FAMILY SERVICE ROCHESTER, INC.
Non-Profit Spotlight
Non-Profit Spotlight: Family Service Rochester, Inc. Taking an in-depth look at a local non-profit, Family Service Rochester and their community impact
When Brad Lohrbach assumed the position of Executive Director in 1995, FSR saw growth in our Child Welfare programs as a strong partnership with Olmsted County was solidified under his leadership. He helped advance Family Involvement Strategies with FSR becoming a national leader in this model. In 2015, Scott Maloney became FSR’s third Executive Director. That same year kicked-off, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, FSR’s array of chores and support services that help older adults, elders, and persons with disabilities remain in their homes. FSR provides school-based counselors in several school districts in the region. Family Advocacy in Recovery and Restoration (FARR) provides recovery support in six counties for 18+ pregnant and/or parenting women who have a history or currently struggle with substance use. FATHER Project assists fathers in overcoming the barriers that prevent them from supporting their children emotionally and economically. Please share a highlight of how your organization has impacted the region. At 60, FSR is looking forward to the continued impact they will have expanding services throughout southeast Minnesota. Earlier this year, FSR opened the Family Resource Center, an innovative approach to helping families thrive and succeed. The center offers free, family centered support to parents, caregivers, and kinship families. Since its opening in March 2025, the center has helped over one hundred families through playgroups, support groups, developmental screenings, and family advocacy services.
Tell us about Family Service Rochester. Family Service Rochester was founded in 1965 as a nonprofit organization with a staff of three and the mission to support and enhance the dignity and quality of life for individuals and families in our community. Now, a staff of around 150 along with 900+ volunteers offer a wide range of services addressing mental health, child-wellbeing, family stability, and senior independence. Family Service Rochester was registered as a non-profit corporation in the City of Rochester on May 22, 1964 as the Family Consultation Center, Inc. The original thirteen signers had constituted a steering committee appointed by the United Fund of Rochester to study the feasibility of forming a family service agency to serve the people of Rochester, Minnesota. The organization opened its doors as Family Counseling Services on February 1, 1965, with Glenn VanLaningham as its first Executive Director. What inspired the founding of Family Service Rochester in 1965? How has your organization evolved in the past 60 years? During Glenn VanLaningham’s leadership, the agency expanded from its adoption of a fledgling homemaker program operated by the Civic League in the 1960s to mergers in the 1990s with the Rochester Branch of Consumer Credit Counseling Services, and Sunrise, a chemical dependency treatment program. In the years before Glenn retired in 1995, FSR saw the start of Child Welfare Services, Parent Effectiveness Training, homemaker, home maintenance, and companionship services for seniors.
16 | ROCHESTER AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ADVANTAGE MAGAZINE — AUGUST 2025
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