"Shop for a Cause" shopping passes are here!

We have received the Shop for a Cause shopping passes and are ready to sell them. Please remember that you can sell them to your friends and family members so they can also receive the discounts.  Family Services' will receive 100% of the proceeds from every shopping pass that we sell! 

Find the magic of giving back, as Macy's celebrates a national day of support for our community.  Purchase a $5 Shopping Pass* for exclusive savings in every Macy's store and online at macys.com on Saturday, August 27th, and Family Services will keep 100% of the proceeds.  Plus, you can enter to win a $500 Macy's Gift Card.

    

To purchase a Shopping Pass please contact Jean Calyer at 845-452-1110 x3133, jcalyer@familyservicesny.org, or Hope Shoemaker at 845-452-1110 x3408, hshoemaker@familyservicesny.org.

Day of Service by IBM Employees Helps the Family Partnership Center

As part of IBM's Celebration of Service, designed to allow employees, retirees, clients and business partners to donate their time and expertise during the company's Centennial year, 300,000 IBMers around the world-- close to three quarters of its global workforce- are volunteering in more than 5,000 projects in 120 countries, meeting civic and societal challenges and serving millions in need.

Today, over 50 IBMers are volunteering their time and services to help spruce up the Family Partnership Center!  We are so pleased and grateful for IBM's support!

Revving up the power tools!

Painting the auditorium

Working on an Annex walkway.

Freshening up the front of the Family Partnership Center.

The IBM team sprucing up the Annex backyard!

 Representing FSI at the IBM Kick-Off event: (l-r) Dave Sollenberger,
Jean Calyer, Susan West, Hope Shoemaker, John Festa

Shop For A Cause to Support Family Services!

FIND THE MAGIC OF GIVING BACK!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Since 2006, Macy's Shop For A Cause Event has partnered with non-profit organizations nationwide to raise more than $38 million for their ongoing charitable efforts. This is your chance to be part of this monumental event on Saturday, August 27, 2011.

Shop For A Cause gives you the opportunity to give back to your community and to help our organization. Purchase a $5 Shopping Pass* for exclusive savings in every Macy's store and online at macys.com on Saturday, August 27th, and Family Services will keep 100% of the proceeds.  Plus, you can enter to win a $500 Macy's Gift Card.

Find the magic of giving back, as Macy's celebrates a national day of support for our community.  To purchase a Shopping Pass please contact Jean Calyer at 845-452-1110 x3133, jcalyer@familyservicesny.org, or Hope Shoemaker at 845-452-1110 x3408, hshoemaker@familyservicesny.org.

*Some exclusions and restrictions apply. 

Important Health Insurance Information

HHS to Reduce Premiums, Make it Easier for Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions to Get Health Insurance

     The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced new steps to reduce premiums and make it easier for Americans to enroll in the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan. Premiums for the Federally-administered Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) will drop as much as 40 percent in 18 States, and eligibility standards will be eased in 23 States and the District of Columbia to ensure more Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to affordable health insurance. The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan was created under the Affordable Care Act and serves as a bridge to 2014 when insurers will no longer be allowed to deny coverage to people with any pre-existing condition, like cancer, diabetes, and asthma. 

     To further enhance the program, beginning this fall, HHS will begin paying agents and brokers for successfully connecting eligible people with the PCIP program. HHS is also working with insurers to notify people about the PCIP option in their State when their application for health insurance is denied.
     The program covers a broad range of health benefits and is designed as a bridge for people with pre-existing conditions who cannot obtain health insurance coverage in today’s private insurance market. In 2014, all Americans – regardless of their health status – will have access to affordable coverage either through their employer or through new competitive marketplaces called Exchanges, and insurers will be prohibited from charging more or denying coverage to anyone based on their health status.
     For more information, including eligibility, plan benefits and rates, as well as information on how to apply, visit www.pcip.gov and click on “Find Your State.” Then select your State from a map of the United States or from the drop-down menu. To find a chart showing changes to PCIP premiums in the States with Federally-administered PCIP programs, visit www.HealthCare.gov/news/factsheets/pcip05312011a.html.
The PCIP Call Center is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time. Call toll-free 1-866-717-5826 (TTY 1-866-561-1604).    A HHS press release regarding the PCIP changes can be found here: http://www.hhs.gov/news/

Celebrate Family Day September 26th!

Dinner Makes A Difference

More than a decade of research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has consistently found that the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse's Family Day- A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children, which is sponsored by Stouffer's, is a national movement launched in 2001 that promotes the parental engagement fostered during frequent family dinners as a simple, effective way to prevent substance abuse in kids.  Family Day  will be celebrated across the country on Monday, September 26, 2011.

To learn more about Family Day and to join parents all across America in taking the Family Day STAR pledge, log on to www.CASAFamilyDay.org.  To learn more about the book How to Raise A Drug-Free Kid: The Straight Dope for Parents, visit www.straightdopeforparents.org.