When we founded this organization 32 years ago, we envisioned hope for families who could not afford regular counseling, families in crisis, and children who were bewildered by the fighting in their families.
We also saw a need to train excellent therapists, to give therapists opportunities to work with families in crisis and use their skills to give comfort and direction to someone who had the courage to pick up the phone and ask for help. Over 200 therapists have been working at FACES with the goal of relieving the pain and suffering in the family system, while earning hours toward licensing. OAs we turn the corner of another year, I renew my commitment to our therapists who want to learn or the clients who want the help. n
As we turn the corner of another year, I renew my commitment to our therapists who want to learn or the clients who want the help.
Personally I have a long list of thanks. After a hip replacement, in February, contracting covid in July, and relapses from covid, I am feeling healthy and amazingly hopeful for the New Year. The doctors who looked after me during my hip surgery and covid bad lung days are high on my gratitude list. I received the gift of help and support from my daughter who came by often to make sure I was recovering, and helping me with many household chores I had no energy to do. I am eternally grateful for her help. Friends who came by with chicken soup, took out my trash, shopped for me and replaced a broken coffee pot warmed my heart and gave me hope to go on. The news people on CBS became my morning and night connection to the world! I thank them for that. My support group has seen me through many lost times.
Looking back on 2020 we noticed that at FACES, we have had worse years financially, but our biggest challenge this year was training everyone on zoom as we transferred our skills to the virtual arena. What a group of survivors and people stepping up to the challenge. My deepest thanks to those monitors, support staff, therapists and supervisors who did the work virtually and showed up for their clients consistently. We actually have had more clients being served this year than ever before!
Our thanks to our donors on facebook, supporters who wrote checks and generous crisis foundation grants; agencies volunteering their time for us, and court personnel who took the time to connect with us about families who were here. We thank all the attorneys who were also struggling with the technology of serving clients online, and social workers who, though they had high case loads were communicating to us. Clients who came by with masks on to pay their small fees so they could see their children. All of this made 2020 a memorable year.
As we thanked out staff at the end of the year "party" online, I marvelled at our energy, enthusiasm and diversity. I smiled at the hopeful faces who keep looking around the corner for a better tomorrow for the agency and families we serve. We are with you in this terrible loss.