Today we’d like to introduce you to FINN Foundation.
We appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The FINN Foundation was originally established as a 501(c)(3) in 2018, with a goal to create services for children and families in the Charleston community. The founders of our organization focused on discovering values, mission, and intention in the creation of The FINN Foundation before offering programs or services. FINN represents Fierce Intuition to Nurture Naturally.
The FINN Foundation strives to create and facilitate activities for children and their caregivers to connect, grow, and play together! We recognize that active play is more important than ever for children and adults.
Our playful activities have intention in balance, courage, connection, body awareness, and wellness.
Integrated wellness practices invite empathy, resiliency, and togetherness amongst children, families, and their communities. We incorporate mindfulness and embodiment practices like dance, breath, child-friendly yoga movement, family acro yoga, inversions, sensory tools, and active play to support individual and collective wellness.
Our goal is to grow with our communities! Play in the Park activities facilitate a free and fun place to play for all while connecting with peers. We recognize that community peer support and encouragement are tools for resilience across age ranges and life experiences. All are welcome to participate in this program.
Methods of engagement with participants at FINN are kind, non-judgmental, and supportive. We hold strong belief in the value of noticing and building upon the strengths and specialties of one another while recognizing and honoring differences. When we harmonize the mind, body, and spirit with enrichment practices, we can support ourselves and one another with love. Play in the Park is a direct reflection of this methodology.
We host Play in the Park weekly in centralized parks around Downtown Charleston, South Carolina.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The FINN Foundation conception occurred during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a team of founders, we decided to take our time in crafting and creating space to introduce ourselves in the community, safely. We value the ability to gather outdoors and online. Our organization has not hosted an official “launch” event in our region due to the awareness around risk in gatherings for children and families. We intend to ensure that our future programs and events are coordinated with safety and comfort available to all.
Following the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, the founders recognized an opportunity to bring services to life as communities and activities began to return. Our first community engagement program, Play in the Park, launched in the fall of 2021! We are elated at the engagement from our early participants and interest they have shared in other events and wellness programming. The FINN Foundation looks forward to evolving to meet the needs of our communities and participants.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Our team of Founders at The FINN Foundation is dynamic, trauma-aware, and dedicated to learning & growing, together. We have unique backgrounds in education, experience, and intend to use that wisdom to create space for enrichment.
Meet our Founders…
Kirsten Finn, LMSW- Director & Co-Founder.
As a trained therapist specializing in practice with children and adolescents, I deeply value connection and engagement for our youthful population. They have experienced unique hardships in their early stages of life that we must acknowledge and support to invite healing and personal growth. Support is rooted in how we connect with one another. Sometimes healing happens in therapy or clinical treatment, but it can also occur at the park for children and their carers. A smile, “I value you”, or “how can I support you?” are ways that we can positively impact an experience of another. I believe that the children of our world need us ‘grown-ups’ to show up for them in playful experiences, honest conversations, and with a supportive community. When we participate in active play with children and adolescents, they feel seen, honored, valued, and loved. My mission is supporting healthy, happy, helpful humans.
Stanley Harris, Co-Founder.
Stanley has dedicated his career and much of his life to helping others achieve impactful and sustainable positive change. As FINN’s operations director, he leans on his 15 years of experience leading business and technology teams that rally together to solve problems. Blending methodologies in organizational behavior, process engineering, and motivational design, Stanley builds programs and operating frameworks that maximize engagement and impact. In 2021, he co-founded Katilyst, a software company focused on helping companies shift their working culture.
Autumn Nichole, Co-Founder.
Autumn Nichole is an Intimacy Wellness Coach and Nurturing Touch Practitioner focusing on body-based healing while specializing in early developmental trauma, sensual disconnection, and spiritual embodiment.. This career path began as a Social Worker specializing in Child Welfare and familial trauma. Through professional growth and a personal healing journey, Autumn recognized the importance and absence of safe touch within wellness. Touch is the substance of words, it makes healing words believable. Only believed words have the power to heal, connect, and create change. Safe and supportive touch is among one of the most common ways children and adults feel loved and valued.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
As our organization gains traction and activity in our community, your support and participation are more important than ever! We have space in the Charleston area for facilitators and volunteers to show up in local parks to meet children and families where they play!
As a charitable organization, donations are essential in our ability to serve our community!
The FINN Foundation has an amazon wishlist that is supporting us in having tools and materials available for our participants, https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3P6OILN7MK708?ref_=wl_share
You can find our Venmo @FINNfoundation and PayPal @FINNFoundation.
Our Instagram and Facebook pages can be found @FINNFoundationSC to keep up with our journey and local activities.
Pricing:
- Our services are free and open to the community.
Contact Info:
- Email: thefinnfoundation.sc@gmail.com
- Website: thefinnfoundation.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finnfoundationsc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/finnfoundationsc
