17 years of local impact. Family Resource Center Serving the Children and Families of Northern New Hampshire Annual Report

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1 17 years of local impact Family Resource Center Serving the Children and Families of Northern New Hampshire Annual Report

2 A message from the Executive Director Friends, Last year FRC s programs, including afterschool programs, home visiting programs, parenting and child development programs among others touched the lives of hundreds and hundreds of children and families in Northern New Hampshire. Our aim was to create safe and healthy environments for children to develop, grow up and thrive. With your help, we succeeded, and the smiles on these pages are the best evidence. A few noteworthy happenings from : Despite a rough economy the FRC closed the year with a balanced budget and with frugality, we have brought forward valuable assets to help us meet our obligations in the new fiscal year; We partnered with Indian Stream Health Center in opening a new office in Colebrook it gives us both great opportunities to collaborate and serve children and families from that region of Upper Coos on both health care needs and human service needs; We also partnered with the Community Action Program of Belknap-Merrimack Counties Women Infants and Children (WIC) program in opening a joint office at the former Cottage Hospital in Littleton yet another opportunity to serve children and families in Upper Grafton County in a collaborative manner; Lastly, with the support of the Tillotson Foundation we began our review of the FRC s strategic plan; a plan we look forward to publishing and promoting into the community in late As we reflect back on the year we continue to recognize that our achievements and collaborations, consistent with our mission, occurred directly because of the generosity of our supporters and we offer our sincere appreciation. ~Hon. James E. Michalik, Retired

3 A message from the The Board Chair Dear Neighbor, It was my great privilege to serve as Interim Chair of the FRC Board for I completed the term of our Chair, Andre Caron, who served our Board with wisdom and distinction during his tenure. In addition to my Board work, I was given the opportunity to volunteer as a homework helper at the Hillside After School Program in Berlin. I was greatly impressed with the staff, the students, and the programming, which helps to ensure that students receive the help they need and deserve to succeed in their classrooms. At one of our spring events I met a parent whose family had received the benefits of both FRC home visitation and after school programs. The parent informed me that his two older children who had not received these FRC services did poorly in school and dropped out of school. The family s two younger children, who along with their dad participated in the FRC home visiting and afterschool services, showed real enthusiasm for living and learning and actually both received high achievement awards from their schools. I think this tells a great story about the impact of The Family Resource Center in our communities. I hope, after reading this Annual Report you will join me, the rest of the Board and our generous donors in ensuring that parents and children in the North Country have the opportunity to better their lives with help from the gifted FRC staff. ~Katherine Baublis

4 Project Youth In the academic year and summer programming in Project Youth provided extended learning for 200 Berlin and Gorham students in grades K-8. Afterschool programs have proven to be effective supports for young people on a variety of fronts; including fostering healthy lifestyles, preventing drop-outs, boosting students academic achievement and self-esteem, and helping young people find and develop their passions. The FRC s Project Youth Afterschool Program is designed to be engaging and active. Offering the youth stability in sometimes unstable environments, opening doors to developing strong and meaningful relationships with adults and peers, and uninterrupted learning support. Project Youth s mission is to provide students with diverse, educational, active, engaging and fun activities in a safe and supportive environment where students can reach their full potential and develop confidence without limitations. During the academic year Project Youth staff successfully implemented a new teaching approach known as Scaffolding which moves students progressively toward stronger understanding, skill acquisition, and learning. You can read more about this teaching approach at What a great program for students and families in our community! I know first-hand how stressful it can be, being a working parent, trying to juggle the many responsibilities of everyday life and rushing around trying to get dinner on the table and then the dreaded homework starts! We all know that is no fun. This program allows students to not only get their homework completed, but they also get help with it, if need be. Evenings are now spent much more relaxed, focusing on quality family time! Kelly Guilmette

5 What is Home Visiting and what do Family Support Workers do? Early childhood home visiting has been shown to be an effective service delivery model for at-risk young children and their families. By developing trusting relationships with parents, working with them in their homes, the FRC s Family Support Workers promote healthy, strong families through positive interventions, parenting education, and bringing early child development concepts, facts and healthy tips to young moms and dads. What do Family Support Workers Evaluate? Child Development- FRC s home visitors use the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) which is a measuring tool to ensure that every child we work with receives developmental screening to ensure all children are meeting their developmental milestones. Maternal Depression and Domestic Violence Screenings - FRC s home visitors are trained to complete maternal depression screens on all moms to identify the social and emotional risks that new moms face. Home visitors then refer, support and follow through with moms so they can get the help they need to be the best parents they can be. Home visitors also assess the presence of domestic violence and other negative behaviors that affect the family s safety and well being. What are parents saying about home visiting? Support and respect and not talking down to me Having support when I needed it Help with resources Understanding our situation that we are in Infant Safety - All home visits involve a Healthy Homes Assessment to assist new parents in evaluating all aspects of their home to ensure safety for infants and children. Little Kids, Big Questions is a series of podcasts for moms, dads and caregivers to understand how academic and scientific research on early childhood development translates into everyday parenting. Check it out at: Family Support Services

