Z-HOPE Community Initiatives

The 2024 Great Lakes Region Z-HOPE ^TM Community Initiative offers an opportunity to lean into the Extraordinary Power of S.H.E. by supporting three very deserving Louisville agencies in their efforts to combat inequities around health and social justice in the Louisville, Kentucky community. Whether Chapters, Auxiliaries, and individuals decide to donate to one or to donate to all, this year, conference attendees can choose! Monetary donations will be accepted through Sunday, May 12, 2024 by clicking here. Item donations will only be accepted during the conference.

The Family and Children’s Place Child Advocacy Centers (CAC) are nationally recognized and locally treasured. When a child is reported to be a victim of abuse, neglect or maltreatment, the child and a non-offending caregiver are referred to the Kosair Charities Child Advocacy Center by child protective services or a law enforcement agency. The CAC is a nationally recognized model as their staff is co-located with Louisville Metro Police Department’s Crimes Against Children Unit, child protective services, prosecutors, medical experts, and mental health clinicians.

When a child has been referred to the CAC, a child advocate meets the family as soon as they arrive and takes them to a private room. The rooms — open, bright, and decorated with work from local textile artists — serve as a family’s private waiting area for the entire appointment. Here the family advocate will go through the plan for the appointment and answer any questions. Appointments take as long as the child and their family need.

Each room has a dedicated play area to entertain and help children and siblings relax. The child is given the opportunity to select a stuffed animal or fuzzy blanket – something that they can keep and take home as emotional support. A smaller private room allows adults to talk candidly while still having the children within sight. The family room is often where the family meets the CAC’s facility dog, Emmie. A gentle four-year-old goldendoodle, Emmie has received specialized training to comfort children and their families during appointments and court appearances. She’s patient, loving, and helps children open up about difficult topics. Source: Family and Children’s Place

Project Implementation:

Project Focus: Social justice. Population: Youth. This opportunity will allow chapters, auxiliaries, and individuals to make item donations that will be used to replenish emotional support supplies distributed by the Family and Children’s Place Child Advocacy Centers (CAC) in Louisville, Kentucky. Individuals and Chapters/Auxiliaries are asked to donate stuffed animals and fuzzy throws (or blankets) to the CAC. Examples of suggested donations are shown below. You are asked to bring your donation to the Great Lakes Region Leadership Conference. Donations will be accepted in-person from Thursday, May 23^rd – Saturday, May 25^th at designated times. There will not be an opportunity to ship donations before or after the Regional Conference.  Please note that individuals who donate will not report that donation in the Zeta Service Management System (ZSMS), only Chapters/Auxiliaries will do so.

Stuffed animal examples

Example 2

Fuzzy throw or blanket examples

Example 2

To donate, follow the steps below:

1. Purchase your donation and pack the item with you as you travel.
2. Bring your donations to the Great Lakes Region Leadership Conference.
3. For Chapters/Auxiliaries – stage your donations appropriately and take a photo highlighting your contribution.
4. If you decide to make a social media post about this service activity, use the following:

#ZetaPhiBeta, #ZetasPowerofSHE, #ZPhiB1920, #EmbraceTheExtraordinary, #GreatLakesRegion, #GLRZetas, #GLRAmicae, #GLRYouthAffiliates

Z-HOPE™ Reporting for Item Donations.

To submit your program to the Zeta Service Management System (ZSMS), select the following categories:

The Hope Buss is a 501(c)(3) organization that works to bridge the gap between local organizations and the community by attacking hopelessness at its core in a myriad of ways. The Hope Buss strives to connect local organizations to the crisis in the community, create sustainable resources, and invigorate hope and strength into the people. Understanding that needs will vary by each neighborhood, they work to assess the needs of residents and become partners with churches and community organizations to meet those needs.

The Hope Buss, strives to turn the needs of the community into strengths, believing that the work they begin will result in sustainable resources from which the community can eventually thrive with the ultimate goal of alleviating poverty. To date, The Hope Buss has hosted grocery store runs, health fairs, community conversations on mental health, mental health conferences, free farmer’s markets and school supplies giveaways.

