CONCERN is a locally-based nonprofit agency offering services in more than 14 cities in Pennsylvania and one city in Maryland. President and CEO Gordon May is proud to lead an organization that brings hope, opportunities and positive change to the communities it serves.
Why did you decide to take on this role at CONCERN? I love CONCERN’s mission, and the organization offers an array of social services for the community. But what really drew me to CONCERN was the foster and adoption services. A lot of places that offer the same social services don’t also offer foster and adoption services. These services hit home for me because I was adopted by my grandparents.
What makes CONCERN’s mission special? Our mission is, “Bring hope, offer opportunities and inspire change.” Other organizations offer the same services, but how we deliver those services is different because it’s informed by our mission. We truly believe our work isn’t just to provide services, but it’s also to offer our families hope, opportunity and change. We live our mission; it’s more than just a job.
How can someone who is interested in fostering or adopting a child contact CONCERN? We’re always looking for people to be foster parents or adoptive parents in Pennsylvania and Maryland. We also offer “foster to adopt,” a path for people who start out as foster parents and then decide to adopt. If you’re interested, you can go to our website to learn more about the process, requirements and resources we provide for you. Once you complete an application, a recruiter will work with you throughout the entire process.
What other services does CONCERN offer? We offer services such as residential behavioral and substance abuse treatment facilities, case management, parenting education, household management education and various behavioral health services such as family-based mental health services, school programs and crisis interventions. You can learn about and connect with these services on our website, and we have relationships with school districts so their counselors can also provide referrals. Our services are available to everyone in the community.
It sounds like CONCERN has great services offered by people who truly care. What do you like most about working for this organization? I love talking to people and being out and about at events and at our different offices. I love interacting with staff and the kids and hearing their stories and seeing the wonderful work everyone is doing. I wish I could do more of that.
You certainly love what you do, and it keeps you busy. When you’re not working, how do you relax and have fun? Spending time with my kids and family is how I have fun. My daughters play softball in school, so I get to spend a lot of time coaching them and traveling with them for games.
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Families needed. According to the Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption & Permanency Network, there are approximately 15,000 kids waiting for foster parents and 2,500 kids waiting to be adopted in Pennsylvania.
