• HANDLE WITH CARE
  Annual Fund
• Circle of Hope
  An Endowment
• Make a Planned Gift
  Leave a Legacy
• Holiday Giving Program
  Help a Family
• Year-Round Pantry
  New Basic Items

	HANDLE WITH CARE is the annual fund of Family & Children Services and provides a unique safety net for immediate client needs and client services when there is no other source in the community.
	Open your heart and consider a gift to HANDLE WITH CARE. It is truly an investment in our most vulnerable families. The need in our community has never been greater. For more information contact: Development Office 1608 Lake Street Kalamazoo, MI 49001 (269) 344-0202 Make a Secure Online Donation to HANDLE WITH CARE!
Recent Requests From Workers on Behalf of Their Clients Provided rent assistance for a family being served by our Family Preservation Program to help them relocate after a landlord refused to address a pre-existing bedbug infestation. Purchased fans during the extreme heat of the summer for a fifteen-year-old boy with Autism and neurological complications that prevented him from being able to regulate his body temperature. Assisted a seventeen-year-old boy being treated in the Counseling Center for debilitating anxiety with his summer school tuition to help him catch up academically and move toward his goal of going to college. Restored heat and power for an unemployed grandfather, who was the relative foster parent of his granddaughter, when the family fell behind on utility payments. Provided an infant car seat for a single mother after she expressed to her in-home family therapist that she felt her child was in danger being transported in a broken seat.
Dear HANDLE WITH CARE Donor, "My family and I would like to take a few minutes of your time to thank you so very much for the donations. Because of your generosity my family and I still have our apartment to call home. Times have been so very hard the past year with the lack of work and the cold winter. I, as a father, haven't been able to provide a steady enough income for my family, but with your help it has shed a badly needed light on me, also more important my girlfriend and two children. We thank you all so very much!!! You've shown in more than words how important it is to give." - Recipient
Dear HANDLE WITH CARE Donor, "I don't know where to start because of what you've done for my son. I can't thank you enough. With this Ipad, he can communicate with other people on his own, and learn to say more words too! This means so much to me, now I can hear the words, 'I love you mommy' and for that I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart." -Recipient Gifts to Family & Children Services, Inc. are deductible for income tax purposes. The agency has been designated by the Internal Revenue Service as a nonprofit organization that meets the qualifications of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue code.

Circle of Hope Endowment has been essential to preserving direct client services, reducing the disabling impact of state funding fluctuations, and providing innovation funding in support of best practices in emerging areas of need.  Several years ago Family & Children Services quietly engaged in the work of increasing its Circle of Hope Endowment in order to ensure long term sustainability of vital services.  Generous community support and participation by 100% of our Board of Directors were instrumental in building this essential Agency safety net. We invite you as an important partner in Family & Children Services’ work to make a gift or pledge to Circle of Hope Endowment.  In its recent past, endowment fund use has contributed significantly to the preservation, stability and development of vital Agency services including: Investment of $50,000 in pilot funding for Trauma Assessment and Treatment Services for the most severely abused of 175 children now in our foster homes.  Without critical early assessment and treatment staff members are hampered in making strong placement recommendations and supporting foster and adoptive families with clinical treatment, which is predictive of success.  This pilot attracted an additional $130,000 in foundation and private donor investment…yet the waiting list for foster children in need of this under-reimbursed service grows daily.  Services to 50 adults with severe mental illness were reinstated with $118,000 when state funding cuts threatened fragile adult clients’ recovery progress and would have likely resulted in costly relapses. Endowment dollars helped stabilize the Agency by bridging the ever widening gap between contract revenues and expenses.  Agency expenses increased 9% over the last three years, while contract revenues remain at maintenance levels or are decreasing. Using these few examples, you can imagine the number of lives that have been touched by Family & Children Services through the generosity of caring individuals over the last 108 years.  Conversely, think what families and children might have endured without Family & Children Services providing hope and healing through child welfare and behavioral health services to 8,000 clients annually.  Please partner with Family & Children Services and make a gift or pledge to Circle of Hope Endowment.  Development Office 1608 Lake Street Kalamazoo, MI 49001 (269) 344-0202 Download Pledge Form Make a Secure Online Donation to Circle of Hope Endowment!
Gifts to Family & Children Services, Inc. are deductible for income tax purposes. The agency has been designated by the Internal Revenue Service as a nonprofit organization that meets the qualifications of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue code.

