Charles Crisis Nursery 24-hour helpline, call (636) 947-0600.