Our Mission
Through the power of peer-led support, education and advocacy, Family Ties builds resilience and ignites hope in families living in Westchester County experiencing trauma, behavioral health needs and other systemic challenges.
About UsOur Misson & History
Our History
Family Ties’ thirty-year history began with one small group of parents working together to find solutions to their own families’ mental health needs. Today, our programming and funding has expanded to serve thousands of families across Westchester who face a multitude of complex challenges which impact their health and well-being.
1980’s
Pat Sparkman, psychiatric nurse and mother of a son with high-end mental health needs, notices the limited participation parents in Westchester County have when planning for their children’s behavioral health care. Growing increasingly frustrated with her own restricted role, she recognizes the need for support from other parents who understand her experience. Ms. Sparkman envisions a place where parents can share their challenges and discuss the obstacles that they are facing–a place where parents find comfort in knowing that they are not alone. Ms. Sparkman starts the first support group; parents from all over the county gather to offer and receive support from one another. Ms. Sparkman encourages members to engage in dialogue with their children’s mental health providers and participate in their treatment planning process.
1990’s
The support group continues to grow in size and popularity, catching the attention of the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH). DCMH supports Ms. Sparkman’s initiative—also believing that parent “voice” should influence policy formulation and program development. DCMH helps arrange for the group to become an affiliate of the Mental Health Association of Westchester (MHA).
With the support of DCMH and MHA, Ms. Sparkman’s initial effort evolves from one single group into an organization serving parents of children with emotional challenges all over Westchester County. In 1999, Westchester County receives a 5-year federal “System of Care” grant in which Family Ties has the lead role representing the “voice” of children and families. Through this initiative, our first community-based Family Resource Centers open in the cities of Yonkers and Mount Vernon.
2000’s
In 2003, Family Ties becomes an independent not-for-profit organization. Over the next two decades, Family Ties opens additional open-access Family Resource Centers and expands our programming through a variety of partnerships with diverse stakeholders, including Westchester County, private foundations, and other local service providers.
2020 and Beyond
When the COVID-19 pandemic forever altered our “normal”, Family Ties pivoted rapidly in response to the needs of our families. Our programming continued throughout the quarantine by shifting to a virtual platform so that families knew they were not alone. Initially, the bulk of our work was supporting families to address emergency needs such as food insecurity and the digital divide, as well as managing their children’s schooling.
As time went on, the lasting impact of the pandemic became apparent. Families reported overwhelming stress and a sense of isolation and helplessness. Our work has focused on building community, supporting parental resilience, and helping caregivers navigate the notoriously complex behavioral health and child welfare systems that many find themselves in.
Today, as the region’s only independent family-run organization, we remain at the forefront of local systems transformation efforts that center the needs, voices, and concerns of families. We re-affirm our commitment to strengthening families and our community through the lens of lived experience and on-the-ground expertise.