Thank You For Making a Difference

“We never thought Adam would get this far; we didn’t think he’d be alive.”

Dear Friends,

Adam’s parents grew emotional as they witnessed something they never thought they’d see: their son’s high school graduation. His struggles with anxiety and depression made it nearly impossible for him to get out of bed, let alone go to school — but the Riverside Schools enable kids like Adam, with a significant psychiatric diagnosis, to thrive socially and academically.

Adam’s high school graduation is just one of the many heartwarming stories made possible by your support of Riverside Community Care this past year. And the numbers tell you more about how much we were able to achieve during our 2017 fiscal year, thanks to the generosity of caring and concerned individuals like you:

• We provided early intervention services to more than 1,200 infants and toddlers, helping them to overcome serious developmental challenges.
• Our Trauma Center administered teen suicide prevention training to more than 3,000 teachers, firefighters, police, parents, and others.
• We furnished behavioral healthcare and human services to 40,000 children, adolescents, and adults through 70 community-based sites across the state.
• And we provided 125,000 outpatient therapy visits, which helped 8 of every 10 mental health service recipients attain their treatment goals!

I am personally so grateful for your past support that has made such a positive difference in the lives of families around us and I hope you can renew your commitment today, so that we can make more progress possible in 2018. That’s why I’m asking you to make a special, tax-deductible year-end gift to Riverside Community Care today.

 

Let me tell you more about how much you made possible this year and how we’ll put your support to work in 2018:

• This past year, we increased the capacity of our Riverside Schools, opening a new location in Milford that is bringing our specialized and supportive educational environment to more adolescents who struggle in public school settings.
• We created new job skills training and expanded employment opportunities for adults with disabilities through our Regional Employment Collaboratives—which connect with more than 150 employers across the state.
• We enhanced our four clubhouses—restorative and supportive communities for adults with mental health challenges—by immersing members and staff in best practice training at the Clubhouse International World Seminar in Detroit.
• We also laid the groundwork for a streamlined system of referrals to other services and practitioners through our new proprietary software program, Riverside Refer, which will ensure that no one has to wait to receive services.

Your year-end gift will go far to support and expand our services in the year ahead—reaching new children, adolescents, and adults in need; sustaining our staff of 1,400 of the best and brightest professionals in the region; and harnessing technology to enable your generosity to go as far as possible.

I could go on but perhaps the best endorsement of our work comes directly from the individuals we have helped:

• “I feel valued, independent, and important.”
  – Person Served, Regional Employment Collaboratives

• “This program gives purpose to my life.”
  – Clubhouse Member

And as Adam’s parents attest, “There is no place like this.” Indeed, there is no other place providing the services we deliver to our region where your gift can go so far and touch so many people in such profound ways.

So as the holidays approach—and as I finalize our plans for 2018—please help us continue to serve thousands of young people and adults like Adam, who need our help: please make a generous gift to Riverside’s Year-End Fund Drive today.

With sincere thanks for your past and future support,

Scott M. Bock
Founder and President/CEO