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ALMADEN VALLEY COUNSELING SERVICE


6529 Crown Blvd, Suite D
San Jose, CA 95120
Phone: (408)997-0200
Fax: (408) 997-0711
Email: av@afvcounseling.org
Web: www.avcounseling.org

working to promote emotional well-being

We need your help!

Dear Friend,

We are writing you because we need your support to carry on the vital work of our non-profit organization that provides affordable mental health counseling here in the Almaden Valley.

Who do we help?

  • Parents working to improve their relationship with their children
  • Families dealing with the effects of divorce
  • Couples trying to improve their relationships
  • People living with depression
  • Those trying to manage anger and stress
  • People dealing with serious health issues such as cancer
  • Those suffering from grief
  • Children who don't fit in, making them targets of bullying and peer ridicule
  • Women who are the victims of domestic violence and the children who witness it
  • Young people dealing with eating disorders, cutting & self-mutilation
  • Individuals struggling with sexual identity
  • People who are having suicidal thoughts
  • Those suffering from anxiety and panic attacks

56% of these clients are being seen at our lowest fee

How donations translate

$2000 Provides one counselor at a school for 4 hours a week for an entire school year.
$350  Covers the cost of books for an entire session of parenting classes.
$100  One month of counseling sessions for one of our lowest fee clients.
$65   Reduced fee for an underprivileged parent taking a parenting class.
$25   The approximate cost per month of art supplies for therapeutic counseling sessions.

2007 Board of Directors
Jerri Kazmierczak, President
Adron Beene, Past President
Robin Root, Vice President
Maryke Williams, Treasurer
Kerstin Aiello
Brendan Coveney
Doug Drucker
Kerri Landrum
Rod Lund
Nancy Romer
Chand Trehan
Rebecca Wang
Amy McCafferty

Director
Karen E. Sumi

Administrators
Pat Treadway
Julie Anderson

Director Emeritus
Rocki Kramer

2006 Agency Statistics

  • 559 Individuals seen in 2006
  • 5,021 Counseling hours
  • 382 Hours were Couples
  • 362 Hours were Families
  • 636 Hours were Children
  • 789 Hours were Adolescents
  • 2,852 Hours were Adults
  • 20% of our clients are from Zip Code 95120
  • The rest of our clients come from over 40 other Zip Codes
2006 Counselor on Campus Statistics
  • 381 Students were seen
  • 3,170 sessions were provided
  • We were on campus 148 hours per week
  • 19 schools were served
  • We were in 4 different school districts
  • Over the last 2 years, we have had a 19% increase in the weekly hours spent on school campuses
Meet Chris
Chris grew up in the Almaden Valley, attending local schools and participating in sports and church. He was doing well in his life when his parents announced that they were going to divorce. Acting out of his anger and pain over the situation, Chris began cutting school and hanging out with others who were experimenting with drugs and alcohol. This eased his pain and allowed him to escape from the reality of his family situation. Both of his parents were dismayed by his risky behavior and knew that even though they were not getting along, they needed to put their focus on Chris' welfare. They sought help from Almaden Valley Counseling Service. Though he was reluctant to attend the sessions at first, through a coordinated effort by his parents and the counselor they were able to make the commitment to attend their weekly sessions. Over time they worked through their changing relationships and both parents were able to express their dedication to Chris. Counseling helped Chris to learn to manage his emotions and focus on making better choices in his life.

The well-being of others
In an effort to help parents work proactively towards improving their relationships with their children, we now offer our STEP (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) classes on a quarterly basis. Attendees of our classes have high praise for the content and instruction they receive. In the fall of 2007 we will be starting our newest parenting classes "Cooperative Parenting and Divorce". We continue to make our commitment to the health and well-being of families a priority.

We also have a close working relationship with Social Services, the Family Court System and Victims of Crime Compensation Program.

Why Now?
It is more challenging to operate now than ever before.

  • The downturn in the economy 5 years ago resulted in a reduction in private donations.
  • Reduced government expenditures for mental health programs has created a higher demand for our services.
  • Over 50% of our clients pay the lowest fee available.
  • Charitable Foundations are inundated with requests for funding, making the grant process highly competitive.

In Conclusion — We need your financial help!
We constantly reflect on how fortunate Almaden Valley Counseling Service is to have so many loyal friends. Please join us NOW in supporting AVCS. Your tax deductible donation will allow us to continue offering our low cost counseling services to those in need and to fulfill our mission - working to promote emotional well-being.

Sincerely,

Jerri Kazmierczak
AVCS Board President

Karen Sumi
Director