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Dear friends and supporters:
The dust has not yet settled on the impact of this year's
legislative budget reductions. We, along with all of our social
not-for-profit agency peers, continue to face reductions -
large and small - from local, state and federal funding sources.
And the picture iis not a pretty one. While governments point
the finger of responsibility for the community's most vulnerable
citizens at each other, those of us with "boots on the
ground" are left holding the bag (literally and figuratively).
And those of us who provide residential care of all sorts
are being hit particularly hard. While funding is decreasing
at an alarming rate, costs are increasing exponentially (energy,
food, transportation) for the programs we run and the people
we employ that provide the 24-hour care, the counseling, the
cooking, the maintenance and the oversight.
But this is not the end of the story. We are more committed
than ever to facing these challenges and continuing our (almost)
20-year history of caring for our community's abused, abandoned,
neglected, truant, runaway and at-risk children and youth,
and to working with our peers to provide positive outcomes
for struggling families. We are on a path to increase our
community involvement so that you better understand this basic,
vital and critical work, and to step up our efforts to build
a solid base of local contributors to support our effort.
Change is never easy, and our programs must, of necessity,
expand and contract based on the financial resources available
to them. We will adjust our efforts as necessary, but our
aim is to continue the most effective programming possible
for our community.
You know what they say: when one door closes another one
opens. We know that new and exciting opportunities lay just
around the corner and we are eagerly pursuing ideas and partnerships
that we believe will strengthen our core - quality services
to children, youth and families - and will provide a solid
foundation for the future. We hope that you will join with
us, invest in us and help ensure that we remain a healthy,
vibrant and effective organization serving our community's
most at-risk children, youth and families.
Thank you,
Kathy Tuell
President and Chief Executive Officer
One Minute, One Hope, One Dollar
Families in crisis need help and hope. Children and teens
suffering from neglect, abuse and abandonment will always
need a safe place to be. The Florida Key Children's Shelter
is that safe place to receive help and hope for "right-this-minute"
and for the future. We provide emergency shelter for children,
from birth to 17 years of age, 24/7, 365 days a year.
Since we began this important work in 1989, more than 21,000
children and families in Monroe County have received our services.
Our comprehensive programs of help and hope are truly one
of a kind in Monroe County and are 100% cost free to the recipients.
This is a fact you can count on.
However, there is another fact in our business that most
people believe. The myth that the services we provide to those
in need are 100% funded through federal, state and county
dollars. This is not the case. We do receive much-needed funds
from these government entities, but they are limited funds
that do not completely cover the cost of our services. And
the services we provide must meet the requirements of our
accrediting body, as well as, more than 500 quality assurance
standards. Therefore, we are not at liberty to reduce our
expenses to match the available government funds. As you can
imagine, this creates a gap in funding.
In less than 60 seconds - one minute - a child's life can
change forever. Every minute counts, and every minute our
emergency shelter programs are staffed with well-trained professionals
ready to give 24-hour care, every day of the year. This makes
our agency different from many of our social service partners
in the county.
The cost of each minute in our work is about $4.00. Just
$4.00 per minute enables us to serve hundreds of children
and families in Monroe County annually. Of that $4.00 almost
$3.00 comes through government contracts and grants. That
leaves a little more than $1.00 per minute unfunded, i.e.
the gap. We need your help to finance our efforts - one minute
at a time.
Because there is a continuing need for help, there will always
be a continuing need for financial support. It would be fabulous
if children and families did not need our help, but until
all the problems of mankind are solved, there will always
be a need for our services.
One minute, one child, one individual, one life-changing
gift, one commitment to make a difference "right-this-minute."
Can you help close the gap? Will you invest in a minute or
more? An hour -- $60, a day -- $1,440. Minute by minute together,
we can make changes in the lives of our most vulnerable citizens.
Will you consider sponsoring one hour each month, or making
a donation at any level, knowing children's lives are at stake?
Sometimes we only get one chance to save a child or family.
Please think about it. Will you be the one that makes the
difference?
Minute by minute we count on others to partner with us in
providing help and hope. We would like to thank those special
people for encouraging and inspiring all of us at FKCS through
their ongoing support. On behalf of our kids and families,
thank you!
