Children’s Alliance & Child and Family Services Grow Partnership

Concord, NH - As they embark on their 20th anniversary as one of New Hampshire’s leading child advocacy organizations, the Children’s Alliance of New Hampshire moves its office into Child and Family Services’ new building on 103 North State Street in Concord.  

While it will remain an independent organization, the Children’s Alliance will be paying tenants of CFS and plans residency of up to 24 months.  During this time, the two organizations will strengthen their long-standing relationship and create new initiatives between the CANH and Child and Family Services’ child advocacy program, the NH Children’s Lobby.

As a leader in building partnerships, Child and Family Services, the 158 year old agency, believes that nonprofit organizations can join forces on many levels.  Mike Ostrowski, President and CEO, explains.  “It is important to empower each other as we work toward the same good causes.  CFS is happy to offer the Children’s Alliance of New Hampshire this opportunity to share our space and we look forward to building our mutual capacity to protect the rights and well-being of children, statewide.”   

“This collaboration enables us to streamline our efforts and to cross-promote our missions,” adds Ellen Fineberg, President of the Children’s Alliance of New Hampshire.  “It is an important step for us as we look ahead to our next 20 years of child advocacy.” 

Over the past 20 years, since the inception of the Children’s Alliance of New Hampshire, the two organizations have worked together on improving the lives of children and families through legislative, judicial and public policy initiatives. 

Fineberg concludes, “We’ve been friends for 20 years.  Now we’re moving in together.  It can only strengthen our efforts as we continue to promote policies and practices that enable all children to lead healthy and productive lives and to reach their full potential.” 

For further information on CANH, visit www.childrennh.org or call 603-225-2264.  For information about Child and Family Services, visit www.cfsnh.org or call the statewide headquarters at 1-800-640-6486.


Child and Family Services Honors Bank of America Charitable Foundation

Manchester, NH - For the past several years, in the Manchester area alone, Child and Family Services has served an average of 1500 homeless or runaway youth per year. 

In 2003, CFS endeavored to meet the need of these young people by opening its Teen Resource Center, an unprecedented initiative that provides a safe place where at-risk youth can meet their basic needs and gain access to services and resources that can help them to succeed in life.  

This year, the Teen Resource Center moved to its new home on 99 Hanover Street where it now houses eight programs and a full array of youth oriented services.   That move was made possible through the generosity of several philanthropic organizations and businesses that recognized the important role this facility would play in young people’s lives and the effect it would have on the future social climate of the community.  

On Tuesday, April 29, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation was one of a number of major donors honored for making the new Teen Resource Center a reality.

Bank of America was the Teen Resource Center’s first major donor.   In the beginning, the bank provided a grant to help with renovations and then mobilized 20 bank employees to paint the interior and carry out basic carpentry.

During the second year of operation, the bank provided funding for Street Outreach to take the Teen Resource Center on the road by funding the purchase of a Street Outreach van and providing permanent parking for the van in their garage at 1551 Elm Street.  Every evening since, the Street Outreach mobile unit has been able to move beyond the center city to where homeless youth congregate to offer them a way off the street and to safety, and to distribute basic health and safety materials, food, warm blankets and other supplies as needed, as well as to transport youth to doctor's appointments, job interviews, treatment services, etc.

Since then, Bank of America Charitable Foundation has provided Child and Family Services with an operating grant to keep the Teen Resource Center open daily.   The bank’s recent gift of $20,000 subsidizes the programs that fulfill the most basic needs of Manchester’s homeless youth. 

“Bank of America is proud to support the Street Outreach program, which provides services to some of our community’s most vulnerable youth,” said John F. Weeks, president, Bank of America New Hampshire.   “Child and Family Services helps teens who might otherwise fall through the cracks.  We commend them for the great work they do everyday.”

Through the generous contributions of Bank of America, along with several other philanthropic organizations throughout southern New Hampshire, the new Teen Resource Center now houses an expanded family of programs for at-risk youth Therapeutic Day Treatment, Integrated Home Based Services, Teen Tracking, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment, Runaway & Homeless Youth programs, Street Outreach, Transitional Living Services and Permanency Solutions.  The street level of the facility features a drop-in center where individuals can access a food pantry, clothing closet, laundry facilities, bathrooms, showers, telephones and computers.  

Additional youth development services provided at the center include life skills training, counseling, family support services, literacy/education programs, job training, and help with accessing healthcare, food stamps, bus passes, and more.    

Annually, over 1,500 youth will visit and access supplies, resources and staff assistance at the Teen Resource Center. 

“Without this annual grant from the Bank of America,” says Ruth Zax, Child and Family Services’ development director, “we would be unable to provide at-risk and homeless youth with these vital services and resources.   Over the years, with gifts to CFS teen services in excess of $100,000, Bank of America has long understood the importance of reaching out to troubled and vulnerable youth in our community, and has never wavered in its commitment to Child and Family Services’ mission to advance the well-being of children and families.” 

Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy
Building on a long-standing tradition of investing in the communities it serves, Bank of America will embark in 2009 on a new, ten-year goal to donate $2 billion to nonprofit organizations engaged in improving the health and vitality of their neighborhoods. Funded by Bank of America, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation gave more than $200 million in 2007, making the bank the most generous financial institution in the world and the second largest donor of all U.S. corporations in cash contributions. Bank of America approaches giving through a national strategy called "neighborhood excellence" under which it works with local leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs of individual communities. Through Team Bank of America, bank associate volunteers contributed more than 650,000 hours in 2007 to enhance the quality of life in their communities nationwide. For more information about Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.