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Tool Box |
The Massachusetts Commission for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren has compiled a great guide to assist in finding local resources. It can be found on the mass.gov web site at the following link Grandparents Resource Guide. |
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Therapeutic Home Care Program Party |
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THC (Therapeutic Home Care) had a very special visit from a Christmas Elf and Santa at their holiday party this year. The Christmas Elf brought some games, balloon animals, face painting, and music, while Santa brought gifts for all the children who attended. Everyone who attended had a great time.
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Therapeutic Foster Homes Needed |
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Family Continuity's Therapeutic Home Care Program
is looking for loving
Therapeutic Foster Homes
to provide structure & support for children with emotional, developmental, or behavioral needs, with the ultimate goal of reuniting the children with their families.
Respite Homes
are also needed for our clients who are living full time with their families, in order to provide a safe place for the child to stay for brief periods of time on a scheduled basis & in times when the child's family is in crisis.
As a Foster or Respite Home, you will receive:
~Therapeutic Training ~
~ A Monetary Stipend ~
~ Access to our 24-Hour Crisis Hotline ~
Please join us in making a difference for these children
& their families. If you are interested in receiving more information about Therapeutic Home Care Foster & Respite Homes, Please Contact Us at: Family Continuity-Therapeutic Home Care Program 9 Centennial Drive, Suite 202, Peabody, MA 978-927-9260 Program Director Stephanie Magdis smagdis@familycontinuity.org
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SAIL Program Holiday Party |
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SAIL (Supporting and Assisting Independent Living) celebrated the holidays this year in one of the conference rooms at our Peabody site. The room was festively decorated by our THC staff. All residents happily participated in opening MANY wonderful gifts that were donated from local businesses,
community organizations, and the friends and family of SAIL staff.
Everyone enjoyed sharing food from our favorite eateries in
Beverly while listening to holiday music. We are so grateful for
all the amazing support. Just look at those smiling faces.
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New Kitchen Floor Needed for SAIL |
Our SAIL Program in Beverly is in desperate need of having its kitchen floor replaced. The linoleum is cracked and peeling. We are looking for someone to donate the materials and labor to replace the floor.
If interested, please call Program Director Kathy Heffernan at 978-927-7905. |
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Lowell Wrap Program Holiday Events |
Cookie Baking Event  The Lowell Wraparound Program heard from lots of their families that with what the economy is like it was going to be hard to purchase something for a teacher or a neighbor who has helped them over the year. In late November we planned to have a cookie baking afternoon so that the children and parents could make cookies for gifts.
Having never offered it before we were unclear how it would turn out. As the dozens of cookies went into the oven, we realized it was a huge success. Other families heard about it and asked if we would do it again. The following Sunday we had a second afternoon of baking cookies and making crafts. Since we had lots of cookie dough left over, we made all the cookies we had available and paid it forward by providing the extras to soup kitchens for Monday's lunch meal. We plan to have this become an annual event.  New Year's Dance
 As we all know, lots of families celebrate New Year's Eve as a tradition. Many families with special needs children are unable to attend typical events due to many reasons. Some children do not do well with lots of people, parents are uncomfortable that their child might have a melt down and have others become judgmental of the behavior.
We changed all of that for many Family Continuity clients on January 1, 2010. On New Year's Night the Lowell Wrap Program decided to turn the clock back and pretend the New Year had not yet occurred. We even had a count down with a balloon drop. Abducted Entertainment did a great job providing a great night of dancing and craft making for all to enjoy. Our New Year's Dance was a huge a success with well over 75 children and adults at the dance. One of the children who doesn't do well in many situations told the program director that it was one of the best things he has ever gotten to do. He asked if he we would be doing it again. Last week he got a call from the Program Director letting him know that we will be having a Valentine's Day Dance on February 13th at the Tewksbury United Methodist Church from 6PM - 10PM. The Program Director heard a scream on the other end of the phone. It was the child telling his mom they had an appointment to do something for Valentines Day. All Family Continuity clients are invited to come and have a good time. Learn More About Lowell Wrap Program.
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Wish List |
We are in need of the following items. If you are interested in donating an item, please call Ginny Irving at 508-815-5120 or email girving@familycontinuity.org.
- New kitchen floor for our SAIL Program
- Furniture for our 6 therapy rooms in Lawrence
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Thank You! |
Family Continuity is grateful to have the support of the following donors to our Family Support Fund last month:
Earl Stuck, Sr.
Cecilia Roddy
We appreciate their support in meeting our mission to support family success in every community!
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Real Stories |
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Real Stories are submitted by clients who want to share the success they had thanks to the support and services provided by Family Continuity.
PETE'S STORY
We are the parents of Pete, a 12 year old boy who is diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome as well as some other learning disabilities. This has proven to be a real challenge for both Pete and us as parents, as we believe it is for many families. One of the most difficult aspects that we have faced throughout this long process has been in knowing about and accessing services. In most cases, services for children like Pete exist, but navigating through the roadblocks to gain access to these services can be very difficult, especially alone.
This is why we write this letter today, to express our sincere gratitude to the groups at CASSP (Child and Adolescent Service System Program) that have made our navigation to services easier.
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Family Continuity's Mission Statement:
Supporting family success in every community by empowering people, enhancing their strengths, and creating solutions through partnerships to achieve hope, positive change and meaningful lives.
Agency Values: Family, Community, Advocacy, Leadership, and Change Treatment Philosophy, founded on the belief that positive change is always possible:
* The most effective treatment provides a continuity of care, acknowledging that connected, relevant supportive services to clients/client families promote recovery, stability, self advocacy and permanency in the midst of changing needs.
* Therapeutic change occurs in the context of a dynamic treatment partnership between clients and helpers that is founded on choice, respect, honesty, and a shared responsibility for and participation in the development of solutions.
* Effective treatment is empowering and strength-based, recognizing that all clients possess resources for change and that change is possible when these resources are utilized.
* Creating meaningful lives starts with identifying goals and connecting that to individualized, flexible and creative treatment planning that incorporates a client's family/community relationships, culture, and context. |
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