Holiday Party

 What could be better than a holiday party with Christmas music, delicious food, refreshments, gifts for all, and the whole family present?  How about a holiday party with nineteen families present!  The Family Circle of Support (FCOS) and Kinship Connection (KC) worked hard and came together so the clients could celebrate the holidays at

St. Jean the Baptist Church. 

The children made Christmas cards at the activities table with Beatriz, and Mrs. Claus read them The Night Before Christmas.  Dinner included some of the comfort foods that our clients would find on their own dinner table including: roast pork and chicken, rice and beans, homemade ziti, and homemade cupcakes. Village 38 provided the Macaroni and Cheese the adults loved, Pepsi Cola relieved us with the refreshments, and McDonald’s put a smile on every child’s face with a donation of 100 happy meals. 

The icing on the cake was the look on the children’s faces when they opened their presents.  Whether naughty or nice, Hispanic Federation and Toys for Tots made sure every child received something special.  And the Express Design Studio had Santa’s personal wish list.  They made every child’s dream come true this year.  Absolutely none of the holiday festivities would be possible without the generosity of Conde-Nast.  Every year they traditionally play the role of benefactor and saint; and they certainly came through to make this a Christmas to remember for clients and staff alike.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this holiday special.

Borough Based Post-Adoption Resource Directory for Families and Children

The fruit of many months of collaborative research on the part of COAC and ACS adoption staff, the ACS DivIsion of Famliy Permanency's Community Based Resources For Families and Children is now available in borough-specific volumes, as well as in the original city-wide volume. The resource directory was originally conceived by the COAC and ACS post-adoption services programs as a means to provide information to adoptive families on available services in the five boroughs of New York City. However, the information contained in the resource book is in no way limited to post-adoption services: the book is a comprehensive guide to services of interest to all families and children. 

The colorful and attractive layout of the directory features a clear, concise, large-print summary of each service provider's program including location, phone and primary contact person, hours of operation, languages spoken, geographic area served, target population, handicap access, fees, and a description of services, as well as other helpful details. The directory's sections are clearly divided by type of service - legal, social services, recreation, medical and mental health, educational, special needs resources, and resources for the uninsured, as well as a comprehensive Appendix arranged by detailed topic areas.

Stop in to the COAC office and help yourself to this useful and very "user-friendly" guide, which is free of charge!

Free Resource Library at COAC

...and while we're talking about free publications, COAC now boasts a free resource library on the office premises. All of COAC's publications and program brochures as well   as a variety of other materials of interest to the families and children served by the agency can now be easily obtained from our free family resource library on the agency premises. All visitors to COAC are welcome to browse the shelves and help themselves to one of each of the items in the library.