Wesley House Family Services 2022 - 2023 Annual Report

Inez Martin VPK students enjoying sensory play during their Spring Fling!

MISSION

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

VISION

To develop and encourage a more child caring community.

The Together Factor

In a time when our surroundings are defined by the so-called “power of one,” we move in another direction and see the power of the team, its selflessness, commitment, diversity, flexibility, innovativeness, reliability, and determination. These attributes are at the core of our partnerships and allow us to continue our commitment to quality practices. This fiscal year, we achieved reaccreditation from the Council on Accreditation in record time and with the highest of accolades. The Together Factor allows us to achieve our programmatic goals. We remain a Platinum Participant on Guidestar.org, the highest level of financial recognition a nonprofit organization can obtain and enjoy an Encompass Rating of 100 from Charity Navigator.

The Together Factor permits the Full Case Management (FCM) Program, which is county-wide, to continue to outperform its sister programs and stand out as the highest performer in the Southern Region. The Department of Children and Families’ Office of Quality and Innovation

has highlighted our performance in areas such as biological parent contact practices and our consistent achievements on the Statewide Performance Measures which include safety, quality, and well-being. The FCM Program has brought many smiles to the families it serves. This year we reunified 25 children with their biological families after successful completion of court-ordered requirements. We also found forever families for another 12 children through guardianships and adoptions.

The Together Factor allows our child abuse prevention arm, Strengthening Families, to continue providing in-home services throughout the county to 133 children this fiscal year. Our Healthy Families Monroe program continues to flourish by expanding its reach throughout the Keys. It provides useful information on parenting and child development to at-risk families expecting a new baby or who already have a baby under three months old.

The Together Factor enables the Inez Martin Child

Our ability to partner with our biological and adoptive families, foster parents, colleagues, community partners, donors, Board members, staff, volunteers, and supporters to carry our mission forward with great success.

Aleida I. Jacobo, CEO

Development Center to continue to lead the field in early education in Key West. Our Gold Seal Quality Care Program far exceeds the minimum licensing requirements, providing a higher level of care and supervision to the children we serve. This accreditation, coupled with our commitment to offering scholarships, school supplies, and daily nutritious meals, distinguishes us from other programs in the area. This year, the Center graduated 15 Voluntary Pre-K students and enjoyed a magical graduation ceremony for its graduates and their families at the prestigious Williams Hall.

We partner with our donors, volunteers, and supporters to make our fundraising events the talk of the town. More importantly, the events provide additional streams of revenue to help support our programs and give the children and families we serve a little extra – sleep-away camps, prom outfits, school pictures. These are items that are typically not contemplated by our state contracts, but give the children in our care opportunities to enjoy what other children their age experience.

Casino Night, our debut fundraiser in Key Largo, was at the beautiful oceanfront Reefhouse Resort. The event brought out the locals who showered us with warm wishes and support. The Holiday Village and Belighted Bike Ride is our holiday celebration for the children and families of our community and kicks off the holiday season. Our longstanding and signature event, the Valentine’s Day Gala, found a new venue this year at the historic Custom House Museum. The location on Front Street worked beautifully as it accommodated our guests, a dance floor, and stage for the renowned Prime Movers band. The stellar Black Tie Benefit had the Key West Marriot Beachside Ballroom looking regal while DJ Cardi brought down the house.

Steady progress has been made on the expansion and growth of the Wesley House mission to the Upper Keys. Groundbreaking is set to begin at the Lions Club building that we purchased in 2022 to house our growing operations in the Upper Keys. The significant support of the Edward B. and Joan T. Knight Foundation over the years, and specifically for this project, has made The Together Factor even more noteworthy in our mission to serve the entire Florida Keys community.

Kris Pabian – a longtime Board member,

Fiscal Year 2022 - 2023 Statistics

1096 12

Child Transports

Children Adopted

736 Supervised Visits

25

22 Parenting Class Completion

4

5

Pre-service Training

173

Cycles

19

11

165 Strengthening Families Program Children Served in Full Case Management

friend of Wesley House, and prominent member of the business community – succeeded Bryan Green as Board Chair in September of 2022. The legacy of vision continues. Khalilah Dawes joined Wesley House as Chief Operating Officer in April of 2023. Khalilah brings to our mission a wealth of experience and commitment to child welfare and early education.

