MAYS LANDING, N.J. -On behalf of the PHI Community Foundation, Atlantic City Electric, through its Ninth Annual Charity Golf Classic, has donated $46,000 to support CASA for Children's Family Search and Connect (FSC) Program.

Through CASA's FSC Program, specially trained volunteers conduct internet-facilitated searches to identify and locate family members whom may have been overlooked in the opening stages of a child's foster care tenure. FSC volunteers try to identify family, including searching child welfare files and using internet searches and making telephone contact to establish family connections. The search process makes it possible to find family members when none were previously known.

Atlantic City Electric is committed to supporting local organizations that make a difference in the lives of others through volunteer initiatives, charitable contributions and community outreach endeavors.

 "The Atlantic City Electric donation enables us to continue to train our volunteers who are vital to the success of the Family Search and Connect Program," said Karen DeRosa, director of Community Development, CASA for Children. "While finding family connections may not result in adoption, any newly formed relationship can provide a child a durable connection to help them navigate adulthood, build their self-confidence and improve their chance for success."

"We are proud to support CASA for Children in their mission to assist children in the foster care system and their dedication in finding these children a safe and permanent home," said Vince Maione, Atlantic City Electric region president.

Success stories of CASA's Family Search and Connect Program include:

• An 18 year-old boy with a mental health disorder who has spent his entire life in foster care separated from his three siblings. Through the FSC program, the siblings have been located, and they are interested in providing resource support for their brother.
• After a 15 year-old was removed from his home, he spent three years in foster care. The FSC program helped reconnect him with his father and grandfather, and they are beginning the process of getting to know each other again. The program also helped track down his maternal relatives with whom he had little contact with for more than five years.

• Since its inception in 2006, the PHI Community Foundation's Atlantic City Electric Golf Classic has raised more than $1.1 million for nonprofit organizations in South Jersey.

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