41st Annual Valentine's Day Gala

Dear Friends of Wesley House,

For 41 years, the Keys community and visitors have come together to celebrate Valentine’s Day while raising money for Wesley House Family Services. This is a great testimony to your generosity and support of our organization! This year, we celebrate at the historic and beautiful Custom House Museum. What a wonderful venue to revel in this very special night!

We’d like to give a special thank you to each of our sponsors whose banners you will see throughout the event and on the screens.

Our Silent Auction contains beautiful artwork, fabulous gift certificates and many other amazing items. Our thanks to all our Silent Auction donors! Your generosity is what makes this aspect of the Gala a success. Please peruse the Silent Auction and use this year’s online system to place your bid.

We hope you have a wonderful time, delight in the food by Catered Affairs and the music of The Prime Movers! Thank you for attending our 41st Valentine’s Gala!

Aleida I. Jacobo, CEO

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7.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

Platinum Sponsors

Citrus Family Care Network

Dale & Susie Emerick

Darla Snyder & Stephen Brenner

Gold Sponsor

Meisel Holdings

Silver Sponsors

Bolick Family Charitable Fund

Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory

Eliza Lewis

Teri & Henry Marconi

Strunk Ace Hardware

Wine Sponsor

Kristine & Bob Pabian

Bronze Sponsors

Dr. John & Alice Calleja

Bill & Elizabeth Entenmann

Key West Adventures

Key West United Methodist Church

Aleida Jacobo

Carolyn Kostelny

William & Victoria Marraccini

Friends of Wesley House

Susan & John Sikich

Julio Torrado

Mary Ann Westerlund

The current location of Wesley House Key West office at 1304 Truman Ave.

Wesley House Family Services was founded in the early part of the last century by the Methodist Church as a settlement program for Key West’s Cuban community. This included a kindergarten to teach English to children who had immigrated with their families from Cuba to ease their transition into public school. Over the years, our organization has grown to meet the multitude of needs in the community and the rest of Monroe County.

In the mid-1940’s, Wesley House became a stand-alone 501(c) 3, not-for-profit organization. In 1971, in response to an overwhelming need for professional child care in Key West, the agency instituted the area’s first full-time child care center for working parents. In 2005, our Inez Martin Child Care Center began services related to the Voluntary Prekindergarten Program for eligible four-year-olds.

Wesley House accepted responsibility for delivering child welfare services throughout the Florida Keys when the child welfare system of care was privatized in 2005. Agency programs encompass all aspects of the child welfare system, including:

• Family support and prevention services for troubled families experiencing challenges and discord.

• Full case management services when there is risk of harm to a child.

• Foster and adoptive family recruitment, training, and support services when it is necessary to remove a child from his or her family.

• Healthy Families - Monroe which promotes positive parent-child relationships for expectant and new families.

Wesley House is one of only 1,300 social service organizations accredited by the prestigious international Council on Accreditation (COA).

Ley Memorial Church.

Wesley House operates the Inez Martin Child Development Center in Key West. Our program has achieved “Gold Seal” designation. It is licensed through the Florida Department of Children and Families, accredited through the Council on Accreditation (COA) and is certified as an “Eco-Healthy Child Care” site.

• We practice the Creative Curriculum approach to early childhood learning which includes using computers, arts and crafts, field trips and outdoor activities for a diverse learning experience.

• All children receive a free nutritious meal program which includes breakfasts, lunches, and afternoon snacks. We also have a weekend "backpack program" where we send each needy child home with snacks and fresh fruit.

Your Fundraising Dollars Help With:

Tuition Scholarships

Playground Equipment Upkeep

Hot Lunch & Backpack Food Programs

School Supplies

Other program costs, not including Administrative costs

Inez Martin child development center

In situations where the Department of Children and Families (DCF) determines that a child is at risk of alleged abuse, neglect, or abandonment, WHFS steps in to assist. WHFS is charged with the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the child, while helping the biological family address the issues that brought the family to the attention of DCF. This service is called Case Management. A dedicated case manager is assigned to each family to assist in the process. Frequent updates on the family's progress are provided to the Court.

Your Fundraising Dollars Help With:

Summer Camps

Orthodontics & Extensive Dental Procedures

Aging Out-of-Care Expenses

Rent Assistance to Unify Families

Prom Dresses, School Rings, Yearbooks, etc.

