C&A January Community Difference Newsletter

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day ”

Edith Lovejoy Pierce

It is hard to believe that another year has passed and a new one has started I am certain many of you make New Year resolutions and look forward to the freshness and endless possibilities a new year brings

As the year ends, I hope 2023 will bring great success and desired results for you, our clients, our agency and our community

May the new year bring you warmth of love, and a light to guide your path towards a positive destination

May this new year bring all the crazy colors and fun in your life. May it renew all the happiness and good tidings. May a joyful spirit keep glowing in your heart forever!

May you make new things, try new things, learn, live, push yourself, change yourself and change your world. May you do things you have never done before.

Let us learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. Thank you for an amazing year 2022 taught me and many of you that we can overcome any obstacle and that together the C&A family is a strong and mighty bunch

I value each person in this agency and our community supporters I am thankful for the very important and critical work we do

May 2023 provide each of you: Hope, Health, and Happiness

Here’s to a JOYOUS and PROSPEROUS new year

Joe French, CEO

Sincerely,

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP SPOTLIGHT: THEYMCA

The partnership between the YMCA Child Care and C&A Prevention staff as been invaluable to the quality of ur programming and the support of ur staff and students,” said Heidi Wilson, vice president of child care nd camping “The Y prides itself on eing a place for all to feel safe and upported and with the recent years ncrease in social, emotional and ehavioral needs, our staff felt nprepared to best serve all of our students and overwhelmed coming to work most days”

C&A, the Boys and Girls Club of Massillon and the YMCA formed a partnership to help students who have struggled the past few years with social, emotional and behavioral needs The collaboration includes C&A providing a prevention staff member to local Ys to teach leadership skills, coping strategies and provide additional support for staff and students as needed

“The YMCA is extremely thankful for this partnership with C&A,” said Wilson “The needs in our community have changed and the Y and C&A share a common goal to respond to those changing needs, but we can not be experts in everything. It is critically important to build partnerships that help us all serve more and serve better when our communities need it the most. This particular partnership has shown the success that can be replicated if organizations continue to strive to collaborate for the betterment of the community!”

Wilson mentioned the C&A staff has become part of the Y and their presence and expertise have bettered both our staff’s skills as well as our resources for families and students Wilson outlines feedback she has heard from staff

“I cannot say enough about the positive feedback we have received from both staff and parents,” said Wilson “During the summer months, our students do not have access to the typical services they get while they are in school, which makes eight- to 10-hour camps difficult for some Over the last two years, our summer day camp staff have felt supported and equipped to handle the sometimes difficult situations that occur at camp They have expressed their feelings of gratitude for the support and expertise of the prevention staff and therapists who have helped them with everyday strategies C&A staff have handled challenging behavior situations, provided social emotional support exercises with students and generally bonded with those students needing more individualized attention in a very busy environment. Parents have also given great feedback about the opportunity to have C&A staff in meetings about their child’s behavior as well as the availability of

and services at the time of greatest need.”

C&ACEL FINSEL'S

“C&A does a lot of good in the community,” said Sue Finsel, who has spent her 40-year career working at Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health “Sometimes, if we make a mistake, we learn from it, correct the mistake so it does not happen again But overall, we (the agency) do so much good in Stark County ”

Finsel started her career at C&A as a receptionist in 1982, when the agency was located on 13th Street Northwest in the basement of an office building From those humble beginnings at the agency, she has seen much change during her career in the agency and mental health services

Over the decades, C&A has expanded from the singular office to four locations in Stark County (Alliance, Belden, Plain Community and Shipley in downtown Canton) During that same time period, as the agency grew, Finsel grew in her different roles with the agency From receptionist, she moved into the billing department and then to business staff in 1987 During her tenure, record keeping went from paper to electronic records, and the agency grew from seeing a few hundred clients a year to approximately 4,000 in a year

“I have had a very rewarding career,” said Finsel, who earned an associate’s degree in Records Health Information Technology from Stark State College “I have loved my job and I will miss the people I work with

“The culture of C&A has changed over the years Since Joe (French, CEO) came, the business staff feels valued You can tell management cares for the business staff We have not always felt that way ”

