Letter From Elece Hempel

August 1, 2024  

Dear Friends: 

For 50 years Petaluma People Services Center has been providing programs to thousands of our community members, because they matter. In fact, YOU MATTER. PPSC is focused on providing programs for everyone, and we need your help to continue to make this happen.  

I am going to be very honest with you, one of PPSC’s most valuable programs is facing on-going financial stress. If you have been listening to me for the past 20 years, you, and everyone else, know that we cannot put Mental Health on the backburner. Our behavioral health services are provided on a sliding-scale basis, which includes therapy services for very low-income clients. These clients may be your neighbors who are utilizing our services, including children who are victims of abuse, elders who are serving as caregivers, youth who are suffering from anxiety, couples who are trying to navigate parenting, and many more. Each month we touch hundreds of our community members who are struggling with their mental health through our Behavioral Health services.  

In order to provide sustainability to this program we are asking you – everyone – all of you… to consider contributing to help us maintain our very valuable program. The ask is simple--if everyone donates $35.00 we can ensure that 10,000 therapy sessions are provided to youth, seniors, and families – this will support all of those in our community who are in need of these services.  

We are seeing social services programs cut throughout our community. We don’t want to have to do this to our Behavioral Health programming. We know that, together, we can continue to provide and expand our programming to meet the community’s on-going mental health needs.  

To learn more about PPSC’s Behavioral Health programs, visit our website and watch our social media. We appreciate your support! 

It is all about community – and YOU MATTER!  

Elece Hempel 

Executive Director