News & EventsNews Room
 Featured above is Dr. Tom Cook, Regional Director of the Birmingham office of Catholic Family Services, and Mr. Tom Maxwell, Treasurer of the Alabama Lawyers For Unborn Children, Inc. This group of pro-life attorneys is presenting the agency with a check to support its programs of adoption, infant foster care, and service to women in crisis pregnancies. The Alabama Lawyers for Unborn Children, Inc. has been a consistent supporter of CFS and it pro-life ministry. CFS also receives funds from the Catholic Charities Appeal and the United Way of Central Alabama.  Pictured above are attendees at an adoption seminar at the Birmingham office of Catholic Family Services. CFS, along with the Alabama Adoption Coalition, hosted the seminar on November 4th to kick off National Adoption Month. Seminar topics included presentations from the staff of the International Adoption Clinic at Children's Hospital as well as from APAC (Alabama Post Adoption Connections). CFS is a recipient of funds from the Catholic Charities Appeal, and the United Way of Central Alabama.  Pictured above Dr. Don Paoletti presented an in-service at Catholic Family Services to local Catholic School counselors and CFS staff on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Dr. Paoletti is a local child and adolescent psychiatrist that provide psychiatric services to Women and Children at Catholic Family Services through The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham Dr. Tom Cook, Regional Director of Birmingham Catholic Family Services, holds a check given to the agency by Bob Faust, Executive Director of the Alabama Pro-Life Coalition Education Fund, Inc. CFS received a check for $4,059.00 from the sale of “Choose Life” auto tags in Jefferson County. CFS has been participating in this program since 2005 and to this date has received $22,198 from this foundation.CFS will use the grant to fund its programs of assisting women in crisis pregnancies, infant adoption, and infant foster care. The agency also receives funds from the Catholic Charities Appeal and the United Way of Central Alabama.  The agency was presented with a grant for $4,600 from The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham and will be used to provide outpatient psychiatric care for women and children in Metro Birmingham. CFS also receives funds from The United Way of Central Alabama, and The Catholic Charities Appeal.  Pictured above, from left to right are CFS board members Ted Holt, Mary Roth, Dann Lee, Dr. Tom Cook (agency director), Tom Mahoney, Deacon Bob Martin (Board President), Dr. Juan Gutierrez and Marco Gonzalez.  Pictured above are Dr. Tom Cook, agency director, Deacon Bob Martin, CFS Board President, and Mrs. Jan Bell, VP for Community Philanthropy for The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. The CFGB awarded CFS a grant for $4,600 to provide outpatient psychiatric care to women and children in Metro Birmingham. To find out more about the Community Foundation go to the About Us Section and click on Partnerships at our web site. The Birmingham office of Catholic Family Services has received a grant of $6,500 from Hill Crest Foundation, Inc. The funds will be used to provide outpatient mental health services to the uninsured and under- insured individuals in Metro Birmingham. CFS is partnering with the Jefferson-Blount-St. Clair Mental Health Authority to provide these services. Dr. Tim Stone will see CFS clients on a monthly basis and the agency will also be assisting with medications, if the client can’t afford to purchase them. The Hill Crest Foundation was established in 1967 and its primary focus is on health care and meeting other community needs. The foundation has funded this service at CFS since October of 2006.  John & Pattie DeCastra hosted the new foster parent orientation in their home welcoming Catholic Family Services new foster parents. Pictured Above: Director, Tom Cook; Dwayne & Trisha Albritton; Marc & Susan Corsini; Greg & Jennifer Davis; John & Patty DeCastra; Bob & Kathy Esper; Len & Teresa Holland; Pat & Debbie Lucas; David & Jean McGuire; (Not Pictured- Rowell & Trinita Ashford, Mike & Carol Reddington)  Catholic Family Services is pleased to announce the addition of three new foster families, (Pictures Above) Marc & Susan Corsini, and their three children, Nicholas, Matthew & Isabella- (OLS); David (not pictured) & Jean McGuire, and their daughter, Anna- (St. Mark); and Bob & Kathy Esper- (OLV).  Catholic Family Services psychiatric program has been renewed thanks to a grant from The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. The agency will use this money to contract for outpatient services from, (Above) Dr. Don Paoletti a local child and adolescent psychiatrist. Dr. Paoletti will see women and children who reside in Jefferson County at no charge; however the referral must come through the CFS clinical staff.  