Serving Hands. Caring Hearts. Fostering Hope.

Learn about and donate to:

The Needs List or Care Fund.

Many Ways to Give

COBYS > Many Ways to Give

COBYS strives to provide a continuum of care with services related to physical safety as well as behavioral and emotional health. This care, provided with compassion, dignity and hope, cannot be delivered without your help. While we receive county and state funding, our Christian faith motivates us to provide a higher level of care and this funding is not enough to cover all the expenses. This is the COBYS Difference and where you come in. There are many ways to support the ministries of COBYS that help fill the gaps where the need is greatest. We are continually blessed by the generosity of our community partners, like you, and the confidence in our ministries to provide this potentially life-altering care.

For more information contact:

Director of Development Anne Stokes at anne@cobys.org, 717-656-6580 x101 or Donor Relations Manager Steven Nichols at steven@cobys.org, 717-656-6580 x161

  Donate Now             Kids’ Closet Needs List  

People can help COBYS by investing with donations of time, talents or money. Donations to COBYS are tax-deductible. Here are a few ways to give:

  • Send a check. A tried and true method. Mail your donation to: COBYS Family Services, 444 Murry Hill Circle, Lancaster, PA 17601
  • Care Fund: sending a donation designated “Care Fund” allows our team to provide those extra needs for the children and families in our care. These are the things in our lives that may get frequently overlooked or taken for granted but are not always available to our clients. Things such as a birthday gift, back-to-school items or a trip to an arcade and family fun center.
  • Kids’ Closet: Our Kids’ Closet accepts new In-Kind donations that provide our kids with needed items. This includes clothing, toiletries, backpacks/luggage, blankets, books/toys, and go-packs. Please see our current top needs and our Amazon Wish List  for specific donation needs.
  • “Monthly Motivators”: Set up an automatic gift (we can help) and connect to COBYS on a deeper level. Whether your gift is monthly or quarterly your commitment will provide year-round impact. We’re happy to share quarterly stories and good news with our most impactful donors.
  • Year End Giving: The close of the calendar year is a common time to donate. You may be getting your finances in order for tax purposes or being inspired by the Christmas season.
    • Annual Appeal: Each November we share a deeper, more detailed look at the ministries of COBYS. We present the COBYS Difference in action, where you can see the impact of the work we do together in concrete examples. A gift through this appeal helps elevate our calling to provide this compassionate care.
  • Extra Give: The 2025 Extra Give will be held on Friday, November 21. Participate in Lancaster County’s annual day of giving and celebration of generosity. You can donate through the website www.extragive.org, or go straight to the COBYS’s page –www.extragive.org/organizations/cobys-family-services.
  • Events: We host many events throughout the year with different goals of community, storytelling, and creating memories. You can learn about all the options to connect with us on our website and through social media.
    • Bike & Hike: Our biggest event. Each September for 28 years running, hundreds of people, from infants to our most seasoned supporters, gather for a walk, bicycle ride or motorcycle ride of their choice and raise critical, sustaining funds for the ministries of COBYS. In 2025, the Bike & Hike is scheduled for Sunday, September 7. Stay tuned, starting in Summer 2025 for all the latest details.
    • Spring Gathering: Each spring we present an opportunity for our most generous supporters to meet with COBYS staff and hear more in depth accounts of the impact of COBYS on the community. Our Dinner & Conversation was held Thursday, March 20, 2025 at the Inn at Leola Village. Stay tuned for 2025 details.
  • Planned Giving: List COBYS Family Services as a beneficiary in your will, retirement account or life insurance policy. Establish a Charitable Gift Annuity, a Charitable Trust or other life-income gift instrument. Please contact Anne Stokes at: anne@cobys.org for more details.
    • IRA Giving: Starting at age 70 1/2, you can make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA. At 73, you can make a QCD as part of your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) each year. This gift comes directly from the financial institution to COBYS and provides you with tax benefits.
    • DAF Giving: Establishing a Donor Advised Fund through a financial institution allows for gifts of cash, stocks, bonds, commodities and other assets. The donor receives immediate tax benefits with the flexibility on when to support charities like COBYS with a donation. DAFs grow over time and enable larger charitable gifts. This gift comes directly from the financial institution to COBYS.
    • Bequests: A will can be a reflection of your faith, values, and priorities. Those who value our ministries to children and families enough to give faithfully while they are living may want to include COBYS in their will. An estate gift can make a lasting impact that continues many years after the donor has passed away. Some people choose to designate a specific dollar amount or percentage from their estate to charities like COBYS.
    • Helpful Information: For these gifts please send them to COBYS Family Services – 444 Murry Hill Circle, Lancaster, PA 17601. To appropriately designate gifts to COBYS, our EIN Number is – 23-2128881.
  • Social Media: Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Your follows, likes and shares help expand our reach, so more people can read and learn what it takes to make-up the COBYS Difference.