December 11, 2008 - Morganton, NC
ELKS SHARE SEASON SPIRIT
In keeping with the Elks’ national slogan, “Elks Care—Elks Share,” the Morganton Elks Lodge hosted its annual free dinner for a local helping organization, Appalachian Family Innovations on Thursday, December 11th. Above is Jeff Duckworth, ER of the Elks Lodge (right) presenting a check to Carl Lanier, Appalachian Family Innovations’ Executive Director (left) on behalf of the Catawba Valley Healthy Families (CVHF) program.
CVHF is an intensive home visiting program serving first-time parents with the mission of providing support, encouragement, and parent training to promote healthy homes and school readiness. The families CVHF serves enjoyed a Christmas dinner, great fellowship and a visit and pictures with Santa Claus.
The Elks Lodge is a non-profit organization that conducts fundraisers each year to support four local charities, veterans, veteran hospitals, scholarships, drug awareness and youth activities at the local, state and national level. The local Lodge enjoys a large membership of men and women who are dedicated in serving the community and assisting others in need. The Lodge’s 240-seat capacity hall is for rent to the public for events. Commencing January 1, 2009, Denise Robinson will be associated with the Elks offering fine catering and food service in the Lodge.
August 1, 2008 - Boone, NC
Lanier named Executive Director of Appalachian Family Innovations
Carl Lanier is the new Executive Director of Appalachian Family Innovations (AFI), a research center and service branch of Appalachian State University’s Institute for Health and Human Services.
Lanier is a long-time veteran of child and family services and has been an AFI employee for 16 years.
He replaces Dr. Gary Timbers, who was the agency’s founder and director for 35 years. Timbers retired in February.
Lanier earned a B.A. in business administration in 1983 and an M.A. in special education in 1991 from Appalachian.
He says AFI’s mission of preserving and strengthening families is his top priority. “AFI’s greatest asset is its quality staff. Our trainers, consultants, evaluators, social workers, practitioners and support staff are highly skilled and hardworking. We have an exciting future ahead of us,” he said.
AFI’s 65 employees provide services across North Carolina. Its central office, located in Morganton, houses Catawba Valley Healthy Families, a program serving first-time parents in Burke County, and Home Remedies, a family preservation program serving 14 counties in the region.
In 2007, Catawba Valley Healthy Families served 96 families with first-time parents through in-home education in a variety of parenting skills.
Home Remedies served 60 families in 2007, including 116 children who were at imminent risk of removal from their homes. Following intensive in-home services, 97 percent of those children were able to remain in their homes.
Satellite offices in Asheville and Winston-Salem house the Professional Parenting division, which serves foster and adoptive families across western North Carolina.
Professional Parenting and Adoption Plus serve approximately 80 children in foster care a year. Last year, 29 children were successfully returned to their families or were adopted.
AFI’s training divisions provide on-going support for private non-profit and public group homes as well as training for North Carolina Department of Social Services, area mental health agencies, county health departments, system of care projects, community action agencies, and county school systems. Last year, more than 1,000 individualsfrom across the state received training from AFI.
