Arlene Lospinoso, a Woman making a Difference
We are so pleased to announce that former FCS Board Chair and our current FCS Navarumsunk Auxiliary President Arlene Lospinoso was recently awarded the Junior League of Monmouth County’s 2016 Women Making a Difference Community Volunteer Award! The JLMC initiated the award three years ago “ ...to recognize the many valuable contributions being made by women volunteers in our local community.” Arlene was one of 15 women nominated for the award by representatives of area nonprofit organizations.Read more
Gaining Strength through Adversity
Happy Fall everyone! We at FCS are looking forward to the change of season, especially in light of a very challenging summer. Last month over the Labor Day holiday weekend, a plumbing failure caused more than 33,000 gallons of water to flow continuously throughout our office building, flooding hallways, the kitchen, Board room, server room, several offices and our reception area. Read more
Wrapping Up another Healthy School Year
Older Americans: Blazing A Trail
May is Older Americans Month, an opportunity for us to recognize the perennial contributions of older Americans to our communities. Today older Americans are living longer and more healthfully than ever before. Many are blazing trails, pursuing fulfilling second careers or finding inspiration through meaningful volunteer work. At FCS, (Family & Children's Service,) we are enormously grateful for the contributions of our more than 300 Retired and Senior Volunteers who are the mainstay of our Reading Buddies, Healthy Buddies and SHIP programs. We are also appreciative of the hard work provided by many of the older volunteers who help guide our agency and raise funds for our programs and services. But as a nonprofit social service agency, we recognize that many older Americans face significant challenges as they age, challenges that they may not be able to meet on their own.
Do Your Parents Need Help? Look for These Warning Signs
Perhaps you’ve started to notice that mom’s getting more and more forgetful. Her once organized house seems a bit less tidy and she is even missing important appointments. And dad’s not getting around like he used to. Getting up from a chair is harder for him and he seems unsure and unbalanced walking. You notice these changes, but aren’t sure if it’s anything to worry about, or what to do. Read more
Welcome to the FCS Family!
Celebrating our Extraordinary "Aides of the Month"
The choice to hire a Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) to care for your loved one may actually save his or her life! Recently our CHHA Maria Anchietta used her in-service training to identify symptoms of a stroke in her patient. Maria immediately called 911 and the patient was transferred to the hospital before further stroke damage could occur. Outstanding service and caring professionalism are two of the many reasons Maria and several of her colleagues were recently named “Aide of the Month” by Family & Children’s Service (FCS) Home Care Services.
Susan Sorokolit, 2015 Lifetime Service Award Honoree
It is with great pleasure that we will be honoring Susan Sorokolit, faithful volunteer, enthusiastic advocate, and gifted relationship builder, with our 2015 Lifetime Service Award at this year's FCS Gala, "E Komo Mai o Hawaii,” or Welcome to Hawaii, Saturday, October 24 at the Navesink Country Club. Read more
The Importance of Gratitude
Authored by FCS CEO, Delly Beekman
Here at Family & Children’s Service, our full Staff gets together formally once a month and included in the agenda is a celebration of birthdays, recognition of work anniversaries and an opportunity to publicly express gratitude to each other for efforts over the past month. It is a ritual that reminds us that “each of us affects all of us,” a phrase that we took to heart during a team-building workshop this year.
Gratitude is very important to me. A quick search on the internet finds a simple definition: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Read more
This Aide of the Month brings Empathy to her Work
Larissa Frenkel knows what it’s like to experience loss. At 62, she has lost two parents and two husbands to terminal illness. She also has had to say goodbye to her only daughter after leaving her homeland for a new home, thousands of miles away.
Growing up in her native Ukraine, Larissa was just 11 years-old when her mother died, leaving her to care for a grieving father and siblings. Running a household at such a young age forced Larissa to grow up quickly and leave childhood behind, but she says, "I did what I had to do."