Highlighting outstanding donor and volunteer impact
throughout Center For Family Services.
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The long-time CEO of Center For Family Services, Richard Stagliano, has announced his planned retirement effective June 30, 2026. The CFS Board of Trustees approved President and Chief Strategy Officer, Merilee Rutolo, to take on the President & CEO role, effective July 1, 2026. Richard will support and remain on in an emeritus role to support the transition.
Gifts to the CFS Caring for the Future Fund are being accepted in Richard's honor. If you would like to donate to the Caring for The Future Fund in honor of Richard's legacy of service, please click the link below. Your gift will provide direct support to meet client assistance needs for children and families in need across NJ.
Yes, I would like to make a gift in honor of Richard
| | Open Your Home, Open Your Heart | | |
There is an ongoing need for short-term foster home placements. Please spread the word about the need for caring community members to open their home for short term care as foster/shelter home parents.
Foster parents serve others in one of the most special ways. You can get involved like Vivian C. and change a life.
For the last 10 years, Vivian has opened her home to young women in need of a temporary place to live. She says, “I mainly foster teenage girls. At any given time, I usually have three or more young ladies in my home. It’s important to me that they feel like they’re part of a family, not just placed somewhere temporarily."
On why being a foster is parent is an experience she recommends, Vivian says, “I would encourage other adults to consider fostering because it’s an opportunity to truly make a difference. You’re not just opening your home—you’re giving a young person a sense of safety, stability, and hope when they may need it most.”
Vivian serves as a positive role model, showing through her 28 years in the police department, that strength, discipline, and compassion can all go hand in hand. “I want them to see that no matter where they come from, they can grow, succeed, and make a positive impact in their own communities.” It’s a chance to positively influence a young person’s life while growing in your own way too. Vivian says, “Fostering means everything to me. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of pouring into so many young women’s lives, and they’ve also taught me so much in return. I see myself as more than just a foster parent—I try to be a consistent, positive role model.”
There is an urgent need for short-term foster home for children and teens across New Jersey.
Learn how you can become a part of someone’s story by opening your home and your heart.
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Your help is needed this summer. You can be the one to provide summer fun and joy to a child living in a safe home.
Nearly all of the children living in Center For Family Services safe homes have not had regular exposure to activities like traveling to another town or state, going on a hike, visiting the beach, going out to dinner, attending a ball game, visiting a museum, or seeing and experiencing the positive side of the community around them.
With the help of donors like you, kids and teens were able to have an exciting summer full of opportunities last year, like spending time down the shore, going to the movies, attending a Phillies game, and much more. This year, you can make their summer fun dreams come true again by donating here.
Every child deserves the opportunity to experience fun and joy. You can be the one to provide these opportunities with your gift of $10, $20, $30, or $50 or more. 100% of your donation will be used for summer enrichment activities that broaden horizons and provide hope.
| | Updates Thanks to Camden Home For Children | | |
A longtime partner in providing safe housing services, Camden Home for Children honored our CEO, Richard Stagliano at their banquet in early May.
Center For Family Services also gratefully received funding to complete bathroom renovations in one of our Camden-based safe homes.
Thank you for this incredible support and your many years uplifting the children and teens who call Center For Family Services “home.”
Your partnership allows our homes to remain safe, updated, and welcoming places for a young person to heal, dream, and work toward their goals. Thank you!
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United Way Gloucester County
Honors Mother Child
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CFS team member, Zikea Wise Hughes, Mother Child Program Director, spoke at the recent Volunteer Leadership Event hosted by United Way of Gloucester County.
Thank you to everyone at UWGC and your community of donors for supporting the Mother Child home for many years. Your gifts make it possible to welcome everyone with mom-and-baby baskets full of essentials, while also supporting parenting classes and resources needed to give babies a positive start in life. And, when a mom transitions to independence, you are there too providing welcome-home baskets with all necessities for a new space of their own.
Your partnership leads to positive change and support for moms during transitional times. You are appreciated!
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During the Holman Days of Caring, volunteers joined us two Fridays in a row at the Sanctuary and the Wiggins Center, making a world of difference! Thank you to each volunteer for your help sprucing up our garden beds and designing bulletin boards for community members.
With support from Holman Automotives and your team of volunteers, our community spaces are looking better than ever and we are better serving our community, because of you.
