A GREAT APRIL!
by Brian Doyle, Chief Executive Officer
Celebration
As we all wondered if Spring would ever come our way, the month of April kept us busy on many fronts, even beyond the day in and day out work on behalf of the people and communities throughout Dutchess, Ulster and Orange counties.
Our record-breaking April 26th Family of the Year event was a great success, with many highlights. The 350 in attendance had a chance to learn more about our two sterling honoree families, the Lepore and Feldman families. Both Joe Lepore and Jeff Feldman spoke of their blessing as well as their commitment to community. Their gracious, thoughtful and humble remarks captured the rapt attention of the audience. The music was fun; both the silent and live auctions were full of winning items and experiences; and our terrific supporters were treated to a great opportunity to socialize and enjoy the hospitality of the evening! Many thanks to all who came or otherwise supported the event.
The evening also offered an opportunity for our guests to learn more about the work of Family Services, and its impact on the community, including one mother and child who were successfully reunited in large part owing to the intense support provided by our Family Education Program staff!
…And Unity
April saw yet another important development when the Board of Family Services and the Board of Hudson Valley Mental Health proceeded with their commitment to merging the two affiliated agencies into one fully unified organization to better serve the people who rely on us for support and services.
Both Boards voted to approve the official Certificate of Merger and “Plan of Merger” which address the legal, financial and operational changes that will take place such as listing the required changes to the Family Services’ Certificate of Incorporation. They also appointed all Family Services Board members to the Hudson Valley Mental Health Board and appointed all Hudson Valley Mental Health Board members to the Family Services Board. There will now be “mirrored Boards”, meeting together over the course of the year until the merger is complete by the end of this year.
With this planned merger, we are committed to combining our considerable areas of expertise in ways that can further improve the work of our talented employees. As just one example, we know that a person enduring or even witnessing domestic violence can have a lasting influence on one’s behavioral health. Taking into account such a “social determinant of health”, our behavioral health staff will now be in a better position to benefit from the expertise of our Victim Services staff and vice versa, all with the aim of helping the victim to overcome their trauma.
We are quite excited about the many possibilities unleashed by our coming together as one, united, agency and as we develop our plans further, we will continue to provide updates.
Quite an April!
Recent Events
The Family Services’ Family of the Year Awards Dinner took place on April 26, 2018 at the beautiful Grandview in Poughkeepsie. For almost 30 years, this noteworthy event has recognized and commended individuals who have made significant contributions to the community and whose ideals reflect those of Family Services by providing hope, improving lives, and strengthening community. This year, we were pleased to honor Jeff and Rona Feldman with the Quality of Life Award and Joseph and Maria Lepore with the Good Neighbor Award.
Thank you to the more than 350 Family Services’ closest friends – business and nonprofit leaders, community partners and supporters – who gathered together to make Family of the Year a huge success!
To see the program feature video and photos from the evening, please CLICK HERE
Program Spotlight
Family Education Program
The Family Education Program (FEP) provides home visits and parenting groups to families in Ulster and Orange Counties. The mission of FEP is to preserve, strengthen and empower families who are seeking support in staying together. We recognize the many challenges that parents and children face and we are committed to:
- Helping families stay safe at home and in the community;
- Improving family life by teaching skills that encourage cooperation, mutual respect and positive communication;
- Supporting families in becoming self-sufficient and maintaining self-sufficiency;
- Respecting and building upon the strengths and unique qualities of every family.
In January 2018, Family Education Program expanded its partnership and services with Ulster County to include an innovative family visiting component. Parents and family members who are required by Family Court to have supervised contact with children can be referred by their Ulster County Caseworker to our program. We provide parent coaching and support in a family-like setting with several visitation rooms that are stocked with games, toys and activities for children of all ages. Family Educators provide parenting education before, during and after visits and support all family members through the process of reunification. This new service is an improvement upon traditional supervised visitation services as it provides caregivers and children the opportunity to visit in a family-like setting that better nurtures their growing relationships.
For more information about Family Visitation services or the Family Education Program, please contact Amy Cole, Director of Family Support Services at 845-331-5641 or acole@familyservicesny.org.
By the Numbers
352
352 friends and supporters attended the Family Services’ Family of the Year Awards Dinner on Thursday, April 26th!
Staff/Volunteer/Interns
Every career step Antuone Babb now takes is to help open a door for others trying to turn their lives around.
Antuone, an outreach worker with the SNUG Program, just completed the intensive,180-hour Offender Workforce Development Specialist Certification through the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. This training will enable him to help individuals he meets through SNUG to find meaningful employment and better understand the importance of career planning. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE
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Staff enjoyed a “Welcome Spring” potluck luncheon on Friday, May 4th. This luncheon was planned by the Wellness & Morale Committee of Family Services and Hudson Valley Mental Health.
Upcoming Events
Family Services is taking part in Hudson Valley Gives this year on May 16th! Hudson Valley Gives Day is a chance for people living in the Hudson Valley to give back to their community!
Why give on May 16th? HV Gives offers the opportunity to maximize your gift to Family Services through incentives throughout the day! A list of prizes can be found here: https://www.hvgives.
So mark your calendars for this awesome opportunity to join with others in the Hudson Valley and support valuable community organizations like Family Services! To see our Hudson Valley Gives page: please visit
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Leadership Partner
Family Services’ 2017
Leadership Partner
http://www.healthquest.org/
Leadership Team
Brian Doyle
Chief Executive Officer
bdoyle@familyservicesny.org
Joan Crawford
Deputy Executive Director
jcrawford@familyservicesny.org
Natalie Borquist
Chief Financial Officer
nborquist@familyservicesny.org
Leah Feldman
Director of Center for Victim Safety and Support
lfeldman@familyservicesny.org
Christopher Pels
Director of Human Resources and Risk Management
cpels@familyservicesny.org
Whitney Humphrey
Director of Development
whumphrey@familyservicesny.org
Martina Kardol
Director of Forensic Programs
mkardol@familyservicesny.org
Amy Cole
Director of Family Support Services
acole@familyservicesny.org
Kevin Hazucha
President of Hudson Valley Mental Health
Mark Sasvary
Director of Clinical Services for Hudson Valley Mental Health
Dr. Yugandhar Munnangi
Medical Director for Hudson Valley Mental Health
Casey Hons
Director of Operations for Hudson Valley Mental Health
Our Partners at the Family Partnership Center
Community Voices Heard
www.cvhaction.org
Dutchess County Behavioral & Community Health
www.dutchessNY.gov
Dutchess Community College
www.sunydutchess.edu
Dutchess County Healthy Families
www.healthyfamiliesnewyork.org
Dutchess Outreach
www.dutchessoutreach.org
Flores Chiropractic Group NY
845-303-3486
Hudson River Community Health Care
www.hrhcare.org
Hudson River Housing
www.hudsonriverhousing.org
Hudson Valley Mental Health
www.hvmh.org
John Flowers Community Events
845-471-4199
Mental Health America-Mel’s Place
www.mhadc.com
Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson
734-548-0171
Planned Parenthood
www.ppmhv.org
Prime Health Choice
1-877-777-4630
R.E.A.L. Skills Network, Inc.
www.realskillsnetwork.com
Rebuilding Our Children and Community
845-857-9265
Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Library
845-452-6088 ext. 3343