Making a Planned Gift LEAVE A LEGACY - HELP YOUR COMMUNITY - SAVE MONEY YOU DON’T NEED A LAWYER! You can remember Family & Children Services in your estate plan for free with a 100% charitable deduction to your estate. How can I include Family & Children Services in my estate? [1] Name Family & Children Services as full or partial beneficiary on your IRA; or [2] Name Family & Children Services as full or partial beneficiary on your life insurance policy or investment accounts See your attorney about a simple codicil or amendment to your will or trust. Your accountant can explain to you the tax benefits of a gift. They are easy and do not interfere with your use of your money!
	Contact: Rosemary Gardiner, CEO (269) 344-0202 Pro bono planned giving consultants that will assist on behalf of Family & Children Services: Michele Marquardt Craig Lubben Bob Jansen Larry Wilson Ross Chapman
Gifts to Family & Children Services, Inc. are deductible for income tax purposes. The agency has been designated by the Internal Revenue Service as a nonprofit organization that meets the qualifications of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue code.

The Holiday Giving Program
Holiday Giving is an opportunity to support a local family during the Holiday Season.  Individuals, church groups, businesses, classrooms, etc. may "adopt" a family and provide them with gifts and/or food. Family & Children Services will match donors with individual client families. Holiday Giving allows you to bring joy into the homes of others less fortunate.  It is an activity that warms the heart of everyone involved. Holiday Giving supports clients of Family & Children Services.  Many of these families include some of the most vulnerable children in Kalamazoo and Calhoun Counties.
Individuals and Families Reached through the Holiday Giving Program in 2011 During the 2011 Holiday Season the Holiday Giving Program was supported by 92 generous community donors. The program met the the needs of 152 local families and over 470 individuals in Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties. Of those served by the program, 122 were foster children.
In-House Holiday Store In-House Holiday Store expands the impact of the Holiday Giving Program.   Often, a family's need comes to the attention of their therapist or worker during the final hours before the holiday. The In-House Holiday Store allows our staff to respond and provide individuals in need with donated items allowing them to have something to give to their children during the holiday.  The In-House Store is entirely stocked by community donations from individuals, schools, churches, local businesses and corporations. Please see the Kalamazoo Gazette Article featuring the In-House Holiday Store.
Each holiday season Family & Children Services invites the community to make donations of new items to the In-House Holiday Store including: Toys (All ages – all types) Hobby kits (beading, models, etc) Stuffed Animals Games – Family/Children Books (Various reading levels) Art Supplies (Coloring books – markers – colored pencils – play dough, etc) Clothing – All ages and sizes (infant to adult) Kitchen Utensils Cleaning Supplies (Buckets, mops, brooms) Bedding  (Sheets, pillow cases)
We sincerely appreciate your interest in helping families in need.  A contribution to the In-House Holiday Store will make a big difference this holiday season.  For more information contact:  Tom Crabiel Holiday Giving Program Coordinator 269 344-0202 tomc@fcsource.org Andrew Tomacari Resource Development Manager 269 344-0202 andrewt@fcsource.org

Year-Round Pantry
A wonderful way for businesses, organizations, families and individuals to partner with the Agency is a general donation to our Year-Round Pantry.  With the help of community donors we are able to provide our clients with many daily essentials throughout the year.  You can make a difference in the lives of vulnerable families by donating new items to the Year-Round Pantry.   For more information contact: Development Office (269) 344-0202 Drop new items: 1608 Lake Street Kalamazoo, MI 49001 (or) 778 West Columbia Avenue Battle Creek, MI 49015 F&CS staff, Rich and Maura, providing immediate assistance to client families through the Year-Round Pantry
Back to School Items
		Spiral Notebooks Colored Pencils Markers Crayons Scissors Kleenex Pencils Pencil Boxes or Pouches	Sturdy Backpacks Glue Stix Three Ring Binders Highlighters Notebook Paper Pens Calculators
General Pantry Items
Diapers* Pull-Ups or Training Pants Baby Wipes Baby Shampoo *All sizes and brands are in demand Shampoo & Conditioner Bath & Body Soap Deodorant Toothbrushes Toothpaste Hand / Body Lotion Facial Tissue Shaving Cream & Razors Anti-bacterial Hand Wash Any kind of Travel Size Toiletries Travel Toiletry Bags Paper Towels Sponges Dish Soap Household Cleansers Cleaning Bucket Kitchen Towels Laundry Soaps Fabric softener Laundry basket Legos Educational toys Play Doh Play Trucks and Cars Coloring Books Art Supplies Journals Hand-held Video Games Board Games Scrap Book Supplies Kitchen Towels Bath Towels Hand Towels Twin Sheets Full Sheets Blankets Pillow Cases Pillows Boxes of New Dishes Silverware Glasses Pots Pans Napkins