CHRIS 180 celebrates women’s role in creating brighter futures for every child, adult, family and community we serve and is proud to have an Executive Leadership Team that is 76% women. In honor of Women’s History Month, three of our leaders shared their reflections on working for and with women—and how being women impacts their work.
Chantel Kufeji, LMSW, is the Program Director for CHRIS 180’s Migrant Wellness program, which works to reunite unaccompanied minors with their families. Sharing about the strengths of the women and girls she works with, she said: “The independence and advocacy of the girls we serve is beautiful. Knowing that they have dealt with so much and traveled so far alone or with babies strapped to them, their resiliency is incredible. Providing them with emotional, mental and physical safety is so important and watching their walls come down is so rewarding. The women on my team are a gem to the girls we serve. We come from all different backgrounds, ages and races and can bring our experiences to supporting the girls.”
Kathy Brown-Bragg, MSW, LCSW, MAC is Project Director for our program, which provides parents and caregivers of children ages 0-12 with the support to build stronger and healthier relationships with their children. When asked about how her program meets the unique needs of women and girls, she responded: “We provide support for mothers who are trying to stay in the workforce and juggle taking care of their children. We not only offer support for basic needs like food, clothing, or utilities, but we also provide family experiences like going to the zoo or a museum. Every parent wants to be able to build memories for their children. We are partners in helping them develop a parenting style that works for them and encouraging them to see their own strengths.”
CHRIS 180 also provides individual and family counseling to clients ages 4-24 through our contract with Fulton County Behavioral Health, where Meg Ferrio, LPC, NCC, is Clinical Director. “Working with single mothers, they can face difficulty making therapy a priority because they’re very focused on providing for their families,” she said. “We do our best as a team to alleviate barriers they face with a balanced offering of services that meets them where they are—via telehealth, in-person and during the school day to accommodate the needs of women and girls. And I recognize that being a woman is a beautiful thing. CHRIS 180 is driven by outspoken, transparent women and that is a big part of what keeps me here.”
CHRIS 180 is proud to create environments where every child, youth, adult and family we serve is treated with respect. We are so grateful for the leadership of staff like Chantel, Kathy and Meg, who continue to inspire and encourage us in our work of healing children, strengthening families and building community!
To learn more about CHRIS 180’s leadership team, click here.
Norma Nyhoff is CHRIS 180’s Annual Giving and Stewardship Manager and is a frequent contributor to the CHRIS 180 blog.
