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.”