2011-12 Non-Profit Organization Finalist
Family Education & Support Services!
Sometimes all it takes is a helping hand for the ongoing challenge of parenting. Founded in 2000 as a non-profit from a conglomeration of several programs, Family Education and Support Services (FESS) gives parents that helping hand. Operating with the philosophy that strong families generate strong communities, they offer parent education and support.
Covering Thurston, Mason, Lewis, and Pierce counties, FESS is the only local provider of court-mandated parenting classes to individuals from all walks of life. The agency operates both in-house and off-site to offer guidance at a pace that encourages deeper understanding as parents or custodians navigate their way. FESS has also positioned itself as a community resource for all aspects of parenting and classes are open to the general public. They host parenting classes in North Thurston Schools as part of a long-range goal to encompass additional school districts. Agency workers attribute their success to a staff ethic of extending mutual support and cultivating personal strengths in work that can be challenging and stressful.
But it can also be rewarding, and success stories of former clients further illustrate this nurturing environment. A single father now teaches parenting classes, while a custodial aunt now sits on the Board of Directors. They happily count themselves as productive members of the strong, healthy family that is FESS.
To view the video of the Nominees and Winner, click here:
To view the Economic Development Council website, click here:
On April 19th 2012, Marc Daigneault, Program Coordinator for Family Education and Support Services, was one of several community members to be acknowledged with the “Making a Difference in the Life of a Child” award.
