Celebrate the holiday season - Community Difference Newsletter

COMMUNITY DIFFERENCE NEWSLETTER

Health, Hope & Happiness

Celebrate the holiday season

It is hard to believe that we are about to celebrate the holidays and usher in a new year I am certain many of you have holiday traditions and make new year resolutions The holidays give us time to reflect and look forward to the freshness and endless possibilities a new year brings.

At C&A, we celebrate our amazing staff who provide a brighter tomorrow for more than 4,000 clients a year We celebrate our supervisors who provide outstanding guidance and insight to our staff We celebrate our clients who are brave and seek support. We celebrate our community partners who stand with us and beside us as we work to provide Health, Hope and Happiness to our clients

As we look forward to the holidays and welcome a new year, I wish each of you and your families happiness, joy and good health May the holidays bring to you the warmth of love and joy May the holidays renew all the happiness and good tidings of the past and create a positive spark for the future May a joyful spirit keep glowing in your heart forever! Challenge yourself to 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

I value and appreciate each of you You help us provide hope to our clients and their families

Here’s to a JOYOUS and PROSPEROUS holiday season and new year

Sincerely, Joe

CEO JOE FRENCH

What

Community Partnership Spotlight Boys and Girls Club of Massillon

Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health (C&A) is partnering with the Boys and Girls Club of Massillon to help youth learn behavioral and emotional coping skills as well as learn and model leadership skills C&A’s prevention specialists are working with youth to provide these skills.

Alex Williamson, assistant executive director at the Boys and Girls Club, said, “The partnership between C&A and the Boys & Girls Club of Massillon is a benefit to the families we serve by providing them with a direct connection to mental and behavioral health resources Having these resources easily accessible makes families more likely to utilize the services offered and allows for a greater level of support for our members ”

Vince Pedro, Executive Director

The Massillon Boys and Girls Club has been a staple in the Massillon community since 1936 Over the years, the Boys and Girls Club has adapted its services to the changing times but always providing an outlet and safe place for kids The past two years have been challenging, but Williamson explained the benefits of having a C&A prevention staff member on site Williamson shared, “We have had C&A staff working with our staff and members at the Boys & Girls Club of Massillon for over a year and they currently provide coverage for half of the shifts at our three locations This additional coverage has allowed us to offer mental and behavioral health support to our members five days per week at all of our locations These prevention staff members have been an asset to the Boys & Girls Club staff by providing them with strategies to support the development of pro-social skills with our members ”

This new, developing partnership is showing positive results.

“The Boys & Girls Club of Massillon staff have responded positively to the suggestions and strategies offered by the C&A prevention staff,” said Williamson “These strategies have allowed us to build stronger relationships with our members and help our members build stronger relationships with one another Our members also enjoy the C&A prevention staff and several of our members have identified them as people they can go to when they need help solving a problem ”

As the relationship continues to grow, and the agencies build a stronger rapport with each other, the Boys and Girls Club is looking for the prevention staff to create safety plans, which is a service some members need

Williamson, Assistant Executive Director

Alex

C&A adds 13 new names to donor wall

As a non-profit agency, C&A depends on the generosity of the community to provide a variety of mental health services to our youth Enormous gratitude is felt with each new bubble that goes on our Donor Wall Contributors are recognized on the wall once they have donated $1,000 or more to C&A

If you are still making decisions regarding your end of the year giving, please consider contributing to C&A Regardless of the amount, your donation will boost our ability to help children, youth and families as they face life's challenges

C&A offers various ways to submit your gift, donating is easier than ever! Donations can be made via credit/debit card by visiting our webpage: www.childandadolescent.org/give-to-ca. If you prefer to use a mobile payment platform, we are also able to accept gifts via Paypal or Venmo!

Event Chairs named for 2023

Holly Davies has been named chair for C&A's Annual Appeal The Annual Appeal supports all agency programs and services Davies, who became involved with C&A through family court, has been on the board for five years She and her husband, Duane Delaney, have four children and a dog, Patrick.

