AH 2023 Annual Report SPREADS - Flipbook - Page 3
Dear Friends,
Kindness is the most universal of languages. It breaks down barriers and
weaves a narrative of compassion and connection. Each day at Abbott
House we witness the miracle of this transformative power and the ripple
effects that fill our hearts, lift our spirits, and forge bonds within families and
across communities.
2023 marked a period of extraordinary growth for Abbott House! It reinforced
our commitment to courageously advocate for foster children, struggling
families, and adults with developmental disabilities, while preserving the family
unit and ensuring that everyone feels a sense of belonging. In that spirit, we
were awarded a contract for Brief Strategic Family Therapy to engage families
in therapeutic strategies and techniques to keep children and youth safely in
their homes, opened our third Day Habilitation site for adults with developmental
disabilities, and in partnership with the Office of Refugee Resettlement, expanded our
Transitional Resources for Children and Long-Term Foster Care Programs.
Kindness in words
creates confidence.
Kindness in thinking
creates profoundness.
Kindness in giving
creates love.”
– Lao Tzu
Additionally, we established several new volunteer program initiatives that focus on holistic well-being
and enrichment, including our Children’s Peace Garden, the Lotus Project Art Initiative, Music Program and
Pickleball Instruction.
At the heart of all these opportunities to help people heal from trauma, is your invaluable support! Your
kindness enables Abbott House to offer a path toward healing, whether you are a benefactor, volunteer, foster
parent, staff member, sponsor, or community group.
Last year alone, we directly served 2,962 people – and touched the lives of countless others within their
families and communities. Individuals in care often face unimaginable circumstances, and our collective
response was a resounding declaration that every act of kindness, no matter how large or small, is a powerful
force for good.
In the pages ahead you will read stories that embody the essence of our compassionate community…a
staff member who traveled state boundaries to deliver a child into the warm embrace of their family on
Thanksgiving; a resilient young adult with Autism who mastered the road to earn his driver’s license; a
benefactor who helped a teen transition into college life; and a teen who experienced the freedom of true
independence thanks to a motorized wheelchair.
As we reflect on these successes, we also look ahead to welcoming a new chapter in leadership at Abbott
House. Beginning on July 1st, Justine Christakos will assume the role of President and CEO, and we could not
be more pleased! Justine’s 32-year career in social services, including the last eight at Abbott House, has been
a model of selfless commitment. We are confident that she will only strengthen Abbott House’s 60-year legacy
of empowering people to build futures of hope for themselves and their families.
You are an integral part of this legacy. Your support for Abbott House - and all those who carry out this
lifesaving mission - aligns with our belief that the transformative power of kindness is not just a hope but a
reality that we create together.
Thank you for all you do and for being the change we all wish to see in the world.
James L. Kaufman, LCSW-R
Walter Montgomery,
President and CEO
Board Chairman
