Two Bucks nonprofits that service community groups in need are soon set to receive leftover grant money from the county relating to development in Bristol Township.

The Bucks County Opportunity Council will receive $300,000 to renovate the former Planned Parenthood building in the 700 block of Veterans Highway into a new “opportunity center” providing anti-poverty services for homeless and low-income individuals and families.

In addition, the Family Service Association of Bucks County will receive $48,412 as reimbursement for recent emergency sewer repairs at its homeless shelter off New Falls Road near the Bucks County Free Library.

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The Makefield Women’s Association (MWA) announced that they have surpassed a fundraising milestone of over $200,000 in donations to local non profits in the past ten years. The group will celebrate at their April membership meeting where this year’s proceeds will be distributed to their annual beneficiaries. Recipients include A Woman’s Place, Penndel Food Pantry, Family Services Bucks County Homeless Shelter, Wrapping Presence, Yardley-Makefield Fire Company, and Pennsbury Scholarships.

MWA members look forward to the April meeting because it is an opportunity to hear directly from their beneficiaries about how the proceeds from MWA’s annual fundraising efforts will be used to help their causes.

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Family Service recently opened two new family units at the Bucks County Emergency Homeless Shelter, thanks to a $150,000 donation from the Matthew P. Pellegrino II Memorial Foundation and support from Bristol Township.

Family Service is a nonprofit organization that serves more than 26,000 people in need each year. It offers a variety of programs and services including emergency housing, suicide prevention, parent education, recovery support, counseling, job coaching and more. Family Service also operates the Bucks County Emergency Homeless Shelter, a temporary residence for individuals and families who have lost safe and stable housing.

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Maria Wilson says her life has been marked by periods of darkness and light.

The brightest lights come from her husband and two teenage sons.

Three moments, however, made her wonder if her life would remain forever shrouded. Two of Wilson’s brothers took their own life — one in 1989, the other in 2010. A short time after, she too attempted suicide inside her Lower Makefield home.

“It was my period of darkness,” she said. “My husband saved my life.”

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The Bucks County nonprofit Family Service Association has appointed Marlene Piasecki its interim CEO.

Piasecki, who has been with FSA for 17 years, most recently was the chief operating officer. She replaces former chief executive Audrey J. Tucker, who died suddenly last month.

“In the midst of our sadness, we still have a clear path to follow. Audrey set that path and we will make sure we honor her memory by continuing to achieve the goals she set for all of us,” said Board President Joseph C. Bondi in a news release. “The board has placed its full confidence in Marlene Piasecki to lead the Family Service team during this difficult transitional period.”

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Langhorne, Pa. (March 6, 2018) – The Family Service Board of Directors named Marlene Piasecki as the organization’s interim chief executive officer last week. Piasecki is the former chief operating officer and has been with Family Service for 17 years.

The appointment follows the sudden death of Family Service’s chief executive, Audrey J. Tucker, on February 20th.

“In the midst of our sadness, we still have a clear path to follow. Audrey set that path and we will make sure we honor her memory by continuing to achieve the goals she set for all of us,” shared Board President Joseph C. Bondi. “The Board has placed its full confidence in Marlene Piasecki to lead the Family Service team during this difficult transitional period.”

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The Young family recently delivered a $15,000 gift on behalf of the Lauren Nicole Young Memorial Fund to Family Service Association of Bucks County in support of its School-Based Counseling program.

Family Service has partnerships with 20 schools across eight school districts to provide counseling for children and adolescents directly in the schools they attend each day.

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Matthew Pellegrino II was selfless in every sense of the word.

After hearing a woman on the radio say she couldn’t afford Christmas presents for her children because her car needed repair, Pellegrino called in to help without hesitation.

“He was a generous guy,” said his wife Cynthia Gruccio. “He was always doing things for other people.”

Unfortunately, the life of this young father of two was cut short on July 5, 1995, after a work-related accident. Though she was shocked and saddened by her husband’s untimely passing, Gruccio knew she needed to somehow carry on his legacy. In 1997, the Matthew P. Pellegrino II Memorial Foundation was formed to continue his work of helping those most in need.

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Watch on YouTube as Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick recognizes Pennsbury School District’s commitment to student health.

The social worker who helped grow the Family Service Association of Bucks County passed away Monday night.

Audrey Tucker, 73, of Upper Makefield, had led the Family Service Association of Bucks County as CEO since 1987 but begun work at the Middletown-based agency as a social worker in 1978.

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