Florida Winefest & Auction Awards Grant to All Star Children’s Foundation

The $5,000 grant provides funds toward purchasing
critical therapeutic intervention materials.

All Star Children’s Foundation just got a boost in treating children in
the tri-county area who are suffering from trauma thanks to the $5,000 grant recently issued by the Florida Winefest & Auction. The funds will be directed to purchase critical therapeutic materials for trauma-focused family treatment sessions.

While the All Star team prepares its campus to serve as home to dozens of
foster children and their caregivers, its six-person clinical team, led by Kimberly Treharne, LMHC, has served more than 110 foster children and their caregivers since beginning trauma-informed outpatient clinical services on April 1, 2019.

Treharne explains that the grant will provide the opportunity for All Star to purchase family play kits to enable caregivers to practice positive parenting skills at home – a critical component of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy – as well as sensory tools to promote self-regulation skills.

Graci McGillicuddy, the co-founder and board chair of All Star, says that the
importance of this funding cannot be underestimated.

“Adverse childhood experiences are a major public health threat,” she says.
“According to latest brain research, untreated early childhood trauma can have a lifetime impact. The good news is that early treatment gives children affected by childhood trauma a chance to grow into well-adjusted, high-functioning adults. We are grateful to the Florida Winefest & Auction for its ongoing support of All Star’s mission.”

Sandy Loevner, president of the board of directors of the Florida Winefest &
Auction, says that, despite not being able to hold the organization’s signature fundraising event in April, it was still able to award funds to worthy projects—and All Star is one of them. “There is a need in our region that’s not being met, and All Star is meeting that need by transforming foster care through innovation, science and compassion,” says Loevner.

“Graci and Dennis McGillicuddy and their team have put tremendous energy into helping our community’s most vulnerable children. We’re honored to support this crucial mission.” All Star has completed its campus, which includes the All Star Children’s Center, where trauma-focused clinical services are offered. The campus also features six foster family homes that provide children who have suffered abuse and neglect, ages 0-18, with a nurturing, family-style home environment and comprehensive, trauma-sensitive treatment. Siblings will be kept together, and parents and caregivers will also be offered a range of innovative services. All Star
also serves children in the region’s child welfare system and their families on an outpatient basis.

According to McGillicuddy, All Star has implemented a trauma-informed
program that delivers the latest evidence-based protocols and treatments for foster children and their biological families. Partnering with leaders across the child welfare system, the non-profit organization has tapped best-in-class partners to assist in their mission.

For more information about All Star Children’s Foundation, visit
www.allstarchildrensfoundation.org. The campus is located at 3300 17th St, Sarasota.

About Florida Winefest & Auction
Florida Winefest & Auction’s mission is to provide funding to qualified charitable organizationsfor programs assisting disadvantaged children, youth and families in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Florida Winefest & Auction, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization. Its 30th Winefest event was April 2-5, 2020. The organization has granted $8.7 million in grants to 87 different charities since 1991. Visit www.floridawinefest.org.

About All Star Children’s Foundation
All Star Children’s Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to healing the effects of trauma suffered by children who have been abused and transforming foster care through innovation, science, and compassion. All Star’s campus, located at 3300 17th St, in Sarasota, is a nurturing community consisting of a clinical treatment center; six family foster homes, a community clubhouse and inspirational green space featuring a playground, organic vegetable garden and butterfly garden. All Star will monitor and evaluate its innovative approach in order to develop models that can be adopted by foster care systems around the state and country.

This project has been partially funded under an agreement with the State of Florida, Department of Children and Families. Visit www.allstarchildrensfoundation.org.