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R I S E

S S E RV I C E

SERVICE: Doing for Others.

The work we do at Family & Children Services is not always easy. We Nikeesha Settles, Family
put the needs of others ahead of our own and answer the call when Preservation Specialist
there is a cry for help. Easy or not, we always strive to do the right For Nikeesha Settles, working
thing. We are here to serve. as a family preservation specialist

In everything we do we are accountable, taking responsibility for in the Battle Creek office of
each task, so we can learn—as individuals and as an organization— Family & Children Services was
what is effective and where opportunities are to improve. We are a happy mistake. The “mistake”
results and outcome oriented. happened when she decided to
There is a story behind everyone who proudly calls themselves an return to school.
employee of Family & Children Services. We highlight a few here for “I thought I was signing up for a class in human resources, but I
their SERVICE, but there are more than 160 exemplary staff that actually signed up for human services,” she says. “I found I had a
represent our organization. passion for developing empathy in others, especially in child

Bruce Bosier, protective services.”
Facilities Manager Nikeesha spends her days at Family & Children Services finding

A nine-year-old boy had already ways to overcome the obstacles families face that often tear them
been through so much trauma apart. Her focus is always on keeping children in their homes.
in his young life. He was in yet “We do whatever is needed, whether it is to assist with household
another foster home, facing two management, or learning how to budget finances, or cleaning,” she
new foster parents. He hid in says. “And we always try to model the behaviors we teach.”
the closet of his new bedroom, When COVID-19 changed all the rules, Nikeesha found ways
refusing to come out. to maintain connections with the families she serves. “We had
They couldn’t possibly understand. someone whose house needed cleaning. Each session, we would
But they did understand. Bruce Bosier, a facilities manager at Family pick a corner of the house to work on. One corner at a time so that it
& Children Services, and his wife Cindy had been foster parents since wouldn’t get overwhelming.”
1997. Since then, they have fostered more than 30 children. After she finishes her day at Family & Children Services, Nikeesha
Bruce opened the closet door and quietly sat down on the floor heads to Kellogg Community College to teach evening classes in
beside the boy. For a long time, they simply sat together. In time, the their human services program. She doesn’t mind the full schedule.
boy started to talk and trust in his new foster family. Service, Nikeesha says, completes her.
Dedicated to serving at home, Bruce Bosier does the same at work, Melinda Lussier,
caring for his Family & Children Services family with the same level Adoption Supervisor
of commitment. Kitty Scheffers is operations director and oversees Nothing can replace going
Bruce at work. through an experience yourself

“It makes my job easier to know how well Bruce cares for our to understand the experiences
facilities,” she says. “I regularly get emails from others, telling me of others. It’s what drives Melinda
how much they appreciate the service Bruce provides.” Lussier’s service as an
adoption supervisor. She’s
worked in adoptions for more
than 30 years.

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