Burke Recovery moves monthly substance abuse breakfast to BUCM

Burke Recovery found a new home for its breakfast meetings last week, inviting members of the community to come, eat, and learn together.

Burke United Christian Ministries (BUCM) opened its doors on Feb. 27 for Burke Recovery’s Burke Substance Abuse Network (BSAN) breakfast.

“We basically throw an event monthly,” said Drew Amburn, Burke Recovery’s executive director. “We’re a coalition made of community stakeholders. … What we’re trying to do is shed light to topics for healing and growth for families (and) trying to lower substance abuse disorder amongst youth in our community.”

Amburn explained that the event will be on the last Friday of every month at BUCM and will be open to the public.

“It’s fellowship,” he said. “It’s network. We want to connect people to services. That’s what happens more so than anything here. We may have someone that we’re working for, or on their behalf, and we can connect them to another service.”

FRIDAY’S EVENT

Community members filled the seats of BUCM’s flex room as the smell of eggs, bacon, pancakes, and coffee drifted from the self-serve tables.

The speaker, Rosemary Pinkerton, family support specialist and program coordinator of the FUTuRES (Families United to Resources and Education through the Schools) program, waited for everyone to settle in with plates and chatter for a few minutes before beginning her presentation.

FUTuRES is a grant-funded program through the Burke County Public Schools system that offers families support, whether that be through community building, skill building, or parent assistance.

The FUTuRES program breaks down into two models: Triple P and Circle of Parents.

TRIPLE P

“We have families who reach out to us with children with bigger problems,” Pinkerton said. “They’re struggling in school. They’re struggling at home. They’re violent in the home.”

Triple P highlights what parents are doing right, keying in on strengths already in the home and reinforcing new parenting behaviors.

“We want parents to know that they’re not alone and that they are good parents and they can have their kids,” she said.

Triple P focuses on principles like providing a safe and interesting environment, setting rules and routines that everyone respects and follows, managing misbehavior, and taking care of oneself as a parent.

“Is there structure?” she asked, pointing out examples of questions she’d ask in the program. “Does your 3-year-old clean up an entire room they messed up by themselves? No! That is unrealistic. I know that personally, because I have a 3-year-old.”

CIRCLE OF PARENTS

Circle of Parents (CoP) is a parent-led support group that allows parents to meet, with their children in tow, and share a meal. Pinkerton is the facilitator who directs the funds to the meetings and provides the meals.

CoP allows parents and grandparents to meet and build shared leadership, personal accountability, and parenting in the present, prioritizing mindful strategies to lead their children.

The children usually tag along and hang out together while the parents hold their meetings.

CoP Parent Leader Melissa Conley spoke at the BSAN meeting, detailing the struggles she’s faced raising her granddaughters.

“If we need help, it’s available,” Conley said through tears. “Don’t be afraid to come and say, ‘I need to talk to somebody. I need to know how to handle these situations.’ Because I am that grandparent. I’ve held it in as long as I can and I can’t anymore.”

Grandparent/Kinship Caregivers Raising Children Support Groups meet at Oak Hill Elementary from 5-7 p.m. on Thursdays during the school year and at Martha’s Park in Morganton in the summer.

The Mamas Latinas Support Group offers a Spanish-speaking group on Fridays from 7:45-9:45 a.m. at Hillcrest Elementary.

To join the groups, caretakers must be either a kinship caregiver or a grandparent raising children. Participants can just show up or be referred.

BSAN plans to meet at BUCM on the last Friday of each month, starting breakfast at 8:30 a.m.