Sports Equipment

• Grad Nights

• School Field Trips

Health & Beauty Expenses for Normalcy

Clothing • Gas Assistance

• Extracurricular Activities

Alternative Therapies not covered by Medicaid

Event Schedule

6:45 pm Welcome and Announcements

Steve Miller & Erin McKenna, MCs

Kris Pabian, Board Chair,

Aleida Jacobo, CEO

7:00 pm Dinner is served

8:00 pm A fun surprise with

Steve Miller & Erin McKenna

8:45 pm Auction Ends

9:30 pm Event ends. See you next Valentine’s Day!

Auction items will be available for pick up at 9:30. Please enjoy the Gala while we gather your items.

How To Bid Video

To register for mobile bidding, text Love2023 to 76278

Auction Bidding

HOW TO PLACE A BID ONLINE

A single bid can be placed as a one-time bid for any amount. An auto bid can be placed and set at the maximum amount you are willing to spend. With auto bid, our system will place your bid at the minimum amount needed to lead. When you are outbid, our system will bid automatically for you until your maximum is reached.

How to bid

Once you have completed a registration on the campaign, you will receive the welcome text message, linking you to the items to browse, bid or buy.

1. Click on the Blue link in the Welcome text to be directed to the items page.

2. View items by category or search by item number or name.

3. Click the item of interest to view the description as well as the current bid.

4. The system will auto-populate the bid amount based on the set increment for the item.

• Choose to bid at the set amount or higher.

5. Click Bid.

How to place an auto bid

Allow the system to automatically bid up to a designated amount for you. The system will bid incrementally up to the amount designated as long as someone else places a bid against you. If no one bids against your auto bid, the price remains the same.

1. Click the item of interest

2. Click the Auto Bid tab

3. Enter in the maximum amount you would like to bid

4. Click Bid.

Note: When two bids are placed for the same amount, the bid placed first based on the timestamp wins. Timestamps are set when the initial bid is placed, for auto bids this is when a maximum was set not when the system prompted the bid to win.

If you need assistance, please see a volunteer in the auction area.

If you need help placing a bid, please see a volunteer in the auction area on the porch. We are happy to place bids for you!

BAskets & combos

Ladies and lords and those in between.

All of you who want to be seen, you’re the lucky ones here tonight. This is sure to be the event of the season for many reasons. Including a war of words and chequebooks in fights there will be incredible delights. So to you lucky few, yes, gentle reader, I’m looking at you.

Give your coins, of which I hope, are many left over from splurges like Jimmy Buffett urges.

This event of the season upends all reason. It will be talked on lips and tongues for decades to come.

A diamond awaits on this auspicious date to the one who gives from the heart and not out of hate.

Love, Lady Wesleydown

Thank You!

Special thanks to the following individuals and businesses for helping us with this event!

2023 Valentine’s Gala Committee

Aleida Jacobo, CEO

Grace Epperly, Development Coordinator

Nancy Amsterdam, Cathy Crane, Eric Gatlin, Pamela Lindner, Kristen Livengood, Joy McPeters, Eunice Melnick, Kris Pabian, Lissette Quintero, and Yvette Talbott

Steve Miller & Erin McKenna, Master of Ceremonies

A very special thank you to Pamela Lindner and Chomi Oropeza for making the beautiful decorations!

A very special thank you to Susan Sikich, Joy McPeters, Teri Marconi, Lissette Quintero, and Mark & Nancy Funt for helping with the auction!

2022 Silent Auction Coordinators

Teri Marconi & Joy McPeters

Special thank you to the individuals and businesses who donated items for the auction. YOU make it a success!

In-Kind Donors

Sloppy Joe’s Bar

River Street Sweets – Savannah’s Candy Kitchen

Mattheessen’s

Mark Funkhouser Photography

Sweet Sally’s Softserve by the Sea Shore

Thank you to the many volunteers who helped set-up, decorate and prepare the tables, check in guests, online auction assistance and breakdown.

Without you this event would not happen.

Every day in Florida children are removed from their homes because their parents are not able to provide the care and safety they need. Causes may include poor parenting skills, substance abuse, mental illness, and/or domestic violence.

Wesley House Family Services provides for all foster care placements in Monroe County. We assist DCF and the Lead Child Welfare Agency in the foster care licensing process. By providing this function, we assure the best possible “match” for the children we serve.