You may make your donation to FKCS by contacting Janey R.
Miller, Chief Development Officer, by phone at 305-852-4246,
ext. 222, email janeymiller@fkcs.org
or by mailing your contribution to:
Florida Keys Children's Shelter
Attn. Janey R. Miller, Chief Development Officer
73 High Point Rd.
Tavernier, FL 33070
Birthday Club Visits Children's Shelter
“Giving Up Gifts, Giving Out Smiles”
On May 2, a group of 10 members of the Birthday Club visited
the Florida Keys Children’s Shelter. These children
chose to forgo birthday gifts in return for $5 donations.
They then personally delivered the money to the shelter, where
they had a roundtable discussion with Kathy Tuell and Janey
Miller, CEO and CDO of the shelter. The kids had many questions
which were handled very patiently and gently by Ms Tuell.
Among them were “Why are the kids here?”, “Do
they get to play sports and have play dates?”, and “What
do you do when a hurricane comes?” They then asked the
shelter to use their donations for a fun activity like pizza
or the movies.
In 2006 Jimmy and Richard Woods and Dylan Zifferer were all
turning 8 on the same day. They asked their moms if they could
have a party. The moms said “ok, but no gifts, you have
enough toys”. Jimmy, always negotiating said “how
about if we ask for money then?” His mom said yes, but
they would have to donate it. The boys chose the Florida Keys
Children’s Shelter as the recipient.
The next month the three boys and the two moms visited the
shelter with the birthday money. The ladies soon realized
that they couldn’t have given the boys a better gift
then that experience. The boys felt really good about giving
something of theirs to other children who literally had nothing.
At the end of the school year Dylan moved away. Jimmy and
Richard decided to form the “Birthday Club” and
ask their schoolmates to join them. Anyone who joins, has
their names and birth dates are put on a perpetual plaque
that hangs in the school lobby and they are awarded a “Birthday
Club Medal”. In 2007 the club grew to 8 members. This
year the club has grown to 19 members. Two members attend
school up north and we now have our first member from KLS.
The clubs motto is “Giving up gifts. Giving out smiles.”
If anyone is interested in joining the club, no matter which
school you attend, please contact The Academy at Ocean Reef
at 367-2409 or admin@oracademy.org.
Recognizing Our Donors
Many people make our important work a reality. We are very
grateful for the numerous individuals and businesses that
contribute to our programs. Beginning July 1, we would be
honored to list the names of our donors in our quarterly e-newsletter.
Our hope is you will allow us to recognize you in this manner.
If you do not wish to be listed in the e-newsletter or other
FKCS publications, please contact Janey R. Miller, Chief Development
Officer, at 305-852-4246 ext. 222 or by email at janeymiller@fkcs.org.
Staff Member Spotlight
Angie Kemmer
 In
each quarterly newsletter we would like to take the opportunity
to profile a staff member. This quarter we are pleased to
introduce Angie Kemmer, MSW, LCSW, Counseling Services Coordinator
and CINS/FINS Counselor.
The Kemmer family has lived in the Islamorada area since
2000. Her husband Ben also works for FKCS and together they
are raising four young children. Angie graduated from the
University of Illinois, with a Masters in Social Work, in
1999. She obtained her Clinical Licensure in 2008.
Angie has worked in local agencies since 2000, providing
social services and mental health treatment to children and
families of the Upper Keys. Angie's professional goal is to
specialize in Behavioral Analysis and be involved with treatment
of behavior problems learning and social problems at the primary
level. While her personal goal is to continue to live a responsible
and ethical existence while always considering the environmental
impact of her choices.
Angie's vision for the Community Based Counseling program
is to build upon existing resources while strengthening the
basis of the CINS/FINS services through evidence-based assessment
and counseling. For families and kids, throughout Monroe County,
Community Based Counseling services contribute to high-quality
prevention and intervention services. The programs are accessible
to all families in need.
Angie may be reached at (c) 305 731 6166 or at Coral Shores
Office 853-3222 ext. 56392.
Upcoming Events
View up-to-date list here
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