Who the Hope Buss Serves:

• Residents of Louisville’s West End – 60% of whom live under the poverty level
• Residents of Senior Living Communities
• Individuals and families experience homelessness
• Historically neglected and under-resourced individuals
• Youth and young adults between the age of 16-24

Source: The Hope Buss

Project Implementation:

Project Focus: Health justice. Population: Women. This opportunity will allow chapters, auxiliaries, and individuals to make monetary donations that will be used to fund the HopeFULL program. HopeFULL is a signature food justice program curated by the Hope Buss that works to increase access to food for underserved families in Louisville’s West End by offering food box deliveries, transportation to grocery stores, a food pantry, and weekly hot meals to families and their houseless neighbors. Please note that individuals who donate will not report that donation in the Zeta Service Management System (ZSMS), only Chapters/Auxiliaries will do so.

Play Cousins Collective is a Black family collective building a village around community children.

As a community resource, they work to prepare children for the world and prepare the world for children. They envision a world where children are free to live, play and prosper

Play Cousins Collective envisions a world where African American children can freely play and prosper. The actualization of such a world necessitates intentional investments in justice, health, and development for African American communities. Play Cousins Collective mobilizes and leads such investments through various projects focused on community needs including resource sharing, social advocacy, civic education, financial literacy education, mental health support, maternal health support, childcare, child development education, and parental support.

Established in 2017, Play Cousins Collective strives to build a village around socially and economically vulnerable children and families in West Louisville, Kentucky, through juvenile justice, mental health, and community development projects in historically and predominantly African American neighborhoods. Black mother, organizer, and educator Kristen Williams has led the mission of Play Cousins Collective as the organization’s Executive Director since its founding. The work of Play Cousins Collective is further supported by 26 community members who collaborate to build safe spaces that are accessible and uplifting to Black children and families.

Source: PLAY COUSINS COLLECTIVE – Home (wildapricot.org)

Project Implementation:

Project Focus: Health justice. Population: Women. This opportunity will allow chapters, auxiliaries, and individuals to make monetary donations that will be used to fund several programs facilitated by the Play Cousins Collective. Monetary donations will be used to purchase books that feature characters that reflect culturally diverse communities for the site library, new clothes for families that frequent the Play Cousins Collective’s childcare space and much needed updates to their drop-in daycare site facility. Please note that individuals who donate will not report that donation in the Zeta Service Management System (ZSMS), only Chapters/Auxiliaries will do so.

To make monetary donations to The Hope Buss or Play Cousins Collective, follow the steps below:

1. Click <HERE>.
2. Select your donation amount and click “Next.”
3. Enter the form information.
4. Use the drop-down menu to select The Hope Buss or Play Cousins Collective. If you would like your donation to be applied evenly to both, select All Programs.
5. For Chapters/Auxiliaries – take a screenshot or a photo of the confirmation webpage to use as photo documentation of the donation for ZSMS reporting.
6. If you decide to make a social media post about this service activity, use the following:

#ZetaPhiBeta, #ZetasPowerofSHE, #ZPhiB1920, #EmbraceTheExtraordinary, #GreatLakesRegion, #GLRZetas, #GLRAmicae, #GLRYouthAffiliates

Z-HOPE™ Reporting for Monetary Donations:

To submit your program to the Zeta Service Management System (ZSMS), select the following categories:

All Z-HOPE™ programs must be logged in to the Zeta Service Management System via the international website: https://zsms.zphib1920.org/

• Remember to keep a record of the Entry ID for the ZSMS entry ID. Take a screenshot or a photo of your submission.
• Remember to provide a copy of the ZSMS confirmation to your Chapter Z-HOPE Coordinator.
• Entries are due into ZSMS no later than June 5, 2024.

For questions, please contact: Wanda D. Ramsey, Great Lakes Region Z-HOPE^TM  Coordinator at glrzhopecoordinator26@gmail.com