Dear Friends,
As we look back at 2008-2009 we are pleased to report that Family Paths has thrived in a time when some non-profits are facing layoffs or in some cases, closing their
doors. It was a year filled with successes, though we faced challenges as well. Our biggest challenge was a direct result of the stock market losses. Family Paths is the beneficiary of a Charitable Remainder Trust, a gift from Roberta and Tim McCoy. Although the trust will not mature for some time, the funds invested as part of the trust were deeply impacted by market losses. Of course, we're hopeful that the market will maintain the positive gains made recently, and we are thankful that the decreased value of the trust is "on paper" rather than having a realized financial impact on the agency.
As for successes, through the generous support of Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services we have been able to almost double our level of service to Hayward residents and its surrounding areas. We are delighted to have increased services to the community, but we are especially pleased to serve more clients in need during these stressful economic times. Folks that never thought they'd be unemployed, homeless, and under severe stress have found themselves in uncharted waters. For Family Paths, to make a difference in the lives of children and their families is why our agency was founded and why we've continued to serve the community for 38 years.
Other accomplishments for 2008-2009 were the completion of a new agency-wide database, we updated our information and referral database, and we began an intensive process for a new Strategic Plan. The new database is critical in our efforts to serve clients on our 24-hour crisis line, our various counseling services, and parent education services. Staff at Family Paths are incredibly dedicated to serving our clients, so any technology that allows them to focus more time and attention to clients greatly adds to job satisfaction.
Through the generous support of the Y&H Soda Foundation, in May 2008 the Board and management team began work on a new Strategic Plan, which we expect to complete in May 2010. The process has already been extremely rewarding and has led us to create a new vision, values, and mission statement. Working on the plan has also led us to answer some foundational questions that every social service agency needs to ask itself periodically- how do we best serve the community, how do we know that what we offer our clients really works, and what is it that Family Paths offers that makes us unique? We are answering these questions and many more. We look forward to sharing our Strategic Plan in the spring of 2010!
We are deeply grateful to our supporters and funders. With your help, we served over 7,000 children and families last fiscal year, and you made a significant difference in the lives of our clients. Thank you.
Marcella Reeves, Executive Director &
Randy Bergen MD, President, Board of Directors
A word from our leadership
Thanks to our holiday donors!
We want to send out a hearty Thank You to some of the community groups that helped Family Paths make the holiday season a little brighter for our families this year. Our thanks go out to:
The kind folks at Sandia National Laboratories, who collectively sponsored 110 clients by providing personalized, beautifully wrapped gifts;
Unity Church in Berkeley for their donation of over 75 handmade teddy bears, complete with handsome hand-knit hats for children;
All Soul's Episcopal Church for 150 cuddly teddy bears for foster children in Alameda County; and
Kaiser Permanente's 16th floor TPMG crew, for their generous sponsorship of 3 families over the holiday season. The personalized, wrapped gifts that they provided brought smiles to clients this year.
Thanks again to our community partners for helping us make this a great holiday season for these
Check out our new online store!
Purchase Family Paths t-shirts, hats, mugs, etc. and support our mission. All proceeds from our sales on CafePress.com will go directly to serving our mission. So, check out our new online store and help us to build stronger families in Alameda County.
Click Here For Our Online Store
Click Here For Friends of Family Paths' Online Store
Give the gift of your time. Join Friends of Family Paths today.
Why families
Research shows that 50% of children who are abused before the age of ten develop psychiatric problems later in life. Early exposure to violence increases the risk of adolescent violent behavior by as much as 40%. Working to strengthen families through positive intervention, Family Paths prevents child abuse and neglect now, and reduces future crime in the community.
Who we are
We are supporters of the mission and work of Family Paths a nonprofit community-based organization that serves parents and children throughout Alameda County with a vision of a healthy and safe home for every child. Family Paths' mental health and family support services give parents/caregivers the support they need to give their children the love and understanding necessary for a healthy life.
How you can help
Help parents/caregivers in your community build stronger relationships with their children in order for them to grow up happy and healthy. Here’s how you can get involved:
Become a member
Sign up to give ongoing support to our organization. Every dollar you contribute this year is an investment in our community and its future.
Join the event-planning
We’re planning an benefit event for April 2010. We welcome your energy and ideas to make this event memorable and successful.
Here’s how your donation makes a difference
$500 funds a 30 hour training for 8 new 24 Hour Hotline Volunteers. The 24 Hour Parent Support & Resource Line provides crisis support and case management for parents/caregivers experiencing stress in Alameda County.
$250 pays for 2 traveling play therapy kits for clinicians providing in-home therapeutic services to children who have been victims of abuse or trauma.
$100 pays for 1 12-Week Session of Parent Education for a mother or father living in Alameda County. Family Paths’ classes promote positive parenting techniques to help ensure that every child is well nurtured, emotionally healthy, and capable of reaching his or her own full potential.
You can also choose how much you would like to give. Whether it’s $5 or $1,500 every dollar will be greatly appreciated and spent on healing families and reducing the effects of trauma and child abuse on our future generations.
Visit our website at www.FriendsOfFamilyPaths.org to donate online and to learn more. To donate by mail, send to Family Paths at 1727 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Suite 109 Oakland, CA 94612.
Get in touch with us! Send an e-mail to Eliza Khuner at elizak@gmail.com, or call (510) 697-2903.