2.Sekiya Golden (Director of Corrections and Overdose Recovery Programs, pictured right) presented at two recent conferences on behalf of the Camden County Peer Reentry Program. Sekiya shared her expertise by serving on a panel focused on recovery support services for justice involved individuals at the 2023 NJPN Peer Summit Conference in Asbury Park. At the 2023 Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program National Forum in Arlington, VA, Sekiya showcased best practices and strategies for supporting reentry for individuals in recovery that other conference grantees were able to take back with them.  

4. Riley Keenan (Program Director - Coordinated Assessment and Kaleidoscope Advocate) was recently honored by New Jersey End Domestic Violence for his steadfast advocacy for the LGBTQIA+2S community during the 2023 Governor’s Conference on Housing and Economic Development. 

7.Dr. June DePonte Sernak (Statewide Diversity Consultant) was a panelist at the NJ Business & Industry Association’s Women’s Business Leaders Forum. Panelists participated in a lively conversation centered on finding your passion and maintaining your mental and physical wellbeing in the process. 

9.The Family Life Center playground was officially dedicated to honor Miss Ruthie Lewis, a longtime Center For Family Services employee. Staff and community partners who made this possible were in attendance. 

10.PowerCorps partnered with the NJ Tree Foundation to assist with their urban airshed reforestation program. In collaboration with several other organizations, PowerCorps members planted 15 trees at 2 separate locations in East Camden. Thank you for your work in beautifying the city of Camden.

Carmen Fix

Clinician, Family Stabilization Program

Q: Describe your current role. How do you think your role fosters our vision of all people leading capable, responsible, fulfilled lives?

A: I am currently working as a Bilingual Clinician with the Family Stabilization Program, where cases are referred from the New Jersey Division of Child Protection & Permanency (DCP&P). I work mostly with the Latino population and my role is to help individuals and families discover their own strengths and build upon those strengths using evidence-based models. In this way, the issues which got them involved with DCP&P in the first place can be overcome and resolved through psychoeducation, therapeutic counseling, and building nurturing families. As families set their own goals, I also guide them to any additional resources needed, such as food, housing or healthcare.

Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in the last year?

A: The most important lesson I've learned this past year through these cases is the importance of having a safe and nurtured childhood to assure having a healthy emotional life and being able to overcome trauma.

Q: If you were to create a slogan for your life, what would it be?

A: If I were to create a slogan for my life, it would be "Never stop trying."

Q: What is on your “wish list” for your next year at Center For Family Services?

A: Getting my LCSW is on my wish list, and I want to continue improving myself so that I may provide the best possible services to clients.

Q: If you could live anywhere on this planet and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose to live? Why?

A: If I could live anywhere on this planet and take everything that I love with me, I would choose to live exactly where I am living now, because there are a lot of fond memories which have been formed over the years with my husband Tom, daughter Danielle, and my mother who is now 100 years old that I also care for.

We want to highlight YOU! 

If interested in being featured, email Jennifer DeSimone-Jewell.

Staff Snapshot

Staff members attended the annual Essex County Legislative Breakfast. The event focused on mental health issues and connected community partners within Essex County.

Pictured here are Lori Henry, Jocelyn Cuff, Donna Glinkin, Laura McCarthy, Ramona Mateo, Shanna Lewin, Wendy Hartmann, Zachary Brosse, and Tania Davila. 

Kristina Cassara (Senior Program Director of Children's Partial Care) Michele Moran (Senior Program Director) and Elia Hopkins (Great Abilities-IIC and BHOP Outpatient) took part in the annual Camden County Mental Health Resource Fair. 

East Orange Family Success Center and the Life Skills program attended East Orange Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration. At the event, staff had the opportunity to meet the mayors of both East Orange and Bloomfield.

Pictured from left to right are Ted Green (Mayor of East Orange), Tania Davila (Life Skills Director), Kelly Campos (Life Skills Worker) and Cassandre Camille (Life Skills Worker). 

The ReConnections team attended Atlantic County’s Overdose Awareness & Remembrance event and provided support and resources for those effected by addiction

Pictured left to right are Josie Wilson (Lead Program Coordinator), Millissa Westcoat (Family Support Coordinator), and Andrew Coley (Family Support Coordinator).

Services Empowering Rights of Victims (SERV) participated in the Woodbury Fall Festival parade alongside their friends and family. Together, they handed out glow sticks, program information, and candy. Their float came in third place in the Community Organization category. 

