The Foundation of Family Values (FOFV), a 501(c)(3) Tax-exempt Non-profit Organization, was created in honor of the late Don Rossi. We support family well-being for families of all political, religious, sexual preference, economic, and racial categories. We define family as being any combination of parent(s), grandparents, other relatives, and children. The FOFV has no specific religious affiliation.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Foundation of Family Values seeks to enhance the core values of modern families through creating innovative programs in combination with providing resources that facilitate the intellectual development of parenting ethics and responsibilities in the best interest of children.
FOFV accomplishes its mission through a variety of educational, therapeutic, and recreational programs and services designed to provide a menu of positive options for families who wish to participate in a holistic approach to family well-being.
VALUES Our values are the ones identified in Search Institute's research on primary developmental assets for adolescents, plus one that we’ve added ourselves: Cultural Diversity. The primary values categories listed in their research are:
Support
Empowerment
Boundaries and Expectations
Constructive Use of Time
Commitment to Learning
Positive Values
Social Competencies
Positive Identity
There are three age groups – each of which has age-appropriate sub-values that fall within the categories listed above. The Search Institute's values list can be downloaded below. However, FOFV would like to make two modifications to those lists for our purposes.
On each list, Value #19 says:
Value #19: Religious community – Young person spends one or more hours per week in activities in a religious institution.
FOFV supports any kind of positive spiritual expression, regardless of it being associated with a religious institution. FOFV feels that our values would be better reflected by changing the Search Institute's value #19 terminology so that it reads as follows:
Value #19: Spiritual community – Young person spends one or more hours per week in activities that enrich their spiritual life.
Secondly, FOFV would like to add a 41st value to all the lists:
Value #41: Cultural Diversity – Families model and support tolerance and acceptance for other non-violent cultures and beliefs systems.
Adolescents (aged 12-18) View the comprehensive list that identifies supporting values for each category and provides definitions.
Middle Childhood (aged 6-11) View the comprehensive list that identifies supporting values for each category and provides definitions.
Early Childhood (aged 3-5), View the comprehensive list(PDF) that identifies supporting values for each category and provides definitions.
JIM ROSSI
Jim Rossi, a Bay Area native, is the founder and Executive Director for Foundation of Family Values. Jim established FOFV in memory of his late father, Don Rossi. Don Rossi was interested in expanding people's minds – which is why the Kolty Chess Club is part of FOFV. The club is made available to a wide audience of chess lovers who can enjoy it for many more years to come.
Jim's other motivation for starting FOFV comes from his personal experience.
Being a Certified Esalen® Practitioner, Jim recognizes the value of bodywork in releasing blocked energy in the body and allowing it to release. When he launched FOFV, he committed to a more holistic approach, bringing in bodywork services and also adding a counseling component to help with mediating custody issues and addressing other challenges faced by parents. His own experience has shown him that parenting skills in his family are passed from generation to generation. He discovered that counseling in conjunction with bodywork facilitated his own growth process. As a result of his growth, a better foundation has been laid for future generations.
When Jim is not involved in Foundation work, he is involved in Solar and the wireless microwave radio telephone sector.
JOHN CONWAY Mr. Conway is a family law attorney in the Santa Clara County. He handles many different types of family law matters, including divorce, child custody, support (child support and spousal support), parentage, modification, pre-nuptial and post-marital agreements, etc. He is also a past-president of the Santa Clara County Bar Association, past-president of the Sunnyvale-Cupertino Bar Association. In addition, he serves as a pro tem judge in the Santa Clara County Superior Court and is on the Santa Clara University Law Alumni Board.
RICHARD CHO
Richard Cho, a bay area native as well as a loving husband and father. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is working currently in the Irvine area in the field of radiology. Family values and healing others are of utmost importance in his life. Richard's passion to help others in the community extends into his role in our organization as well.
FRED LEFFINGWELL
Fred Leffingwell is the Director of the Kolty Chess Club. Born in Sacramento, California, Fred started playing chess in tournaments in college at U.C. Davis. Fred is an engineer (EMC) at Cisco Systems, Inc. where he has been since 1993. He is married to a very understanding woman named Kathy who has always been willing to let him off on Thursday nights (when the Kolty Chess Club meets).
OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR FOFV NETWORK
DR. SUZANNE RAPLEY Dr. Suzanne E. Rapley is a Licensed Psychologist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, and Diplomate. She has been working in the addictions field for over 30 years. In her current Santa Barbara, California practice, her specialties include Addictions of Alcohol, Drugs, Sex, Gaming, Cybersex and the Internet. Dr Rapley currently treats individuals, couples, and families and facilitates groups on various topics that include Gaming, Internet Addiction, Sexuality and Intimacy Issues.
JONATHAN S. SHAFER
Jonathan S. Shafer is a Marriage and Family Therapist Intern working under the supervision of Dr. Rapley. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Experimental Psychology awarded by the University of California at Santa Barbara, as well as a Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Psychology awarded by Antioch University. Jonathan has received extensive training in the area of addictions, and is very well-versed in the specific treatment of Gaming and Internet-based problems. Together with Dr. Rapley, he lectures to groups of Mental Health Professionals on the treatment of Gaming, Internet and Cybersex addictions.
