Dear Friends,

As we reflect on our own blessings this holiday season, we invite you to read this inspiring story.

Meet the Robinsons: Scott, Andrea, Mark and David. When Andrea entered her teens, full of anger and afraid of the future she saw for herself as a young woman with Cerebral Palsy, learning disabilities, and post-traumatic stress disorder, her Mom turned to MACMH.

Today, as a young mother, Andrea has come to terms with the reminders of a difficult childhood and is determined to use the knowledge she has gained to help her young sons. She is a capable and loving parent. Working with MACMH’s Family Catalyst Program has given her the confidence and knowledge to take a leadership role in her school district and in the Hennepin County community of parents. She and Scott are preparing to move into a home of their own, and her life, Andrea says, “is turning out to be just what I wanted, not what I feared.”

Andrea says,” I think my son Mark, who is in early childhood programs, will have an easier time than I did because of the things I have already learned by working with MACMH. “

“By offering me support and training, the MACMH staff has empowered me and given me a way to pay back the help I received. I hope that MACMH will be around for many more years to help families and their children.”

Our mission and our programs are based on the proven concept that empowering parents through training and support vastly increases their children’s chance to succeed in their lives. As we move toward our twentieth year of work in Minnesota, we continue to see this success come to life in the families we work with.

Unfortunately, the economic crisis has hit MACMH hard, and funding for our core programs, like the one that helped Andrea, has been slashed. Now more than ever, we need contributions from individual supporters to support our programs that benefit families.

Your gift will help us carry on this vital work.  With your support, we can continue to help children become successful in life and as parents for the next generation. You will have a hand in creating more success stories like Andrea’s.

We wish you a joyous holiday season.

Sincerely,

Deborah Saxhaug, Executive Director

Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health