Bob Duaime sat calmly Monday afternoon as one intravenous line removed blood from his right arm and carried the life-saving donation to a machine that separates platelets from the rest of his blood.

A second intravenous line in Duaime’s left arm provided a path for his remaining blood components to be returned to his body during the three-hour process, known as apheresis, moved along at the American Red Cross Donation Center in Upper Moreland. It’s a rigorous routine to secure platelets that can be used to provide a crucial component of care for many cancer patients.

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Family Service is raising funds for its programs and services that help children and families in our community by hosting its 19^th annual Drive for Youth Golf Outing.

Last year, Family Service provided services to more than 26,000 people in need. Services include counseling, recovery support, job development, parent education, suicide prevention and emergency shelter.

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Penn Community Bank, Bucks County’s leading independent, mutual bank, is proud to present Family Service Association of Bucks County with a $25,000 donation to help sponsor two of the organization’s signature fundraisers that help provide vital programs and services to Bucks County families.

Of the total donation, $10,000 will help sponsor Family Service’s 2018 Emergency Homeless Shelter Benefit. Held this year on April 14 in Doylestown, the annual gala raises funds that are used to help Bucks County residents move from homelessness toward independence. The remaining $15,000 donation will help sponsor the 2018 Drive for Youth, a golf outing that raises money to fund programs that directly benefit Bucks County children and families.

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The Makefield Women’s Association celebrated another year of hard work and fundraising on April 4 by giving back to the community.

During its annual beneficiaries meeting held at Sunrise, the group handed out $5,500 to five community-based organizations and awarded scholarships to two Pennsbury seniors, surpassing a fundraising milestone of $200,000 over the past decade.

“This makes the impact of our work really sink in,” said MWA President Jennifer Ketler of the milestone. “We work together throughout the year, and it’s wonderful to be able to give back to our neighbors in Bucks County in this way.”

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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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