VCS Foster Grandparent Program - VCS Inc.

Having just completed our fortieth year of continuous service with celebrations and renewed
commitment to the communities we serve, this Annual Report provides us a time to
reflect upon the progress of our past and to make plans for the challenges that we face
going forward. There are times these days when we feel like we are blowing in the winds
of change, so the concreteness of this report grounds us in the substance of the work we do
so well.
Throughout this past year 3,206 people turned to VCS for one to one services - at times of personal
crisis and suffering or perhaps when a family member was troubled.
Who are the people who turn to VCS in their time of need? Of course I cannot tell you their
names but I can tell you that they are your co-workers, perhaps a friend or a relative or someone
you know who lives in one of our close-knit communities throughout the Hudson Valley. They
are grandparents and other relatives who are raising a next generation of children they did not
expect to be caring for, troubled young people who feel threatened in school or in their neighborhood,
battered women in need of the long-lasting support of a volunteer counselor.
All types of people come to VCS: moms and dads from all walks of life, from all parts of the
community who are struggling under the responsibilities of raising a family; independent elders
who are suddenly afraid that they will not be able to care for themselves; veterans who are returning
home after their military service. They are some of our most vulnerable citizens and
some of our most prominent. They are people who are victims or perpetrators, working or unemployed,
living in your neighborhood or in a homeless shelter.
When people come to VCS they are guaranteed compassionate and affordable care that makes a
significant and lasting difference in their lives.
The VCS mission is carried out with a sense of pride and purpose by the VCS volunteer work
force and professional staff. The Board of Directors ensures that people in our community are
provided with the very best counseling and family services and cutting-edge training and workshops
focused on social justice and equality for all - with no exceptions.
The report that follows is a snap-shot of our work and accomplishments in 2010. The greatest
measure of our success lays in the number of individuals, young people and families who look
to us for help and whose lives are changed because we care.
We depend on your continued partnership and financial support to maintain our cautious optimism
in order to care for the needs in our communities.
Thank you.
Deborah Cary Murnion
Executive Director
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