The Foundation of
Family Success by Design, Inc.

Family Success by Design, Inc. (FSbD), was created as a collaborative community-based organization with a mission to improve the lives of families and children. The organization’s unique approach comes from its base in occupational therapy and occupational science, which view people as needing “occupations”—valued life activities—to promote and maintain health and wellness. After many years as Occupational Therapy Practitioners and community advocates for youth and families, both Vera Arzaga Rubio and Terry Olivas-De La O knew their expertise and dedication would be best served in creating this organization, which serves to improve lives. They filed for non-profit exemption for Family Success by Design, Inc., in May of 2006.

The organization uses its occupational therapy and occupational science base to address a positive change in all communities. Within their work with these communities, the founders have found that often, children who struggle to find their place in life do so with a limited knowledge of how to build productive lives. Their growth might further be compromised by their families’ limited encouragement of positive cultural roles and healthy values. These children’s missing play and leisure skills need development through exposure to various possibilities. FSbD pursues such development and skill shaping as its core purpose.

One of the outstanding developments of Family Success by Design, Inc., is its annual Ánimo: Latino Young Men’s Conference, designed to encourage its participants, ages 12-17, with the help of mentors, both to lead successful, healthy lives with their families and to aspire to a higher education. The conference combines inspirational discussions with hands-on activities that allow the participants to shape the day’s events. The participants come from foster care, migrant education and secondary school systems.

Within its services, FSbD also concentrates on domestic violence survivors. Domestic violence affects women and children nationwide at an alarming incidence. FSbD has found a serious need for occupational therapy and occupational science in every client’s recovery, as a valuable tool to help develop the goal-oriented skills needed for successful and fulfilled living. With the collaboration of mental-health experts, FSbD uses occupational therapy to address the dynamic range of these clients’ lives: their social participation, their work, their leisure, their education and, perhaps most importantly, their self-awareness.

FSbD’s occupational therapy and case management services are not only for these clients. FSbD aims to touch any who might benefit from its experience at helping design successful and productive lives. Youth in juvenile justice systems, foster care, continuation schools—whoever might need its expertise is whom it seeks daily to serve. Its services are not gender or ethnic specific, but need driven. One of its goals to help fulfill its mission is to raise its public profile as a collaborative partner with other ethically minded, community-based organizations.

As its very work and foundation lies in its founders’ longstanding roles as community volunteers, Family Success by Design, Inc., is determined to have its staff and board be involved in the community not only with FSbD, but also as private volunteers. And as Family Success by Design, Inc., grows, it will continue to strive to see its vision of giving back both locally and globally, one client—and one person—at a time.