May 20, 2013 - Family Centers’ Board Member and Employee Named “Family Champions”
Family Centers’ board member Jan Dilenschneider and staff member Amanda Harmon were recognized as “Family Champions” by the Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies (CCFSA) for their outstanding commitment to improving the lives of families.
At a ceremony held at the Trumbull Marriot on May 23, the CCFSA honored Dilenschneider, Harmon and 28 other human services professionals and volunteers whose unselfish actions have strengthened families in Connecticut.
Since joining the Family Centers Board of Directors in 1998, Dilenschneider has employed a ‘big picture’ approach to help the agency expand its reach in the community. As Board Chairman from 2005-2008, she helped guide Family Centers through two successful mergers with the Center for HOPE and HealthCare Connection -- moves that bolstered the agency’s range of services and created a greater continuum of care.
Dilenschneider has also co-chaired several fundraisers, including Family Centers’ 2000 Circus benefit the Center for HOPE Annual Luncheon, an intimate leadership breakfast with New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman and a Hearts of Hope dinner event with renowned physician Dr. Mehmet Oz. Looking for a way to better engage the Fairfield County business community, she also help create a speaker series that featured luminaries like former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo. Dilenschneider lives in Darien.
For the past five years, Harmon has been a trusted resource, confidant and sounding board for the students at Stamford’s Rippowam Middle School and AITE High School. As the clinical social worker at Family Centers’ School Based Health Center serving both schools, Amanda offers a compassionate and objective ear to the adolescents who look to her for guidance and support as they progress through to adulthood.
In addition to providing one-on-one counseling services at the School Based Health Center, Harmon regularly co-facilitates psycho-educational groups with teenagers who have a history of violence, suicidality and adjustment issues. This past December, she also took time to volunteer in Newtown to help families and workers deal with the overwhelming tragedy there. Harmon lives in Trumbull.
The Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies, Inc. (CCFSA) is a statewide network of independent, non-profit, family service agencies that deliver services from over 90 offices located throughout the state of Connecticut. Member Agencies are community-based, licensed by the State of CT and nationally accredited. Governed by volunteer boards of directors drawn from their respective communities, Family Service Agencies have been effectively serving CT families for over 100 years. CCFSA employs a professional staff to assist in achieving its mission.
To report a health and safety concern, please click the Joint Commission seal and click "Report a Safety Concern"
|