Family Promise Metrowest 2021 Annual Report

OUR STORY
Family Promise Metrowest’s
mission is to transform the
lives of families with children
who are facing homelessness
by mobilizing a diverse
community to provide
shelter, education, and
comprehensive support.
The story of Family Promise Metrowest began in
2003, when members of two local congregations,
Wellesley Village Church and Christ Lutheran Church
in Natick, became concerned about the rapid
increase in family homelessness in our community.
As they looked for ways to get involved, they learned
about Family Promise, a New Jersey–based nonprofit
that was providing temporary housing for families in
empty congregational classrooms. They quickly
realized this model of support could work here, and
after years of research and community networking,
their efforts finally blossomed: Family Promise
Metrowest opened its doors in October of 2008.
As a Family Promise Affiliate, we are one of over 200
Family Promise locations across the country,
providing safe shelter, meals, and an array of other
services to families in need from coast to coast. In our
first full year of operation in 2009, we supported 15
families; last year, we served 64, including 101
children. Although we had been gradually expanding
each year since founding, our growth was truly
launched in 2014 with the hiring of our Executive
Director, Sue Crossley.
We could fill this entire report with stories about
Sue’s eight-year tenure at FPM, but suffice it to say,
we are transformed. From crowded basement
quarters to a beautiful home of our own; from one
program serving our families to a spectrum of four;
from a staff of three to a seasoned team of nine;
from a $250K budget to $1.2 million this year. But
most of all, from an organization still cutting our
teeth in this community to a key player in the
region’s spectrum of family services.
“Our story” will never be told without many chapters
about Sue’s impact on Family Promise Metrowest.
As our Board Director Carol Virshbo shared, “FPM
has become one of the most admired affiliates in
the Family Promise national network, and we would
not be where we are today without Sue's amazing
leadership.” But it was not just skills and experience
she brought to our doorstep—it was her sense of
humor, her kindness, her humility, and her deep
compassion for all of us, families, staff, and board
alike. Family Promise Metrowest is now infused with
these values, and each one of us carries them into
the work we do every day.
Sue began volunteering for us in 2013, not long after
moving from Pennsylvania to Natick. It didn’t take
long before the word got out: Sue was a seasoned
nonprofit leader, consultant, and adjunct faculty
member in the MPA program at Suffolk University.
Missing her time in the trenches, she had just begun
to network for a director position when our inaugural
Executive Director Beth Cooper gave her notice. The
timing was perfect.
We will miss Sue terribly but are so grateful for the
groundwork she laid for our next phase of growth,
with a new director and renewed excitement for all
that lies ahead.
With deep gratitude for her leadership and
friendship, and best wishes on her next journey,
—The FPM Staff, Board, and Families
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