Thank you for investing your time in service!
| | Spotlight on Camden County Advocates | |
Shout out to some of our Camden County Sexual Violence Advocate volunteers who were recognized during Global Volunteer Month: Sandy, Nicole, Mason, LaShaunda, Cherie, Brooke, Angela, Joe, and Abbie Lee!
As volunteers with SERV, they show up for survivors, helping them take next steps and piece together their lives. Advocates are trained to respond at hospitals and police stations after a trauma, and meet survivors with compassion and resources, day and night.
Thank you to all of you who give your free time to lend a hand to a survivor in need. You are an integral part of the SERV team.
You can become a trained advocate for survivors in Cumberland, Camden, Gloucester, or Passaic County with the SERV program and assist others navigate through trauma to healing.
| | Birthday Smiles, Thanks to You | |
Thank you to generous donors like Poppy M. for your 14 thoughtfully packaged birthday boxes in honor of your own birthday! When you give a Birthday Box, you make a celebration possible for a child whose birthday may come with mixed emotions.
Your donations brought a smile to the face of an 8-year-old boy celebrating a birthday this spring. He and his mom enjoyed the special occasion with cake, decorations, and gifts, marking a joyous moment in their journey to healing.
You can take action and show a child that their community cares about their happiness, especially on their birthday. Donate a toy, gift card, or make a monetary gift online to help a child celebrate. Your generosity creates lasting, happy memories.
| | Arts Funding Sparks Creativity | |
Kids and teens living in safe homes have been busy exploring their creative sides, thanks to funding made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Cape May County Board of County Commissioners through the Cape May County Division of Culture & Heritage.
Engaging with the arts promotes healing and helps young folks tap into their creative potential, making art a useful therapeutic tool.
Thank you for supporting kids and teens in need!
| | Celebrating a Housewarming | |
The new Services Empowering the Rights of Victims (SERV) safe home in Camden County will be well-equipped to care for its incoming residents, thanks to groups of donors like Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health Group, Amazon Burlington, and Chesterfield Helping Hands.
Your donations of kitchen essentials, cleaning products, toiletries, linens, and other household goods will ensure that everyone living in the care of the SERV safe home will feel right at home. Your support gives folks in need the tools necessary to care for themselves and follow their path to healing and living a better life.
Thank you for uplifting those in need!
| | Denim Day of Raises Awareness for Survivors | |
The members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Theta Pi Omega sorority showed their support for survivors by participating in Denim Day and making a generous monetary donation as well as a gifting a large number of backpack care kits to the Services Empowering the Rights of Victims (SERV) program.
Your monetary donation and the contribution of backpacks filled with items chosen with care will ensure that women have the tools they need to heal and thrive as they work toward a safe, self-sufficient future.
Thank you for uplifting women in need and thank you for raising awareness for survivors of sexual assault.
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New moms across New Jersey had comfort and relief provided to them thanks to the generosity of the Mujeres group at Rutgers Camden. Your donation of more than 25 postpartum care kits contain all the essentials that a new mom needs during her recovery.
For a new mom facing long nights, new routines, and physical recovery, your donation sends a message of care and support, making you part of the village that helps to raise their new baby.
Thank you for investing in your community!
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Duffle bags are an ongoing need for the kids and teens living in safe homes, and three recent donors recognized this need. Thanks to the generous donations of sturdy duffle bags from the Gloucester County Education Association, Lucas P. at Paul VI High School, and the Jaws Youth Playbook, kids and teens living in the care of safe homes will have a dignified way to transport their belongings.
Most young people arrive in safe housing on short notice and must carry their clothes and personal items in plastic garbage bags, adding to the stress of a traumatic situation. But now, because of you, kids and teens will have dignity and pride when they carry their belongings in the duffel bags you provided. Thank you both for uplifting young folks in need.
| | AIG Provides for Everyone | |
The folks at American International Group have given the gift of dignity to children with their generous donation of over 5,000 pairs of underwear. Your contribution allows children living in the care of safe homes the security of having new, clean underwear to wear while they are experiencing a time of transition.
This difficult time now feels easier for many children, sending them the message that they are cared for and remembered during this uncertain time in their lives. Thank you for your dedication to uplifting children in need!
| | Tag and Follow Us on Social Media | |
Your involvement means everything. Tag us @centerffs or send pictures of your involvement in changing lives to be featured on on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and X.
To stay updated about your impact, follow Center For Family Services on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and X.
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