2001 Annual Report Executive Summary

Children & Family Services Champion Community

C&FS operates as a non-racial, non-fraternal organization, providing services to low-income families. Our primary constituency is: families in Tipton, Lauderdale, Fayette and Haywood counties. These low-income, often impoverished communities are the result of a once thriving, labor-intensive agricultural economy that gave way to farm mechanization. The agency evolved during a period of major economic and social dislocation. During the 1970’s and 1980’s, Tipton County was one of the poorest in the nation. Although times have become better for the community as a whole, poverty remains a bitter reality for many. All four counties in the service area have poverty levels well above the Tennessee and national averages. Children & Family Services was incorporated in 1983 around the needs of a single child, but it becomes evident that there were needs not being met for most of the children and their families in our service area. CFS received the tax exemption status in 1984 and our first funding in 1985. Since 1986 we have been progressively addressing our communities concerns. CFS was given the school complex that was operated before 1970, as an African-American school. The buildings were deteriorating and needed extensive repair; we were fortunate enough to identify sources to help with the monumental task. All these buildings were brought up to code, but more needs to be done. Children and Family Services, Inc. has continued to provide services that economically disadvantaged families desperately need. The greatest expansion opportunity for Children and Family Services, Inc. is the large community building, old Frazier school gymnasium, that was upgraded to use for indoor play and as a group activity area. Funding from TVA in 1993, allowed five years of safe indoors play for hundreds of children. This opened area is now needed for additional training rooms and office space for adults, also a community auditorium. We are requesting funds from Rural Development to start this process. CFS continues to expand adult services to help more families to become economically self-sustaining. We will expand programs to provide adult training in cooking, computers, office maintenance, child-care, while offering referrals to vocational school, Jr. Colleges and local factories. We need the additional space to provide services to help more families to enhance their employability skills. We can only do this if we expand the available space so that we can add additional services. Children & Family Services is receiving technical assistance and other in-kind service, from Edward Grandberry of G&T Builders. Mr. Grandberry serves as our on-site carpenter/instructor when resources are available for supplies. It has been six months since we have had any resources. Mr. Grandberry helped to train participants and finished the first phase of the upgrade! He took about six-months. Rural Development provided funds to pay for material, supervision and training to upgrade C&FS Community Resource Building to accommodate the Community Lunch Room.

*Disclaimer Notice

Children & Family Services Summary Page    Children & Family Services Funding Page 

Main Map    EZ/EC Home Page