FY2014 Annual Report - Three Rivers Adoption Council

Three Rivers Adoption Council
because every child needs a family
Annual Report FY2014
United Way Contributor Choice #324
Pennsylvania West Combined Federal Campaign # 25198
Mission & Vision
Three Rivers Adoption Council’s (TRAC) mission is to create and provide adoption opportunities and a
range of services for all children growing up without permanent, caring families.
TRAC’s Vision is to be viewed statewide as the highest quality provider of innovative family-focused
adoption services with an emphasis on African-American and special needs children as measured by our
key stake holders:
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children and families,
employees,
funders,
member and peer agencies, and
all levels of government
Awards
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Recipient of the "Supporters of the Village" presented by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,
Incorporated - 2013.
Honorable Mention recipient of the Community Partnership Award by Mutual of America 2011.
Honored as a Congressional Angel in Adoption presented by the Congressional Coalition
on Adoption (CCAI) - 2010.
Honored as a Congressional Angel in Adoption presented by the Congressional Coalition
on Adoption (CCAI) - 2005.
Presented with the Faith Based Recruiting Award at the Statewide Adoption and Permanency
Network (SWAN) Conference. - 2004.
Honored as a Congressional Angel in Adoption presented by the Congressional Coalition
on Adoption (CCAI) - 2003.
Recipient of the Adoption 2002 Excellence Award given by President Clinton - 1998
Affiliations
TRAC is a member of the following organizations:
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Adoption Exchange Association
National Black Child Development Institute
North American Council on Adoptable Children
Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network
United Way
About TRAC
Since its inception 35 years ago, TRAC has worked so that no child
will have to face a life without permanency.
Board of
Directors
Rufus Barnes, President
Eaton Corporation
Denise O’Connor, Vice
President
Community Volunteer
Robin Beckham
Beckham Media
Sarah Datt
H.J. Heinz
Elizabeth Hays, SPHR
Mars Home for Youth
Kathy Humphrey, Ph.D
University of Pittsburgh
Marcie Knittle
Huntington Bank
Mt. Ararat Baptist Church
Deacon Cheryl Morris
TRAC was founded by adoptive parents and professionals and
established as a volunteer staffed project of the Junior League of
Pittsburgh. Today, TRAC is a United Way Agency that serves as the
central resource for permanency information, family recruitment,
placement of special needs children, post-permanency support,
education and referral services.
Adhering to the permanency standards of the Child Welfare League
of America, TRAC is a multi-service agency serving children who
cannot remain with their birth families and the resource families who
provide these children permanence. Primarily, the children served
fall into several categories. More than half are African America;
many are older and/or part of a sibling group who need to stay
together; and others have emotional, physical, or mental disabilities.
Most of these children have experienced multiple moves in the foster
care system and a high percentage have been victims of abuse and
neglect. TRAC works with public and private agencies to implement
cooperative, cost effective programs to meet the placement and post
-placement needs of these children.
TRAC provides recruitment, information and referral services,
counseling, family preparation, post adoption services, and parent
and professional education services, to achieve and maintain
maximum permanency opportunities for children and their families.
TRAC consists of the following programs:
Adoption Resources
Black Adoption Services
Family Connections
Finding and supporting permanent resources for waiting children is
essential. The failure to do so constitutes a great potential loss to
society because children who grow up without families are at risk
throughout their lives to become involved with the criminal justice,
mental health and homeless populations.
That’s why TRAC believes so strongly that EVERY CHILD NEEDS A
FAMILY.
Adoption Resources
Adoption Resources/Recruitment and Retention: Family Recruitment and education programs to increase the number of families
willing and able to adopt, foster or provide respite care. Adoption Resources also includes:
Waiting Child
Sponsored by SWAN, KDKA-TV airs a bi-monthly segment entitled Waiting Child. The segment features older children who are
awaiting adoption.
Wendy’s Wonderful Kids
Since becoming a Wendy’s Wonderful Kids (WWK) grantee in 2007, TRAC has served 130 children, matching 58 children with
their forever families.
Program Highlights
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Conducted 93 recruitment contacts through businesses,
churches and community events.
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Coordinated 21 features for KDKA’s Waiting Child
Segment
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Provided information/assistance to 264 families.
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68% of the children featured in the waiting child have
found permanent homes
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Conducted 46 information meetings with 63 families.
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Hosted 3 matching events, with over 50 agencies.
9th year of being awarded the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids
grant, the only agency in Western PA.
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Attended 11 matching events statewide.
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Provided CSR services to 18 children through the Wendy’s
Wonderful Kids program
Adoption and Foster Care Services
TRAC has provided culturally sensitive support to families from pre-service training, through the homestudy process, placement
and eventual finalization. TRAC is a full service adoption/foster care agency, providing:
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Family training
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Family profiles
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Matching services
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Child profiles
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Placement/finalization supervision services
Program Highlights
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22 families have completed pre-service training.
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Completed 155 child profiles.
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Completed 37 family profiles.
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Served 1,016 children and families, and provided 2,513
matches.
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Placed 45 children into permanent homes, ranging in ages
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from newborn to 13 years old.
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Finalized 23 adoptions.
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Reduced agency disruption rate to 9%, the national
average for adoption disruption is 25%
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Completed assessment for the Human Rights Campaign's
All children—All families, the only agency in Western
Pennsylvania.
Assisted in the placement of 7,249 children since 1979.
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Since 1979, this program has assisted in 5,064
placements, and provided services to 5,099 families &
12,174 children
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Since 1988, we have place 475 children with permanent
homes
Family Connections
TRAC’s Family Connections program focuses on educating both the parent and child to understand what has happened to them
in their journey through the child welfare system. Family Connections program also focuses on maintaining and/or restoring
relationships and creating healthy families through;
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Outpatient Therapy
Statewide Adoption Network (SWAN) referred services include
 Case Management
 Support Group
 Child prep
 Respite
Re-Connections
Services for families working toward reunification.
Program Highlights
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Completed 48 family assessments.
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82 families received case management services.
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60 families received respite services
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238 families received consultation & referral services.
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110 Children received Child Preparation services.
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Provided 147 clients with adoption focused therapy (family and individual)
and Therapeutic Supervised Visitation (TSV)
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215 parents and children attended 7 Chat N Chill support group sessions.
Family Re-Connections
TRAC's outpatient therapy department has traditionally worked with those who have been adopted, both children and adults,
and their families. We continue to provide outpatient therapy services to the adoption community.
In addition to our traditional services we are pleased to announce our new therapeutic program: Family Re-connections. Family
Re-connections provides either therapeutic supervised visitation and/or family therapy to families who need to re-establish or
strengthen their family connections.
The program is offered to any type of family - biological, kinship, foster or adoptive that needs assistance in building, rebuilding
or repairing family relationships. Family Re-connections typically addresses the following themes within the therapeutic process:
Sharing and understanding individual and family stories, the role of developmental trauma in the family story, parental capacity
for positive emotional responses to self and child, positive parent-child communication, and trust enhancing activities via family
rules, family fun and the ability of the parent to meet the child's basic developmental needs.
The outpatient therapy department offers individual therapy, family therapy, play therapy, parenting classes or a combination of
services to meet each family's individual needs. The outpatient therapy department utilizes trauma informed care in addition to
a variety of evidenced based modalities during the therapeutic process including Trust Based Relational Interventions, Parent
Child Interaction Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
All of the therapists working in the outpatient department possess a Masters degree in Social Work or Counseling. They all possess a LSW, LCSW or LPC license. A variety of insurances are accepted by the outpatient therapy department.
Thank You to Our Donors
Our sincere thanks to the foundations, businesses and individuals who assist TRAC in providing programs and services, for little
or no cost, to thousands of families and children every year. Every dollar counts!
Foundations
American Eagle Outfitters
Foundation
Anonymous
Dave Thomas Foundation
for Adoption
Eaton Foundation
Pittsburgh Child Guidance
Foundation
The Pittsburgh Foundation
Richard King Mellon
Foundation (Year 2 of 3)
Stanny Foundation
Corporate & Business
Sponsors and Donors
Amcom Office Systems
Anonymous
Bender Consulting Services,
Inc
Black Box Corporation,
Matching Gift
BNY Mellon
CBRE
Citizens Bank
Daily Good
Deacon's Cleaning Services
Eaton Corporation
EQT Corporation, Matching
Gift
Giant Eagle/Bill Bricker,
Cedar Avenue
Highmark
Huntington National Bank
Jendoco Construction &
Real Estate
KDKA - TV
Liberty Mutual, Employee
Giving Program
Mutual of America
PNC Bank
Rice Enterprises, LLC
Ron Foth Advertising
Sitko Bruno, LLC
Trust-Franklin Press Co.