Ultimately, the Together Factor is about the individual child and the family unit – their challenges, successes, dreams, and how to help them flourish in their individual journeys.

Many are the rewards when we work rightly and from the heart.

fundamental relationships

Relationships in early childhood are fundamental in children’s development so they can learn how to think, understand, behave, express emotions, and develop social skills. The Wesley House Inez Martin Child Development Center works to convey this message to families. We develop bonds with family members, so they understand that their preferences and concerns about the learning and development of their child is as important to us as it is to them.

Inez Martin provides caring and supportive early childhood services to families in our community. Our program, which last year served on average 55 children daily from 18 months to five years of age, encourages each child’s individual developmental needs. We focus on ageappropriate skills such as fine and gross motor, emotional well-being, positive social interactions, language and reading skills, and overall cognitive development. Our primary goal is that each child who enters school is ready to learn and succeed.

Our Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten program (VPK) this year saw 15 children successfully complete the 540-hour program. These VPK graduates will enter kindergarten in August 2023 with the skills they have acquired for success in their upcoming school years. Our students' continued use of the Waterford Learning program allows them to be extremely comfortable when completing the State-mandated assessments. We are delighted with the successful outcomes of our VPK students this year.

In January, we were notified that our VPK graduates who entered kindergarten in August 2021 achieved an overall kindergarten readiness placement score in the top ten of Monroe County! This result shows that we had successfully prepared children for kindergarten success. These assessments, which are web-based computer programs in Language and Mathematics, will follow the students from kindergarten through third grade.

This year our VPK graduation was held on May 17th at Williams Hall in Key West.

Far left: The 2023 graduating VPK class during their ceremony at Williams Hall.

Center: Students engage in sensory play during a Spring Fling event at the school.

Below: VPK students work on their alphabet knowledge and fine motor skills with writing and gluing.

The program and reception featured the 15 VPK students participating in songs and activities for their families. Many members of the community joined us for this special evening.

Inez Martin is grateful for our relationships with several agencies. The Star of the Sea Mission (SOS) provides our children with a hot lunch daily. The Larry Dion Foundation and private donors have allowed the continuance of our Backpack for Kids program now finishing its 11th year! We continue our ongoing relationship with the Early Learning Coalition of MiamiDade and Monroe for school readiness and Florida Voluntary Pre-K services. Other relationships we have include the Knight Foundation, Klaus Murphy Foundation, United Methodist Women of Faith, and Key West United Methodist Church.

Thank you to all our donors for their continued support of our programs here at Inez Martin!

Building relationships

Oxford Languages (2023) defines relationship as "how two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected".

Healthy Families Monroe infuses relationships into every aspect of our service delivery. Every family is unique, so to serve families effectively, our relationships must be built before we engage our families. Our staff undergo rigorous training that takes at least one year. Our relationship with Healthy Families Florida allows our program to not only improve every day, but also strengthens our ability to serve families on a deeper level every year.

Another crucial factor that significantly impacts our families is our relationships with community partners. To maximize these interactions, we must understand what our community partners provide, then navigate our families through their services. Healthy Families Monroe does this by understanding barriers that impact service delivery (i.e., language, transportation, etc.).

The Healthy Families service model is designed to strengthen relationships. Our staff can work with the entire family for up to five years. This opportunity is an excellent example of proper prevention. Most of our families treat our staff like family. Many share very intimate parts of their lives with us. This relationship is reinforced by our retention rate (83%), the highest Healthy Families retention rate in Florida. Healthy Families also helps parents understand how to keep newborns safe. There was a time when new parents were told to allow babies to sleep on their stomachs. Then parents were told to put the child on its side. Now the safest way for children to sleep is on their backs. Healthy Families continues to help parents by educating them about the latest research.

Our staff also helps families stay informed about each baby's developmental milestones.

Healthy Families Monroe always asks, "What do we want our families to look like when we are no longer in their lives?" This question fuels our passion for serving, whether helping families obtain a library card, improving their children's readiness for kindergarten, facilitating a monthly parent group which allows parents to socialize with each other, have dinner, and provide fun activities for their children.

After serving 89 families and 136 children in 2022-2023, Healthy Families Monroe wants to serve even more families in 2023-2024. We currently partner with churches, medical centers, educational institutions, and many more organizations that will walk with our families when we are no longer in their lives.

"Healthy Families has helped me learn ways to help my child and to do fun activities with her. If I ever need a shoulder to lean on or I’m just stressed out, I can always count on my FSW to talk with about anything and to help me manage my emotions. I’m very grateful for this program and I always encourage others to join. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you."

- Marlana, HF Parent

Prevention starts, continues, and ends with

solid relationships

The Wesley House Preventions team works closely with the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) by uniting on cases that are or will be referred to the Strengthening Families/ Preventions Program. Regular meetings allow us to discuss cases and ensure that relationships with our community partners are upheld. Along with DCF, the meetings include members from the Domestic Abuse Shelter and Guidance Care Center, a community-based agency providing mental health and substance abuse care to the community. Another component of these meetings is to determine the best way to engage the family.

Relationship building starts before we meet the family

and continues throughout the case. Preventions staff need to develop and maintain relationships with our community partners as we rely on one another to provide appropriate services for the families we work with.

As Preventions providers, we are only involved with a family for a brief period. It is crucial to connect families to community resources for long-term support. The relationships maintained with these providers help guarantee that the referrals are completed and followed through with. Once a referral is made, our communication with community partners can help to bridge the gap with families and ensure the connection is made. We also meet to brainstorm about the families' needs. Providers use

the knowledge from other services to better assist their families and understand what resources are available to them.

While working on a particular case in Prevention Services, the service providers were experiencing some resistance from a family. Due to our relationship with these providers, the Preventions team utilized DCF and completed a mutual response. Demonstrating a united front helped the family understand that the goal was to keep their family unit together and provide them with unintrusive and effective services. The collaboration with DCF also allowed the providers to rework their services to align more comfortably with the family’s culture. This family

could then be referred to another community partner for mental health services that would guarantee successful closure with our Preventions Program.

As of April 1, 2023, a new component to Preventions has allowed our team to work with families for a longer period. The change allows our staff to better understand the parents' needs, strengths, and ensure that the services they receive are effective.

Confirming that our families have effective services further strengthens the families' internal relationships.

Although the Keys are a smaller community, families may not be aware of all the available resources. Our relationships with families create options for them based on their various needs.

Without these relationships, the available resources may not be as accessible. Our community partners also share their resources and support with the Preventions team. When cases close out, we welcome families to reach out if they need information about specific services or resources to best maintain safety and stability in the home.

The main goal of Preventions is to keep families intact and allow them to thrive in a safe and stable way for all members involved. A crucial component is to increase the successes seen in families and for the service providers to develop and continue these relationships. It is with these relationships that real, lasting change can be made.

maintaining relationships

Wesley House believes in placing children removed from their homes into familiar environments when it is safe. This minimizes the child’s trauma of being removed from his or her home of origin. It is particularly important for children to maintain existing relationships with people whom they know, such as grandparents, aunts, or uncles. Placing children with relatives or fictive kin supports ongoing attachment and leads to better outcomes for children and their families.

During the 2022-2023 reporting year, 19 homes were licensed as Level I Foster Homes, which are specific to the child or children for whom care is being provided. Those 19 Foster Homes provided safe, stable care for 32 children. Of those 32 children, 19 have achieved permanency through reunification, permanent guardianship, or adoption in 12 months or less. One such arrangement was with a stepparent to care for his stepdaughter, Adrianna.

“There was a discussion among the larger family, who mostly thought Adrianna should go to foster care. My children wanted to keep her loving, joyous spirit in our household. So we did and what a phenomenal, wonderful journey we've been on with her. She is a unifying force. Sometimes I say to my kids ‘what would it be like without this happy prankster in our home?’ and we can't imagine, nor would we want to, what life without Adrianna would be like. Her huge extended family on her father's side wholeheartedly agrees. She makes a lot of people happy. She says hello to strangers and they are almost always astonished and then greet her right back. Of course, this brings smiles to everyone's face. Adrianna is the person who brightens any room when she enters.”