6 Community Connections Coats for Community Last year the FRC was able, due to a generous grant from Brookfield Power, to purchase 26 new coats for children in the Androscoggin Valley. Brookfield also supported the purchase and distribution of 76 holiday baskets including a turkey and all of the fixings for our families in the community. Operation School Supplies Holiday Baskets The FRC conducted another campaign to deliver student backpacks filled with back to school supplies for some of our children. The FRC is a member of the leadership team of the Coalition. The coalition collaborates with primary school educators, early care and education providers, family support workers, mental health professionals, healthcare providers and families in Coos County to create a coordinated system for screening and use of evidence based strategies that will support positive growth and development for young children from birth through age 5. Coos County Coalition for Young Children and Families

7 Honoring Our Vets This past year the FRC was able to serve 60 North Country Veterans living in Northern Grafton, Carroll and all of Coos County through three specific grant opportunities: Support Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) -Grant funds from Veterans Administration available to the FRC are used to assist veterans facing the threat of homelessness to find and maintain stable and safe housing. The FRC partners with Harbor Homes, Inc., of Nashua to bring this service to North Country Veterans. Deployment Cycle Support Program and Care Coordination Program FRC Family Support programs also extend to military families, whether in the pre, ongoing or post deployment phases of service, to help them manage through the special strains affecting military families. We do this through home visiting, referral to community based services, and by offering moral support to help families overcome obstacles to healthy family dynamics. The FRC partners with the State s Department of Health and Human Services and Easter Seals, NH to provide these programs. The FRC s Gorham Middle School afterschool program, with 25 of its students participating, sponsored its annual Veterans Day Appreciation Dinner where 81 Veterans and their guests attended. Said one guest, To all of the FRC- Project Youth Students, Thank you all so much for the outstanding work you put forth for the Veterans with the meal, various presentations and overall hospitality... my wife and I enjoyed the evening!! The Family Resource Center s mission statement reflects our focus on building and strengthening the foundation of a healthy community: To build healthier families and stronger communities through positive relationships, programs, and collaborations in the North Country. This past year the FRC s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) assisted 240 taxpayers complete their Federal Income Tax Returns and obtained over $273,000 in refunds for North Country families. Since FRC began sponsoring an IRS sanctioned VITA site in 2005, 2,956 North Country residents have received, at no cost to them, the benefit of help with their Federal Income Tax Returns. Over $3.6 million dollars in refunds have come back to North Country families. VITA Community Connections

8 ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents $ 139,460 $ 74,176 Certificates of deposit 79,488 79,330 Investments 188, ,992 Grants receivable 70, ,257 Prepaid expenses 3,525 9,830 Total current assets 481, ,585 Financials PROPERTY Leasehold improvements 72,362 72,362 Furniture and equipment 51,575 51,575 Total 123, ,937 Less: accumulated depreciation (62,508) (54,888) Property, net 61,429 69,049 Total assets $ 543,092 $ 544,634 LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS CURRENT LIABILITIES Accounts payable $ 7,272 $ 3,034 Accrued expenses 8,604 6,382 Agency deposits 22,177 22,175 Refundable advances 70,122 98,326 Total current liabilities 108, ,917 NET ASSETS Unrestricted Designated for long-term building maintenance 9,210 8,496 Undesignated 215, ,367 Permanently restricted - endowment 209, ,854 Total net assets 434, ,717 Total liabilities and net assets $ 543,092 $ 544,634

9 All This was made possible by our generous funders. The Board of Directors, Staff, and the thousands of individuals these progams have impacted want to THANK YOU! NH Charitable Foundation~Neil and Louise Tillotson Foundation~New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services~New Hampshire Department of Education~New Hampshire School Administrative Unit #3~New Hampshire School Administrative Unit #20 ~Harbor Homes, Inc.~Linden Foundation~Madelaine von Weber Trust~Doris L. Benz Trust~Women s Fund of NH~Hesed Foundation ~The Couch Family Foundation~Plum Creek Foundation~Page Hill Foundation~Finlay Foundation~Gorham, Randolph, Shelburne Educational Foundation~Boston Red Sox Foundation~Randolph Foundation~UPS Foundation~Granite United Way~Northway Bank ~Bank of New Hampshire~Towns of Gorham, Randolph & Shelburne, New Hampshire~New Hampshire State Council on the Arts ~Easter Seals NH~Brookfield US Foundation~Merchants Automotive~Berlin City Auto Group~Randolph Church~Passumpsic Bank ~U.S. Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service~Prudential Coulombe Real Estate~Robert Chapman, Sr. ~US Department of Veteran s Affairs~Marion Cohen Charitable Trust~The Byrne Foundation~NH Children s Trust Inc.~Gilbert Verney Foundation ~Thomas & Elizabeth Kelsey~AutoNorth *All photos in this report are of FRC program participants. Looking for a smart investment for your charitable dollars? Start with the kids! Every donation made to the FRC is tax deductable.

10 Key Contacts Executive Director Hon. James E. Michalik, Retired x 304 judge.michalik@frc123.org Director of Administration Marie Demers x 300 marie.demers@frc123.org Accounting & Billing Chris Brockett ext 302 chris.brockett@frc123.org Family Support Programs/Help for Families Sue Watson, Director x 303 sue.watson@frc123.org Project Youth & Afterschool Programs Judy Arsenault, Program Director x 306 judy.arsenault@frc123.org Check out what s happening at the FRC by liking us on Facebook! FRC Locations: Colebrook Gorham Lancaster Littleton The Family Resource Center 123 Main Street Gorham, NH (603) Telephone (603) Fax