Thanksgiving 2021: What we are thankful for this year
As Oakland Family Services reflects on the past year — in the midst of our 100th anniversary, the coronavirus pandemic, and all of the other ups and downs of 2021 — we have so much for which to be thankful.
We are thankful for every donation, large or small. We are so grateful for the unwavering financial support we have received despite the inability to hold our annual Building A Brighter Future Breakfast in person the past two years. Every dollar has helped our agency and the people we serve weather the pandemic and enter our second century of service financially prepared for whatever challenges lie ahead.
We are thankful for our clients, who put in hard work every day to build brighter futures for themselves, their families and our community. Thank you for choosing Oakland Family Services.
We are thankful for the preschoolers, toddlers and summer campers at our Children’s Learning Centers and for the opportunity to watch them grow each year. We appreciate the families who have entrusted us with the care and education of their little ones.
We are thankful for our foster and adoptive families who have continued to open their homes and their hearts to children in need, even through the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic.
We are thankful for our Board of Directors and their expert leadership during some of the most challenging days Oakland Family Services has ever faced.
We are thankful for every community partner who has provided funding, guidance, expertise or companionship, and for every grant we have received to help our prevention, education and treatment services touch as many lives as possible.
We are thankful for our volunteers, who never missed a beat when it came to finding new ways to support us during the pandemic. Thank you to all those who have given virtual lessons and readings to our preschoolers, lent a hand sprucing up our playgrounds, participated on event committees and more.
We are forever thankful for our staff, who have remained resilient, adaptable and enthusiastic throughout pandemic. More specifically, thank you to:
Our Day One and Specialized Services for Youth staff, who together support more than 2,200 children, teens and adults each year through some of the most difficult periods of their lives. Over the course of the pandemic, our treatment staff have helped our clients endure a global mental health crisis, rising rates of drug and alcohol misuse, an increase in youth suicide attempts, immense amounts of grief and so many other difficulties that have made mental health services more crucial than ever before.
Our home-visiting staff, who have continued to provide critical support to parents even when in-person visits weren’t possible. Together, Early On and Parents as Teachers serve nearly 800 families each year, working to address children’s developmental days, prevent abuse and neglect, and give parents the skills they need to help their children thrive.
Our foster care and adoption staff, who constantly juggle foster care placements and foster home licensing, training and support to make sure that the most vulnerable children in our community have safe, loving homes.
Our teachers and Children’s Learning Centers staff, who have worked tirelessly to navigate ever-changing safety guidelines and licensing requirements during the pandemic, all while providing quality education to children at risk of educational failure.
Our Early Learning Communities staff, who give child care providers the tools and training needed to improve the care of the littlest members of our community.
Our administrative staff, who work tirelessly from behind the scenes.
Finally, we are thankful for the opportunity to have served southeast Michigan for 100 years. It is a rare feat for a nonprofit to reach its 100th anniversary, and we are grateful for the people, programs, funders and minds that have shaped Oakland Family Services’ past, present and future. It is our honor to begin our second century of building brighter futures.