RALEIGH COUNTY, WV (WOAY) – The holiday season is equated with joy and excitement, but for the Just for Kids children, it’s often not very joyous and can trigger negative emotions.
Many are in foster care and this may be their first time experiencing a holiday season with someone not even kin to them.
“We handle a lot of the children that we work with very delicately, understanding that this is a more sensitive time for them,” said Executive Director Dr. Deanee’ Johnson.”
According to Johnson, they try to lift the kids’ spirits and express to them that happiness is possible. It’s okay if the holidays are not the source of it.
“Letting them know that there is hope, there is joy,” the executive director said. “It’s important that we don’t always just assume that just because it’s the holiday season that everybody’s bright and shiny.
The kids need to know that healing is within their reach.
“Many times, especially as adults, we assume that it’s easy to just ‘get over it’ or ‘suck it up.’ There is no timeline for trauma,” said Johnson. “There’s no timeline for healing. It may take months, it may take years even to overcome the trauma that some of these kids have experienced.”
It’s up to us to be empathetic and understanding of their situation.
“Be that support, be that caregiver that offers the love and compassion that a lot of these kids just don’t have,” the executive director said.
That one supportive individual in a child’s life may provide them the strength and encouragement to heal, be who they are, and feel safe during the holiday season and beyond.
“That’s my reward,” said Johnson. “Is to see their ability to be resilient and overcome what most people would think is a complete tragedy and would have broken a person — it doesn’t break them when they have that support system.”
