• 366 families received planned or emergency respite or participated in our support groups or supportive counseling from our Elder Caregiving Program.  This is counting a family as one unit and not as two or more people (caregiver and care receiver).
• 255 people (110 caregivers and 145 children, who are part of our youth programs and service provision) gained support and enhanced permanency in our Kinship Caregiving Program.
• Another 362 non-client requests were responded to with our information and assistance.

Awareness of our emergency respite services continues to spread.  Calls have been received from the following counties: Albany, Greene, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie and Warren counties
The agency has worked hard to endure the difficult economic times encountered last year and threatening us in the years ahead.  We reduced overhead costs for our internal management and general expenses.  We increased volunteer hours, wrote many grants and as a result the general revenue increased mildly in 2008. The demand for our services continued its three year growth trend (up 61% over the last 3 years).  As a result, for the first time ever, we were unable to keep up with the demand for our Elder Caregiving respite services and in mid-November of 2008 we ran out of funding for respite services.  Wait lists were maintained, and in the first quarter of 2009 we were able to serve most of these families. 

We hope that you will consider helping us to support families in our communities who are caring for relative’s children or your elderly relatives.  Whether it is keeping loved ones out of foster care or out of nursing homes we are here to help and have been your reliable resource for 22 years.