The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services contracts with Family Services Center through its Texas Families: Together and Safe Program. (TFTS). These funds help us provide programs to alleviate stress and to promote parental competencies and adoption of behaviors that increase the ability of families to successfully nurture their children and work toward family self-sufficiency. The goals of TFTS are to:

• Improve and enhance access to family support services;
  
• Increase the efficiency and effectiveness of community-based family support services;
  
• Enable children to remain in their own homes by providing preventative services; and
  
• Increase collaboration among local programs, government agencies, and families.

Verizon is forging partnerships and focusing on social issues that impact employees, customers and communities in the areas of education, literacy, safety and health. They donated a computer lab to Family Services Center for clients to use to learn and grow.

Texas Bank has been a lead supporter of the Big Bass Benefit for Family Services Center for the last two years and gave additional funds to update the facilities so that larger groups could meet at Family Services Center.

The Wolslager Foundation has been the lead sponsor for the literacy program and other services for many years.

We do not require payment for most of our services but donations are always welcome to help meet the needs of clients who may not be able to receive assistance elsewhere.

Family Services Center is proud to be a Brown County United Way Agency. These funds help support many of our programs. United Way agency is a worldwide network in 45 countries and territories, including nearly 1,300 local organizations in the U.S. It advances the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all, by focusing on the three key building blocks of education, income and health. The United Way movement creates long lasting community change by addressing the underlying causes of problems that prevent progress in these areas. LIVE UNITED is a call to action for everyone to become a part of the change. The local Brown County United Way Agency has its own local board and allocation committee to help serve local agencies.

LIVE UNITED

National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) is pleased to announce 25 capacity-building awards, one award in the amount of $25,000 for each of the organizations below. The purpose of these awards is to develop these organizations' capacity to effectively serve families and fathers in their communities. On February 1-5, 2010, two staff leaders from each of these awarded organizations will participate in a comprehensive, 40 hour "Certification College," where National Fatherhood Initiative senior staff and other expert consultants will provide technical assistance and training in the areas of leadership development, program development, organizational development, and community engagement. The organizations will use the awards for targeted work in these same areas.