New Haven, Conn. – Each year, the Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies (CCFSA) recognizes exemplary volunteers and human service professionals with the Family Champion Award. The award recognizes a Board of Directors member who “consistently goes above and beyond the call of duty to support their agency’s mission” as well as a non-management staff member who “works tirelessly to improve lives, inspire hope, and strengthen families.” This year’s honorees from Family & Children’s Agency (FCA) are Board of Directors member Brian Vendig and Lorraine Reid-James, Adolescent Services Coordinator in FCA’s Specialized Foster Care department.
Over the past six years, Brian Vendig has gone from a valued donor to a dedicated volunteer and Board member at Family & Children’s Agency. Joining FCA’s Junior Board of Advisors in 2013, Brian helped plan and execute signature events including A Taste of Fairfield County. He took on a leadership role in the group by becoming a Co-Chair, and eventually also joined the Agency’s Board of Directors. His guidance has been significant in his current roles as member of the Board Governance Committee, Investment Committee, and the Communications Workgroup. He has served on the planning committee for FCA’s Golf & Tennis Classic, and engaged his company with the Agency as supporter of several events.
Brian is President and Managing Executive, as well as Chief Compliance Officer of MJP Associates, Inc., a wealth advisory firm. He lives in Fairfield with his wife, Michele, who is also an engaged FCA volunteer, and their two children.
Since 2009, Lorraine Reid-James of Bridgeport has worked as a dedicated social worker in FCA’s Specialized Foster Care program. With a passion for her role in the Agency as well as the children with whom she works, Lorraine takes on extra tasks and volunteers on weekends to participate in adolescent vocational activities. She was trained as a behavior specialist to further enrich the skills she could offer to youth, and was one of the founders of FCA’s Social Justice Committee. Lorraine has been a mentor to her colleagues and is a highly sought after case worker by foster families who know she provides tremendous support and compassion for the children in their care.
“We are so fortunate to have both Brian and Lorraine as part of our FCA family,” said Robert F. Cashel, President and CEO of Family & Children’s Agency. “They are both deeply dedicated to our clients and mission and we are proud they have been honored with this award from CCFSA.”
