By Matthew Daly, CFC Intern
With Valentine’s Day come and gone, we are left with memories of love lost, roses by the dozen, and heart-shaped chocolate boxes. For Paula Barbag and her Consulting For A Cause (CFC) Team, however, the spirit of love, passion, and devotion extends year round. CFC, as the firm is known within the fundraising world, has operated under the premise of care-based prosperity since its inception in 2012. Within the past twelve months, 2013’s New Business of the Year helped to spread the love within the greater Westchester area by providing vital consulting services to the organizations that need them the most.
“Consulting For A Cause has become our lifeline to new strategies and approaches.” Such are the words of Guy Fessenden, CFC’s first client. In October of 2010, Fessenden brought an end to his lucrative IT career so he could run from Savannah, Georgia to Santa Monica, California–all to raise awareness for mental illness. Fessenden now works alongside his daughter Suzanne, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 16, as the Executive Director of C.H.O.I.C.E. of New Rochelle. C.H.O.I.C.E. (Consumers Helping Others in a Caring Environment) is a nonprofit organization that provides case management, advocacy, and homeless outreach services to those afflicted with mental illness.
The two year relationship shared between CFC and C.H.O.I.C.E. has undoubtedly helped to accelerate programmatic development within the latter organization. Most recently, CFC helped to raise $20,000 for C.H.O.I.C.E. with a fundraising art exhibit hosted by internationally renowned pop artist Charles Fazzino.
The event, which featured artwork drawn by C.H.O.I.C.E. clients, served as a medium through which the isolation and loneliness felt each day by those with mentally illness could be expressed. Fessenden’s latest project, Share The Light, is a grass roots organization that hopes to dismantle the negative stigmas currently associated with mental illness in contemporary society.
Matthew Daly is a junior at William and Mary College and a graduate of Horace Greeley High School. For more information about Consulting For A Cause, visit wwwconsultingforacause.com or contact Paula Barbag at 914 238-2199.