University of Pittsburgh,
Division of Student Affairs
Wendy’s International
Wilke & Associates, LLP
$1,000+
The Datt Family
The Knittle Family
The Whitney-Shipley Family
$500 - $999
Dale Elder
Karen Gordon
The Rhoades Family
Randy Rihmland
Jacqueline Wilson
$100 - $499
Harold Beazell
Cynthia Beazell Krchnavy
Phyllis Beck
Krista Brownlee
Margot Callahan
Jami Lyn Duane-Brady
Phillip Elliott
Philip Engel
Holly Garofalo
Ja-Neen Jones
Patty Kuniak
Anne Lazarus
Jamie Malinowski
Kenneth Mann
Pamela Martello
Khalilah Martin
Valerie McDonald-Roberts
Kristin Montanti
Robert O'Connor
Patrick Riley
James Rothrauff
Kelly Ryan-Schmidt
Jennifer Stewart
Betsy Teti
Jennie Thye
Stacia Todd
Tara Weiss
$1 - $99
Joetta Adams
Cheryl Anderson
Jessica Antell
Mary Ann Augustine
Joan Barden
Leah Bauer
Norman Bier
Keith Bittel
Chenelle Brown
Carmen Bruce
Ronald Donaldson
Joshua Estner
Russell Felix
Christopher Galanos
Paul Herbert
Elizabeth Kennedy
Richard Klein
Melanie Koenig
MaryAnn Kohler
MIa Mannion
Susan Mattay
Kristen Matthews
Michael McBride
Barbara Muller
Meghan Nagle
Theresa Nichol
Tracey Olanyk
Mark Panichella
Geneva Patterson
Nadine Porter
Jessica Rathbone-Davila
K. Marlene Roberts
Sherry Roberts
Candice Robinson
Kelly Sagel
Mike Schwartz
Jordan Shoenberger
Stephanie Staley
Nichole Turnbull
Sonia Vegas
Andrew Weinberg
In Kind Contributions
Andy Warhol Museum
Anonymous
Babb Insurance, LLC
Rufus Barnes
Big Burrito Restaurant
Group
Buckhead Saloon
Jamie Callen
Sarah Datt
Capital Grille
Cara Rufenacht Creative
Caring for Others, Inc.
Carnegie Museums of Art
and Natural History
Carnegie Science Center
CentiMark
Children's Museum of
Pittsburgh
Circle Line Siteseeing
Cruises
Dave & Buster's
Kara Decker
DeLuca's Diner
FedEx Ground
James Fillar
Greater Cleveland
Aquarium
Grippo Enterprises, Inc
Elizabeth Hays
Heinz History Center
Hilton Garden Inn Cleveland
Journeys of Life
Just Ducky Tours
KDKA-TV
Ken's Store
Mark Maehling
Milla C. Photography
Richard Nagle
National Aviary
Denise O'Connor
Oakmont Bakery
Original Oyster House
Phipps Conservatory
Phipps Conservatory and
Botonical Gardens, Inc.
Pittsburgh CLO
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Pittsburgh Marriott (Center
City)
Pittsburgh Opera
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Steak Company
Pittsburgh Symphony
Orchestra
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG
Aquarium
Porter Loves Photography
Pro Football Hall of Fame
PromoWest North Shore
Darcey Livingston Rhoades
Trixie Rife
Seven Springs Mountain
Resort
Sparta Steakhouse
Walt Disney World
Jacqueline Wilson
Wylie Images
Wyndham Grand Hotel
And grateful thanks our
volunteers, especially the
Mellon Volunteer
Professionals who dedicate
countless hours every year to
the TRAC office!
Funding
Three Rivers Adoption Council (TRAC) is funded by contracts through Allegheny County Department of Human Services, The
Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN), The United Way of Allegheny County, private foundations, corporations
and individual donations. We recognize with gratitude and appreciation our supporters who enable us to promote permanency
for children.
A Note from the Treasurer
An audited financial report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014 is available A copy will be provided upon request.
2014 Revenue
2014 Expense
A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Pennsylvania
Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999.
Registration does not imply endorsement.
FY2014 Highlights
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Hosted the 17th annual Celebration of Families matching event at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG
Aquarium for over 500 participants.
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Presented 2 trauma focused conferences, educating over 100 professionals and parents
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Conducted 2 respite retreats serving 87 participants
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Over130 guests attended the 2nd Annual Make a Joyful Noise Gospel Extravaganza
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Hosted internships for 12 Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral level students from 3 Universities
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10 staff members presented workshops and trainings at 4 different conferences nationwide
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4 professional photographers donated their time to shoot portraits for 30 families
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Kelly Ryan-Schmidt & Stacia Baraka-Todd instructed the Child Permanency course for the School of
Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh.
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Ja-Neen Jones has been featured on WAMO, WGBN, KDKA Waiting Child, & awarded as Women
Who Network by Ralph Watson – Networking Associates. Ms. Jones also taught Academic & Personal
Development at Community College of Allegheny County.
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Our CEO, Dr. Jacqueline Wilson, PhD, LSW, has been featured on KDKA Waiting Child, Pittsburgh
Today, The Lynne Hayes-Freeland Show, The Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Urban Media & Awarded as a
Leader in Social Services by Ralph Watson – Networking Associates.
Too many children and teens await permanency.
25,000 teens age-out of the child welfare system each year.
Many of whom will live a life of homelessness and criminal activity.
Financial assistance for adoption is available.
You can adopt if you are a loving adult willing to make a lifelong commitment to a child.
It’s never too late to make a difference in the life of a waiting child.
Make an informed decision.
Get your questions answered.
Call
412-471-8722
or visit us on the web!
www.3riversadopt.org