Nicole Cisne Durbin
The year ahead
By Nicole Cisne Durbin
I recently sat across the table from a woman who is an author, an accomplished speaker and a mother of three. She shared with me about the time in her life when she was pregnant, two kids in tow, and had just left an abusive relationship.
She knew where to turn for support—Family Resources. And it changed her life.
When I think about the transitions our organization has gone through during the past decade, the hard work of our 180+ employees, the depth and breadth of support we offer to any person who walks through our door, I realize the complexity of our work is really as simple as the story of this woman who was conversing with me.
She’s now safe, healthy, has a great job, and is raising happy kids. She is the reason we do what we do. We were able to meet a need, and in the process, we made a deep investment in the lives of a family that will now have an impact on our community for generations. That is why it is such a profound honor for me to serve as President and CEO of Family Resources. I came to this organization 12 years ago as a sexual abuse therapist and have been a witness to the evolution of our services as the needs of our community have changed.
I’m just one part of an incredible team of passionate people who commit daily to the betterment of others, whether that means providing a safe place for youth to live in foster group care, welcoming individuals and families who desire mental health and counseling services, or walking with survivors of violence as they start a journey of healing. In fact, we are the only free and confidential comprehensive program for survivors of sexual abuse, sex and labor trafficking, homicide, and other violent crimes, in our community.
At the heart of what we do is helping people deal with trauma—and that means we have a very special responsibility of making sure that whoever it is, a man, woman, or child, feels safe and cared for in every interaction with us. I am incredibly proud of our ability to work within the parameters of federal and state laws, and pivot our focus when better information and education is available on things like human trafficking and child welfare.
We have learned to be proactive. We develop programs and services based on what we see, hear and know from our intimate work with individuals, families and our broader community.
Family Resources is integral to the health and well being of our community and when I think of the year ahead, I’m not overwhelmed, but honored and humbled by the potential. The services offered through Family Resources have shaped the entire community and we all have to be working together to meet the need.
The future of Family Resources is in collaboration, in opportunity, and proactive thinking around the issues that are creating the challenges that our community is saying we need to address. We’re here for relationships, and one of the great ways we will communicate our role in truly impacting lives is in this new e-newsletter. I hope it will be an asset to you as we educate the region on what we offer, and why we offer it.
As an organization that has long been a staple in the Quad Cities region, we have plenty of research and statistics to demonstrate our work, but more than that, we want to help people understand that behind every dollar that comes through our doors, it touches a real life, a family.
It’s never really about numbers here. It’s about lives.
Your donations to Family Resources have a genuine impact on the lives in the communities we serve, who have experienced trauma. Please consider making a year-end gift online now HERE.