Carl Boyd, Neighborhood Ally-Camden City Partnership, was a featured panelist at the Social Interventions Research and Intervention Network webinar. The panelists discussed survey results from the Camden Coalition and whether or not these findings aligned with the perspectives of complex care consumers and patient advocates. Thanks Carl for always sharing your voice to better your community.

PowerCorps was highlighted by their partners at the Delaware River Keepers Network for their efforts to prevent flooding and improve conditions at Reverend Evers Park in Camden. Thank you to the PowerCorps team for leading environmental change in Camden City. Watch their spotlight feature here! 

Thank you to the Public Relations/Development and Operations teams for another successful Golf Outing. The event raised critical funds for families, children and teens to have access to services that will lead them on a path to healing and self-sufficiency. 

Riley Keenan, Program Director-Coordinated Assessment and Kaleidoscope Advocate, advocated at the New Jersey State House, alongside partners NJ Coalition to End Domestic Violence, for a bill supporting youth mental health. He was also given a Community Impact Award from NJCEDV. Riley, thank you for working diligently to support the LGBTQIA+ community and ensuring teens have access to mental health treatment.

Jennifer Lainez

Family Support Case Worker - Juntos

Q: Describe your current role. How do you think your role fosters our vision of all people leading capable, responsible, fulfilled lives?

A: I’m currently a Family Support Casework working with unaccompanied minors especially in the Hispanic community. My main role is providing post release services and resources like legal, medical, and educational support to families to make them feel capable, responsible, and safe to settle in the community. When I was an unaccompanied minor in this program I saw how one of the case managers assessed my family, and I was inspired. I chose this career, because of the people who helped me as an unaccompanied minor. I went to college and got my Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and always wanted to be in immigration field, which I'm doing right now, and I'm very happy. 

Q: What has surprised you most about working at Center For Family Services? The nonprofit sector, in general?

A: Despite the company being big it concentrates on the well-being of and working with families and youth. When I first started working here, I got a shelter tour. It surprised me seeing how the shelters worked with minors to make them feel like they’re with family. They provide food and clothes, get them familiar with other kids, and have activities. They make them feel like family as they wait to be reunified with their families.

Q: What is your personal philosophy/vision? How do you tie these values to those of Center For Family Services?

A: My values go alongside some of the mission of Center For Family Services, like supporting families and communities and providing a better quality of life for minors through hope. Above all I would say empathy. I’d like to share this quote, “Your vision will become clear only when you look into your own heart. Who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakes.”

Q: What three things do you hope to have accomplished at the end of your career?

A: In the future I’d like to become an immigration lawyer. That’s my dream. Until then, I want to continue working with immigrants and advocate for minors and families.



Q: If you could sing one song on American Idol (or The Voice), what would it be?

A: “Who You Are” by Jessie J. To me, this song means to me that no one is perfect and that we can be unique in our own way. Like she says, there’s nothing wrong with who you are. 

Q: If you could live anywhere on this planet and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose to live? Why?

A: I love nature, and if I could live somewhere it would be a tropical island with water and nature. Nature brings peace.

We want to highlight YOU! 

If interested in being featured, email Jennifer DeSimone-Jewell.

Staff Snapshot

The Trauma and Violence Prevention team recently had a wellness retreat. Staff came together in the Pine Barrens and participated in team-building exercises, drumming circles, gong meditation, and the science of hope goal-setting. Great work creatively bringing your team together and supporting their well-being. 

Shout out to the SERV team for cooking a special Mother's Day Breakfast for the residents of the Cumberland County Domestic Violence Safe House. Staff cook for the residents on a monthly basis with the residents sitting around the dining table talking with the staff. Wonderful job celebrating residents and connecting with one another. Staff pictured from left to right are: Latrevette Herring - Residential Advocate, Carla Glanville-Residential Supervisor, and Candice Carter-Housing Navigator.  

The Morris and Sussex team celebrated Administrative Professionals’ Day with a special lunch to honor the amazing work that the administrative team do on a daily basis. Thank you to all administrative employees for the behind the scenes work you do to keep programs running smoothly. 