On October 2, 2008 the Birmingham Office of Catholic Family Services hosted an appreciation dinner in honor of Len and Teresa Holland for devoting 30 years of service foster parenting 44 infants and young children that were in CFS care.   (Above Left) Mrs. Barbara Pitts, CFS social worker , presents Teresa and Len Holland with a plaque in appreciation for their 30 years of service as foster parents with CFS. (Above Right) Mr. Philip Selig, Vice President of the Advisory Board of Catholic Family Services, presents Teresa and Len Holland with a gift from the Advisory Board members. The couple received a gift certificate for The Summit in appreciation of their work for the agency.   (Above Left)Deacon Bob Martin, President of CFS Advisory Board, presents to United Way Volunteers on November 10, 2008. (Above Right) CFS adoptive couple talks about adoption experience at CFS. Listed below is a letter Dr. Tom Cook submitted to the editor that appeared in the Birmingham News on December 10, 2008 about recruiting African American Families for Adoption. Dear Editor, Recently, on December 3rd, Congressman Artur Davis sponsored a community seminar which supported and encouraged the recruitment of families to adopt special needs children in the care of the State Department of Human Resources (DHR). As the director of Catholic Family Services (CFS), a private, non-profit child welfare agency, I would like to compliment Representative Davis for his work in helping raise the awareness of the needs of these children. This kind of leadership and commitment to the families of the 7th Congressional District is appreciated. Anytime adoption is promoted, children and families benefit. Adoption is not always an easy process, for any of the parties involved, but the outcome is worth the work. CFS has been providing adoption services in Birmingham since 1928 and serves people of all faiths. Our focus is on finding permanent, loving, homes for infants in our care, and on helping the woman make a decision to either parent or make an adoption plan. Catholic Family Services, just like the Department of Human Resources, is here to promote adoption and to find caring adults who are willing to make a lifetime commitment to a child. It is certainly beneficial to both agencies to have the unequivocal support of Representative Davis in helping us do our work. Below is a video interview Dr. Tom Cook had with the local CBS 42 television station about Catholic Family Services Adoption Program in conjunction with the story they did when they found a newborn in a duffel bag in Bessemer.  Shown above are some of Santas little helpers from Prince of Peace Parish delivering presents for clients served at the Birmingham office of Catholic Family Services. Also shown are a small portion of the hundreds toys provided for distribution to CFS clients. Donations came from Prince of Peace and Blessed Sacrament parishes, the Our Lady of Fatima Guild at Our Lady of Sorrows, individual donors and local businesses. Through the work of these volunteers and Mrs. Johnita Harrell, CFS receptionist, the agency was able to provide Christmas toys and gifts for 163 children in 66 families in Birmingham and surrounding areas. CFS is an agency supported by the annual Catholic Charities Appeal.  Parishioners of St. Peter the Apostle parish, Birmingham, made a generous donation for the 2009 Change for Life (baby bottle) Campaign. The checks were provided to Her Choice Women's Center and CFS. Standing with Dr. Tom Cook (second from left), Regional Director of the Birmingham office of CFS are members of the Respect Life Committee Jim Blaszczynski, Mary Mueller and Eileen Kennedy. Members of St. Peter's raised these funds by filling up baby bottles with change and donating this to the agency. The money will be used to support the services to women in crisis pregnancies, adoption and foster care programs offered by the agency. The Respect Life Committee, along with all the parishioners of St. Peter's have been generous and consistent supporters of the agency.  Caption: Pictured above are Dr. Tom Cook, Director of the Birmingham office of Catholic Family Services and the 6th graders from Mrs. Mahoney's class at OLV School. The students raised money for the agency in the Change for Life fundraiser conducted at OLV parish. Students distributed baby bottles after Mass and the parishioners returned the bottles with their change, cash, or checks. These students, and parishioner, raised $3,750 and counting to support the adoption and foster care services at CFS. The students were rewarded for their valuable services with a pizza party sponsored by CFS. Catholic Family Services is a recipient of funds from the Catholic Charities Appeal and The United Way of Central Alabama. |
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