Across New Jersey, staff, volunteers, and donors gathered for the Empower Run & Walk. Shout out to team Flashy Feet and captain Lori Henry (Director of Community Development) for your participation! Thank you to everyone involved for bringing the community together and making strides for positive futures. 

The Juntos team held their annual recruitment barbeque. This successful event also allowed for current shelter home parents to connect and share their experiences

Staff from offices in Warren, Sussex, Passaic, Essex, and Morris counties gathered for a meet and greet at a pumpkin patch. They enjoyed a corn maze, hayride, apple cider, and pumpkin picking. 

Staff around the state showed up for the National Night Out! Great job at building camaraderie and connections with partners, children, and families.

Pictured here are NJ4S staff - Shalisha Cook, Tyesha Byrd, Kirstyn Crehan, and Yajahira Medina

News

Board Member Spotlight

Thank you to the entire board for your leadership and support for staff. You make so much possible.

Nyeema Watson

Vice Chancellor For Strategy, Diversity, and Community Engagement - Rutgers University Camden

Q: What are you most impressed with (or most proud of) regarding the good work taking place across Center For Family Services?

A: All of it is amazing. It is nimble enough to respond to whatever the needs are in the communities we serve. Whether work we do in Camden City, like Mosaic Early Learning and overseeing Promise Neighborhood, and now work we can do across the state. Staff are amazing and the engine behind all of this. Day in and day out they give so much of themselves. They make sure clients have someone to whether the storm with. Staff may not know me or what the board does, but we know them and are eternally grateful. 

Q: What is your personal philosophy/vision? How do you tie these values to those of Center For Family Services?

A: Are the actions I take or decisions I make going to have a positive impact on someone’s life? The work I do at Rutgers is to connect the university with the City of Camden. I honor the wisdom and life experiences of everyone who works in Camden. I always ask myself if the actions that I take will serve someone in the best way possible. Will I do harm or will my actions uplift others? If not, I change my approach. At Center For Family Services, we ask ourselves if every action is being guided by serving those at the highest possible level We ask ourselves if every action is being guided by serving those at the highest possible level.

Q: What impact do you hope to have as a board member?

A: That I provide wise counsel, advice and insight into decisions that need to be made about the organization. My goal when I was a the Chair of the board was to be a sounding board, give advice and help navigate the many decisions that were made on a daily basis. This is an amazing organization, with a great team of professionals and leadership team led by Richard, all the most deeply caring and committed people I’ve ever come across, so I hope that whatever small role I play has helped to propel the organization forward.

Q: If you could live anywhere on this planet and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose to live? Why?

A: The Bahamas. It was the first international trip I’d ever taken. There’s serenity in the beach and a calmness in the people who live there. It’s a caring, respectful, and kind community focused atmosphere. People are calm and laid back, which I would like to lean into more. Living there with the people that I love would give us a different lifestyle.

Q: If you could meet any historical figure, who would you choose and why?

A: My favorite author, Zora Neale Hurston. She is a woman who really stood in her own path of what it means to be a Black woman. She was an anomaly at the time and people didn’t understand her. What I’ve always admired is her seeking to find the truth of Black people’s experiences particularly in the south. She was an amazing woman, and I’d love to talk to her about her past and challenges, and how she went on in the face of adversity. She is the namesake of my daughter because of that.

Recognizing your work in changing lives. 

Inland Family Success Center hosted their annual camp. This year, the free 4 day summer camp was open to both boys and girls in Atlantic County. The children participated in fun enrichment activities and educational presentations that introduced them to the 8 Pillars of Wellness and built character, self confidence, and self-reliance. Some of the activities included tie dye, STEAM, financial games, water play, and kickball. Nine community partners assisted with this successful series.

The Pride Center at Center for Family Services is an amazing resource for the LGBTQ community, not only for the youth but for the volunteers that choose to step forward and donate their time and resources to our struggling young people. It serves up to 24-year-old adults, a population that is sorely passed over for needed resources.

The Center offers a mentoring program for these youth, as well as a clinical program that offers supportive groups for the identified youth, their parents and siblings in an effort to advocate for the LGBTQ clients. The mentoring program offers one-on-one guidance and direction from caring and passionate people who want to give back or as some say, “I want to help these young people while they make their journey”.

To highlight the work that is done by these generous volunteers, here is a short account of one of the LGBTQ mentees and their positive experience with their mentor. This youth is a questioning 15-year-old, who has been with the program since he was 13 years old.