Shout out to the most recent RecoveryCorps cohort on their graduation. You’ve made an incredible impact on those in your community. Thank you for your service.  

Inland Family Success Center and New Day Family Success Center recently teamed up to hold a Children’s Health Fair. Wonderful job getting sponsors, volunteers, and over 50 community partners involved in this event! Thank you for going above and beyond to support your community’s well-being. 

The SERV team was out in the community during April in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Staff members gave a presentation to the Gloucester County Commission for Women and received a proclamation from the county. Pictured here are staff members Kevin Eli, Confidential Sexual Violence Advocate, and Jacqueline Melendez, Confidential Sexual Violence Advocate Coordinator

Together, with nearly 100 different organizations from across the South New Jersey community, Center For Family Services staff members along with their friends and family marched together in unity at the Haddon Township Pride Parade. It was a beautiful night on Haddon Avenue and the welcoming environment and support from the 7,000 + folks in the crowd was remarkable. 

Center For Family Services held an administrative staff appreciation event at the 1 Alpha office. Team members enjoyed lunch from a local food truck and had the opportunity to play games and connect with each other. Thank you to each administrative department for the incredible work you do behind the scenes every day.

News

Celebrating Success

Recognizing your work in changing lives. 

The team from the SAIF program would like to share a client’s success story. The client was released from jail in October and is on probation. He was living in a motel which was being paid by Emergency Assistance and completed an intensive outpatient program and relapse prevention. The client registered for project myride so he could get to probation in Atlantic County easier. He is now working in the bakery department at Shoprite full time and doing well. He’s also moved out of the motel and is now residing in a rooming house in Wildwood. Thank you for sharing this story and making such a positive impact on your clients’ lives. 

The Preventions Connections team has been working hard to plan a variety of activities for Warren County youth. In March, they held their 8th Annual Warren County Teen Summit. The summit focused on how wellness starts within yourself with listening to your body and mind. New Jersey District 23 Senator Douglas J. Steinhardt was in attendance and spoke to youth about mental health and substance use. Over 100 attendees participated in breakout sessions that centered around topics like managing finances, mindfulness, and healthy relationships.

At Warren Hills High School, staff worked with students during Teen Dating Awareness Month to discuss what love looks like and how to show yourself love. They also worked with a student group to hold a mental health summit for freshmen with breakout groups hosted by senior students. Topics included dealing with academic stress, mental health and athletics, and setting boundaries.

During Take Down Tobacco Month, the team had students from several middle schools share their reasons for not using tobacco. Students also wrote reasons why tobacco use is unhealthy and displayed this in their school. Staff have also worked with youth on activities related to Random Acts of Kindness Week, Stress Awareness Month, Earth Day, Social Emotional Learning Day, and Alcohol Awareness Month.

Thank you to staff members Jessica Szczepanik, Director, and Jessica Bartelloni, Warren Hills Community Coalition Coordinator, for not only guiding students but also educating them on how to live healthier and happier lives. 

Building Bridges Family Success Center has been working on an ESL class for the past few years, and it hit a wall during COVID because the virtual classes didn’t seem to work for the students. At the end of October 2023 staff began another ESL course, this time with Andrea Garcia, their new Bilingual Family Partner, and these classes have really taken off. The opening class had around 30+ students showing interest, and about half of them have been able to consistently attend the classes since then. Staff now have a consistent ESL class weekly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Andrea has been in charge of creating, planning, and teaching the ESL class. She has been a great addition to their team since joining the agency almost one year ago. Andrea has worked very hard in bringing together the community for the ESL classes, but she has also been a great advocate and partner for the schools in their area. She has worked with Enrique Arreola, Program Supervisor, in doing some of the after school programs and events, and it really has shown to be impactful for the parents to get comfortable with Andrea.

CH, a participant in their ESL program, has been coming since the first time they had a class in 2018. She has been one of the most dedicated members of the class. When she began, she wasn’t comfortable speaking nor reading and would get very nervous. Fast forward to 2024 and she is reading out loud, counting in English, listening to videos and other things in English. She has been improving every day but the most important part of all of this is her dedication to learning. She is at every class and every tutoring session that staff hold an hour before class. She does all of her homework and journals daily. Her hardworking attitude has been very contagious in the class and has motivated many students to join her in tutoring sessions and other activities to further their learning.

