FSMC Honors Supporters at 50th Anniversary Ball

At the very elegant 50^th Anniversary Spring Ball, friends of Family Service of Morris County paid tribute to former staff, board members and others whose long history of support and service have enabled Family Service to brighten the lives of Morris County families.

Dressed in elegant dresses and tuxedos, guests danced the night away at the beautiful ballroom of the Short Hills Hilton.  Throughout the evening, they participated in a raffle benefiting the FSMC Madison Day Care Center and bid on auction items to fund the many innovative Family Service programs.  According to Ball Chair Kathy Heher of Morristown, “we are delighted that the Ball raised over $140,000 to provide counseling, education, advocacy and support to many of our community’s struggling children, seniors and families.  The work of Family Service really hits home for so many in our community, and everyone was quite generous with their contributions.

This year’s Spring Ball celebrated the contributions of former staff members Mary Jo Buchanan, Polly Cranwell, Helga Markowski, and Tammy Rosenthal.  Board Members, Ball Chairs and Supporters were also specially honored:  John Bickford and family, Ginny and Tom Campion, Grace Culbertson, Dodge Foundation, Ralph Engelsman, Shade and Steve Grahling, Ruth and Bill Hardin, Peggy and Martin Heller, Kellogg Family, Barbara and Bob Klein, Kirby Family, Wendy and Robert Lazarus, Pam and Joe Longo, Alexandra and David Mead, Virginia and Bob Pierson, Virginia and Michael Ranger and Family, Mark Reffner and Audrey Went, Mollie and Gray Rogers and Family, Thomas Family, Elaine Vincent, Toni and Fred von Zuben, Kirstie and Dean Wilson, Jill and Julian Wells, Lisa and David Welsh, and Connie and Bob Wood and Family.

The hardworking 2012 Spring Ball Committee was chaired by Kathy Heher and included members Laurie Georgen, Anne Marie Jarka-Hajjar, Pam Longo, Judy Martinez, Marylynn McLaughlin and Kim Pistner, all of Morristown.

To learn more about Family Service of Morris County and see more photos of the Ball, check out www.fsmc.org.  FSMC is a private, non-profit organization serving Morris County for over 198 years with a mission of strengthening the community by empowering individuals and families to meet and overcome life's challenges. Within the agency’s mission, it concentrates on prevention and early intervention in four strategic areas to make an impact on our communities by:

Giving children the best start in life with programs that focus on improved social and emotional well being, parenting, early childhood education, grief counseling, family support and resources;
Keeping older adults independent and in their homes through social day centers, caregiver respite, in-home case-management, financial literacy and programs for the blind and visually impaired;
Building and maintaining healthy families by helping them cope with everyday challenges of stress, anxiety, parenting concerns, marital issues, and the unique concerns of Military families;
Preventing substance abuse in families and communities through education.