The SOURCE, a school based youth services program from Red Bank Regional High School will lose all funding effective September 30, 2020. The Source has been funded through The New Jersey Department of Children and Families, Division of Family and Community Partnerships, in an estimated amount of $277,000 matched with funding from Red Bank Regional high School, and ancillary financial support from The Source Foundation since 2000. Unfortunately, without state funding, this program which offers free services to children in need will cease to exist. We are asking you to please sign our petition to save The Source, and to contact Governor Murphy to urge him to restore their funding.
We are not in normal times, and many students are struggling with the ever changing and unknowing world we currently live in. Youth are struggling with mental health issues at alarming rates, and cutting back programs to help them through this pandemic will result in devastating consequences to the students attending Red Bank Regional High School.
The Source offers a multitude of services on any given day that includes services like providing free mental health counseling (including telehealth) and crisis interventions services, as well as basic needs fulfillment and overall wellness (physical and emotional). They even provide parent/community education on student mental health.The Source also assists students and families who are experiencing food insecurity by hosting a pantry accessible to students in the school.
The Source and The Source Foundation also work closely with the Red Bank community. Throughout the pandemic, The Source Foundation has raised over $40,000 to help families in need of rental assistance and other COVID-19 related services, including covering expenses for funeral services. The Foundation has also worked with the high school to ensure every student receives a chromebooks and access to the internet, with plans of offering a virtual tutoring program this fall.
The Source resembles top values of a program that is committed to ensuring the youth of today are safe in the world we currently reside. Their number one priority is the well-being and emotional state of each child especially during these unprecedented times. We need to ensure their funding is fully restored, so they can continue their mission of providing free programming and services available for all who need, whenever they need.
Please sign our petition and contact the Governor to show your support for the School Based Youth Services Program and to Save The Source at Red Bank Regional High School.
