More than $83,000 was raised to buy gifts and hampers for families in need.  The generosity of community donors allowed us to help fulfill the Christmas wish lists of the 20 young people in our Teaching Group Homes.

A special thank-you goes to the students and teachers of the Calgary Academy, who raised more than half of the funds and in-kind donations! This community-minded school provided food and gifts for many children and families at Christmas.  Several of the donors delivered the hampers and gifts to the families we serve and, as a result, formed new friendships and connections.

Thank you to everyone who participated in making Christmas 2011 such a special time for so many people!

For those readers who don’t know, Closer to Home Community Services is a Calgary and Airdrie-based, not-for-profit agency that delivers a variety of programs designed to meet the needs of vulnerable children and their families. Every year, we partner with members of the community and various organizations to provide less than fortunate families with gifts and food during the holiday season.

Last year, the Closer to Home Adopt-a-Family Program helped make Christmas a little brighter for over 200 children and 100 families. This year, we have 35 families still waiting to be adopted and would like to extend an invitation to everyone that would like to participate.

You can choose to sponsor a whole family based on family size, or you can sponsor an individual child. Upon the submission of your Donor Application form, you will receive a wish list based on your application. You can choose to shop for gifts, or you may send a cash or cheque, and Closer to Home will do the gift shopping on your behalf.

Follow these links to see the Adopt-a-family 2011 Flyer as well as the Adopt-A-Family Donor Application Form. Please feel free to pass on this information if you know of anyone that may be interested in participating this year.

Thank you to everyone who has already adopted a family this year, and to those who haven’t yet had the chance to respond, we look forward to hearing from you. For more information, please call Tina Chapman at 403-543-0550 ext 226 or email tchapman@closertohome.com.

Wishing you a happy holiday season,

Closer to Home Community Services

Adopt-a-Family 2011

Last year, Closer to Home, in partnership with various organizations and community members, provided over 200 children and more than 100 families with gifts and food during the Holiday Season. Adopting a family can be through a donation of gifts from their wish list or a cash gift that will be used to purchase gifts and food for the family. A donor can adopt one person or an entire family. These generous contributions have a long lasting impact on the communities we support. Children, youth and families will be thankful for this generosity for years to come.

If you or your organization is interested in contributing to a wonderful Christmas for a family in need, please contact the Closer to Home Adopt-a-Family Program at 403-543-0550 ext 0, email tchapman@closertohome.com or fill out and return this Adopt-A-Family Donor Application Form using one of the methods indicated on the form.

Please help us make this year the year that every child, youth and family feel the generosity of the community that supports them.

Closer to Home Community Services staff were especially pleased to share in recognizing the exceptional work of three individuals from Calgary who received international awards. Please click on the links below to read more about each award.

• Brandy Bursey and Scott Coulthard – Lonnie and Elaine Phillips Award
• Bonnie Johnston -Teaching-Family Association Award for Outstanding Contribution & Achievement in Human Services

Brandy Bursey and Scott Coulthard (Closer to Home Teaching Parents) received the Lonnie and Elaine Phillips Award that recognizes a certified practitioner couple or individual for their outstanding contribution to the Teaching-Family Association as implementers of the Teaching-Family Model.

Brandy and Scott have been Teaching Parents at Closer to Home for almost six years, and in that time have worked with dozens of challenging youth. They’ve nurtured and gently supported a youth who longed to be home with his family. They’ve persevered with a young man who raged in anger at them, knowing he grieved for the parent who was absent. They’ve provided a caring home for a young person who struggled to trust anyone. They’ve kept their door and hearts open – unconditionally – to the youth who ran away to an exciting but risky lifestyle but who returned to the safety and security of Brandy and Scott’s care.

Brandy and Scott welcome parents into the Teaching Home and respectfully teach them how to parent their children again so they can be reunited. Brandy and Scott stay in contact with these families to offer support when needed, never questioning or blaming parents who reach out for their support. They not only support their youth in the community, they support all youth from their community! Scott developed and still coaches a community basketball team for youth with special needs so one of the young people from the Teaching Home could join a team and be successful. Now, many youth in their community benefit from this team.

Brandy and Scott are heroes for so many children and families. The staff and volunteers at Closer to Home Community Services have been privileged to have Brandy and Scott as part of our agency. On behalf of all the many children and families they have made such a difference for, we thank them!

Bonnie Johnston (CEO, Calgary and Area Child and Family Services Authority) received the Teaching-Family Association Award for Outstanding Contribution & Achievement in Human Services.  This award recognizes an individual or organization for exceptional national or international advocacy and support of children and families.

Bonnie Johnston has dedicated her career to serving children and families, first as a nurse and health administrator and now as Chief Executive Officer of the Calgary and Area Child and Family Services Authority (CFSA).

Bonnie began her career as a nurse in an Aboriginal community in northern Alberta and later served in a variety of health care roles in Edmonton and Calgary. Prior to her current position, Bonnie was the Director of Child and Adolescent Health for the Calgary Health Region. In that role, she was responsible for pediatric inpatient and critical care health services at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and pediatric inpatient services at the Peter Lougheed Centre.

