The New Year brings new beginnings, new opportunities and some new faces to Family Service of the Piedmont. I am delighted to welcome Steve Hess as our new Chief Program Officer, who will work to ensure the effectiveness and fiscal sustainability of all our agency’s programs. I am also happy to welcome Eric Gillespie as he steps into his new leadership role as Director of Consumer Credit Counseling Service.
In September we presented the Julia B. Nile For Love of Family Award to two of our very good friends, Lin Amos and Sunny Lawson, recognizing their outstanding impact on Family Service and in their local communities. In December Family Service staff gave the agency’s C.A.R.E. Award to Angel Boyd, manager of Healthy Start. Angel is known for her positive attitude and her dedication to her clients and her team. My thanks and congratulations to all our award winners!
We wrapped up 2011 with our holiday giving program Operation ELF. We expanded the program this year to address clients’ needs not just for toys and gifts for their children, but also for food and gift certificates to enable them to celebrate the holidays together as a family. Thanks to a tremendous outpouring of support, we were able to provide items for almost twice as many needy families as in previous years – including more than 200 children. Thank you to all who contributed!
The coming spring means it will soon be time for our annual Oyster Roasts. Please mark your calendars for Friday March 2nd in High Point at the home of Iv and Leslie Culp, and Friday April 27th in Greensboro at the home of Aldona Wos and Louis DeJoy. With two such wonderful locations and two terrific teams of volunteers coordinating the events, this year’s Oyster Roasts are not to be missed. Click Here for more information about these events.
Another way to support Family Service is through our newest fundraiser Change-ing Lives. We are distributing baby bottles at local churches, schools and other organizations, whose members return them filled with loose change to support our programs for victims of child abuse and domestic violence. Learn how you can get your group, school or workplace involved. (This fundraiser is currently being introduced in the Greensboro area through our Greensboro Guild, with plans to extend into High Point if it is successful there.)
The 2012 year will no doubt contain its share of opportunities and challenges. We will continue to pursue new ways to make our programs affordable and effective for the families we serve. We have already received some grant funding that was not budgeted for, which helps offset the funding reductions we continue to experience in this tough economy. We have re-launched Harmony House for children of separated parents with a history of domestic violence, and will begin serving clients this year.
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” This quote by Albert Einstein conveys my attitude at the start of a new year for Family Service of the Piedmont. Our clients, staff and supporters can all learn from past experiences to correct mistakes made and build a safe and healthy future for themselves and their families.
Excerpted from Family Service’s 2012 Winter Newsletter
Family Service’s new cards for 2011 feature this beautiful painting by local artist Addren Doss.