Catholic Family Services was formed on June 11, 1975 from two Catholic agencies that had provided social services to people of Southwest Michigan. One agency, St. Agnes Foundling Home, had operated uninterruptedly in Kalamazoo by the Sisters of St. Joseph since 1915. That agency served unmarried mothers and their children, families seeking adoptions and other children in need. It was affiliated with Borgess Medical Center, a major health care provider in the community. The other predecessor agency was Catholic Social Services, a family service agency. The Catholic Diocese of Lansing began Catholic Social Services in 1958 as a community service in Kalamazoo. Its mission was to service families under stress, especially those with marriage and child-parent problems.
Mission and Vision
The mission of Catholic Family Services is to provide social services in the manner of Jesus Christ with compassion, care and concern for justice to all people in need and to advocate for their welfare calling those of good will to assist in this mission in the Diocese of Kalamazoo.
Frances H. Denny MBA, MSW, LMSW, ACSW
Fran has been the Executive Director of Catholic Family Services since 1988.
A Licensed Master Social Worker in the State of Michigan, she has been certified by the Academy of Certified Social Workers since 1981 and earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh in 1979. She also earned a Master of Business Administration from the Western Michigan University Haworth College of Business in 2001.
Catholic Family Services is a not-for-profit organization with its own governing body that is incorporated in the State of Michigan and functions within the limits of its by-laws. The Board is responsible for adopting policies, guiding the organizational development through long-term planning, overseeing financial management, and ensuring Catholic Family Services’ accountability to the public.
Catholic Family Services strives to have a diversified funding base, which includes grants and contracts from the federal, state and local level; contributions and allocations from foundations and United Ways; and contributions from individuals and businesses.
Catholic Family Service’s fiscal year runs January to December. The Annual Report is made available to the public in April for the previous year. You can view, print and download the current Annual Report below.
