This December, Vita Nova Medical Spa is proud to support Hispanics Against Child Abuse and Neglect (or HACAN), a nonprofit educational and advocacy organization in the Northern Virginia area. We are fundraising all month long to help HACAN continue to provide invaluable support to children, families, and the community.
Read on to learn more about HACAN and how you can join Vita Nova in our fundraising efforts to support this vital cause.
What is HACAN?
Founded in 1985, HACAN strives to enrich the lives of immigrant families in the Northern Virginia region by providing resources like parental education and out-of-school activities. They work hard to run several different programs that serve and support youth, including individual tutoring opportunities.
In addition to providing direct resources like these programs, HACAN also works to increase awareness for signs of child abuse and neglect, or red flags that should be taken seriously. By providing this education, HACAN empowers individuals to prevent child abuse and neglect in their communities.
As HACAN is an organization that focuses on Hispanic immigrants, the resources they provide are culturally sensitive and relevant. They understand the nuances that are so important to the dynamics between individuals within the family and can give advice and education that considers those factors.
At Vita Nova, we understand that the value of a strong community is unmatched. We cherish the relationships we have with our clients and with each other and believe in HACAN’s mission to not only support individuals but to foster a strong community where those individuals can thrive.
What programs does HACAN provide?
HACAN offers several different programs designed to empower individuals at every age, and encourage active participation from all family members.
Morning Star
Morning Star is a program focused on boys and girls who are at least 8 years old and helps them create a strong foundation with reading and writing skills, familiarity with STEM, and team building activities. During the weekly meetings, this program also focuses on life skills and education about things like growing up and becoming a teenager and gives the participants the tools and resources they need to navigate this part of their lives.
LEER+
Through LEER+, rising first graders learn how to read using a specialized method emphasizing the role of vowels. Parents must be involved with the children in these classes.
S.T.A.R.
S.T.A.R., or Student Training in Advocacy & Responsibility, is an advocacy and leadership program that prepares teens for their future by getting them ready for the college application process. Additionally, S.T.A.R. aims to emphasize the importance of education as a whole and encourage program participants to be active lifelong learners as well as agents of social change within their current and future communities. S.T.A.R. organizes workshops and field trips and invites guest speakers to share knowledge with the teens in the program.
Parent Education
Throughout the year, HACAN provides families with workshops, meetings, and training in the following areas:
- Strengthening Families Program.
- Leer+ Program.
- Positive discipline, health, nutrition, and related subjects.
- Speak Up Be Safe workshops
- Community involvement: working together with other groups in the area to improve the quality of life in the community.
Help us support HACAN this holiday season.
Throughout the month of December, Vita Nova will be organizing a fundraiser for HACAN virtually through GoFundMe. With the funds donated, HACAN will be able to continue providing invaluable educational opportunities that empower children and young adults to be leaders and achieve their dreams.
Help us reach our goal to support HACAN this December by making a donation today!