Finsel retired on Dec 31 from the agency She is looking forward to some downtime in retirement

“I am not sure what I will do in retirement,” Finsel said shortly before her retirement “I have been running so hard for so long, I am looking forward to not having to be somewhere and not answering my phone at 8 a m I am going to take some time to take care of me ”

In honor of Finsel’s retirement, the records room, which is located at the Shipley office, is named after her

Finsel, and Mike, her husband, reside in Massillon

Sue with her cake

CEO Joe French shares kind words about Sue

Sue and her husband, Mike

UPCOMING C&AEVENTS

C&A TO HOST GUEST BARTENDING FEB. 9 AT GRAPES IN A GLASS

Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health will sponsor a guest bartending night on Feb 9 at Grapes In A Glass, 525 Market Ave N , Canton, 6-8 p m

C&A invites you to join us for evening out with family and friends The evening will feature entertainment, raffle baskets, and a 50/50 raffle drawing

Guest bartenders for the evening is C&A Board Member Doug Fernandez and Canton Community Activist and Stark Flavor's Mike Sturdivant Proceeds benefit C&A's Let Your Light Shine event, Sept 23

TWO EVENTS HIGHLIGHT THIS YEAR'S ANNUAL APPEAL

Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Annual Appeal will kick off Feb 6 and end Feb 28 The goal for this year's campaign is $15,000

This year's Annual Appeal will start with a Continental Rise and Dine Breakfast on Feb 6 at 7:15 a m at C&A's Shiply office, 919 Second St N E , Canton C&A's CEO Joe French and C&A Board Member and Campaign Chair Holly Davies will host the event and give a tour of the Shipley office

If you are interested in attending this year's event, please RSVP to Abbey Van Auken by Jan 31 at avanauken@childandadolescent org

Melt Bar and Grilled will host a Dine to Donate event on Feb. 23 for dine in or take out orders. When paying for your order, please present a flyer (look for on Facebook in February). C&A will receive 20% of accompanied sales.

All proceeds from this year's appeal benefit programs and services as well as provide self-care items for staff.

HOOPS & HEART TO BENEFIT MIKE FLOOD ENDOWMENT

Hoops & Heart Reverse Raffle to benefit the Mike Flood Endowment Fund will be March 24 at the Massillon Eagles #190, 303 Weirich Blvd. N.W., Massillon. The chair for this year's event is C&A Board Member Jeremy Hesson.

A limited number of $50 tickets will be sold for this event. The $1,000 prize winner need not be present, but the final five tickets left will determine if the jackpot is to be split. Raffle baskets and 50/50 tickets will be available, cash only. To purchase a ticket, visit www. childandadolescent.org.

Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health (C&A) will be sponsoring a student suicid panel discussion with our collegiate partners at Aultman College, Kent State University-Stark, Malone University, Stark State College, University of Mount Union and Walsh University virtually on Feb 8 from 2 to 3 p m

This panel discussion is funded through grant C&A received from the Ohio Progr College Safety and Mental Health Each partner is working to have one student on campus participate on the panel Students on each campus will have the opportunity to participate virtually during a question/answer session

C&A’s Trauma Specialist Mary Kreitz will lead the discussion with the panelists A tentative outline of the discussion is introducing panelists and participants to suicide awareness warning signs and then opening the discussion up for comments among panelists and participants At this time, panel members from each school are still being finalized

C&A is introducing the logo for this year's Let Your Light Shine event to be held Sept 23 at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Canton

The theme for the annual event is Southern Nights. Tracy Brewer designed this year's logo.

If you would like to be part of this year's planning committee, please reach out to Abbey Van Auken at avanauken@childanddolescent.org.

SHIPLEYWAITING ROOMNAMEDIN HONORMARY RHODES

Mary Frazier Rhodes recently celebrated 45 years of service to C&A and is still counting! At the agency's holiday party, CEO Joe French announced the waiting room at

Shipley would be named in honor of Mary for her dedication to the children of Stark County

Congratulations Mary Thank you for your dedication and hard work!

