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United for Families wins accreditation United for Families is now among the accredited elite social service organizations on the Treasure Coast and throughout the nation.
The International Council on Accreditation announced this month its decision to accredit United for Families, bringing to close a 15-month process of self study and outside evaluation.
The accreditation is a testament to United for Families' commitment to maintaining the highest level of standards and quality, Chief Executive Officer Christine Demetriades said.
"That is especially important for United for Families, because we have so many children and families we must assist," Demetriades said. "I am very proud of our staff."
Accreditation is an objective and reliable verification that provides confidence and support to an organization’s service recipients, board members, staff and community partners, council officials said. The process involves a detailed review and analysis of both an organization’s administrative operations and its service delivery practices.
All of these practices are measured against national standards of best practice. United for Families began the intensive process of accreditation in 2007, said Diane Burton, United for Families quality management supervisor. “This process really brought us closer together as an agency,” Burton said. "We're really proud of what we do." |
Presley Dooner, Michaela Kaiser and Sophia Perez-Yudin represent Ireland, native America and Puerto Rico during the 2008 Christmas parades. The theme for United for Families' entry was "It's a United World at United for Families."
Cheri Sheffer stretches during one of the many lawn demonstrations at United for Families' December 5 Health for Life fair.
Derrick Fennell participates in "Booty Camp," which was led by Jacqueline Nappi at the health fair.
Rusty Kline and Nixalys Vega have some fun during a yoga presentation at the event, which was dubbed a health fair for the mind, body and soul.
Linda Smith and Tara Jempty also participate in the yogo demonstration.
Linda Smith and Katherine Fryer prepare the United for Families float for entry into the December 7 Stuart Christmas parade.
More than 20 children, most of them the children of United for Families staff, participate in the parade. From left are, Devon Brown, Aminta Ramos, Reginald Dotson and Victoria Ramos.
Linda Smith leads Sally Savage and other participants in a bow-tying seminar. The seminar was part of the December 9 Barnes and Noble Book Fair, which benefited United for Families.
Girlscouts volunteer during the bookfair, singing Christmas songs to bookstore visitors.
United for Families Chief Executive Officer Christine Demetriades reads The Night Before Christmas to children gathered for an interactive story-telling session during the event. Stories were read on the hour every hour.
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United for Families News
- Catherina Nesci, a dependency case manager in Martin County, was awarded the United for Families Case Manager of the Quarter Award December 5 during the organization’s Health for Life fair.
United for Families created the award as a way to recognize and better support the efforts of dependency case managers, who coordinate services for children in the dependency court system. The award has become the centerpiece of United for Families’ program to train and retain quality social-service professionals and stabilize the child-welfare system for children.
Nesci was nominated by her supervisor, Rene Proulx, who has received the award twice and is the 2008 Case Manager of the Year. Another case manager and past award recipient, Michael Webster, also nominated her.
In addition to a $250 bonus check, Nesci automatically will be entered into the Case Manager of the Year Award contest and receive two complementary tickets to United for Families’ annual gala, Le Bal Masque.
- Receptionist Katherine Fryer was recognized last month as United for Families' Employee of the Year. Katherine, who always answers the phone with a "smile" in her voice, was nominated by her peers for the recognition, which came with two complimentary tickets to United for Families' annual gala, Le Bal Masque.
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Caregiver News
- Foster care is the focus of weekly newscasts every Thursday at 5 p.m., when CBS Channel 12 airs its ongoing series of news stories that revolve around issues of the local child-welfare system.
The project is the brainchild of Forever Family, a nonprofit organization based in Broward County that promotes the issues of foster care through partnerships with local media outlets. A similar project has existed in South Florida, airing on the NBC affiliate, for six years.
Each segment will feature a different feature of the local child-welfare system. The segments will air at 5 p.m. every Thursday and then again the following morning. One of the first segments will be an interview with Rebecca Morgan, a 20-year-old student of United for Families’ Road to Success program, who will share her story about growing up and out of foster care. A camera crew that included CBS newscaster Liz Quirantes spent a day at United for Families in December airing enough footage to carry the project through the first three months.
In addition to the regular coverage of local foster-care issues, Forever Family has offered to use its connections to help promote United for Families’ upcoming community activities, including the much-anticipated kick-off to its first annual campaign.
- United for Families kicked off the holiday season with its December 5 Health for Life, a health fair for the mind, body and soul, at Indian Riverside Park, in Jensen Beach. About 400 people attended the event, which included vendors from the health-care community, mini lectures and demonstrations on the lawn. The event was part of United for Families’ training series, which is offered quarterly to local child-welfare professionals and the community.
Unity was the theme for United for Families’ entry into the Stuart and Okeechobee Christmas parades. Children dressed in costumes reminiscent of their own family history. There were little girls dressed in German dirndls, native buckskin and Scottish plaid and boys donning Greek togas or swathed in the colorful hues of native Africa or the emerald green of Ireland. “The children really get a kick out of participating,” Volunteer Coordinator Linda Smith said. “Who doesn’t want to be in a parade?”
Finally, United for Families hosted its Second Annual Barnes and Noble Holiday Book Fair December 9, offering a day of caroling, cookie decorating and interactive story telling. Proceeds from book sales help fund the organization’s Bookworm Babies Birthday Club, which provides an age-appropriate book to foster children on their birthday.
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Community News
- Martin County Commissioner Ed Ciampi, who is also a member of United for Families' board of directors, is the honorary chair of a miniature golf tournament scheduled for 10 a.m., February 7, at 76 Golf World, in Stuart. Proceeds benefit the Road to Success program, which prepares teens and young adults for life outside the foster-care system.
Cost is $10 per person, or $30 for a team of four. Refreshments will be provided, and prizes will be awarded for the best and worst teams.
The event is sponsored by The Breeze 93.7 and 99.7 Jack FM. For more information, call Leslie Haviland-Smith at (772) 398-2920, Ext. 292.
- All that glitters isn’t gold — sometimes it’s diamonds.
Terry Rieger, owner of Stuart-based Diamonds by Terry and longtime community donor, joined forces with Coast 101.3 this holiday season to help shine the spotlight on students in United for Families’ Road to Success program, which teaches independent living skills to foster teens.
Rieger, who donated 10 percent of all jewelry sales this holiday season to United for Families, shared her passion for United for Families with Ann Nelson, account executive at Coast 101.3. Nelson in turn spoke to on-air celebrity Mr. G about doing a radio campaign to raise money, gifts and awareness for foster teenagers.
The radio segments featured the stories of individual foster teenagers, their Christmas wishes, and, most importantly, their aspirations. One student, for example, was given the opportunity to shadow Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers columnist Geoff Oldfather.
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