Annual Report 08 “Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging” —Joseph Campbell P2 of Trustees, and unwavering support of a broad base of donors—is defined from by our resolve to face down our challenges together. Letter the JBFCS’s commitment to serving the needs of our fellow New Yorkers has never wavered and I am proud that every day we are making a difference CEO in the lives of families, children and individuals we serve in our community clinics, residential facilities, day treatment programs and foster care homes, Friends, therapeutic counseling services across the five boroughs and Westchester. As I reflect on the past year and deliberate on the future of JBFCS, I am We are at another precipice in our nation’s history—a time of overwhelming affirmatively hopeful. I wish to thank you all for being a part of this journey, promise and enormous uncertainty. The mission of JBFCS—to provide New and look forward to the work ahead. Yorkers of all socio-economic, ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds access to services to support their potential to be productive, healthy, contributing members of their communities—is never more important and more urgent than at the present time. In spite of great challenges, our nation has managed to reach great heights in the midst of significant moments in history, from the migrations of people to this country in the 19th Century to the Great Depression which Paul Levine established a new social contract to the Civil Rights Movement which Executive Vice President and CEO transformed social and political relations in our society. Each new era has brought opportunities for JBFCS to expand programmatically and grow EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT TEAM FOR JBFCS financially. JBFCS has always stood firm, dug deep, and consistently come Paul Levine, LCSW Ronald Ries, CPA Kathleen McGlade, PhD, LCSW together as a community to create new approaches to building community Executive Vice President and CEO Chief Financial Officer Associate Executive Director partnerships, developing innovative programs, achieving success for those Leonard I. Rodriguez, LCSW-R Carol Davidson Susan M. Bear, LCSW-R Deputy Executive Director Associate Executive Director of Assistant Executive Director we serve, expanding our base of supporters, and strengthening the talent of External Affairs Susan Wiviott, JD Mary Pender Greene, LCSW-R our staff. The success of our community—a core of committed volunteers, Deputy Executive Director Ellen Josem, JD Assistant Executive Director Associate Executive Director the families and children we serve, a highly talented staff, a committed Board and General Counsel P3 65,000 stories. 175 programs. One central truth. Adults Living with Mental Illness Children and Adolescents They are extraordinary people living ordinary lives. They are the most vulnerable of our community: our children. As community The fabric of everyday life is sewn together by ordinary events: the celebration partners, it is our commitment to create protective, supportive and nurturing spaces of birthdays and holidays; the act of going to work or taking children to school. for children of all ages to thrive, achieve long-term success and healthily transition However, the undertaking of these events are compounded by anxiety, depression, into adulthood. bipolar disorder or schizophrenia as they navigate their daily lives. At JBFCS we have pioneered and sustained successful programs serving children One in four adults—26.2 percent of Americans—suffer from a diagnosable in preschool and young adults in high school. Based on thorough needs assessment, mental disorder in any given year. At JBFCS we offer individuals and families a we serve high-needs children who require specialized services and care. Children continuum of care treatment plan to address the needs of those struggling with who are developmentally challenged, severely autistic, emotionally troubled, mental health. Through our residential facilities, day treatment programs and out- sexually abused. Many suffer the effects of trauma, and are cared for in special needs patient counseling services clients receive care by compassionate practitioners based nursery classes, pre-school classes, foster care structures, day treatment facilities and on long standing best practices. residential programs. Children come to us through a variety of community sources; some are required and others come on their own. Spend some time talking to Larry and he will tell you exactly how paranoid delusions Meet Edward, a senior in high school. feel: why he cannot talk to you and listen to the radio at the same time. He will tell you about A year ago he was an A student, involved in lots of social activities, with a plan for the anger that flares up when he feels unfairly greeted by another person and the hours college. He was also becoming increasingly aware of his bisexuality. As a young man of color spent reasoning himself down from the fierce rage he feels, which is covered by a perfectly and coming from a close-knit society that does not allow for the expression of same sex flat expression. Larry has paranoid schizophrenia; now in remission and under control, but attraction, Edward became traumatized by his situation. He began to disengage from his still very much a part of his daily life. Although Larry has lived in an adult home for many social activities and his grades began to spiral down. Last January, he was hospitalized for years, through JBFCS he was able to find supportive housing for himself and his wife, where a threat of suicide. His diagnosis: major depression. After spending a week in a psychiatric he cooks meals, pays bills and has friends over. Also, through a JBFCS work rehabilitation unit he was discharged home where a mobile crisis team met with him and his family and program, he found a job. He still attends a JBFCS day treatment program two days a week identified a JBFCS outpatient treatment clinic for on-going psychiatric services. and says the therapeutic groups are “home” to him. Edward is still in therapy and thriving. College is still in the works. P4 Annual reports are an important part of an ongoing dialogue with In simple terms, we help those in need to find their way. We serve our key supporters and partners. But what can sometimes be lost in New Yorkers from all ethnic, racial, socio-economic and religious the sea of numbers—particularly in an organization as multifaceted as backgrounds through a network of social service and mental health ours—is a sense of what JBFCS really does, and the individual stories programs across all five boroughs and Westchester. Our services span of those we serve. the range of life’s great hurdles, from birth to end of life. Counseling Families Living with Trauma Counseling and mental health services are at the center of virtually all JBFCS Imagine what happens when the natural stillness of a lake is disturbed by tossing programs. Our social workers, case managers, psychologists and psychiatrists are among in a pebble. the most qualified in their respective fields. JBFCS’s clinical standards and methodologies Recall the echoes from a shout made while hiking through a canyon. provide models of care that are replicated in programs across the country—setting Trauma is that ripple effect in the lake; it’s the echo that goes on in the distance. outcomes and benchmarks for other social service organizations. Most importantly, Children and families exposed to poverty and racism experience trauma at JBFCS’s approach to counseling fosters hope in the lives of the individuals and embraces disproportionately high rates. Trauma exposure causes long lasting, life-altering their potential to be productive, healthy, contributing members of their communities. consequences. JBFCS is at the forefront of research and practice in the area of trauma. We have learned that adverse experiences, ranging from child abuse and domestic violence to rape and gun violence, often result in a wide range of behavioral and psychological consequences. We know that these consequences lead to an increased propensity for angry, aggressive, suicidal behavior, chemical dependency, and engaging in criminal activity. Those most profoundly affected by trauma’s lasting imprint are children and veterans. Mary is a lawyer in her early 40’s who experienced a highly chaotic and traumatic At three years old, Sammy has experienced more trauma than anyone should experience in a lifetime. childhood. She suffers from bipolar disorder which has periodically led to deep depressions Sammy entered a JBFCS program because he was displaying aggressive behavior at pre-school. When and extreme manic episodes. As a means of “self-medicating,” she turned to alcohol and drugs, he first joined, Sammy received appropriate supervision to support his adjustment to his new class. In the small-group environment, his playgroup leader was able to positively interact with Sammy one-on-one, to eventually becoming highly addicted and out of control. Addictions severely interfered with develop his trust and uncover what was behind his outbursts. every aspect of her life—from her efforts to obtain a law degree to her attempts to establish Sammy shared that he had witnessed his mother in a life threatening situation. His frantic, aggressive a positive supportive social life. When Mary came to JBFCS she had “hit bottom.” Mary found behavior was based in the trauma he had sustained and his ongoing fear that violence and terrifying JBFCS provided a safe and caring environment in which she could rebuild her life, her experiences could be anywhere. relationships and her career. She completed her law degree and passed the bar exam. She Once the nature of the situation had been revealed, JBFCS staff immediately contacted Sammy’s mother to help her face the on-going danger in the relationship with her partner.