Child and Adolescent Behavior Health received a Canton Communtity Development Block Grant for Phase II of the gymnasium renovation

During the winter holiday, Dec 27-31, Norman Eckinger Construction installed two new hoops and two new wall pads replacing the original wooden backboards from the former Roosevelt Elementary School was built in the 1950s.

During spring break, new flooring will replace the original floor. The renovations are expected to be completed by March 31.

Crews began work in the Shipley gymnasium

LOCATIONS:

Alliance Office 1207 W. State St. Alliance, Ohio 44601 330.823.5335

Belden Office 4641 Fulton Dr. N.W. Canton Ohio 44718 330.433.6075

Shipley Office 919 Second St. N.E. Canton, Ohio 44704 330.454.7917

Plain Office 1801 Schneider St. N.E. Door 6 Canton, Ohio 44721 330.470.4061

PREVENTIONEDUCATION CONFERENCESUCCESS!

The Stark County Prevention Conference held at the Exploration Center at SippoLake,PerryTownship,wasasuccess.

Day 1 of the three-day conference was attended by 40 people. The day startedwithadefinitionofpreventionandincludedactivitieseachofuscan doasameansofbeingmoreproactiveandintentionalinourdailylives.

ThedaystartedwithC&A'sLarissaHaringpresentingonWhatisprevention? Stark County Youth Led Prevention held a panel discussion made up of seven members and moderated by C&A's Marissa Cooney and Carrie Jones The rest of the day featured keynote speakers Ty Sells and Jennifer Benson

Duringthescheduledbreaks,participantswereabletogatherresources At lunch,networkingwasavailableforparticipants

Participants attending the conference are able to acquire CEU's and professional development day hours This conference series was made possible through a grant from the Ohio Center of Excellence for Behavioral HealthPrevention&Promotion.

Day2oftheseriesisscheduledforFeb.17andthefinaldayisMarch10.To registerforthefinaltwosessions,visitwww.childandadolescent.org. Y continued from Page 2

HannahCowie&Marissa Cooneywelcomeattendees

Conferenceattendeestookgoodiebags &greatinformationhomewiththem LarissaHaringdefinedprevention toconferenceattendees

The YMCA has been seeking a partner that could provide this type of specialized training and support to their staff and students for years Wilson added, “Joe and his team have been incredible to work with and always go above and beyond to meet any need that arises We are forever grateful for this partnership and committed to making this continue long term for the benefit of the community and kids we serve ”

C&A OFFICERS:

Joe French, CEO

Jodi Santillo, COO

Georgene Voros, CCO

Pam Lung, CFO

Susan Brown, ACO

Kim Cernansky, ACO

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Dr. Linda Sklar, president

Michelle Balderson

Holly Davies

Jennifer Meek Eells

Doug Fernandez

Mike Gallina

Lisa Warburton Gregory

Monica Rose Gwin

Jeremy Hesson

Marcus Huerta

Casey McCloud

Skyler Parks

Stacy Remark

Dominic Reolfi

Joyce Salapack

Lindsay Smith

At C&A, self-care and mental health care are highly encouraged to clients, their families, and staff in all departments Taking care of yourself is just as important as the tasks you complete for others each day, if not more important! If neglecting your own needs becomes a habit, it can be detrimentaltoyou,yourhealth,andthosewhoarecountingonyou.

Self-care is what you do daily to protect, maintain and improve your health and wellbeing. This includes staying healthy and being aware of what depletes you so youareabletotakethestepstoreplenishyourmentalandphysicalhealth

But,haveyoueverconsideredtreatingyourselfaskindlyasyouwouldtreatothers?

What would you say to a friend, or even a stranger, who is struggling with a particularaspectoftheirlife?Wouldyoutellthemtheyarenogoodandworthless? Ofcoursenot.

Youwouldshowyourfriendsupportandcompassiontothebestofyourability.You may help them find a solution to the problem or point them in the right direction. Youwouldhelpthemmoveforward.

Makesuretodothesameforyourself.

Criticizing yourself can create additional setbacks as you ' re trying to get back on track Negative self-talk canhavelong-lasting,toxiceffects

Instead, show yourself some grace Be kind to your reflectioninthemirror

Bethefriendtoyourselfthatyouaretoeveryoneelse