Portola & Excelsior Family Connections (San Francisco, CA)

General

• Mission:

Family Connections exists to develop strong, healthy families and to build thriving communities in the Portola and Excelsior neighborhoods. Family Connections provides opportunities for people of different backgrounds to work together cooperatively, sharing cultures, values, knowledge and resources.

• History:

Our Philosophy & Programs: Over the past seventeen years Family Connections has come to know and understand our communities well. Based on what we’ve learned through our direct experiences and equally taking into consideration the specific needs of the immigrant populations we serve, Family Connections has developed a highly specialized, holistic approach to meeting the needs of our families – developmental, emotional, educational, and social. Our programs/services are intentionally built on a continuum that begins at infancy and continues through advanced age. We interweave child and parent learning/development to ensure the greatest success and outcomes for the entire family, and subsequently the greater community. Our services include pre-kindergarten classes, educational and community support for elementary school students, family literacy programs, parent/caregiver education, community networking programs, marriage/family/ individual counseling and therapy, resource and referral assistance, community leadership development and advocacy.

Our History: Family Connections began in 1993 in response to a survey of residents in the Portola neighborhood which overwhelmingly showed a need for family support services. Since that first poll, our organization has operated on the philosophy that our programs are for the community, by the community, and of the community. Accordingly, our programs and services are participant-driven and guided by ongoing input and feedback from our monthly Parent Advisory Board, participant satisfaction surveys, and continuous participant dialog with program staff. In January of 2004 Family Connections responded to a request by the Coleman Advocates, a San Francisco-based child advocacy organization, and opened a second center in the Excelsior neighborhood, expanding our services to another community in need of family support services.

Family Connections continues to grow to better serve our communities. Due to our key roles in the Portola and Excelsior neighborhoods, in 2008 Family Connections was one of 5 organizations selected to become a pilot site of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families’ Anchor Institution Initiative; our goals through the initiative are 1) to build our infrastructure while developing and expanding our community leadership role and 2) to cultivate resident leadership and provide them with the tools and resources to create positive changes in the34 community. We also have recently finished extensive renovations on the Portola Family Connections center, enabling us to better utilize the space for our education programs and make it more welcoming and hospitable as a neighborhood gathering space.

Current Year Initiative: In June 2010 Family Connections launched our Healthy Connections Initiative, a center-wide plan to articulate, structure, and expand on Family Connections’ preventative health programming. Building on the current services Family Connections provides, Healthy Connections will focus on four overarching areas of health: 1) Healthy Eating/Nutrition; 2) Exercise; 3) Disease Prevention; and 4) Mental Health. All of our programming will be planned, coordinated, and delivered through this targeted lens. The initiative also includes an internal component to ensure that our organization and staff members are role models for healthy behaviors.

• Year established:1993

Registration

• Organization type:Grantseeker
• Country of registration:United States
• Year established:1993
• Tax Determination Letter:Received Determination Letter
• IRS Section:501(c)(3)
• IRS Subsection:Operating

Web Listing

• Guidestar listed:Yes