Fortunate Blessings is pleased to announce it has been awarded a grant of $3,500 from the Carlton D. Fyler and Jenny R. Fyler Fund of the Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut. Proceeds from the grant will support Second Response Training Programs for caregivers exposed to recurring stress and trauma.

Our communities are impacted by weather-related disasters and man-made traumatic events with increasing frequency. After experiencing a traumatic event, 1 in 6 children will develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. First responders and caregivers are often overworked and overwhelmed by their own secondary trauma. The reach and impact of compassion fatigue is still not fully understood; however, it is apparent how much it can affect those who deal with trauma and crisis on a daily basis.

Second Response, an initiative of the Fortunate Blessings Foundation, is dedicated to restoring the well-being of children exposed to trauma through body-centered methods of externalization and expression called PLAYshops. Second Response also educates first responders, hospital staff, teachers, parents and caregivers in PLAYshop methods and strategies of self-regulation. Participants learn new and effective ways to manage their own secondary trauma and better serve those under their care. Through our training programs, Second Response is reinforcing resilience and disaster preparedness in our communities.

Fortunate Blessings Foundation is honored to be considered as one of the community organizations supported by the Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut, and grateful to the foundation for supporting our mission.