“The reason I first started in this program was because I was in a darker spot in life, and I struggled to even get out of the house. This program helped me step out of my comfort zone and open my eyes to new experiences and has taught me life lessons that will help me throughout life. I’ve also learned how to help myself in many circumstances. It’s definitely gotten me into a better head space and a better spot in life. I feel like it’s had such a positive impact on me that I have become more talkative, and I’ve become a better person in all.

Both mentors I’ve had, Josh and Mandy, have been very great parts of my life and have taught me lessons. Even though I have just started with Josh not too long ago, he has helped me and motivated me more. It’s always an enjoyable fun time to go out with my mentor and it’s something I appreciate very much.”



There are many stories just like this one, where the mentee and the mentor share a passion for the program and where both walk away feeling good about themselves and their direction.

Over the past few years, Juntos has expanded operations to provide services across various regions, benefiting over 2,300 minors. They took a significant step by extending their service teams to additional states including New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida, Virginia, Ohio, and California. This expansion has enabled staff to reach a broader range of unaccompanied minors in need.

In July, staff had the opportunity to hold their quarterly in-person team meeting in their Philadelphia Office, where they were pleased to meet some of the staff members who traveled from Florida, Texas, Ohio, and Virginia. The Philadelphia staff worked diligently to ensure that everything was well-prepared for this meeting. During the gathering, the team delved into conversations about how their steadfast dedication and relentless efforts continue to bring positive changes to the lives of the families they serve. In their ongoing pursuit of excellence, they organized a training session focusing on best practices for home visits. This invaluable training was skillfully conducted by Silvano Cazares (Clinical Director), and Yaritza Arnaldy (Remote Program Director). Additionally, staff enjoyed a team-building activity, skillfully hosted by Mariluz Rodriguez (Program Director for NY/North Jersey).

As they progress, the team’s unwavering commitment remains steadfast in delivering exceptional services and support to those who require it. Juntos is dedicated to guaranteeing the well-being and successful integration of unaccompanied minors into their communities. With the team's continued dedication, their ultimate goal is to shape a brighter future for every child under their care.

Staff Shout Outs!

Bringing you kudos from your supervisors and coworkers. You make a difference to someone each day!

Al'Wassim Thomas - Youth Violence Intervention Specialist, Cure4Camden Youth Violence Prevention Services

Al’ Wassim, also known as Coach, has been with Cure4Camden since 2016. Al is a pillar in the City of Camden. When he isn’t coaching or lending a hand to a neighbor, you will find him in his green Cure4Camden t-shirt connecting with youth and opening up pathways for youth to achieve their goals.

This past August, Al’Wassim was recognized by the City of Camden receiving the “Man of Excellence Award’ for his “outstanding leadership, exceptional achievements, visions and commitment to empowerment”. Al’Wassim deserves this award. Al has always been about the youth and to give one example, he will walk youth home from school if needed just so they feel safe. We want to congratulate Al’Wassim for a well-deserved award and are proud to say he is part of the Center For Family Services team.

Carlos Erazo - Program Supervisor, Cure4Camden Hospital Violence Intervention Program

Carlos has been with Center For Family Services since 2021 first supervising and delivering violence prevention services in school systems throughout New Jersey and now overseeing the Hospital Violence Intervention Program. Carlos strives to live his values of family and community. Since 2021, when Carlos was not serving those impacted by violence, Sergeant Erazo could be found leading the men and women of the United States Marine Corps in their monthly drills.

Carlos served in the USMC from 2017 to 2021 before going to the Reserves and joining us at Center For Family Services. This month Carlos completed his last drill and is now in the Inactive Ready Reserves. This September he was recognized for leading the first Family Day event for Marines and their families from the Headquarters Battery, 3d Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment. He orchestrated a day full of fun, games, and bonding as well as learning about the combat fitness test. Did I mention, Carlos loves his 3 beagles.

Training Resources

To register or view details for Scheduled Trainings, visit the Employee Portal Calendar or our Staff Resource page

Online Trainings and Webinars.

To view Recorded Trainings, visit our Staff Resource page: 

 Recorded Trainings and Webinars.

Visit

Relias Learning:

Relias Learning

Center For Family Services is a great place to grow as a professional. Take advantage of the ongoing training opportunities available to you.



We will continue to share additional resources and trainings as they become available and we encourage you to continue to check the Staff Resources, Employee Portal and the Training Calendar for continued updates.

For questions, please contact the Training Department.