AmazonSmile

Posted on July 12, 2016 by fcsadmin

SMILE
Are you an Amazon Shopper? Why not help Family & Community Services of Somerset County and shop at the same time!

Amazon is one of the most widely used websites in the world and provides nonprofit organizations a way to earn additional support and a way to give through their program AmazonSmile. Amazon has donated over $192,000 to other charities and is now helping FCS!

AmazonSmile allows customers to donate to a chosen charity of their choice with no extra cost and provides the same shopping experience we are all used to on Amazon, including the same products and prices. By using AmazonSmile 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases is donated to FCS once you register.

In order to help FCS provide support to our Somerset community, you must simply select Family & Community Services of Somerset County as your charity of choice by visiting our link here

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Customers cannot make direct monetary donations to FCS through AmazonSmile but if you are interested in making a direct donation visit the donations page on our website by using Paypal or a credit card.

Don’t forget to change your Amazon bookmark to smile.amazon.com and tell your friends and family by sharing this information by word of mouth and your various social media channels!

Executive Directors Message

Posted on February 16, 2016 by fcsadmin

It was 20 years ago that I completed my first year as Executive Director of
Family and Community Services after many years of being a clinician and supervisor for the agency. I remember at the time a great deal of ambivalence about taking on this position. There has certainly been a great deal of challenges during this period but also a great deal of rewards.

It is only fitting that the past year (my 20^th) can be described very similarly to my description of the total time period. Times for small non-profits have been very difficult and our agency, like others, has had to confront many obstacles recently. However, due to a team of very dedicated and skilled staff and Board members, we continue to make adjustments and accomplish some ambitious goals.

The highlights of the past year include:

Program outcomes and client feedback was better than ever
We hired several new part-time fee for service staff as well as two other part-time staff members who have made key contributions to the agency’s growth in the past year.
We began to recruit some new valuable Board members as well as volunteers.
We were actually able to increase the levels of service in our professional counseling services despite continued economically driven funding decreases. We increased our client fee revenues very significantly.
We began to implement changes that resulted from our Mental Health and Addictions Program Licensure reviews.
We increased our fundraising activities and fundraising event revenues.

I feel especially grateful to Howard Hessel who has been a tremendous President of the Board over the past few years. He has done so much to contribute to the agency’s success, to support my efforts as well as the staff, to motivate the Board. I am also extremely appreciative of my Staff Administrative team who remain so dedicated, effective and who continue to help create a very positive work environment which is one of the strengths of the agency. I am also so thankful to our great team of staff, Board Members, and volunteers who are being asked regularly to do more with less, yet who remain so committed to our critical cause.

Eric Harris LCSW
Executive Director

FCSSC Annual President Message

Posted on January 14, 2016 by fcsadmin

Over the last few years, it seems that not a week goes by, without hearing about a shooting, brutal attack, bullying situation, suicide or some other horrific event that many of us have a hard time understanding. How do we explain it to our children? How do we prevent our children from experiencing these unimaginable events themselves? How do we prevent them from happing locally, in our own community?

To start with, it is important to try to find commonalities in these situations. Some think it is related to laws in our great country, or laws in our state and or community. Some think it is education. Some think it is around the accountability many of us have as parents. These all certainly play into the debate. The piece of the puzzle that keeps the Staff and Board of Directors awake at night, surrounds mental health. Mental health has been an area that has seen budget cuts over the past recent years, and while there is no definite correlation to the number of horrific events, it is certainly easy to see an increase in events during a decrease in funding.

At Family and Community Services of Somerset County, we strive to provide mental health assistance to our friends, neighbors and family members in Somerset County. This cannot be done “in a vacuum”. It needs to be done as part of a team. The staff members and board of directors partner to raise funds so that those who cannot afford it, can receive it. We try to partner with local community leaders, such as religious leaders, politicians and others, in order to make people aware of the services available. And, importantly, we try to partner with members of the local community, to help fund the agency. The agency cannot survive without grants, financial support, and volunteer efforts.

Thank you to everyone that has helped Family and Community Services of Somerset County survive during an economic downturn the past few years. Your generosity with your time, financial support, and enthusiasm has helped our entire community. Remember, helping our community, helps our friends, neighbors and family members, here in our own backyard, in Somerset County. Let’s continue to work together to find ways to prevent these senseless acts, both nationally, as well as in our own backyard!

– Howard Hessel, Family & Community Services Board President

Share the Love for FCS

Posted on January 3, 2016 by fcsadmin

Donate Your Car To FCS

Posted on December 19, 2015 by fcsadmin

Our Mission:

To enhance the quality of life of individuals, families and communities by providing professional family, mental health and addictions services and innovative community-based programs.