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Family Service is now Families First in Burbank

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Joyce Rudolph

A three-year journey was completed for the Family Service Agency as

officials unveiled a new logo and announced its new name -- Families

First in Burbank.

The agency’s new name and logo, featuring a dove carrying an olive

branch along with the letter B and number 1, reflect its top priority

of helping families in need.

“This new image better reflects our vision and mission, said

Laurie Bleick, executive director, during the first Tennis Ball

dinner dance at The Castaway on Friday.

“It is an image that speaks directly to the values of each board

member, each staff member and each corporate community and individual

supporter of our cities youth and families,” she said.

The agency, which started in 1953, provides counseling for victims

of domestic violence and counseling in anger management, depression

and conflict resolution for students in the Burbank Unified School

District.

This was the agency’s first fundraiser of back-to-back events.

There was a dinner dance Friday night and Celebrity Tennis Tournament

Saturday at the Burbank Tennis Center.

The preliminary total raised from the weekend’s events was

$70,000, Bleick said.

Proceeds from both will go to the agency’s counseling programs and

securing a larger facility, said Kermit Floyd, president of the board

of directors.

“We get up to 1,000 calls a month from women in domestic violence

situations,” he said. “We have less than 2,000 square feet in the

present building and we set a goal to raise enough funds to

transition to a 6,000-square-foot building. You made it happen.

Without the guests, donors and the city, tonight wouldn’t have been a

success.”

Steve Starleaf, general manager of the tennis center, was chairman

of the tournament and his sister, Joyce Starleaf, a member of the

agency’s board of directors, was the chairwoman of the dinner. Both

events offered silent auctions with prizes donated by local merchants

and supporters.

Cartoon Network’s Brian Miller and Zita Lafebvre covered the

expense to hire artist James Winters to create the logo three years

ago.

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