Annual Appeal
A Letter from our CEO and President
Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to ensure FCA’s continuation of services for those who need it most.
Dear Neighbor and Friend,
I know that annual fundraising appeals are supposed to be bold and flashy, designed by some fancy advertising firm and printed on expensive premium paper.
But that’s not FCA and I thought it made more sense to write you a heartfelt letter outlining our neighbors’ needs and asking for your help.
Since 1884, FCA has worked to make Long Island a better place to live, work and raise a family. We’ve done that through some world wars, the Great Depression, 9/11, Superstorm Sandy and a couple pandemics, starting with the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918. Though COVID deaths have fallen, its lingering mental health consequences can be as deadly as any virus.
But that’s where we come in.
FCA’s six divisions provide wraparound support for Long Island’s most vulnerable neighbors, focusing on mental health. In keeping our promise “to protect and strengthen Long Island’s most vulnerable children, seniors, families, and communities,” our services include the following:
•Children’s Mental Health and Wellness provides end-to-end mental health support services tailored to each family’s needs. From in-home counseling to family respite and workshops led by Family Peer Advocates, our team knows improving youth’s mental health means supporting the family as a whole.
•The Family Support division serves teen parents, recently arrived immigrant families and those struggling under the weight of poverty, illiteracy and homelessness. We address the immediate problems, but also help families achieve peace of mind and reclaim the joy of living with long-term solutions.
•Our Addiction Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery division understands mental health and addiction go hand-in-hand. Our treatment centers provide state-of-the-art care to adults struggling with addiction while our evidence-based prevention programs go upstream to work with kids before they get swept into the current of drugs and alcohol. Our recovery centers from Westbury to Westhampton Beach staffed by people in recovery help to rebuild lives, families and communities.
• FCA’s Prevention & Community Engagement division’s skilled substance use and violence prevention professionals focus on building community and promoting healthy behaviors. These programs effectively reduce gun violence, substance use, and bullying by providing alternatives and taking a mental-health-first approach.
• Our Residential programs provide homes for Long Islanders who might otherwise be homeless, confined to a hospital or sent to a shelter. Some have mental health diagnoses, some are LGBTQ teens violently ejected from the family home and some are folks who just hit a rough patch and need our help.
• Our Senior and Adult Services protect and strengthen Nassau’s seniors through services that ensure safety while maximizing independence, respecting the right to self-determination, and improving the overall quality of life. We offer a complete suite of supportive services to seniors, including mental health assessments, so no senior is left behind.
By the time Christmas arrives, FCA will have served more than 35,000 families in 2022 and requests for help are up 20% since this time last year. As our team pulls out all the stops to keep up, funding hasn’t kept pace with local needs and that’s where we need your help.
Would you please consider making a gift to FCA this year? Online giving form below.
If you have more questions before you make a gift to FCA, please feel free to call my personal cell at 631-513-5757.
It’s that important. 35,000 Long Islanders are counting on us.
I’m grateful for your support and wish you and your family a happy, healthy holiday season.
Dr. Jeffrey L. Reynolds, PhD
President & CEO