Blog
Stories & Updates
News, insights, and stories from CHRIS180 — highlighting the people, programs, and communities we serve.
Adoption Children Foster Care Relationships July 21, 2021
Brothers Find Forever Family
Almost two years from the day they first arrived at CHRIS 180’s Gateway to Adoption program, brothers Logan and Layne were adopted into their forever family! Sibling relationships can provide support, love, and stability, but siblings in foster care often experience separation. The data tells us that as many as 75% of siblings in foster…
Children Diversity News Relationships Resilience Trauma July 8, 2021
CHRIS 180 Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for Motherhood Housing Initiative
Home for neighborhood matriarch will provide stability for young mothers CHRIS 180, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing trauma-informed holistic health services to children, youth and families, held a groundbreaking ceremony to announce the launch of a project to stabilize families on Atlanta’s Westside. CHRIS 180 partnered with the MicroLife Institute to construct…
Anxiety Children Culture Productivity Routines and Structure Stress Trauma July 3, 2021
Escaping the Everyday: Healthy Ways to Cope with Life Stressors
We all need rest to function well in each area of our lives. Sleep, exercise, video games and spending time with loved ones are a few examples of activities commonly used to recharge. But sometimes, what you think is a break is actually a form of escapism that saps your time and energy. CHRIS 180…
Feelings Grief and Loss PTSD Post-Traumatic Stress Resilience Trauma June 25, 2021
Emotional Trauma: How Post-Traumatic Stress Impacts Our Brains
Often when the term Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is used, it is associated with members of the military, especially war veterans. As times change and people become more familiar with trauma and its impact on each of our lives, we are starting to recognize just how the stress connected to past and present events impacts…
Anxiety Culture Feelings Grief and Loss Injustice Relationships Resilience Trauma June 24, 2021
The Impact of Therapy on LGBTQ+ Youth Experiencing Homelessness
Michelle’s Story When Michelle lost her housing, a friend told her about CHRIS 180 and our Drop-In Center. The Drop-In Center provides a range of free services for youth ages 16-24 who are experiencing homelessness. These services include meals, life coaching, job and housing assistance and walk-in therapy sessions. But Michelle was hesitant. She had…
Anxiety Children Diversity Feelings News Relationships Resilience Routines and Structure Stress June 18, 2021
How to Help a Child Name Their Feelings
Children are small people with very big emotions. Although they can show you what they are feeling, most children have yet to attach a name to their feelings and have not learned healthy ways of dealing with their emotions. As children grow, they face many challenges and obstacles. Therefore, it is important to promote healthy…
Children Culture Diversity Resilience Routines and Structure Trauma June 17, 2021
Celebrating Fathers and Changing Lives at Cure Violence’s Fatherhood Sessions
For Johnny Brown, Fatherhood Session Coordinator at CHRIS 180’s Violence Prevention Program, helping fathers is a calling. “All of us are on this journey of being fathers,” Johnny shared. “We work with participants to learn the life skills to be able to work, stay out of trouble and start talking about what it takes to…
40th Anniversary May 22, 2021
A Milestone of Service
On June 8, 1981, a new nonprofit organization named Georgia CHARLEE opened its doors to fill gaps in the foster care system. Georgia CHARLEE – now known as CHRIS 180 – was organized by a purpose-driven group of women from The Junior League of Atlanta, Inc. (JLA), who saw a need for a safe, stable,…
Children Feelings Relationships Resilience Trauma May 7, 2021
Bringing a Mother’s Love to Children in Foster Care
Valancia Abdullah considers it her calling to care for youth who some may think of as “challenged.” After working with special needs students at Atlanta Public Schools, in 2000, she joined CHRIS 180’s foster care program. She serves as a Resident Assistant. The kids affectionately refer to her as Ms. Val. “The RA to me…
Statement from Our President & CEO
We stand with our Asian American colleagues, partners, clients and all affected in the wake of the horrific mass shootings in Atlanta and Acworth. This act of terrorism has produced additional anxiety and unease in the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) community, which has been targeted by acts of racism and xenophobia since the beginning…