Family Care Network Newsletter

Fall 2007

Family Care

THE

Connection

Sponsor a Child for Christmas

A Thought or Two

Jim Roberts, CEO

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‘87 ‘07

Family Care Network, Inc.

Taste of the Central Coast

Thank You

Features

Our Mission:

“To enhance the wellbeing of children and families in partnership with our community.”

01Letter from CEO

Full Steam Ahead

03Event Recap

Taste of the Central Coast

04Caring for Clients

Wraparound Success & National Adoption Month

06Events

Sponsor a Child for Christmas & Annual Christmas Open House

08Community Connection

Quota International

09Inside Family Care Network

New Hires & Board of Directors Spotlight

Santa Maria Ofce

222 West Carmen Lane, Suite 102Santa Maria, California 93458805.349.9600

ContactInformation

Administrative Headquarters

3765 S. Higuera Street, Suite 100San Luis Obispo, California 93401805.781.3535

Website

www.fcni.org

Toll Free

1.866.781.3535

Email

contact@fcni.org

Jobs

jobs@fcni.org

The Family Care Connection01 A Thought or Two

As most of you know, the Family Care Network recently passedits 20th year milestone. Wow, it is not only hard to believe thatamount of time has passed; but I was quite humbled and leftspeechless by the honors and accolades graciously bestowedupon us. This experience can best be summed up by the wordsof the Family Care Network 2007 Circle of Serving recipient, JimBrabeck, when he quoted Confucius, “Find something that youlove to do—and you’ll never work again!” There is no greater joythan serving others and seeing lives change for the better. I sin

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cerely thank our Central Coast community for giving the FamilyCare Network the opportunity to help cre

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ate solutions to serious problems impactingthe lives of children and families.Hoopla aside, there is still a job to do.Unfortunately, there exists too many chil

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dren, youth and families with tremendousneeds. God forbid our agency becomedistracted by our accomplishments andforgets why we exist—“to enhance thewellbeing of children, youth and familiesin partnership with our community.” Nowis not the time to pause and reect; it isthe time to harden our resolve, focus in

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tensely on our vision, gather our resourcesand thrust forward full steam ahead. Alexander Graham Bellwrote “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand.The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” More thanever, I desire to see this agency so intensely focused on fulll

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ing our mission that we create a tremendous beacon of light todraw multitudes to join our efforts.As the Family Care Network steps through the door into ournext season of serving, we have big dreams and lofty goals topursue. I confess, the Family Care Network has always been a“pie in the sky”, forward thinking, planning organization. Thishas given us a clear sense of direction, excitement and motiva

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tion, and a benchmark for self-evaluation. Grandiose or not, letme share a few of our dreams for the next 20 years.The amazing Helen Keller wrote “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” The Family CareNetwork embodies this principle. There is always hope! Peopledo overcome adversity, and it is our goal to not only be champi

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Full Steam Ahead

by CEO, Jim Roberts

ons and ambassadors of hope, but to mobilize the communityto help those in need conquer adversity.For too long, there has been a mindset that it is the govern

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ment’s job to x social ills, take care of the poor, provide forfoster children...you get the picture. But these are members of our community. When they hurt, we all hurt. As public resourcesdiminish and the government continues to demonstrate itsineptness and inabilities, it will be incumbent on all of us, com

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munity by community, to take care of our own. At the FamilyCare Network, it is our dream to serve as aconduit of opportunity for individuals, orga

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nizations and businesses to bring time, talent,resources, creativity and energy to create so

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lutions and improve the standard of living foreveryone on the Central Coast.I’m sure no one will argue with our entrenchedbelief—children are best served in families, es

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pecially their own. The Family Care Network’svision is for every child to have a permanent,healthy family. We will continue working tostrengthen families, promote adoption, con

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duct family nding and do whatever it takestowards this end. Similarly, our organizationbegan with the goal to provide a family-based alternative to theinstitutional care of children. We call this “therapeutic fostercare”. It is our goal to continue to expand our capacity to helptroubled children and youth through partnerships with fosterparents working hand-in-hand with us to bring stability andemotional healing.A huge black spot on the foster care picture of the past 20 yearshas been the miserable failure to help foster children success

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fully leave the system. More than any other youth in their agegroup, former foster youth struggle to make it in early adult

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hood. The Family Care Network has made a huge commitmentto serve these young adults, being the only transitional servicesprovider for foster or former foster youth in San Luis Obispo andSanta Barbara counties. It is our dream to increase our capac

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ity to help these young adults get the education and trainingthey need to secure meaningful employment; nd and securehousing, especially permanent, affordable housing; to becomeconnected to the community for support and resources,

“Now is not the timeto pause and reect; it is the timeto…gather our resources and thrust forward full steamahead.”