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Adolescent Counseling
Services Announces Ten New Fundraising Committee Chairs,
New Campaign Format
Agency Implements Team Approach for Annual Fall Fundraiser Supporting Caravan House, On-Campus Counseling at Secondary Schools and Teen Substance Abuse Treatment Program.
Palo Alto, California --- October 8, 2003 --- Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS), a community-based nonprofit agency dedicated to the healthy social and emotional development of teens, is announcing that ten local residents have joined the agency’s Annual Campaign Committee, a subset of the ACS Board of Director’s Fund Development Committee. New committee members include Community Philanthropist Leonard Ely, Former PAUSD Board Member and Former ACS Board Member Julie Jerome, Palo Alto Weekly Publisher Bill Johnson, Former PAUSD School Board President Cathy Kroyman, Palo Alto City Councilwoman Nancy Lytle, School Activist and Palo Alto Native Barbara Mitchell, Former State Senator and Honorary ACS Co-Lead Committee Chair Rebecca Morgan, Immediate Past PTA Council President and Student Health Awareness, Resources and Education (SHARE) committee member Nancy Shepherd, Community Philanthropist Vicki Thoits and ACS Co-Lead Fundraising Chair Sylvie Way.
The new committee members will be divided into three teams, with each responsible for raising a portion of the total campaign goal of $360,000 during ACS’ annual fall fundraising campaign, scheduled to kick off on September 1, 2003. For the first time, ACS will model its new fundraiser after campaigns used by national nonprofit organizations, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America—the nation's fastest-growing youth service organization, and by many of the 2,400 YMCA associations across the United States.
The new campaign structure was personalized for ACS by Kara Mullen, ACS director of development, as a way to broaden the agency’s fundraising efforts. “Historically, our private donors and corporate funders have been very generous. Unfortunately, the slow economy is having a negative effect on the amount people and corporations can afford to give. The team structure will enable us to reach potential donors who might not be aware of the urgent need in our community for services that address the emotional and developmental health of our teens,” Mullen said.
Holly Ward, president of ACS’ board of directors, agrees. “In addition to reaching more people, the team approach builds camaraderie among campaign team members and creates a spirit of friendly competition,” Ward said. “Each team member takes ownership of their team’s fundraising goal and receives feedback from their team leader. We’re very excited about this new approach and confident that we can meet our goals.”
ACS will provide fundraising training to the new committee members and sponsor social events during the campaign to enable members to share their experiences. The agency recently concluded its “Spring Sounds in the Park” fundraiser to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of Caravan House, ACS’s group home for teenage girls located in Palo Alto. The agency raised donations by sponsoring a family carnival in Bowden Park and by selling personalized bricks that will be placed in the front garden of Caravan House.
ACS also recently celebrated the opening of the new office of its teen substance abuse treatment program. Located at 455 Sherman Avenue, Suite J, in Palo Alto, the program addresses the underlying causes of adolescent drug and alcohol addiction and encourages abstinence and healthy alternative lifestyles. Since its founding in 1992, the Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program has provided information and treatment to thousands of local teens.
In addition to Caravan House and the Substance Abuse Treatment Program, ACS sponsors free on-campus counseling services at Gunn and Palo Alto High Schools, at Menlo Atherton High School and at Jordan, JLS and Terman Middle Schools in Palo Alto. This fall, ACS will also reinstate its Latino Outreach Program to help strengthen the connection between schools and Latino students and families.
Community members can get more information about ACS at the agency’s information booth at the Palo Alto Festival of the Arts, August 23-24 on University Avenue in Palo Alto, or can contact ACS directly at 650-424-0852. Founded in 1975, Adolescent Counseling Services has an operating budget of $1.3 million and is funded through private donations, corporate grants and by government agencies. ACS administrative offices are located at 4000 Middlefield Road, Suite F-H, Palo Alto, California 94303.
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