Being a parent is not an easy job. Having an organization that offers playgroups and classes where parents of young kids can get education, advice, and peer support is a huge help, and that’s exactly why Family Focus has been such a success in the area for 26 years.

In those early months when Family Focus was first set adrift to fend for itself, parents who relied on the organization’s services and believed in its goals rallied to find funding to keep the playgroups and parenting classes going. Staff worked for no pay, and parents and staff alike were working hard to find enough funds to keep the program alive.

In February, though, the clouds lifted. Five months after the CSB cut its funding, Family Focus found a new home with the Virginia Cooperative Extension and became Virginia Cooperative Extension Family Focus.

The VCE is an educational outreach program of Virginia Tech and Virginia State University. Extension agents and other specialists work together as a network of educators to “bring research-based solution to the problems facing Virginians today,” according to their website.

Though the VCE doesn’t fund Family Focus, it does offer money for reimbursable grants and it offers the knowledge and support of its staff. The VCE’s vision for Family Focus is to become a model program for parenting classes in the state.

I caught up with Family Focus Managers Bee Darrow and Sheree Press to see how things are going on the one-year anniversary of their big change.

“It’s been overwhelming,” says Darrow, but she and Press are working hard to apply for grants and staff and volunteers are coordinating other fundraising, and the hard work is starting to pay off.

They have this year’s costs covered, the ladies say, and about half the funding set up for next year and some for the year afterwards. Their goal to keep things running with full programming will be to get about $175,000 each year.

One renewable grant Family Focus picked up recently is a VDSS Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention Program grant for more than $59,000. They also received funding from the Historic Triangle Substance Abuse Coalition, and for their Dads Make a Difference program they received funding from Child Development Resources.

“We’ve survived the year thanks to churches volunteering space, families continuing to attend, volunteers, and learning to write grants,” Darrow says. “The money we get dictates the services we provide, and there’s still a lot being done by volunteers, but we do what we can with what we have.”

The ladies are optimistic about the future, though, and they’re gearing up for a celebration and fundraiser in a few weeks that they’re excited about.

On October 15, Family Focus will be hosting “An Evening Under the Parachutes,” at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Yorktown. There will be a silent auction (and maybe a live auction), non-alcoholic “mocktails” and munchies, live jazz and dancing.

“We have a lot to celebrate,” says Darrow. “We’re still here! It’s our 27th year without interruption.”

Now they can continue to focus on their mission: to support and strengthen families and promote the well being of children through community-based, culturally sensitive prevention services.

For more information on Family Focus, check out their website or their Facebook page.