The 2023 chair for the annual Mike Flood Reverse Raffle will be Jeremy Hesson The Mike Flood event benefits the Mike Flood Endowment Fund. Hesson is a human resources and accounting liaison for Canton Country Day School and becoming a board member was a natural extension of his current responsibilities Jeremy enjoys taking his two Labradors on walks, off roading in the Jeep, and reading a good historical book

The 2023 Duck Derby will be chaired by Lisa Warburton Gregory, secretary of the board The Duck Derby supports summer programming provided by C&A Gregory has been affiliated with C&A since 2006, and currently serves on 12 boards, with C&A being lucky to be one of them! Her supportive family includes her husband, Steve, two step-children and seven grandchildren

C&A's hat, scarf & glove drive continues

C&A is accepting donations of hats, scarves, gloves and socks to assist families with staying warm by collecting winter items during the winter months

Donations may be dropped off at Plain Township Hall, 2600 Easton St N E , Canton, where a box is waiting for your generous contribution!

If you ' re unable to stop by Plain Township Hall, you may drop items off at any of our C&A locations - Alliance, Belden, Shipley and Plain Community Campus - during office hours

Holly Davies

Jeremy Hesson

Lisa Warburton Gregory

Jan. 13 -What is it and Why we do it

Prevention Education Conference

Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health's (C&A) Prevention team is excited to announce the dates for their Prevention Education Conference Professional Development days The conference will be a series of monthly one-day events to accommodate attendees' busy schedules and to provide the best possible experience

The professional development days will be held at Exploration Gateway at Sippo Lake, 5712 12th St. N.W., Canton. The dates and topics are as follows:

Jan 13 - Mental Health Prevention: What is it and Why We Do It

Feb 17 - Prevention and The Community: Bringing Stark County Together

March 10 - Celebrating Prevention: A Celebration of Who We Are and What We Do

The Prevention Team announced the keynote speakers for Jan. 13 conference The speakers are Ty Sells, who has more than 30 years of experience in drug prevention and community services and conducts trainings and workshops on complex issues facing today's youth, and Jennifer Benson, OCPC and ICPS, who is an Ohio Certified Prevention Consultant and developed the adult low-risk drinking curriculum.

This series of professional development days is made possible through a grant from the Ohio Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health and Prevention & Promotion. C&A's Hannah Cowie and Marissa Cooney are coordinating the professional development days

Tickets may be purchased for each individual day or attendees may purchase a 3-day ticket at a discounted rate To register, purchase your ticket(s) or stay updated on event details please visit www childandadolescent org You may also watch for updates on the C&A Facebook page

Marissa Cooney

Hannah Cowie

Ty Sells

Jennifer Benson

C&A awarded grants

Ohio Center

of

Excellence for Behavioral Health and Prevention & Promotion

C&A received a $13,780 to design a series of professional development days for behavioral health and prevention C&A's prevention team is planning the event, which will be held as a 3-day monthly series on Jan 13, Feb 17 and Mar 10 For additional information, please see page 5 or visit the C&A website

Employees of the year honored during annual end of the year festivities

C&A staff enjoyed an evening of socializing and celebration during the annual holiday party on Dec 2 Several staff members received longevity awards for their dedication of five to 45 years of service! CEO Joe French announced the dedication of the Records Room to Sue Finsel who celebrated 40 years this year and the waiting room at the Shipley office to Mary Frazier-Rhodes for 45 years with C&A Staff participated in an ugly sweater contest that was judged by members of the board and three members of the C&A family were named employee of the year.

Theresa Culver

Dr Liz Hayford

For several years C&A has partnered with The Children’s Network to help to meet the needs of young people who have experienced abuse and neglect along with their families. On Dec. 5, C&A had a table at the Children’s Network’s annual holiday partyr Children received presents, ate, did crafts and met with Santa Claus C&A passed out gift bags containing coloring books and crayons or colored pencils Mary Kreitz, who represented C&A at the event, helped kids decorate their gift bags with fun stickers She observed “It was wonderful to see these kids who have been through so much smiling, laughing and really enjoying themselves ”

C&A

CEO

COO

CFO

ACO

of Directors: