Media Advisory/ Calendar Listing Media Contact: Kelley Chunn
September 2006 617/427-0997, kc4info@aol.com

Children's Services of Roxbury Builds on the Legacy--
Event to Salute Rev. Richard & Jestina Richardson

(Boston, MA) The largest minority-operated social service agency in the
state, Children's Services of Roxbury (CSR), will host the gala fundraiser
"Building on the Legacy: A tribute to Reverend Richard and Jestina Richardson"
on Saturday, September 30th at the Boston Marriott Copley Place.

The gala has a twofold purpose:
-to pay tribute to the Richardson's 35 years of service to
the community; and
-to kick off a campaign to raise funds for an endowment of
$1 million in the Richardsons' names for Children's
Services of Roxbury.

The one million dollar endowment will allow CSR to build
upon the work of the Richardsons and develop an educational
component devoted to helping individuals and families become
self-sufficient.

Leading the tribute are Commissioner Harry Spence, Massachusetts Department
of Social Services and Julia Danzy, President of the Black Administrators in
Child Welfare and Director of Social Services for the City of Philadelphia.

Tickets are $150 per person. For ticket information call, Karen Caple
at 617/989-9436 or kcaple@csrox.org.
-End-

PROGRAM SUMMARY - CHILDREN'S SERVICES OF ROXBURY

Children's Services of Roxbury, Inc. is a community-based multi-service, culturally diverse social service agency with a statewide reach, having offices in Roxbury, Dorchester, Tewksbury, Worcester, and Northampton. We were chosen by the state to be the single-point of entry to coordinate services for evacuees from the Gulf Coast living in Massachusetts. Since October, we have assisted 394 evacuated families in rebuilding their lives. Our operating budget of $15 million, funded largely through state contracts, supports 28 programs, including:
" Center-based and family-based childcare for 320 children in the Boston and Worcester area;
" Foster care placement and case management for 95 children in need of safe, nurturing homes;
" Post-adoption services for 106 families;
" A scattered site housing program for 75 homeless families which provides apartment living throughout the city of Boston along with intense case management to help families become self-sufficient. CSR is the largest scattered site program in the state;
" A shelter program providing a warm, safe place for more than 100 chronically homeless men per night, many of whom have been barred from other shelters;
" A model violence prevention/leadership development program, which partners youth and police;
" Model programs for giving voice to youth who were once involved in foster care and helping youth leaving foster care develop life-long connections;
" A model program for permanency mediation that offers a lower cost, effective alternative to court adjudicated child protection and custody hearings and includes biological parents in the decision-making process.

Children's Services of Roxbury, Inc. not only serves the community through direct care, but also positively impacts the communities it serves through its hiring practices.
" 85% of our employees live in the communities we serve;
" $6.1 million of its $7.2 million payroll supports employees and their families in the communities we serve;
" Through our adult and homeless service programs we offer job opportunities for individuals who might otherwise be barred from employment due to past experiences or limited work history. We realize that stable employment often provides hope and the means for change.

Children's Services of Roxbury, Inc. is an agency making a difference.