– Robert, Level I Foster Parent. Wesley House will continue to focus on maintaining children’s healthy relationships and ties with their families and communities as part of our mission to promote and enhance the safety, well-being, and development of children by educating, supporting, and meeting the needs of families.

independent relationships

The Independent Living Skills Program is designed to enhance a youth’s independent living skills while promoting economic and social self-sufficiency.

The goal of the Independent Living Skills (IL) Program is to conduct skills training for all teens so they can live independently by the time they turn 18. Beginning with the Casey Life Skills Assessment and Annual Plan, through monthly IL activities, coaching and mentoring, we help teens ages 13-18 to identify short and longterm goals. We then develop and implement individualized training plans to meet those goals. By attending various life skill workshops, seminars, and virtual training opportunities, teens can further solidify their learned IL skills within a realworld environment. These opportunities include career/job development, money management, health insurance, daily living skills, household management, self-advocacy, communication/socialization and driving independence.

As teens get closer to 18 years of

age and older, IL skills focus on extended programs such as Extended Foster Care (EFC) and Post Secondary Education Services and Support (PESS). They also focus on housing issues such as obtaining affordable and/or accessible housing, communication with public housing agencies, and advocacy with landlords. This interaction with teens can be done one-on-one, in group settings, at the individual’s home, school, or within the community.

The IL Skills Program is designed to enhance a youth’s independent living skills while promoting economic and social self-sufficiency. The Casey Life Skills Assessment is used to assess a teen's specific life skills. These abilities are necessary for a teen’s well-being, confidence, and safety as he or she navigates high school, postsecondary education, employment, independence,

and other life milestones. Recurring Life Skills workshops and seminars include a Financial Literacy Course, Sexual Health Workshop, My Jumpstart to Success Workshop, Spring Break College Tour, and Career Camps. Youth skill development is strengthened through in-person coaching and mentoring activities such as sports, fishing, attending career fairs and grocery shopping. We also assist with shopping trips for new school clothes, hygiene items, or to pick out the perfect prom outfit. Activities and events attended by our teens include fishing, snorkeling, volleyball camp, Escape Room, Sky Zone, shopping, career and job fairs, college tours, and job interviews. Last year the Independent Living program worked with 25 teens ages 13-18 and provided coaching and mentoring to three youths 11-12 years old.

Foster Parent Appreciation Month

Show

Healthy Families Baby Shower in Key Largo

Destini Cooper

This young lady came into care with a partial Education and Career Plan, but was unsure how she was going to achieve it. Discussions comparing Extended Foster Care (EFC) and Post Secondary Education Services and Support (PESS) program benefits provided her with the means to reach her goals. After attending the Spring Break College Tour, visiting a dozen colleges, and meeting other like-minded teens, she was able to cement her desired university, program of study, and career field.

Rocherre Jean

Over recent years, this young man had been in foster care for four years and had set specific short and long-term goals for himself. He was motivated to achieve them but became distracted. He had set timelines to receive his learner’s permit, driver's license, and begin employment. However, he struggled to maintain passing grades in high school and misused marijuana to the point of being recommended for a substance abuse program, which made it impossible to reach his goals. Recently, he experienced a huge setback. He was expelled from school in the 4th quarter and enrolled into an alternative school. He failed a core credit class which resulted in an immediate resignation from work. After personalized mentoring provided by WHFS, communication, health, and career Independent Living topics, he received his driver’s license, attended summer school, and recovered lost credits. He has now actively completed numerous job applications and hopes to re-enter the workforce soon.

reunifying relationships

Marie and her three children Wendy, Madiane, and Miloura were in dire need of supportive and stabilizing services when Wesley House Full Case Management began working with them. The youngest child’s father, Roobens, became very involved, as well, to work with Marie towards reunification. Wesley House enlisted and funded the help of a local Haitian Creole interpreter, Mr. Wayne Miller, to assist with service provision and communication. Wesley House’s close relationship and collaboration with Mr. Miller continues to this day and he is an integral part of helping us provide services to the Haitian Creole community. Mr. Miller works closely with Full Case Management to provide in-person translation services, including home visits, family meetings, and court hearings. He can explain things in the parents' language and is available at a moment’s notice to help them navigate services and involvement with Wesley House. We provided several weeks of in-person Nurturing Parenting services for Marie and Roobens with Mr. Miller to help them with reunification.