Building Bridges Family Success Center holds weekly ESL classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6pm - 7:30pm, with a tutoring session from 5:15pm - 6pm on Wednesdays (45 minutes before class starts). The classes focus on the conversational side of English, with topics such as doctor visits, school appointments, ordering food, shopping, pharmacy visits etc. Classes are held at the center at 180 White Horse Pike, Clementon, NJ 08021. If anyone is interested, they can come to a class and feel it out. If it is something that works for them - time and days, it being conversational, the material learned etc - they can sign up after the class. Please contact Enrique Arreola for more information.

Wonderful job to the Building Bridges team for working hard to establish this ESL class and making learning English accessible for those in your community. 

The Navigator Exchange Program was part of the Cover All Kids initiative launch in Camden City alongside several community partners. This initiative hopes to enroll every eligible child in New Jersey in free or low-cost government health insurance regardless of immigration status.

Staff were also recently part of a commercial for the Cover All Kids initiative. The commercial was filmed at the Promise Neighborhood Family Success Center. The videographer took some shots of Bilingual Navigator, Michelle Lamar Drake (pictured here), assisting a consumer inside the building. The commercial will direct consumers to contact our Navigator hotline for assistance enrolling their children, regardless of immigration status, in Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare.

Michelle helped with directing and interpreting. She made sure all the interactions and translations made sense. We're lucky to have her on our team. The Coalition was very happy to have such a trusted member of the program lend some time to this project. She was a major part of its success!

Thank you to Michelle and the Navigator team for speaking on the importance of children’s health coverage and connecting so many to high-quality healthcare.

Check out the Cover All Kids PSA featuring Michelle here.

Strong Teams and Stronger Relationships

Juntos is really proud of the strengthening in their relationship with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) during these last few months. Additionally, the team is proud of the multiple internal promotions within their program, to include an assistant director, and a program coordinator, and grateful for being able to identify growth and talent within staff. Staff recently had what ORR called the fastest international reunification case submittal, for a minor being reunified with their mom in Canada. These are not common within the ORR network and staff were proud to be able to assist in it.

The team was recently asked to meet with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a round table to provide them with information and insight that they will use for a nationwide report, and to use as a part of their building of tools that will help ORR providers nationwide ensure the safety and well being of the minors. We were also recently able to have a minor be present for the birth of his first child, and get him transferred in record time so that he could be with his partner and new baby.

Although it’s hard to pick just one or two, they’d like to shout out Carlos Aguirre, Transportation Coordinator-Juntos. He is a man who goes above and beyond daily to ensure that the minors we serve, along with the staff, are supported in many ways. In his off time, not only does he work in the health field, and helps the community as a pillar of faith. Alongside his wife, he serves some of the countries from which our minors come from, the latest one being Guatemala.

Great job to Carlos and the entire Juntos team for providing and care to minors and their families. 

ReStart’s Cape May County program, attended a large tabling event and made quite a few new local connections. They were asked by a few local agencies to present in their offices. They recently did one for a local agency that works to prevent substance abuse. Since their presentation, they have received multiple client referrals from this partner. Their first client referral was interested in going back to school. The client had quite a few obstacles and it was a process to get her where she needed to be.

After being denied assistance with paying for her short term certificate program from multiple different resources, staff never gave up and she was eventually found to be eligible through another grant. She made it through the intake/admissions process and now awaits her individualized education plan meeting. She will be able to start her Certified Clinical Medical Assistant course at the end of June. She is really pushing through all of her obstacles. She beat addiction, homelessness, and more all at the age of 20.

Cape May and Salem Counties were chosen this year for the New Beginnings Award for the Displaced Homemaker Network. Each county was able to choose a client deserving of this award. The clients received an award and a monetary gift. The ceremony showed how a group of women coming together can make a difference in the lives of many. Melissa Barron, Case Manager, was asked to join the Displaced Homemaker Network Board as the Secretary. She has learned a lot since joining. Members support one another and share situations they deal with in their offices with their clients.

