Articles
Help Empower All Lives: UMFS Campaign HEAL Collaborating with Community to Help Families
December 31, 2020
Many will remember 2020 as a particularly difficult year, and a year in which some families experienced major disruptions to their day-to-day. The good news? Acts of kindness abound, thanks to the power of caring and collaboration that’s found throughout the greater Fredericksburg community.
How Jadie Reached Her Full Potential
November 23, 2020
There’s a charisma about Jadie that’s evident from the moment you meet her. Her infectious laugh, kind smile, and gentle demeanor take center stage. But the Charterhouse School sophomore is quick to remind us it hasn’t always been like this.
Celebrating Nancy Toscano, Ph.D., LCSW, the Next UMFS President & CEO
October 16, 2020
Nancy Toscano is a solutions-finder, a thought leader, and a visionary. She’s devoted the last 25 years not only to helping children, teens, and families find ways forward during difficult times, but also to her own continued learning and the professional growth of herself and others.
Celebrating Greg Peters, LCSW, the Outgoing UMFS President & CEO
October 15, 2020
It’s difficult to define the impact and significance of Greg Peters’ 40-years of service to children, teens, and families. If given just a word, it would be accurate to summarize his career as transformative.
UMFS President & CEO Greg Peters to Retire; COO Nancy Toscano Named Successor
October 12, 2020
Dear Unwavering Champions in the UMFS Community: Passion Unleashes Greatness is just one of our five core values at UMFS, but it’s one that speaks volumes in this moment. For 120 years, UMFS has adapted time and again to meet the changing needs of children, teens, and families, and we’ve been able to endure as […]
The Case for Kinship Care
September 23, 2020
Every child has the right to grow up in a loving, safe and nurturing home environment with their parents, relatives or those with whom they have a family-like relationship. A wide body of research supports the notion that children do best with kin and that family connections are vital to healthy child development, sense of […]
Generation to Generation: A Legacy Born at the Orphanage
September 18, 2020
Annie Mae Abernathy lived a life of generosity. She was committed to serving others and had an inherent desire to open her heart and home to children.
UMFS Community Based Service Workers like Kyna “Extremely Willing” to Help During Health Crisis
July 23, 2020
Sometimes a mediator; sometimes a surrogate; always an unwavering champion for children, teens, and families.
What is Kinship Care? UMFS VP of Programs Adalay Wilson Explains
May 20, 2020
The following is an interview with Adalay Wilson, Vice President of Programs at UMFS. She’s been with the agency since 1989. Through the Kinship Care program, Adalay and her team are helping youth in the foster care system connect with extended family and other close supports.