SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac is giving $5,000 to the Family Resource Center of Fond du Lac County to support their services for families and children.

The Family Resource Center of Fond du Lac County Inc. is dedicated to the healthy development of children and families through a variety of services and parenting programs.

Services include a Connection Center (services for the Department of Social Services and Family Courts of Fond du Lac County), Distribution Center (providing families aid, free of charge, to meet basic needs), and Family Resource Center (access to free parenting classes and mental health services).

The Family Resource Center’s parent education services and Distribution Center have served more than 800 families and just about 2,000 children in the past five years. Among these populations served, over 90% of families are living at or below the federal poverty line, while 88% of the children served are living in a household with a net income between zero and $10,000. In 2022, these services served 158 families corresponding to 367 children among this demographic.

“The Family Resource Center has a direct role in addressing multiple community health needs, most notably social determinants of health, through economic stability, education, and social and community contexts,” according to Kaniala Aragon, director. “Our team’s role in enhancing public health in Fond du Lac communities cannot be understated and is accomplished through parent education, SOAR (Support Observe Achieve Read) and the distribution of aid.”

The Family Resource Center’s mission to support area families during difficult times closely matches many SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac efforts to provide the community with vital resources that enhance overall health and well-being.

“The services that the Family Resource Center offers allow provide parents the opportunity to focus on their child’s well-being instead of economic hardship,” says Katherine Vergos, SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital president. “It’s critical that we do anything possible to help our children get a great start. This is an important time for there to be support.”

To learn more, call the Family Resource Center of Fond du Lac County at 920-923-4110 or visit www.fdlfrc.org.

In 2022, SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac’s community benefit ministry totaled more than $400,000 across the communities it serves. This investment helps ensure access to health care for patients who are uninsured or underinsured, train the next generation of health professionals to care for those in need, and fund programs to address the most pressing health needs of our communities.