As CEO of the Calgary and Area CFSA for the past nine years, Bonnie Johnston’s focus has been on partnerships, collaboration and innovation to continuously improve outcomes for vulnerable children, youth and families. She continues to raise the bar for better practice for Calgary’s children and continues to shift the culture within her own organization. As part of a provincial wide undertaking, Bonnie has been an inspirational promoter of the Outcome Based Service Delivery model, supporting the use of evidence-based practices and transforming the way Children’s Services does business in Calgary and throughout Alberta.

Bonnie has also made her mark in developing new relationships with the nonprofit agency sector.  Bonnie involves community agencies in strategic planning, keeps dialogue open and transparent, and provides a supportive atmosphere in which to deal with challenges inherent in any children’s service delivery model. Bonnie Johnston’s leadership gives us all hope for the future of Alberta’s children and families.

Thanks to the generous support of many individuals like you, and of the Community Spirit Program, Closer to Home Community Services was able to purchase a van for its programs and was also able to put support towards its Homework Club program.

As an individual donor over the past few years, your impact was doubled, thanks to the Community Spirit Program, through the government of Alberta’s Culture and Community Services department.  This program provides an opportunity for eligible organizations to apply for matching grants based on the total amount of cash donations from individual Albertans that have been received over a 12-month fiscal period.

Without the support of our individual donors it would be very difficult for the children and families we serve to access vital community programs and parenting classes. We would like to take the time to thank our individual donors and the Community Spirit Program; your support is instrumental to our success.

Closer to Home Community Services has a solid 15-year history of providing cost-effective family-centered services in Calgary and surrounding areas. Public funding dollars are stretched to the limit. Children and families need more resources. We want to better meet the diverse and complex needs of today’s families in our communities; we want to keep families together. Each day we make a difference in the lives of children and their families. When children can stay with their parents, they have the chance to grow up healthy and happy.

You can make a difference now by clicking here and making a donation to Closer to Home or by calling (403) 543-0550.  Thank you for your support!

Vision Statement

Focusing on excellence, the Volunteer Program will, through strategic alliances, mobilize the appropriate volunteer and community resources to fulfill client needs. We will strive to demonstrate proactive and innovative leadership in the field of volunteerism.

Volunteers are treated with dignity, respect and consideration. We aim to create the best fit between our volunteers, programs, staff, children, youth and families. We have various opportunities that require different levels of time and commitment. We want to make sure it fits for you! All of our volunteers are given an Agency orientation and program orientation. We aim to prepare, train and support every aspect of our volunteers learning and personal growth.

The benefits of volunteering are endless…

Here are just a few of the benefits you can expect from becoming a part of our team:

• opportunity to build life long relationships with staff, children, youth and parents
• support the success in a child’s life
• let children know they are important and valued
• build pride in belonging to a dedicated organization
• making a difference in peoples lives

Volunteers Make A Difference!

Become a Volunteer

For more information please call: (403) 543-0550 ext 232
or email info@closertohome.com

Foster families work collaboratively with biological and adoptive families to ensure children’s needs are met, model positive parenting strategies and facilitate transitions that are minimally disruptive for children and their families. The following story is a beautiful example of this practice.

Rufina and Ian Sleight have been fostering for less than two years, and have already made a significant difference in the lives of four children and their families. Their first placement was twins with developmental delays and severe behavioral challenges. The Sleight’s diligence and compassion for these young children was the driving force behind the exceptional gains the twins have made developmentally and behaviorally. These young children have developed social skills beyond what would be expected for their age and developmental stages, and continue to make gains developmentally with Rufina and Ian’s patience, nurturing and expertise.

While teaching skills and exercising great patience, Rufina and Ian naturally developed a respectful and caring relationship with the children’s biological mother by inviting her to meetings and medical appointments, sending her pictures, and consistently sharing information. When the courts determined the biological mother was unable to care for the twins, the mother approached Rufina several times, asking her to adopt them. This truly demonstrates their mom’s recognition of the exceptional care Rufina and Ian provide, as well as her trust in them. While Rufina and Ian were not in a position to adopt the twins, they are currently advocating for a forever family and the best possible care for these two little ones.

In response to an increasing need for foster homes for babies, Rufina and Ian took a nine month-old baby boy into their home. Rufina worked diligently to connect with this baby’s mom, sending her pictures and using a communication book. Although his mom did not respond, Rufina continued to demonstrate her care and concern for the child and his mom once he returned home. She wrote a note to his mom offering support and guidance at any point during or after his transition home.

The Sleights have now taken their fourth placement, an 11-month-old girl, who is thriving in their home while they work toward reunification or permanency for her. The Sleights continue to provide exemplary care to all children in their home, helping them to develop in a safe, nurturing, family environment. Rufina and Ian are truly inspiring and every day they demonstrate the difference foster parents make in the lives of so many vulnerable children and families.

If you or anybody you know is interested in becoming a Foster Parent, please call 403-2-foster (403-236-7837) or e-mail at fostercare@closertohome.com for more information