Wesley House funded the youngest child’s daycare in Carmen Miranda’s home for many months. This allowed the parents to work with their reunification services and employment. The eldest child, Wendy, has benefitted immensely from the Kids Come First program for back-to-school supplies and readiness. We collaborated with Horace O’Bryant School staff to ensure Wendy’s academic needs were met. Wendy also benefitted from services with Key Bridge, Inc. prior to reunification. Wesley House located a bilingual Creole speaking therapist, Dr. Dominique Leveille, and funded individual and family counseling for the parents and Wendy. After reunification, Wesley House linked the younger two children with childcare at our Inez Martin Child Development Center so they could attend the same program.

Countless families in Key West struggle with affordable, safe, and stable housing and this family was no exception. Wesley House had assisted with the family’s housing costs periodically, but their situation was not sustainable. In February 2023, we were made aware of a low-income apartment in the Banyan

Grove complex on Stock Island and immediately jumped on the opportunity for Marie, Roobens, and the children. We worked tirelessly with Banyan Grove and the family for them to apply for and be accepted into the unit. Their living arrangement was at a crisis point. They signed their lease and moved into Banyan Grove in early May. Wesley House funded their deposit and first month’s rent at their new, sustainable home. We also linked the family with the Casa Marina Resort, which was remodeling its rooms and graciously donated the removed furnishings to community agencies. The family fully furnished their three-bedroom apartment with the Casa Marina donations. The children love to play in the playground at their complex. Wendy is overjoyed at having his own room and space in a home he knows will be his for a long time. Marie and Roobens enjoy cooking for their family and having a safe space for their children to grow. Wesley House is delighted to have partnered with all the local community stakeholders to ensure this family’s service needs and success.

working relationships

The staff of Wesley House is at the heart of our programs and client successes. Their dedication and personalized attention to our clients and our mission is paramount. Each of

our 70 employees brings a compassion to this sometimes difficult work that is unparalleled. 27 of our 70 employees have over five years of service, which is a true testament to our commitment

to quality. Below are a few testimonials from staff who have two to 16 years of service with our company. We are grateful for their dedication to the agency and the community.

The WHFS Leadership Team

Chief Executive Officer - Aleida Jacobo

Chief Operating Officer - Khalilah Dawes

Chief Financial Officer - Greg Wheeler

IT / Facilities Manager - Scott Shores

Director of Quality Assurance - Angelica McCoy

Director of Inez Martin Child Development Center

Christine Patterson

70 Employees in FY 22-23

16 Employees with 5 - 9 years of ser vice

Employees with 10 - 14 years of ser vice

4

7 Employees with over 15 years of ser vice

CHAIR

Kristine Pabian

VICE CHAIR

Sean Brandenburg

TREASURER

Julio Torrado

SECRETARY

Pamela Lindner

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Aleida I. Jacobo, Esq.

GOVERNING BOARD

Nancy Amsterdam

Cathy Crane

Christopher Deem

Nora Hernandez Hendrix

Kristen Livengood

Joy McPeters

Maria Pierce*

*Designee for Nora Hernandez Hendrix

Susan Sikich

David Smith

Yvette Talbott

Sharon Toppino

ASSOCIATE BOARD

Jessica Batty

Bryan Green

Lorie Leal

Richard McChesney

Nathalia Mellies Archer

Eunice Melnick

Jo Pine

Lissette Quintero

Ronald Ramsingh

Anthony Scalera

Bridget Thornton

Amanda Willett

FRIENDS OF WESLEY HOUSE

Alice Calleja

Stephanie Monsalvatge

Georgia Parks

Attending the October 2022 Hybrid Meeting are: Maria Pierce, Bridget Thornton, Lissette Quintero, Nancy Amsterdam, Julio Torrado, Susan Sikich, David Smith, Mary Falconer, Aleida Jacobo, Greg Wheeler, Kristine Pabian, Chris Deems, Sean Brandenburg, and Bryan Green. On Zoom are Nora Hendrix, Joy McPeters, Lissette Angulo, Cathy Crane, and Yvette Talbott.

