What's new at Family Service Association?
So long, Barbara - and Thank You
After an amazing 25-year career at Family Service Association, Barbara Oliveira has retired. A lot has happened since 1987 when Barbara first joined Family Service Association. It was in July of that year when she began as a Mental Health Aide for the program which was, at that time, known as Geriatric Day Activity. It operated at First Baptist Church under a contract with the Department of Mental Health.
In the early 90s, FSA started the Social Day Program, which grew steadily, aided by Barbara’s experience and expertise. By 1996, Barbara became the manager of the Geriatric Day Activity program. And only a year later, this special “home away from home” for many of our community’s elders would make the important transition and become an Adult Day Health center, creating exciting new opportunities for the elder and disabled adult population. It eventually became known at Pine Haven Adult Day Health.
Barbara served at the helm as many important milestones were achieved. She was a pioneer in our agency’s first efforts at conducting intergenerational activities when her program teamed up with students from Kuss Middle School. And since 1999, and on a continuous basis, Barbara has provided training to her FSA colleagues in CPR and First Aide.
The Sports Banquet held each year at Pine Haven has been a marvelous showcase of the hard work and accomplishments of the program’s participants. Seasonal celebrations of every kind and description began to fill the Pine Haven calendar. Each year when our program sites are invited to wear red to support Women’s Heart Health…or pink to support Breast Cancer Research, the brightest colors and the most participation happens at Pine Haven.
Do you need a little holiday cheer? That might mean a visit from the Pine Haven carolers, who even entertained our Board of Directors at its December meeting.
All these things didn’t just happen on their own – they happened because of Barbara’s commitment to the agency and to her staff and program participants.
And speaking of the staff, in the fall of 2007, when FSA implemented the Award of Excellence, recognizing those staff persons who exemplify the important qualities that the agency cherishes and strives to achieve, Barbara was the second agency staff member to receive this award. It’s important to note that her nomination was made by her team of Pine Haven staff. And “team” is the appropriate term, because the importance of the “team effort” has always been one of Barbara’s highest priorities.
When the staff nominated Barbara for the award, the nomination form that came before the Recognition Committee was filled with words describing her like phenomenal, leadership, enthusiasm, understanding, compassion andinexhaustible energy. It said that Barbara“sets an extraordinary example and encourages us at the program to work hard and always be our best.”
Barbara set quite an example for her staff and beloved program participants. The bar has been raised by her leadership, and she has left an indelible imprint on our agency and on the lives of all she has touched. She departs FSA with our love, our respect and…most importantly…our thanks for an incredible “job well done.”
Kevin James is a mentor and an "Essential Piece"
The success of an company organization can almost always be traced to the talents, abilities and example set by the individuals who contribute to that success. At Family Service Association, there are a lot of these unique staff members – talented social service professionals who are driven by the agency's mission and values - always placing the importance of the team above that of the individual.
Kevin James of the FSA Therapeutic Mentoring program is just such a person. That’s why the FSA Recognition Committee selected him to receive special recognition in March of 2013 – the Essential Piece award, symbolizing his talent and ability to not only serve as an example to his colleagues, but to also motivate each of them them to do their best.
Kevin began his career with FSA in 2004 and now works as an important member of our Therapeutic Mentoring team. He was recently surprised by the members of the Recognition Committee and given his award in the presence of his very proud program staff. Congratulations, Kevin, on a job well done and for this much-deserved award.
FSA "Goes Red"
Family Service Association participated enthusiastically in February’s Go Red Day in keeping with its longstanding commitment to employee wellness.
Go Red is the American Heart Association’s annual campaign to call attention to the need for women to take charge of their heart health and band together and collectively wipe out heart disease.
Shown here are staff members from the FSA Adult Family Care program, Home Assistance Program and Personal Care Attendant program. Every agency program, department and service site participated in this very special event.
Community generosity helps Family Service Association brighten the Holidays
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The Holiday Season of 2012 was a very busy time for Family Service Association. It began with the receipt of generous donations of Thanksgiving food baskets for many families participating in agency programs. And throughout December, many area businesses and private individuals helped to support the FSA Children’s Toy Drive and the Adopt-A-Family Program, providing holiday gifts that made the season brighter for many.
Family Service Association is grateful to the many individuals, families, businesses and other community supporters for extending their generosity to the families served by our agency. Through the donations of toys, food baskets, clothing, shoes and other much-needed items, our agency was able to bring the spirit of the holiday season many of our community's neediest families.
United Way rolls strikes to kick-off the 2012 Campaign 
With help from teams comprised of some of the best known local businesses and member agencies, the United Way of Greater Fall River got its 2012 fund-raising campaign off to a terrific start with a Bowl-A-Thon at Holiday Lanes in Westport.
All 24 lanes were in full swing with teams engaged in friendly, but competitive battles to rack up high scores. Family Service Association was well-represented with an all-star line-up of 17 agency staff members.
The event was covered by the Herald News, with a great feature story chronicling FSA's efforts HERE and an array of photographs showing the action HERE. Family Service Association is always happy to lend its support to United Way-sponsored events. Additionally, FSA is grateful to the United Way for its year-round support for important programs it provides to the community.
Annual Meeting 2012: A celebration of service to families
Family Service Association held its 2012 Annual Meeting at White’s of Westport in November. The occasion afforded an opportunity for the agency’s Board of Directors and leadership staff to assess the many accomplishments of the past year. It also provided the chance to recognize the “milestone” years of service with the agency by twenty-five staff members celebrating their five-year, ten-year, fifteen-year, twenty-year, twenty-five year and thirtieth anniversaries. The entire listing of these dedicated staff members can be found HERE in our Annual Report.
The meeting also featured the formal swearing in of officers and members of the Board for the coming year, a ceremony which was formally conducted by Julie Almond, Executive Director of HealthFirst Family Care Center, one of Family Service Association's valued community partners.
Here is the entire listing of officers for the coming year:
Paul Medeiros, Chairman
Marita Durkin Gray, Esq., 1st Vice Chair
George Oliveira, 2nd Vice Chairman
Jo Ann Bentley, Clerk
Margarita Guedes, Assistant Clerk
Jo-Ann Pelletier, Treasurer
Paul Lennon, Assistant Treasurer
Carol A. Nagle, President & CEO
Jo-Ann Pelletier, Treasurer
Paul Lennon, Assistant Treasurer
Carol A. Nagle, President & CEO
King Philip Preschool joins the FSA "Family"
In the summer of 2012, Family Service Association made a wonderful new addition to its menu of children’s services with its merger with King Philip Preschool. This high-quality, licensed and accredited pre-school program first began serving our community’s families as Fall River first kindergarten program in 1923.
Today, King Philip Preschool continues to provide a caring, stimulating learning environment for our children from 2 years / 9 months to 5 years of age. And through its partnerships with Sarah Brayton Nursing Care Center, the Veterans’ Association of Bristol County and other worthy community organizations, this wonderful program continues its tradition of excellence in education and child development.
Check this page frequently to learn about exciting happenings at FSA.
