Wesley House Family Services is gearing up for a busy season of community events and fundraising campaigns, with several opportunities for residents to support local children and families.
Grace Epperly, development coordinator for Wesley House Family Services, said the organization works with families through a variety of programs.
“We provide foster care for Monroe County that need to be removed from their homes to keep them safe,” Epperly said. “We license foster parents in Monroe County.”
When children enter foster care, Wesley House works with the entire family to address the issues that led to the placement.
“The goal is reunification with the families, and we have several success stories that we’re very proud of,” Epperly said.
When reunification isn’t possible, Wesley House provides adoption services for children in foster care. The organization also operates a prevention program for families at risk of having their children removed.
“We work with them to address those issues as well, and connect them with our community partners in the community to help them become autonomous,” Epperly said.
Wesley House also operates Healthy Families Monroe, a free, voluntary program for expectant parents and families with young children.
“It’s a wonderful program open to anyone who is pregnant or their children are three months or less in age,” Epperly said. “We then work with you and your child until that child is age five.”
In Key West, the organization operates the Inez Martin Child Development Center, an award-winning preschool for children ages 2 to 5.
“We have openings in the youngest two’s class,” Epperly said. “So if anyone is looking for a great preschool for their children, please check out Inez Martin.”
One of Wesley House’s biggest annual community events is coming up Dec. 4. The Holiday Village and Be Lighted Bike Ride will return for its sixth year on Friday, Dec. 4.
“We consider this our gift to the community,” Epperly said.
Tickets are $20 per person and include unlimited amusement-style rides, snow, complimentary photos with Santa and activities from approximately 20 community organizations.
“We have food vendors as well,” Epperly said. “So it’s a great, wonderful night to just kick off the holidays with your family.”
The Holiday Village will lead into the Be Lighted Bike Ride, which leaves the amphitheater at 8 p.m. and travels along Whitehead and Duval streets.
Epperly said the event has grown significantly since it began.
“Last year, between the Holiday Village and the Be Lighted Bike Ride, we had about 5,500 attendees,” she said. “It’s just really grown exponentially.”
Community sponsorships help make the event possible and allow Wesley House to provide complimentary tickets to families who may not be able to afford to attend.
“We cannot do this event without sponsorships from the community,” Epperly said.
Sponsorship opportunities range from $250 to $5,000. The deadline for advertising sponsorships of $1,000 or more is Oct. 9.
Wesley House is also working to raise money for its food program through a matching campaign with the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys.
Epperly said the Driftwood Fund and the Loreen and Robert Remy Charitable Fund have each committed $10,000 toward the match.
“Our goal is to raise $20,000 between now and the end of October,” she said. “So that means all donations will be doubled. Twenty-five becomes 50, 100 becomes 200, 500 becomes 1,000, and so forth.”
Epperly said the campaign is particularly important because of the food assistance provided through the Inez Martin Child Development Center.
“We are one of the only preschools in Key West that provide free, no-cost breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack,” she said.
The center also operates a weekend backpack program.
“We send healthy snacks home for the kids and their siblings to help alleviate food costs for the families,” Epperly said.
Wesley House is also seeking individuals and businesses to participate in its Adopt a Family gift-giving campaign.
The campaign has been operating for about five years and allows sponsors to select a family to support during the holidays.
“You can select any size family that you want,” Epperly said. Sponsors receive information about their family in early November and have approximately a month to shop and wrap the gifts before returning them to Wesley House for distribution.
Epperly said the program can also be a meaningful way for families to teach children about giving.
“If you have children of a certain age range, and you want to say, ‘Hey, we’d like to have kids similar age range,’ that way you can involve your kids picking out gifts for other children in the community,” she said. “I think that’s really, really valuable lesson.”
Wesley House is already looking ahead to Valentine’s Day as well, seeking donations for its Share the Love Keys-Wide online auction.
“Historically, Wesley House has been doing a Valentine’s auction for over 40 years,” Epperly said. “Post COVID, we took it online and it’s just grown by leaps and bounds.”
The auction now attracts bidders from across the country.
“It’s a great way to showcase your business, and just get more exposure,” Epperly said.
The organization is accepting business and private donations, including artwork, home décor and jewelry in excellent condition.
“We will gladly accept those items as well,” Epperly said. “We’re happy to pick everything up as well.”
Epperly also reflected on the recent Big Splash event, which brought approximately 150 children together.
“We had like 150 kids, and they just had a blast,” she said. “Weather was perfect. We couldn’t have asked for a better day.”
More information about Wesley House Family Services, its programs and upcoming events is available at wesleyhouse.org.