National Night

Healthy Families Baby Shower.

Staff and Board Members tour the new office building in Key Largo prior to holding the first Upper Keys Board Meeting on May 17, 2022. From left to right are: Lissette Angulo, David Smith, Mary Falconer, Pamela Lindner, Kristine Pabian, Nora Hendrix, Chris Deems, Maria Pierce, Greg Wheeler, Lorie Leal, Julio Torrado, Aleida Jacobo, Susan Sikich, Lissette Quintero, and Khalilah Dawes.

Right photo: Pamela Lindner and David Smith volunteer at the

Out Event in August. Far right photo: Lissette Quintero assists with a diaper pick up and delivery for our

creating relationships

Wesley House Family Services is fortunate to have a strong and committed Board of Directors. They bring to the table their expertise in various fields along with their passion for education and assisting children and families in need in our community. Whether by volunteering at or helping to organize events, cultivating donor relationships, growing our community partnerships, enhancing our exposure in the community, telling our story, or representing Wesley House at various events, each member works hard to create and nurture relationships for Wesley House Family Services.

We appreciate their service and commitment to our mission!

Above: MCSO Capt. David Smith and KWPD Chief Sean Brandenburg attend the La Te Da Christmas Toy Drive party in December along with owner Christopher Rounds and Santa! Over 750 toys were collected for the Holiday Helpers toy drive which were shared with five additional Keys nonprofits. Not only did our two Board Members show their support by attending, they even arranged for MCSO and KWPD officers to help load the toys on the UHaul the following morning!

Left: The blue and white pinwheel is the national symbol for Child Abuse Prevention Month in April. Sean Brandenburg shows his support and helps us spread the word in our social media campaign. Pamela Lindner designed and modeled the pinwheel ensemble at the Conch Republic Fashion Show in April. Her creativity brought awareness to the campaign and helped to raise money for the Conch Republic Foster Care Fund.

Vice Chair Sean Brandenburg, Chair Kristine Pabian, and Treasurer Julio Torrado at the October 2022 induction meeting. Not pictured is Secretary Pamela Lindner.

Above left: Board Members and Rotarians, Cathy Crane and Yvette Talbott, helped us spread the word about the great things happening at Inez Martin via a presentation from Director Christine Patterson (left) at the noon luncheon in May.

Right photo: Wesley House employee Teri Christian enthusiastically sells raffle tickets during the event.

Middle photo: Casino sponsors Danielle Hill from Shell World and Board Member Lorie Leal.

Bottom photo: Monroe County School Board Member Darren Horan with his wife, Jessica.

Bottom right photo: County Mayor Pro Tem Holly Merrill Raschein with Henry Menendez of HNO Productions.

Casino Night!

Our first fundraiser in Key Largo was held on August 13, 2022 at the Reefhouse Resort and Marina. We held a fun Casino Night which was attended by 150 locals. This was the perfect, relaxed event where we could begin relationships with local business owners and residents of the Upper Keys and share the work of Wesley House.

Guests tried their luck at Craps, Roulette, Texas Hold 'Em, Black Jack, Slots, and Three-Card Poker. The evening culimated with the drawing for the coveted raffle prizes. We had over $10,000 in gift certificates and merchandise graciously donated by businesses throughout the Keys.

We are excited to grow our awareness in the Upper Keys and continue to cultivate relationships with the community.

Left photo: Wesley House CEO Aleida Jacobo and Development Coordinator Grace Epperly.

Middle photo: Judge Albert Kelley with his wife, Angie.

Right photo: Joshua Cohen and Wesley House Family Specialist Supervisor for Strengthening Families, Jaime Wall.

Board Member Bryan Green mans the merchandise tent with a WH volunteer.

First Horizon Bank volunteers, Michele White and Jacqueline Luhta.

BeLighted Bikes by the thousands cruised Duval and Whitehead Streets.

Santa and Mrs. Claus made an appearance to be photographed with over 100 kids!

Photos by Larry Blackburn

2nd HOLIDAY VILLAGE & Belighted BIKE RIDE!

The Holiday Village and BeLighted Bike Ride kicked off the holiday events for children's activities and is our gift to the community. We transformed the Coffee Butler Amphitheater into a winter wonderland that featured 25 community booths and food trucks.

