Fund Helps Agency Care for Abused Youths
Calvin’s mother is a crack user and alcoholic. Over the years, she somehow managed to hold onto odd jobs to care for 10-year-old Calvin and his 8-year-old brother. The boys were sent to Youth Consultation Service when it was discovered their mother was physically abusing them when she was high on drugs. YCS was also able to discover the boys had suffered sexual abuse at the hands of their mother’s friends.

Calvin’s mother eventually moved to Florida and ceased all contact with him and his brother. While they are aware they are safer and better cared for at YCS, the boys still struggle with feelings of abandonment and longing for their mother. Calvin’s 19-year-old sister is working to gain custody of the two boys and the entire family receives counseling from YCS for their traumatic experience.

Abused Wife Rebuilds Life
Stephanie’s husband abused her throughout their 10-year marriage. He beat her with a stick, leaving bruises all over her body. Even with a good job and her own money, her husband controlled her every move.

Eventually, Stephanie was forced to quit her job, and she and her children lived in constant fear.
Stephanie learned of the Rachel Coalition, a division of the Jewish Family Service of Metro West, through another parent at her children’s school. She contacted the agency and an attorney aided her in obtaining a restraining order.

Her husband now has supervised visits with the children and must pay child support. Stephanie and her children have since moved and she has found a new job.

Holiday Fund Helps Mother, Daughter Recover from Life Of Abuse
As a child, Quintana’s mother endured years of physical abuse at the hands of her own mother. When she was just 15 she got pregnant with Quintana, and after her birth the cycle of abuse continued.
When Quintana was just 2, mother and child went missing. They were later found living on the streets. Quintana’s mother was arrested for selling drugs and sent to prison. Quintana was sent to a YCS foster home.

Quintana is slowly recovering from her traumatic past at the Therapeutic Nursery program in Hudson County. Her foster mother is hoping to adopt her in the near future.

Helping Boy Learn To Trust
Jeremy was removed from an abusive household when he was 6. He suffered severe abuse and neglect at the hands of his drug-addicted parents. The Children’s Aid and Family Services agency began caring for Jeremy in one of its group homes.

Jeremy’s upbringing left him angry and unable to control his emotions. He also struggled to accept help or guidance from others, as he was accustomed to caring for himself and his sisters.

To help him channel his emotions, Jeremy received individual and group therapy from the agency, which included participation in yoga and basketball. Children’s Aid and Family Services also provided him tutoring to improve his academic standing, which proved beneficial.

Through the structure provided by the agency, Jeremy has learned to accept help and to trust agency staff. After an 18-month stay in a group home, Jeremy has rejoined his sisters in an adoptive home, and the entire family continues to receive individual and family therapy.

Mom Works Three Jobs, Struggles with Son’s Medical Bills, Husband’s Addiction
Carol is a 48-year-old mother of three working three jobs to provide for her family. Her 10-year-old son has a rare blood disorder and she is battling mounting medical bills. She came to the Nutley Family Service Bureau nearing bankruptcy.

The agency is providing her and her husband with counseling. Carol’s husband just rejoined the work force after a long period of unemployment and alcohol dependence. He is in recovery from alcohol addiction and has struggled to maintain his sobriety amidst his son’s medical condition and the family’s financial woes.

The counseling services of the NFSB helps Carol and her family improve their communication with each other and their ability to cope during this trying time in their lives.

Moving Away from a Life on the Streets
Ms. R has suffered through abandonment, depression, sexual abuse, rape, teen pregnancy, beatings, foster care and hopelessness. And she’s only 17. The teenager was abandoned by her parents at a young age due to their substance abuse problems. She went to live with her paternal grandmother, where she was sexually abused by a cousin and raped by an uncle. She gave birth to a daughter at just 16, and her father came back into her life to try to regain custody of the duo. While she waited for court proceedings, Ms. R struggled with balancing schoolwork and motherhood. Hell-bent on providing for her baby, she ran away and got a job as an adult escort. She began drinking and smoking, lived on the streets, and worked as a stripper on the side for extra money. She was held up at gunpoint and beaten, both by pimps and by male suitors. The Family Service League, one of the charities supported by the Greater Newark Holiday Fund, helped Ms. R. They placed her into foster care and connected her with drug counseling. Her grades are back on track and she has a job at a local medical center. She looks forward to a healthy life caring for her daughter.

Mom Escapes Abuse, Kids Thrive
Robert was watching when his mentally ill, drug-addicted father abused his mother, Eliza. Later, he saw Eliza get hit by her new boyfriend. Soon, the 4-year-old was hitting and choking the kids in his pre-school class. But through FAMILYConnections' PrePARE program, Robert is getting individual play therapy and social skills training. Meanwhile, his mother received therapy, and found the strength to leave her abusive partner. Even after she suffered a miscarriage and the death of her mother in the same week, Eliza received support from FAMILYConnections, joining the DREAMS program for domestic violence survivors and their children. Today, Robert is in kindergarten and Eliza is back in school. With support from the Greater Newark Holiday Fund, FAMILYConnections hopes to help them move into their own apartment, and make it a home with bedding, furniture and cleaning supplies.

Helping a Rape Victim
Settee was overjoyed when she was hired by a company that places nannies in the U.S. For the young Brazilian woman, the job was a chance to have an adventure abroad before returning home for college. But Settee’s dreams were dashed within weeks of her arrival when the parents who had hired her decided to separate, and the mother moved out of state. Homeless and jobless, Settee moved to a friend’s apartment in New Jersey, where she planned to stay briefly until she found another placement. One day, as she was walking back to the apartment, a man approached. Brandishing a gun, he forced her into an alleyway and raped her. Settee didn’t know where to turn. She had no money, no family and no insurance. Her friend insisted that she go to the emergency room, where Settee was met by a rape care advocate from the Family Service League. Settee’s advocate stayed with her throughout the next difficult hours, helping her understand her options. Taking her advocate’s advice, she made an appointment with the Family Service League and continues to meet weekly with her therapist as she pieces her life and dreams back together.