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These donations are used to benefit the broad areas of resources for study at ACAP.  Online donations are quick and easy using secure credit card transactions. You can decide when and how you want to donate.

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ACAP
301 South Livingston Avenue, 2nd Floor
Livingston, NJ 07039

LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

December 14, 2009

Dear Friend and Neighbor,

We would like you to know what contributions to ACAP can do.  For nearly thirty years ACAP has been providing “ Tools for Life” through teaching, treating the mentally ill and community service.  Almost all of this work is done by professional volunteers including faculty, staff, board members and committee participants.  Collectively professional volunteers from ACAP provide over 20,000 hours of service per year to ACAP in our community focus commitments, a cooperative model where contributions happen everyday.  That is why YOUR donations work to enable OUR volunteers to provide “Tools for Life” to our students, our communities and to those who need them most. Let me tell you about some of the essential people who make our work possible:

Patricia Mahoney is an ACAP graduate and faculty member and the chair of a high school English department.  She has served as ACAP's librarian for many years. She has carefully grown and cultivated the book collection and developed our first library data base. The ACAP library is available to anyone in the community.  The ACAP library is among our “Tools for Life.”

Stephanie Simon is an administrator at a local hospital but finds time to serve as the director of ACAP's North Jersey Consultation Center (NJCC).  NJCC provides high quality treatment to anyone in need. The NJCC is prepared to work with returning veterans through our Coming Home program which provides seminars and mental health or substance abuse screenings to veterans and anyone involved in the life of a veteran.  No one has ever been turned away from the NJCC because of diagnosis or financial status. ACAP’s NJCC is another of our “Tools for Life.”

ACAP’s administration, faculty and teaching assistants led roundtable discussions at the Community Resource Partnering Network, (CRPN), hosted by ACAP.   Leaders from over 50 service agencies gathered to address the financial challenges of many non-profit agencies. Aging, child welfare, mental health treatment and policy, veteran affairs, clergy, education and the United Way and others were all represented at the first meeting. The second meeting with the theme "What Works" will be held on December 9. Participants will share best practices from their own agencies. We invite you at attend or to refer agency leaders to network at this event.
Patricia Bratt has led the Applied Division at ACAP but is also a director of development, faculty and trustee at ACAP.  The Applied Division organizes workshops and conferences for teachers, counselors and therapists improving their work in serving our most vulnerable populations. The ACAP Applied Division is one more of ACAP’s “Tools for Life.”

Here is an example of how ACAP assisted a preschool teacher at a recent training for a group devoted to working with families suffering from violence, drugs and neglect:

One preschool teacher had difficulty engaging a parent of a three-year-old child who was withdrawn yet regularly bit and hit other children in the classroom. The child would sporadically report periods of violence and police intervention in the home. The parent avoided eye contact with the teacher or was quietly compliant during conferences. The teacher was helped to apply ACAP interventions during the few minutes a day at pick up and drop off times to build comfortable communication patterns. Specifically interventions were developed to assist with the parent's feelings of inadequacy, self-criticism, and shame. This resulted in cooperation in linking the parent to the school social service support services and opened communication between the teacher and parent regarding family stress. The teacher became better able to respond to the child's daily needs and problems with open communication from the parent. The child's behavior improved and she began to learn when she no longer had to hold the family secrets.

These activities could not happen without support from individuals like you. We thank you for the central role you play in continuing ACAP's mission and invite you to visit our center for a tour, a talk or a course.

Sincerely,
Vicki Granet Semel, Psy.D.
Executive Director, ACAP

Current Areas of Greatest Need

ACAP is in greatest need of your general operating support.  Your donation is valuable to us and can help to make progress towards reaching our goals:

1.     Library Fund
$30,000 Conversion to an Electronic Card Catalog and addition of Research Databases.  Your donation can help us to meet this goal!

2.     Scholarship Fund
$25,000 to support Joining Forces in 2009.  Our program to assist urban workers to participate in courses and to improve the impact of their work on vulnerable children and families in New Jersey.  Just $1,200 allows one worker to participate for two semesters in 2009.

3.     DYFS Initiative
ACAP has trained over 150 DYFS workers in our step back method through one day conferencing.&n bsp; However, we are unable to meet the demand for this training.  With your financial assistance, we can expand the number of participants and the number of children impacted.  Each gift of $125 covers the cost of a participant for a full 7 hours of conferencing.

4.     NJCC Financial Hardship Assistance Program
In the tough financial times we face, more and more people will be in need of low cost treatment alternatives.  The NJCC is preparing to accept individuals facing financial hardship and help them to transition their lives.  We see individuals who need support to turn their lives around but may be uninsured or underinsured.  We never turn patients away due to inability to pay.  A donation of $200 waives all intake fees a family of 4.

5.    The Coming Home Initiative
Veterans and their families have special needs.  The Coming Home initiative helps veterans become aware of a treatment program that can offer a confidential, comfortable environment for themselves and their family members to explore a new life togethe r and transition veterans back into productive family and vocational life. Couples face special problems in reestablishing connection, and developing support for each other in the face of challenges.  Despite military training veterans may not be prepared to face the feelings and impulses left over from war experiences.  Their family members may feel unable to help.  We can provide a place to restore integrity to those who are having normal reaction to the intensity of their experiences.  $1,000 would allow us to advertise this unique program.

Interested in making a donation but not online?  Call our fundraising office.
Annette Vaccaro, Grants Coordinator
973-629-7808