At Children’s Aid and Family Services, we are deeply grateful to everyone that works together – our staff, volunteers, board members, foster and adoptive parents and supporters – to help some of the most vulnerable children, adults and families in our community to have better lives. Here are some highlights of what we accomplished together in 2017:

– Nearly 14,000 children and families had their lives improved by Children’s Aid and Family Services.

– 15 children were placed in safe, permanent homes.

– 54 children who suffered abuse and neglect were helped to heal in our therapeutic group homes.

– 77% of our aged out teens and young mothers made strides toward employment. We provide an additional level of support to our aging out teens and young mothers at Zoe’s Place by partnering them with a coach so they may develop the skills needed to achieve economic independence.

– 100% of teenagers in our care graduated high school for the past nine years! The national average for children in foster care is 50%.

– 39 children in foster care received one-on-one tutoring.

– 270 people who experienced opioid overdoses and Narcan reversals were helped by our Recovery Specialists. Approximately 45% of them entered substance abuse treatment.

– 20 teenagers who aged out of foster care were provided with scholarships for education and emergency funding.

– 5 children with disabilities attended summer camp with one-on-one supervision from our staff.

– 903 seniors were helped in our Elder Care program.

– We opened our seventh community home for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

– An 11-year-old boy was adopted by a loving family in November and a 17-year-old girl is on track to be adopted in 2018! Sadly, it is difficult for children older than 9 to be adopted.

– 8 mothers created portraits of their journeys into motherhood and exhibited them in “Mother, Me,” a photography exhibit.

– 98% of the young males who graduated from our WISE program over the last six years achieved positive changes in their behavior.

– $1 million in new grants and contracts were awarded for addiction recovery support for those that use substances and their families.

– 28 individuals with disabilities were provided with comprehensive support.

–  1,000 people shared their time and talents with us as volunteers; corporate volunteer support increased 9%.

– Our new day habilitation program (for adults with disabilities) and after-school respite program (for children with disabilities) is scheduled to open this month.

– 230 clients were provided with therapeutic intervention for families in which one or more children were having difficulty spending time with a parent.

– 320 adult adoptees reached out to us for resources after the State of New Jersey selected NJ ARCH to provide support to adult adoptees who received their original birth certificates.

– 133 families were provided with free nutritional formula and diapers in our Baby Basics program. We provided one-time assistance to an additional 238 families.