Community Empowerment Council (CEC) of Pine Bluff is participating in a GlobalGiving Foundation fund-raising event, according to a news release.
CEC was chosen in January to participate in the event based upon a letter of interest sent to the crowd-funding foundation about CEC, an emergency and residency program operated in Jefferson County.
GlobalGiving is 501 non-profit organization based in the United States that provides a global crowd-funding platform for grassroots charitable projects, according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GlobalGiving .
“The opportunity to present the Community Empowerment Council to the world is a powerful tool,” Executive Director Jermaine Anderson said. “This is way to see a global impact on an issue close to home.”
Founded in 2009, CEC began as a housing alternative for foster youth, to incorporate and develop an operational structure that provides temporary emergency shelter, residential housing, individual family and group counseling to participating youth, according to the release.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The council also provides and facilitates services to meet the needs of runaway and homeless youth and their families, according to the release.
The agency offers Margie’s House, a licensed facility for male youth clients to stay 30-90 days. Its residential license allows youth to stay from three months to a year. The agency also has Anderson’s House and Riley’s House, licensed facilities for female youth.
“We teach life-planning skills and provide an array of extracurricular activities such as sports, proper etiquette, life skills, choir, and positive youth development attributes,” Anderson said.
“We have embraced our role in caring for the youth of Arkansas with our services here in Jefferson County, but to really give the youth the best situations to thrive and not just to survive, we need the help of the community,” Anderson said.
For details on Global Giving Foundation, visit https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/life-enrichment-for-100-homeless-teens-in-arkansas/
For Community Empowerment Council details, visit www.cecemp.org or call the office at 870-536-8484 or Jermaine Anderson at 870-489-2315.