Foster Parents give a child the love and security they need. They play a significant role in helping families heal and in the reunification process.

For youth 13 and above, Wesley House provides instruction in independent living skills. The courses assist foster youth in developing practical skills such as budgeting and money management, resumé preparation, job networking, banking, grocery shopping, and nutritional meal preparation. Committed business and community leaders share their expertise with our foster children during these sessions.

For information about becoming a Foster Parent, please contact Megan Burgess at 305.809.5000 or Megan.Burgess@WesleyHouse.org.

Foster Parenting

Healthy Families Monroe is a free, voluntary program that gives famlies useful information on parenting and child development. Available to prenatal moms or parents with newborns up to 3 months in age.

Being a parent is an important job and sometimes difficult job. We offer tools to make the job easier.

We want families to have the support they need to reach their goals and build a bright future for their children.

• Promote child health and development.

• Encourages stable and nurturing homes.

• Promotes positive parent-child relationships.

• Helps ensure that the medical and social needs of families

Your Fundraising Dollars Help With:

Grocery Store Gift Cards

Rent Assistance

Gas Assistance

Vocational Educational Costs

Supervised Visitation

The purpose of supervised visitation is to ensure that parents have an opportunity to maintain contact with their children in a structured environment that is both safe and comfortable for the child.

Parenting Skills Training

Parents learn skills to respond effectively to children's behavior and keep things calm at home.

Strengthening Families Program

This program helps support families experiencing challenges and discord. It provides and links families to services that help address the

presenting issue and thus prevent the removal of the child or children from their home.

Adoption Services

WHFS provides adoption services for children who have been the subject of abuse, neglect, or abandonment and are not able to be reunited with their biological parents because of the severity of the allegations or because of long-term parental non-compliance with their treatment plans. WHFS recruits adoptive families for these children and ensures that they find a forever home.

AdDitional Services

Board Of DIRECTORS

Kristine Pabian – Chair

Sean Brandenburg – Vice Chair

Julio Torrado – Treasurer

Pamela Lindner – Secretary

Nancy Amsterdam

Cathy Crane

Christopher Deem

Nora Hendrix

Kristen Livengood

Joy McPeters

*Maria Pierce

*Designee for Nora Hendrix

Susan Sikich

Sharon Toppino

Yvette Talbott

Chief Executive Officer

Aleida I. Jacobo, Esq.

Associate Board Members

Jessica Batty

Bryan Green

Richard McChesney

Nathalia Mellies

Eunice Melnick

Jo Pine

Lissette Quintero

Ronald Ramsingh

Anthony Scalera

David Smith

Bridget Thornton

Amanda Willett

Friends of Wesley House

Alice Calleja

Georgia Parks

Stephanie Monsalvatge

Mission Statement: Wesley House Family Services promotes and enhances the safety, well-being, and development of children by educating, supporting, and meeting the needs of families.

947

25

1600

Child transports.*

Supervised visits for children with their families

Families completed 16 -week parenting classes.

Children graduated the VPK program at Inez Martin

16

55

Children were with their families! Children adopted!

Fiscal Year 2021 – 2022 Statistic s

Children served in our Healthy Families program.

Full cycles of Pre-service training completed.*

Families served in our Streng thening Families program.* Families served in our Healthy Families program.*

61 82 122

3 13 17 3

* 1600 Child transports includes driving children to supervised visits, doctor, and dentist appointments, etc.

* Newly licensed foster homes include five traditional homes and eight child-specific homes where the child is placed with a relative or friend.

* Level II homes are traditional foster homes where the child or children do not live with relatives or friends. Level I are child-specific homes.

* For pre-service training, seven candidates passed the certification exam. Three of the seven candidates that passed the certification exam belong to other Full Case Management agencies in Miami.

* The Strengthening Families program are families that are identified by DCF as in need of services and are at risk for some type of abuseor neglect. The goal is ensuring all necessary intervention strategies are in place to prevent the children being removed and keep the family intact.

* Two families graduated our Healthy Families program this year. Healthy Families works with the family from birth to age five. Once the child or children turn five, each family successfully graduates with a lifetime of skills for a strong parent-child relationship.

Children served by Full Case Management.

New licensed foster homes in Monroe County.*

Level II Foster homes in Monroe County with space for 39 children.*

Children attended Inez Mar tin Child Development Center

8-week sessions of Foster Parent Training Classes completed.

Thank You, Linda Turek!