North American International Auto Show

Friday, January 15, 2010
6pm – 9pm
@ Cobo Center - Detroit, Michigan

Click here to visit the Charity Preview Website

Barat Child and Family Services, a program of Matrix Human Services,
is proud to be one of 12 Charities to participate in this wonderful event.

Barat House offers a safe nurturing home for girls ages 12-17 that are survivors of abuse, neglect and/or abandonment. Barat provides care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and focuses on emotional recovery, educational/vocational opportunities for successful adulthood.

Charity Preview funds provide the opportunity for Barat to continue providing the much needed services to the girls we care for everyday.

Like Alyce, a 15 year old girl from Detroit, Wayne County. She was placed at Barat House in May 2007. Alyce entered foster care in August 2000, when she was 8 years old, because she and her mother were homeless and her mother was suffering from mental illness. Alyce also suffered sexual abuse by a former boyfriend of her mother’s. Alyce’s mother’s parental rights were terminated in 2001. There are no other family members willing or appropriate to care for Alyce and she has grown up in foster care.

Alyce has had 11 foster care placements since entering foster care in 2000. She has spent almost four of the last seven years in residential placements. Alyce is a very intelligent and sensitive girl. It has been difficult for her to maintain family placements because she continues to struggle with the emotional effects of multiple traumas. She has learned to cope better with the flashbacks and intrusive memories stemming from abuse she experienced as a young girl.

Since being at Barat House, Alyce has flourished. She is on Trust level (3 of 5). She is cooperative with staff and her peers. She demonstrates leadership among her peers. She has takes advantage of every opportunity presented to her and has completed independent living skills workshops and is active in Youth In Transition and on the local Youth Advisory Board. She attended a special dinner on November 1, 2007 with a Vice President of Ford Motor Company as part of her leadership on the local Youth Advisory Board. She has learned many skills that will serve her well in supervised independent living. She has participated in nutrition and cooking classes, human sexuality classes and completed the Youth Assistance Program.

Alyce attends 10th grade at Western International High School. She has excellent grades in her two favorite classes, Drama and Spanish. She participates in her schools extracurricular Adventure Club.

Alyce’s goals are to transition to Supervised Independent Living, earn a high school diploma and attend college.

Through the support of Charity Preview we are able to help girls like Alyce and others who are victims of their circumstances to lead healthier successful lives going forward.

Tickets for Charity Preview are $250 per person of which $240 goes directly to support our program. To purchase tickets or for more information call 1-888-838-7500 or visit www.charitypreview.com

For example:

• Spring/Summer and Fall Winter wardrobe for one girl.
• Transportation to and from school for three months.
• Eight weeks of independent living skills workshops.
• Four girls to attend annual Independent Living Conference for teens in foster care.
• Eyeglasses for two girls.
• Fifteen (15) individual therapy sessions
• Ten (10) group therapy sessions
• Two psychiatric evaluations and medication reviews with the Psychiatrist
• Fifteen (15) family therapy sessions

Thank you for your consideration and support of Barat Child and Family Services.

Join us on Friday, January 15, 2010 for a fun-filled evening benefitting children's charities across Detroit.

For any additional information regarding Charity Preview or Barat House, please contact:
Toya Russell at (313)831-1000 x.35 trussell@matrixhs.org