The participants in the Best Bike Contest upped the ante this year with their creativity! Each entrant received a swag bag generously supplied by JB Bikes. Our event ended with the famous lighted bike ride. The Key West police estimate that we had 3,500 - 4,000 bike riders this year.

The creativity of many of the lighted bikes was amazing and very resourceful!

The choir from the Bahama Village Music Program was small but mighty!

Just a few of our 65 volunteers with Santa and Mrs. Claus!

"Best Bike Contest" Judges: Monroe County Mayor, Craig Cates; Retiring COKW Manager, Patti McLaughlin; and Michael Stapleford of Party 105 Radio.

One of the 25 community booths at The Village.

George and Pamela Lindner.

Front row: Rosemarie Donzanti, Darla Snyder, Karen Majchrowicz, Diane Cooper, Pete Cooper, Michelle Finger, and Steve Brenner. Back row: Chris Majchrowicz, Jim Donzanti, Cheryl Meister, Chris Meister.

Lori and Tony Scalera. David Smith and Sean Brandenburg looking dapper in their period attire! Douglas and Joy McPeters with Teri and Henry Marconi.

Photos by Mark Funkhouser

the 41st annual valentine's gala

Our annual Valentine's Gala has found a new home at the beautiful and historic Custom House Museum in Old Town Key West. Inspired by the architecture, we chose a Baroque-Bridgerton style theme and the guests loved it! The locale glittered with festive lights and the Ladies and Lords were donned in period attire.

The silent auction, which was diligently chaired by Board Member Joy McPeters and volunteer Teri Marconi, boasted 400 amazing items and garnered the most funds

from previous Galas!

The night is not possible without the generosity of all our sponsors, especially our Platinum and Gold Level Sponsors: Linda Turek and LKT Services and Companies, Citrus Family Care Network, Darla Snyder and Steve Brenner, Dale and Susie Emerick, and Meisel Holdings. Our vivacious emcees conducted a text-to-donate moment that brought in $10,000 and was generously matched by Darla Snyder and Steve Brenner!

A special thank you to the 60 volunteers who assisted!

Guests embraced the Baroque-Bridgerton theme with period attire.

George Fernandez, Gail Lima, and Thomas Greenwood.

David and Treva Stack, Andie Pouliot, Eliza Lewis, Holly Cunningham, John Marion, Jr. and Brook Richter.

MC's Steve Miller and Erin McKenna

Nancy and Phil Amsterdam

The grand dame, Q-Mitch!

Linda Turek and Derek Epperly

BLACK TIE BENEFIT

"Oh what a night!” It was a night that exuded elegance, generosity, enjoyment, and heartfelt acknowledgement of the WHFS mission. Thanks to our sponsors and attendees, we far exceeded our fundraising goals for the event. Guests were dazzled by the gorgeous transformation of the Marriott Beachside Ballroom. Michael Halpern gave a moving, heartfelt testimony to his personal connection with the work of Wesley House. An exciting paddle raise lead by our auctioneer, Janice Hamilton, brought us to the culmination of the evening with a full house dancing to the music of DJ Cardi and his drummer and sax player!

Darla Snyder, Rosemarie Donzanti, Kelly Ryan, and Bob Pabian. Linda Walker and Kristen Livengood.

City Manager Al Childress with his wife Kitty. Glen Pataky, Kate Miano, and Daniel Bochlas.

Raymond and Tammy Berard, Craig Cates, and Shirley Carey.

Photos by Mark Funkhouser

Between the auction and the Mission Moment, the paddles were raising all night!

Wesley House CEO Aleida Jacobo, and new COO Khalilah Dawes.

Melissa Picco, Bascom Grooms, John Picco and Beth Grooms.

DJ Cardi - jamming!

Michael Halpern's Mission Moment.

Bryan Green, Kris Pabian, Aleida Jacobo, and Sean Brandenburg.

Black Tie Benefit Co-Chairs Yvette Talbott and Kris Pabian.

