Stanley Black & Decker Awards Grant to Family & Children's Aid to spread "PeaceLove" Expressive Art Therapy to New Britain

New Britain, CT: Stanley Black & Decker's Corporate Citizenship giving program is focused on building a better tomorrow and strengthening communities in times of need. They are living up to this promise with a generous grant to Family & Children's Aid (FCA). FCA is honored to be the recipient of a $10,000 award to help bring a successful Expressive Arts Program, called PeaceLove, to their FCA offices and clients in New Britain, CT.

Family & Children's Aid has eight locations, and serves over 70 cities in Connecticut. FCA also has the largest children's mental health care outpatient clinic in the state located at their main campus in Danbury. This clinic, located at 80 West Street, also houses a PeaceLove Expressive Arts Studio opened in June of 2016.

This is the first PeaceLove Studio to be opened in conjunction with a therapeutic program and the first expressly focused on helping children who have mental illnesses. PeaceLove is a national program and also has studios in Rhode Island and Las Vegas.

"PeaceLove gives us a new tool we can use and integrates well with the therapies we already do," explains Kevin Baird a PeaceLove Certified CREATOR and FCA staff member.

"It's a tool that gives our clients the ability to express emotions and life experiences without making themselves vulnerable. They feel empowered to be creative and safe to express their feelings because it's not about the product; it's about the experience. There are no rules, no restrictions, just the freedom to create."

"Being able to bring this program to New Britain, opens up so many doors for Family & Children's Aid," said FCA's Director of Development, Allison Carballo.

"We will use this outstanding gift from Stanley Black & Decker to train two staff members to become Certified PeaceLove CREATORS who can then conduct these workshops in New Britain where Stanley Black & Decker has their world headquarters. We can't thank them enough for their partnership and for recognizing the importance of giving back in their community."

Amy Kinney, Program Director for PeaceLove discussed how this program used in conjunction with FCA is going to "change an entire community and touch so many lives."

About Family & Children’s Aid

Family & Children's Aid (FCA) provides high quality, innovative, behavioral and mental health care to children and their families. Our therapeutic techniques help children who have experienced trauma, abuse or neglect heal so they can choose their own futures rather than allowing their experiences and illnesses to dictate their futures for them. Family & Children's Aid is the largest children's outpatient mental health care non-profit in the state of Connecticut. Serving over 72 cities, with eight locations, FCA has over 20 programs for children and families in need. In addition to outpatient services, FCA has a shelter for homeless moms and children, adolescent group homes for boys and girls, a therapeutic foster care program, a teen substance abuse program and many more. For more information about Family & Children’s Aid, please visit fcaweb.org and please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

To learn more about Stanley Black & Decker please visit: http://www.stanleyblackanddeck...

To learn more about PeaceLove, please visit: http://www.peacelovestudios.com