VOLUME 4, ISSUE 6 SEPTEMBER 2016
THE JOURNEY This edition:
PARENTS AS TEACHERS GRADUATION The Parents as Teachers (PAT) 2nd annual graduation was held on Friday, August 5th at the Spruce Family Success Center. Twelve families graduated from the PAT program. This means that they were in the program for at least two years. The happy and smiling 3-year-olds are now pre-k ready and off to their new adventure. Six families will join the “3 to K” PAT program and the remaining six will attend area pre-schools. The PAT program continues to make an impact with the families that they serve. Improved parenting practices and parent-child relationships are reported. Congratulations to all of the graduates and much success in the future!
ENERGY ASSISTANCE DAY FSA understands that many in our community are struggling to manage their utility bills. We have formed a partnership with NJ Shares, Atlantic City Electric, Senator Connors, Assemblyman Chris Brown, Assemblywoman Gove, and Assemblyman Rumpf to conduct periodic Energy Assistance Days at our Family Success Centers. The Spruce Family Success Center hosted an Energy Assistance Day on Tuesday, August 23rd. New Day Family Success Center also had an Energy Assistance Day on September 13th. Customers were able to secure assistance, renegotiate their electric bills, and find other resources from community partner agencies.
Inside this issue: Operation Backpack
2
Manager of the Quarter
2
Employee of the Month
2
New Outpatient Groups
2
Amazon Smile
3
Boscov’s Friends Helping Friends
3
Grant Funding News
3
Connect with Us/ Program Spotlight
4
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THE JOURNEY OPERATION BACKPACK Through the generosity and support of our community, we were able to provide over 600 book bags and school supplies to children in need. The donations were supplies and book bags dropped in the Operation Backpack boxes at our host sites. We’re especially thankful to all of our board, corporate & community donors, and sponsors: Atlantic County Board of Realtors, Fulton Bank, Lolla Chiropractic Center, Sandpiper Consulting, South Jersey Industries, Spencer Gifts, and United Way of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey. It is because of your combined efforts, that many children entered the school
Pictured: Dr. Rich Lolla, FSA Board Member Lolla Chiropractic Center in Galloway
year prepared and ready to learn!
MANAGER OF THE QUARTER Karen Murphy was awarded Manager of the Quarter. Karen, Program Manager in SAIF, was nominated by her amazing team. The SAIF team commented on Karen’s dedication to the individuals and families that she serves but also recognized her outstanding supervisory skills. Way to go, Karen!
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH Jacqueline Beltran was awarded the Theresa McDermott Award for outstanding teamwork in August. Jackie’s co-workers commented on our eagerness and readiness to assist when they are struggling to communicate with Spanish speaking consumers over the phone. Jackie, on behalf of FSA, we thank you for your hard work and dedication in assisting your fellow team members.
NEW OUTPATIENT GROUPS FORMING Group offerings in Outpatient will increase starting in September. Two additional groups will be Co-Occurring and Pain/Stress Management. Absecon Outpatient will also be adding additional medication education groups as well to accommodate the growing number of medication only clients. The co-occurring group is for individuals who have a mental health diagnoses in addition to a substance abuse diagnosis. The pain and stress management group will help individuals who experience chronic pain and stress-related issues gain practical techniques in order to have a productive life despite the chronic pain. For additional information, please call Access at 1-877-272 -2331.
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AMAZON SMILE Are you a frequent Amazon shopper? Did you know that shopping on Amazon can benefit Family Service Association? Sign-up by going to https://smile.amazon.com/ Designate Family Service Association of Egg Harbor Township as your charity of choice. Amazon Smile will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to our organization. Happy shopping!
BOSCOV’S FRIENDS HELPING FRIENDS On Tuesday, October 18th, Boscov’s Department Store will host the 20th Anniversary of Friends Helping Friends. Friends Helping Friends is a special day filled with fun and fundraising to benefit area non-profit organizations. Family Service Association will be participating at this year’s event. Everyone who purchases a $5 Friends Helping Friends pass receives a 25% discount shopping pass for purchases made only on October 18th. In addition, you’re eligible to win a $100 or $500 gift card! Family Service Association benefits by receiving $5 from every shopping pass sold. Purchasers of the pass will easily recoup their $5 and more through the savings they will enjoy throughout the day. Our local Boscov’s is at 6725 Black Horse Pike, Egg Harbor Township. If you’re interested in purchasing a pass(es), please contact Torrina at x1160 and arrange a time for pick-up.
GRANT FUNDING NEWS Family Service Association is proud to announce two recent grants from: Dollar General Literacy United Way Phase 33
$3,000 $12,129
These funds will assist FSA in providing additional programs and services to our clients. We are thankful for the support!
THE JOURNEY
Corporate Headquarters: 3073 English Creek Avenue, Suite 3 Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234 Phone: 609-569-0239 Fax: 609-569-1942 Cindy Herdman Ivins, President/CEO
Visit our NEW & IMPROVED website! www.fsasj.org
Join Us on Social Media: www.facebook.com/fsasouthjersey www.twitter.com/FSA_of_SJ
Agency profile: Family Service Association is a multiservice, not-for-profit, United Way agency that serves over 8,500 children, adolescents and adults annually. As the needs of the people in this community have become evident, Family Service Association has responded by providing premier services. For over a century, the agency has served southern New Jersey with a creative administration and service delivery structure with programming that benefits children and families. Family Service Association's service areas include behavioral health, anti-poverty, child welfare, and strengthening families and communities. Mission: Improving the quality of life for individuals and families in our community For information about any of our programs, call our NEW TOLL-FREE Access number at 1-877-272-2331
FSA PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT FAMILY LIFE CENTER ( FLC) The Family Life Center (FLC) is a program that rebuilds the family unit. This includes families that have been negatively impacted by incidences of child abuse and/or neglect. Families are referred by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P). FLC provides supervised visits, parenting education, and life skills classes that utilize evidence based curriculums. In the past year, July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016, 65 mothers, 23 fathers, and 79 families with 126 children participated in the FLC program. It is of significance that there were no reported incidents of child abuse or neglect for FLC families for the entire fiscal year. Due to their successful completion of the FLC program, 4 families whose children were in resource homes were unified with their parents. 11 parents were granted unsupervised visits. Congratulations to the FLC team and the amazing work that they do to reunify families!
UPCOMING EVENTS Holiday Drive The holidays will soon be upon us so we’re quickly gearing up for our annual holiday drive. Stay tuned for details!