Made It Possible! YOU

In fiscal year 2022 - 2023, the generosity of our donors and grants made the following possible. Thank you!

our major donors & partners

PRIVATE DONORS

Nancy & Philip Amsterdam

Caroline & Cason Beatty

Charles & Janet Bengel

Dennis & Sarah Bibeau

Rebecca & Tom Bray

Thor & Lynette Brevik

David & Karyn Brickner

John & Alice Calleja

Anne Marie & Matthew Chapman

Thomas & Sally Crane

Amanda & Ed Dawicki

Dale & Susie Emerick

Trevor & Jeannie Gray

Eliza Lewis

Robert & Nancy Manly

Teri & Henry Marconi

Joel & Deborah Meisel

Eunice Melnick

Kristine & Robert Pabian

John & Melissa Picco

Kelly Ryan

Douglas & Jeannine Schrock

Robert & Maria Sharpe

Susan & John Sikich

Kenneth R. Silverman & Catharine Regan

Darla Snyder & Stephen K. Brenner

Linda Turek

PARTNERS

Citrus Family Care Network

City of Key West

Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe

Florida Department of Children and Families

General Board of Global Ministries

Key West Police Department

Key West United Methodist Church

Key West Woman's Club

Monroe County Human Services Advisory Board

Monroe County Sheriff's Office

Ounce of Prevention Healthy Families Florida

SOS Foundation

United Women in Faith

FOUNDATIONS

Cheryl Cates Memorial Foundation

Edward B. & Joan T. Knight Foundation, Inc.

First Horizon Foundation

Fred M. Klaus & Harold L. Murphy Foundation

Larry Dion Foundation

Michelle's Foundation

The Lookout Foundation, Inc.

The Sexton Family Foundation

Underwriting Management Experts

BUSINESSES

Conch Republic Cuties In Action

D & B Mechanical

First State Bank of The Florida Keys

Fury Water Adventures

Historic Tours of America

HydroThunder

Key West Military Affairs Committee, Inc.

La Te Da

Lisa Helene Ferringo P.A

LKT Services & Companies, LLC

Lower Keys Medical Center

Meisel Holdings LLC

Mel Fisher Days, Inc.

Monroe County Sheriff's SAFF Fund

Parrot Heads In Paradise Inc.

Pier B Development

Ron Jon Surf Shop

The Gardens Hotel

HOW WE USE OUR BUDGET EXPENSES BY PROGRAM

PROGRAMS

Full Case Management

Strengthening Families

Foster Parent Licensing

Healthy Families Monroe

Inez Martin Child Development Center

MANAGEMENT AND GENERAL AGENCY

FULL CASE MANAGEMENT

INEZ MARTIN

HEALTHY FAMILIES

MONROE

STRENGTHENING FAMILIES

Wesley House - Key Largo O ce 99451 Overseas Highway • Suite 200 • Key Largo, FL 33037

Wesley House - Key West O ce 1304 Truman Avenue • Key West, FL 33040

Inez Martin Child Development Center 1100 Varela Street • Key West, FL 33040

305.809.5000 | www.WesleyHouse.org

COMMITMENT TO QUALITY

Wesley House has an enduring commitment to quality and adheres to the best practice concept of developing and implementing the most e cient and e ective way of delivering services to the public “The Wesley House Way.” Wesley House is an accredited organization by the Council on Accreditation (COA). COA has long recognized that strong governance and management increase an organization’s capacity to deliver services more e ectively and thus achieve improved client outcomes.

The agency is committed to maintaining an ongoing Performance Quality Improvement process to ensure that a high quality of service is delivered and that the agency mission, policies, and procedures are met or exceeded.

Internal Revenue Code. We are suppor ted by state and local funders, as well as private suppor t through generous donations from the community

Consumer Ser vices Registration # CH146

A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL , OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE

Wesley House Family Ser vices complies with state and federal non-discrimination laws and policies that prohibit discrimination based on age, color, disabilit y, national origin, race, religion, sex, marital status, sexual orientation or any other charac teristic protec ted by law

It is unlaw ful to retaliate against individuals or groups on the basis of their par ticipation in a complaint of discrimination or on the basis of their opposition to discriminator y prac tices

Wesley House Family Services wishes to thank our staff who contributed their writing and editing to the Annual Report! Graphic Design by Grace Epperly and Clive Thibela.