LISA NICHOLS
Lisa Nichols has occupied senior management positions for more than 20 years and now, as CEO of her own consulting firm, works with private and non-profit organizations in the areas of business development and marketing. Lisa’s skills include designing, implementing, and evaluating development and expansion strategies; handling all aspects of human resource functions; designing effective marketing communications; creating business infrastructures; and developing strategic business alliances. Her accomplishments include building a Bay Area vocational school into the largest in the state within its industry and forging first-ever relationships with internationally known schools to offer their proprietary curriculums; opening a west coast office for a well respected financial firm and building it into a top performer; and acting as a major contributor on a seven-member, year-long team (which included the president and national legislative Chairperson of the top two national industry associations) which drafted still-current, pending legislation on state vocational licensing.
ROZ DEKETT
Roz DeKett is a writer specializing in marketing communications and PR, and has lived in the Bay Area for 15 years. Previously, she was a BBC radio and newspaper journalist. With two teenagers, Roz takes a strong interest in family and parenting concerns, as well as the importance of providing opportunities, experience, and support. She also works in marketing communications at the professional services organization Deloitte.
MIMI LATNO
Mimi Latno, M.A. has been an educator and teacher for the past 30 years. With training in a variety of holistic therapies as well as experience in classroom, workshop and retreat settings, Mimi blends numerous tools and methods to create a fun, practical and unique learning atmosphere. Mimi is the author of two books, which empower adults and young people to live consciously, with vitality and in health – body, mind and spirit. Mimi is also a mother of two daughters, one is a teenager and the other is a young adult.
MICHELLE CHARTERS
Michelle Charters, MA, CCLS is a Certified Child Life Specialist at two premier pediatric medical facilities in the Bay Area. Her studies in child development, play, stress and coping, and family systems provide the background for her work. Michelle uses her skills to reduce stress and anxiety for children and families in the healthcare setting. She works to promote optimum growth and development for hospitalized children by providing therapeutic play, distraction, and age-appropriate preparation and support for procedures including surgery and chemotherapy.
RACQUEL LOGAN
Racquel Logan is a Certified Massage Therapist and is EMBA approved. She trained at Body Therapy Center in Palo Alto and has taken over 900 hours of professional coursework in body therapies. Her skills include Esalen® style massage, facilitated stretching, cranialsacral and myofascial release, Reiki, Munyer Method Trigger Point, and Swedish massage. She specializes in pregnancy massage and lymphatic drainage. She is on the staff at a south bay health center and has a private practice.
JUSTIN DOOLEY Justin Dooley is a Certified Massage Therapist and specializes in Eslaen & Sports Massage. He was trained at the Body Therapy Center in Palo Alto. He is an avid sports enthusiast and enjoys working with athletes throughout the Bay Area. Justin can also be found at bay area sports athletic centers. He is a proud father of a 2 year girl and lives with his wife in Santa Clara.
JAY HARNDEN
Jay Harnden has been happily married since 1985. Jay has been involved with Father Matters for nine years, doing workshops and men's group meetings across the United States. His compassion for children has led him in the direction of helping men become better dads so that kids have a better chance in life. He is a certified coach and has recently started a mentoring business, Family Coaching Solutions with the intention of helping parents and children reconnect through healthy communication. He enjoys his family, baseball, and playing the drums on the worship team at Mercy Hill Church. Jay has a daughter in college and a son in high school.
CHERYL ZATKIN-STERES, MFT
Cheryl Zatkin-Steres is a Licensed, Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice. She also directs a counseling program for a local school district and has supervised more than one hundred trainees and interns towards licensure. Additionally, Ms. Zatkin-Steres is a trained custody evaluator. She has taught elementary school, has been an instructor at San Jose State University for the Graduate Health Education Class, and has guest lectured at Stanford and Santa Clara Universities. Ms. Zatkin-Steres has been a keynote speaker for educational parenting conferences for school districts and has authored and conducted more than two hundred types of workshops and training's for families, school systems, and businesses. She is a stepmother to three adult males, a mother to one young adult male, and a step grandmother to an eight year old grandson
ALLISON FRECCERO
Allison Freccero is a Certified Educator of Infant Massage (CEIM). Her background includes a degree in occupational therapy and six years working professionally with infants, children, and families. She is also certified in CPR/First Aid. When Allison is not teaching infant massage, she works as Director and Occupational Therapist in Via’s First Step Early Intervention Program. There she manages pediatric caseload of 10-15 consumers ranging in ages birth to 5 years, designs and implements treatment plans, and directs and supervises an early intervention staff of 15 multidisciplinary staff members.
MARK PENSLER
Mark Pensler has been certified by the State of California as a professional alcohol and drug counselor and has decades of experience working as a teacher with children in grades 3-12, and with all age groups in therapeutic settings which address drug use, addiction, and recovery issues. He currently works at Camp Recovery in Scotts Valley, CA where he is a Family Program Specialist, and provides group, individual, and family counseling in the areas of substance abuse and recovery.
JACKIE HOPE KITE
Jackie Hope Kite has been involved in teaching and caring for children for most of her professional life. She is a Teacher and has worked with kids from two years old through their teens. Jackie is also a credentialed Parent Educator and has taught classes for 10 years on topics such as Learning Styles, Ages and Stages of Development, Managing Stress, Parenting Styles, Learning through Play, and more. She is the proud mother of a teenager and young adult.
FOFV was established in 2005. Our services will continue to be developed and enhanced. Please check back often to learn of new programs.
Our values are the ones identified in Search Institute's research on primary developmental assets for adolescents, plus one that we’ve added ourselves: Cultural Diversity. The primary values categories listed in their research are:
