This week marks a first for our chapter – the beginning of our Peer Support Program! In an effort to listen and collaborate with the parents our program is designed to serve, this program offers a way for parents we have previously served to volunteer with us in a few different ways.
1) Community Engagement – They can support volunteer activities around events and community partnerships.
2) Focus Group – They can share ideas and feedback with our staff and Leadership Council.
3) Peer-Support Role – They can serve on active Circles of Support in a way that functions much like a Family Friend role, offering understanding, experience, and encouragement.
We had the privilege of meeting Antinique Heyward in 2025 as we served her family for a few months while they were living in a shelter, and her third son was born. Since then, Antinique has stayed in a long-term natural relationship with her host family, the McCallums, and their church family at Antioch Apex. In that time, she has achieved stability through stable housing, consistent employment, and a means of transportation.
Antinique is the first volunteer serving our chapter in this way and begins serving on her first Circle of Support has just begun. We can’t wait to see the impact her service will have on our Safe Families community.