Peoria-Area Community Impact Guide 2022-2023

FAMILYCORE Instilling hope by creating the right balance of resources and care to foster and equip healthy productive children and families.

330 SW Washington Street Peoria, IL 61602 Phone: (309) 676-2400 Email: aladingferguson@familycore.org Website: familycore.org Facebook : @FamilyCorePeoria

Instagram : @familycore Twitter : @family_core

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/KEY STAFF: Ann Lading-Ferguson, CEO Dan Bender, CFO Dale Brown, Director of Operations Melissa Borders, Director of Child Welfare Caitlin Scott, Director of Clinical Tammy Stephens, Director of Development Ronald Tyler, Director of Outreach

2021-2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Timo thy Wyman, President Todd Hasty, 1st Vice-president Amy Rankin, 2nd Vice-president Nick DeMoss, Treasurer Paul Donahoe, Associate Treasurer Sharo n Gramm, Secretary

VISION Strengthening Families for a Stronger Community VALUES Hope, Compassion, Integrity, Advocacy, Service-Focused, Accountability, and Resourceful WHAT WE DO While there’s no universal look to a “family” today, maintaining a caring and steadfast network around you is critical, especially during trying times. FamilyCore serves as a bridge, connecting intervention and support to children and adults facing some of life’s most stressful situations, with the end goal of restoring a healthy and happy family unit. We work alongside schools, the court system and other social service agencies to assist with: Adoption - One of FamilyCore’s most rewarding tasks is matching children with families who can provide their new forever home. We facilitate private and international adoptions for all ages and ethnic backgrounds. Counseling - FamilyCore’s licensed counselors have a presence in area schools, courts and social service agencies. Our team of professionals identifies social/emotional , mental wel lness and behavioral concerns. They assist with depression, anxiety, parent-child conflicts, marital concerns, substance abuse, trauma and more. A sliding fee scale, along with insurance and employee assistance programs, makes this important intervention affordable. Foster Care - Foster care is often required because parents are unwilling or unable

to provide adequate care during times of stress or crisis. When children need temporary living arrangements, FamilyCore connects themwith safe and caring home environments. Foster parents provide love and understanding to children until conflicts are resolved and they can be reunited with their families. Single Parent Support - FamilyCore works hand-in-hand wi th sing le parents or guardians to learn effective communication, appropriate discipline, childhood development techniques and self-care practices. These services are provided free of charge to single parents or guardians in Peoria, Woodford or Tazewell counties with a child under 18 in their care. Outreach - Succeeding in and staying in school can be challenging for some families. FamilyCore has built a wide reaching spectrum of programs for youth to provide channels for success. Services include respite programs for children suspended from school, family school liaisons who work to prevent suspensions and attendance problems and a youth anger management program. DID YOU KNOW? FamilyCore is over 120 years old! At its inception in 1900, FamilyCore was called Associated Charities and Philanthropies. The first employee to be hired was a horse, and the second a nurse; the two traveled along the river, serving citizens living in shanties along the banks. Several significant modern-day agencies were either born out of or formed alongside this proactive, turn-of-the-century organization. These include the Visiting Nurse Association, Red Cross and United Way.

DIRECTORS: Kathleen Carter Jay Dawson Leonard Ealey Holly Fisher Hiral Hudson Alyson Martinez Dean Steiner Chris Watkins Kim Young

HOW TO HELP Donations are essential to the success of clients at FamilyCore, and they are greatly appreciated. Monetary gifts are used for: $50…Provides weighted blankets, sensory activities/therapeutic tools for children $100…Stocks the food pantry $150…Gives a foster care child luggage, toiletries, essentials and a backpack $375…Allows for purchase of Sensory Table for waiting room $500…Provides five sessions of counsel ing for a family/individual unable to pay Gift cards from major retailers are also appreciated to secure personal hygiene products, school supplies, gas, etc.

42

peoriamagazine.com