FCSN is the CFS (Coordinated Family Support) service provider with SARC and RCEB and has started receiving referrals since February 2024. We are so excited to be able to provide this new service to the individuals and their families in need to carry on FCSN’s mission and vision. Continue reading CFS Program Pamphlet
Through Turtleworks, founder Sherry Meng provides young adults with special needs the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in a supportive environment, fostering their independence and personal growth.
In this interview, Meng describes how parents can best prepare their children for future employment based on her own experiences. She also shares advice for other parents who want to start a business employing people with special needs. Continue reading Interview with Sherry Meng: Advice for Parents on Preparing Children for Employment & Starting a Business
For the past 15 years, Turtleworks founder, Sherry Meng, has devoted her time as a volunteer and program leader at FCSN, where she has taught students with special needs a wide range of practical skills. However, she soon realized that her students lacked the experience of working for a real business. As an educator, Meng wanted to determine what skills the job market seeks in individuals with special needs. As a parent, Meng was driven to create a supportive working environment where children like her own could gain meaningful employment opportunities and training. In this interview, Meng describes the initiation of Turtleworks, its employment model, and inclusive working environment and impact. Continue reading Interview with Sherry Meng: Empowering Special Needs Employment, One Stitch at a Time
Our child Victoria has experienced so many challenges in her life from birth until her young adulthood now. Despite all her challenges, she has dramatically grown and improved tremendously because of all the teaching and guidance and support from FCSN for many years now. Victoria is very happy and loves going to FCSN. Continue reading Thank You To Our FCSN Family & An Incredible Journey
Cathy Yang serves as the coordinator for two programs at FCSN: the Supported Employment Program (SEP) and Tailored Day Services (TDS) at the Fremont Center. Both initiatives are dedicated to assisting individuals with special needs in finding employment based on their skills and preferences. Come along as Cathy shares details about the programs, and their impact on clients and the greater community. Continue reading Interview with Cathy Yang: SEP & TDS Coordinator
Two years ago, the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) introduced the Self-Determination Program (SDP) through Person-Centered Planning at an open house. Susan and Yong were quick to sign up for the pilot program, as their son Branden was in the last year of the Young Adult Program at the time. Although Branden was able to keep up with his academic workload, his autism manifested as extreme shyness that prevented him from communicating with others. Susan realized that if Branden were to graduate and enter the real world, he would struggle to survive on his own. In light of this urgent situation, Susan and Yong saw that the Person Centered approach of the new SDP could help Branden achieve independence and become an active member of the community. Continue reading Supporting Branden Through the Self Determination Program (SDP)
Newsletter #2
From almond crispies to snow bliss cookies, Friends Coffee & Tea’s delicious sweets have a special meaning behind them. Each week, the shop holds a cookie training group session, working with a handful of special needs adults (age 22 and above) to teach them how to make these delicacies. Continue reading Friends Coffee & Tea: Behind the Cookies
Newsletter #1
First started in April 2018, Friends Coffee & Tea is no ordinary coffee shop. In addition to offering a wide and unique array of drinks and pastries, it is a community mainly operated by special needs individuals where they can make friends and learn. In collaboration with FCSN, the larger mission of Friends Coffee & Tea is to provide workplace training for special needs individuals, who face high unemployment rates. At this shop, they have opportunities to learn shop management skills, exercise their creativity through baking, crafts, and art, and gain experience in a work environment. Continue reading Friends Coffee & Tea: Empowering the Special Needs Community
What will happen to the special needs adult as the parents grow older and are unable to take care of their them anymore? Who will take care of them and how will their lives look like? Learn about how Supported Living Services (SLS) and Independent Living Services (ILS) addresses these worries and how adults with special needs can learn to achieve an independent lifestyle. Continue reading Peace of Mind Through SLS and ILS
It is often said, “From small beginnings come great things.” For ten years, FCSN Co-Chairperson Jim Chiao collected spare coins in a large plastic bottle at his house. As the coins began to accumulate, Chiao started to consider what to do with them, and finally after much thought, he came up with a brilliant idea, which gave rise to FCSN’s Coin Bank Project. Continue reading FCSN Coin Bank Project: the Power of Small Ideas
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