The Family Center located at The War Memorial in Grosse Pointe Farms, provides programs and resources to make sure people of all ages have access to the help they need. Whether it’s a new mom who feels isolated, a parent wanting to know how to communicate better with their teen, or a senior transitioning to assisted living, it can provide guidance.
“Our mission is to help families build resilience through free programs and resources,” says Executive Director, Jennifer Bingaman. “We refer people to our Association of Professionals all the time, and those professionals are also listed on our website.”
She works alongside MaryJo Harris, the Director of Programs and Administration. “We are both part-time and we do a lot,” says Jennifer. “We also have a 19 person working Board, so we have a lot of support in terms of time, expertise and funding.”
The Family Center, she explains, was founded in 2000 by Diane Strickler, a registered nurse and social worker on the premise that knowledgeable and skilled parents foster capable, healthy, and responsible young people. It evolved out of the Grosse Pointe Youth Summit, held in 1999, when community leaders and educators met to explore ways our community could become more youth and family friendly. Out of concern about the lack of resources available to deal with postpartum depression and for new parents who were feeling isolated or who didn’t have a lot of support, “Diane started Play Central, a program that provided opportunities for parents to get together and talk while their toddlers got to run off steam,” says Jennifer. “She also started hosting presentations about child development, family dynamics, and youth trends." "It just grew from there.”
From the beginning, The Family Center was involved with the Grosse Pointe Public School System, combining efforts to better support parents. To this day, The Family Center has a strong involvement with the schools.
Some of those initiatives have included providing mental health programs and services for students, teachers, and staff at Grosse Pointe South, Grosse Pointe North, and Harper Woods high schools. It has also created a Crisis Hotline card that is distributed to all local high schools. The card includes a QR code that leads to a page on the Center’s website featuring hotline details plus articles and videos from their Association of Professionals.
Pre-COVID, the Center hosted many in-person programs, but had to switch over to more virtual programming during the pandemic, which actually turned out to be a great new venture. “This dramatically increased our accessibility by removing the physical and emotional barriers to our programs,” says Jennifer. “Literally, hundreds of people watched our programs. One of the things we learned through the pandemic was that we have to make sure we have a mix of content – in-person and on-demand - to reach as many people as we can.
“We’ve been so lucky because when the pandemic started, The War Memorial put up a giant tent on the lawn and all through COVID we were able to have programs outside.” For example, the organization hosted more than 200 people at in-person meditation and yoga classes in the tent.
Recently, The Family Center held a program called Sing and Sign which showcased singing and sign language for little kids. “And it was great, because even though the program was only 30 minutes, the parents and kids got to hang out and talk,” says Jennifer.
More in-person events have started up again with the new Parent Coffee Hour where moms and dads can come with their babies – just like it originally started. “We have a local therapist who is going to come and talk about feelings of isolation and how to connect with the world again after having a baby.”
Another new initiative Jennifer’s really excited about is the Family Center Book Club, slated to begin in late January. It will be an opportunity for people to read a book and have a discussion about it. The club will be led by some of the therapists on its Board of Directors.
“The books will focus on stories that may be insightful or help people empathize about different issues that they may be experiencing,” she says. “The first book will be Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.”
For the older population, the Center often partners with The Helm Life Center, another nonprofit located in Grosse Pointe Farms that assists seniors. In November, they held a life transitions program which addressed issues to be aware of as your loved ones get older.
The goal of the organization is to provide solutions to problems, and not just talk about them. “So, we’re not just saying that drugs are a huge problem, but instead we’re showing ways to teach our children and to prevent drug use,” says Jennifer. “We’re providing ways of helping people who are dealing with addiction by giving them resources.”
Three phone calls they recently received were regarding how to get a child evaluated for ASD (autism spectrum disorder), where to find a support group for caregivers, and locating a therapist for an 11 year old.
“You can go to Google and search for these issues, but people want and crave local expertise,” she says. “You want the pediatrician on the hill that tells you how to put your baby to bed, you want the therapist whose office is kitty corner from Grosse Pointe South to tell you what issues teens are facing and what she’s seeing in her practice. This is what The Family Center is providing for people.”
All of these in-person, online and referral programs are given free of change; everything they do is free. The nonprofit Family Center depends solely on donations to accomplish its mission.
One of the ways in which they raise money is through their annual signature fundraising event, Hollyfest, which is held right around Thanksgiving. This year, it will take place at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club on December 2, and in addition to a delicious dinner, there will be musical entertainment and silent and live auctions.
For the auctions, Jennifer and the committee got more creative and are offering more in the way of experiences than merchandise. “There will be a private shopping experience at Village Palm with wine and hors d’oeuvres with 20% off; an apartment stay in Italy; a night at the Hotel Earl of Charlevoix, and a rock climbing experience at Dyno,” says Jennifer.
The success of Hollyfest directly impacts the Center’s ability to deliver on its mission. “The more support we have, the more we can do in the community. We are part of a coalition of the three hospitals in the community and we meet quarterly. One of the stats we learned from going to these meetings is that last year mental health emergencies at the hospitals rose 30%. The CDC reports an increase of 23% in drug and alcohol addictions, and multiple sources cite an increase in feelings of isolation and loneliness especially in older adults and new parents.
“We know that the need is there and real. We run on a tight budget with just two part-time employees. We want to do more, but we need help.”
In addition to monetary donations, the Center also needs volunteers. “People who want to get involved, whether it’s being on a committee, helping out at one of our events, or serving on our Board, we want to talk to,” she says.
“MaryJo and I both love working for The Family Center. To be able to make an impact and difference in people’s lives every day makes it very gratifying. It’s easy to show up for work every day.”
To find out more and to support this valuable organization, go to https://www.familycenterweb.org/.
[Sidebar]
Other Family Center accomplishments:
▪ Established the Resiliency Hub on its website as a one-stop-shop for supporting families during the pandemic. Also created a dedicated COVID Resources page with information from local, state and federal sources.
▪ Coordinated 24 "Ask the Expert" columns for the Grosse Pointe News and started a bi-weekly e-newsletter featuring family fun activities, expert advice, and highlights of programs and resources. This newsletter reaches nearly 1,000 families.
▪ Recorded 16 virtual programs and four podcasts. Over 2,300 people have watched and listened to this content.
The Family Center of Grosse Pointe and Harper Woods is a non-profit organization located in the War Memorial at 32 Lake Shore Rd. in Grosse Pointe Farms, 313-447-1374, www.familycenterweb.org.