Preparations Underway for Our Annual Benefit: Glencoe Under the Stars

GUTSbbq2Family Service of Glencoe is thrilled to announce our annual benefit Glencoe Under the Stars taking place on the shores of Lake Michigan at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 16, at the outdoor terrace and architecturally-renowned spaces of North Shore Congregation Israel.

With a “Backyard BBQ” theme, the annual fundraiser will have a country cocktail chic feel with a sit-down dinner catered by well-known Chicago barbecue restaurant Smoque and Glencoe’s own Apple A Day catering. The evening will feature live and silent auctions, and dancing to the music of local Chicago band Jonas Friddle and the Majority.

“We are so excited to be celebrating the power of community through our annual benefit,” said Marilyn Perlman, president of the board of directors of Family Service of Glencoe.  “The proceeds from this event will continue to support the always evolving work FSG does in supporting the emotional well-being of all who live and work in Glencoe.”

The evening has been generously supported by local businesses and individuals through an underwriting campaign.  Corporate underwriters include: Schiff Hardin LLP, BMO Harris Bank, Andrea Goldman Design, J.P. Morgan, North Shore Community Bank & Trust Company, AdCap Securities, Green Bay Cycles, Highgate Builders, Jennings on the Park Real Estate, MB Financial Bank, Muller Auto Group, and Swisher & Walker Financial Group.

Tickets are available for purchase at www.glencoeunderthestars.org. Underwriting opportunities are still available through May 1. With the past two years of “Glencoe Under the Stars” selling out, tickets for this special celebration will go fast.

Co-chaired by FSG board members Jennifer Adler, Erika Goldstein and Allison Schatz, the proceeds from this annual fundraiser support FSG’s family-strengthening programs and services, including individual, couples and family counseling, available at a sliding scale; youth and family outreach programs including Glencoe Parent Connection, senior assistance, and more.

We look forward to celebrating with you on May 16!

Best Wishes to Suzy Cowen

The board of directors of Family Service of Glencoe is announcing the departure of our executive director, Susan E. Cowen, LCSW. Suzy has accepted a position as president and CEO of the Kenneth Young Center in the Chicago Northwest suburbs.

191_S._Cowen_close_upSuzy’s dedication and expertise have taken our agency to the next level as we have increased our outreach and support of the emotional needs of the Glencoe community. Our donor base has grown and our organization is financially sound. During her tenure, FSG has more than doubled in size—expanding counseling services, Glencoe Parent Connection, community partnerships, and opening up a secondary office location to meet community demand. In addition, this past year FSG completed a comprehensive strategic plan and a community-wide needs assessment that will guide our future as we continue to support and advocate for the socio-emotional needs of all who live or work in Glencoe.

Suzy’s leadership will be sorely missed, but we are confident that FSG will continue to provide high quality service as we embark on seeking our agency’s next executive director. Beginning May 1, Al Ross, LCSW, FSG clinical director, will serve as the interim executive director while maintaining his commitment to his current clients. Al brings decades of experience serving Glencoe children, teens and their parents and will maintain day-to-day operations during the transition. The FSG board of directors is forming a search committee comprised of internal and external stakeholders.

The quality of our services will continue to be our priority. Our clinical staff will provide consistent care and treatment throughout the search process. Upon selection, details about the new executive director will be shared.

Please join us in showing Suzy our sincere appreciation for all of her accomplishments at FSG. We wish her the very best in her next position.

Check Out the Spring Issue of the Glencoe Quarterly

GlencoeQuarterlySpring2015The latest of the edition of the Glencoe Quarterly is now available. The community newsletter features happenings from the Village, the Park District, School District 35 and Family Service of Glencoe. FSG’s section includes:

  • Staff spotlight on Brian McHugh from our crisis and domestic violence teams
  • Special training for Glencoe employees
  • Tips on helping your kids manage anxiety
  • Family Fun Fest
  • Upcoming Glencoe Parent Connection events
  • Volunteer needs

Peer To Peer Support

In a small community like Glencoe, the loss of a friend and neighbor is felt across the entire village. While grief is a normal, natural response to death, it is also a difficult topic for many. Here are some tools to help you understand grief better and how to talk to your children about it.

Peer To Peer Support
Guidelines for Parents to Help Children When a Tragic Death Occurs in a Community
What Grieving People Want You to Know

If we can support you or your family in any way or provide you with additional information, please email us at info@familyserviceofglencoe.org.

All my best,

Susan E. Cowen, LCSW
Executive Director

Chuck Hutchcraft Joins Staff of FSG

ChuckHutchcraftFamily Service of Glencoe welcomes clinical social worker Chuck Hutchcraft to our roster of therapists rounding out offerings for adults, children and families when it comes to counseling needs.

An ordained Zen Buddhist priest and mindfulness teacher, Hutchcraft brings extensive experience as a therapist working with children and adolescents, adults and families through times of crisis, with depression and anxiety, and through life transitions. He holds a masters in clinical social work from Loyala University and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Southern Illinois University.

Hutchcraft brings several new therapies to the agency including sandplay and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). Sandplay therapy is used with both adults and children and is useful in helping to identify internal conflicts that may manifest as anxiety or depression. Clients place miniature figurines into a small sandbox to express confusing feelings and experiences that they may not be able to talk about.

EMDR therapy is a one-on-one psychotherapy that helps to reduce stress, anxiety and depression symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder experienced after traumatic events such as a car accident, physical assault, the death of a loved one or combat. EMDR uses a patient’s own rapid, rhythmic eye movements to lessen the power of highly emotional memories of past traumatic events.

“We are thrilled to have Chuck join our team to expand our range of expertise and offerings and complement the yoga therapy and mindfulness work our team is already doing,” said Susan Cowen, Executive Director of Family Service of Glencoe. “Adding his expertise to our therapy roster truly expands the depth of support we are able to offer our community.”

For more information about FSG’s individual and family counseling, as well as other services, please contact us at 847-835-5111 or info@familyserviceofglencoe.org.

Read the Winter Issue of the Glencoe Quarterly

The Winter Issue of the Glencoe Quarterly is hot off the press. Family Service of Glencoe is thankful to be part of this community publication. Be sure to visit the FSG section beginning on page 13.