Melissa would like to give a special shout out Renee Lyons, Employment Coach/Computer Instructor. Renee came from a social service organization and has brought a wealth of knowledge with her. There hasn't been a time where she was asked a difficult question and did not know the answer. Renee is like a walking resource. She has a resource stored in her brain for every situation. She amazes her colleagues each day with new things.

Renee often uses her personal experiences throughout her life to connect with clients. She is always taking the time to build a relationship with clients and learns each and every one of them so she knows how she can best assist them. Although Renee is part time, she is always working extra hours to make sure everyone is taken care of. She is not a "go to work, get done what you have to and go home" kind of person. She is always going above and beyond and both her clients and colleagues appreciate her so much.

Thank you to the ReStart team for supporting so many individuals in transitioning back into the workforce! Pictured here is Melissa Barron.

The LifeTies Mentoring program pairs youth with trained volunteer mentors with the goal to provide the presence of caring adults for youth. To highlight the impact mentoring has here are a few quotes and testimonials from both mentors and mentees.

“Being a mentor has allowed me to connect with young people who are at a challenging time in their life. Seeing them get their first job or obtain a license seems like a normal experience for most of us. For the young folks I mentor, it is a big step and a major accomplishment for them.” - Ida B., Mentor

“Having been through a great deal and variety of trauma in my own life, I always wished I had someone who had been through similar things and could help guide me through my more difficult times. With mentoring, I’m able to re-purpose my experiences to help others which in turn heals me. My experience with mentoring has been one of the most rewarding in my life”. Mandy M., Mentor

“Being a mentor means being radically present for your mentee. You can help, teach and sometime cajole, but mostly you need to be a steady and consistent presence in your mentee's life. And it is tremendously powerful to have a mentee graduate -- from high school or the mentoring program -- and be able to move forward with more strength. Why should you be a mentor? Sometimes it will be frustrating, annoying or just plain exhausting. But when you make a connection, when your mentee is weathering a tough spot, you can make a difference. And that makes it all worth the effort.” - Stephen S., Mentor

“ I feel like I couldn't ask for a better mentor. I just feel like she understands me. I could sit there with her for hours and just talk, laugh and cry without being judged. We just have fun together. We eat and go out places and I love that she takes the time out of her day to come see me. She's just so supportive with everything I do, though she might not like the decision I make, she is always there for me. This is why I love my mentor!” - Mentee

“Mentoring from my mentor has been great for me, because she helps me get back on track for school. She is willing to help me when something is not going right in my case. Also, she spends time with me and makes sure I am okay when things are not getting properly addressed. She has been very helpful and positive. If she wasn’t able to help me out the stuff I need help with, I wouldn’t think I would have been able to get back into school. She doesn’t bash me or even judge me!” - Mentee



Learn more about becoming a mentor. Help shape someone’s tomorrow. Become a mentor today.

Staff Shout Outs!

Bringing you kudos from your supervisors and coworkers. You make a difference to someone each day!

Lisa Carter, Case Manager-SERV & Zikea Wise-Hughes, DV Liaison-SERV

Shout out to Lisa and Zikea for their work with the Camden County Prosecutor's office in promoting human trafficking awareness.

Marianne Luyster, Case Manager-SAIF

Congratulations Marianne for getting inducted into the National Council of Phi Alpha Honor Society for social work students.

Training Resources

To register or view details for Scheduled Trainings, visit the Employee Portal Calendar or our Staff Resource page

Online Trainings and Webinars.

To view Recorded Trainings, visit our Staff Resource page: 

 Recorded Trainings and Webinars.

Visit

Relias Learning:

Relias Learning

Center For Family Services is a great place to grow as a professional. Take advantage of the ongoing training opportunities available to you.



We will continue to share additional resources and trainings as they become available and we encourage you to continue to check the Staff Resources, Employee Portal and the Training Calendar for continued updates.

For questions, please contact the Training Department.