CCS Winter Newsletter 2014

Help that Works.

Hope that Lasts.

Winter 2014 Contents Page 1 New Branding Christmas Appeal Pages 2-3 Kinship Family & Youth Page 4-5 Substance Free Living Pages 6-7 Turning Point Page 8 STEPS Walk 2014 Sponsors Wine Tasting

The mission of Catholic Charities of Steuben is to build communities that care for all people by strengthening and enriching the quality of life for individuals, families and children; working to reduce poverty; and advocating for social justice, which helps fulfill Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester’s commitment to build a just and compassionate society rooted in the dignity of all people.

Catholic Charities of Steuben Introduces New Branding Catholic Charities of Steuben (CCS) is pleased to present our new branding!

We recently completed a cobranding project to visually connect all of our service offerings. The graphic above communicates the result of this process.

CCS organizes its programs into three service priorities:

−− Kinship Family & Youth −− Substance Free Living −− Turning Point Each of these service priorities has its own logo and color, complimenting the agency logo and color.

Below each service priority logo and name is a description of that service priority from the communication plan.

Below each description are

service categories, and within each category are the specific programs we offer.

Justice and Peace weaves throughout each of the service priorities, and so provides the back drop in our graphic above.

Finally, the agency logo has been updated to reflect our official name, Catholic Charities of Steuben.

Annual Christmas Appeal Mail the completed form with your donation to Catholic Charities Steuben, 23 Liberty St, Bath, NY 14810 or make a credit card donation through our website, CatholicCharitiesSteuben.org where you will be routed to PayPal’s secure site.

Thank you for your generosity!

Please indicate your giving level: Hope Society $500 or more Patron: $100-$249 Benefactor: $250-$499 Steward: $1-$99 Name: ___________________________________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________________________________ City: ________________________________ State: _______________ Zip: ___________ E-mail: ______________________________________ Phone: _____________________

United Way of the Southern Tier

Please indicate the amount of your gift. $_____________________________________

Child Development Services Healthy Families Graduate Sends Letter of Thanks The Healthy Families program recently received a letter from a graduate telling how much the program had meant to them. The names have been changed in the excerpts below.

“Being the oldest of four children I thought I had the parenting thing under my belt! Ha! I was introduced to my Family Support Worker, Karen, who would come and meet with me every other week. I had lots of questions about breastfeeding because I came from a family that had never breastfed.

Karen was a wonderful resource! She was a great support to me. When Karen would come for prenatal visits she always brought me information about breastfeeding and if she did not know the

answer to my questions she would have the information at the next visit.”

“I brought my beautiful baby girl home without an owner’s manual. I remember being so scared to know that I was fully responsible for her little life... Karen started coming out once a week and she would assure me that Megan was healthy and we were going to make it until the next visit.”

“Karen was there to support us both through Megan’s development. Karen did developmental screens to assure that Megan was on target and I continued to breastfeed with no problems.

“When I had Megan I was very unaware of the programs that were available to me out in the ‘new’ world of being a

Family Preservation Services

parent, for example the parent resource centers, breastfeeding support groups, and many others. Megan and I visited the parenting resource centers in the area and we became weekly members of the breastfeeding support group.”

“I would also like to mention the benefits my husband has seen from Healthy Families. He was not present for a lot of visits, but I would talk to him about the information Karen had brought that day. My husband did not come from a very affectionate family, but I often talked to him about brain development and the power of touch. I found that over time he would hold and talk to our girls. He has even let them put make up on him and paint his nails. Every night he gives them hugs and tells them he loves them.”

Five Children Adopted by Therapeutic Foster Care Parents The Therapeutic Foster Care Program through Kinship Family & Youth specializes in care for children and youth with significant psychological, social, emotional or behavioral needs who can respond in close relationships within a family setting, and whose special needs require more intense or therapeutic services than are found in traditional foster care. At present we serve children and families from six counties across the Southern Tier, including: Allegany, Chemung, Livingston, Schuyler, Steuben and Yates.

Our foster parents open their homes and their hearts to children and families, providing love, support, supervision, encouragement, discipline, structure, and stability, while promoting permanency for

From L: Brian, Keeva, Kim, Maia, Reese, and Aiden Devine-Brink

From L: Sam Jackson, adoption worker Paul Sands, Eithan and Sheila Jackson.

them as well. Foster parents work with service providers and the birth family with the intention of reunification of the children with their family. However, in some rare cases, the children are freed for adoption, and this year we were fortunate to have five children adopted by the Kinship foster parents that they had been living with!

The first adoption occurred in Steuben County in August. Eithan had been living with Sheila Jackson since he was 5 months old. He was initially placed at Sheila’s foster home with his birth mother. Eithan is now three and looking forward to his first Christmas with his forever family.

The second adoption occurred in October and was in Schuyler County. The two sisters, who chose to change their names to Keeva and Maia, had been living with the Devine-Brinks since March 2012.

The girls we not only gaining parents but brothers as well! It had been a long twoyear wait to finally be freed so that they

could be adopted, and the six and seven year olds were so excited to have found their forever family!

The third adoption took place in Allegany County in November. These five-year-old twins have been placed with Kinship since Spring 2012. Like many of the children in foster care, Harley and Harmony had been in a few foster homes before finding their forever home with Barb. And they couldn’t have found a better fit! These two sisters picked out their adoption day dresses and just happened to pick the same one! They were so excited about their adoption day as they shared it with their new brother Wyatt’s birthday!

Harley and Harmony (front row) pose with their new family, Wyatt, Barb, & Jonathon Berry (back row) on the twins’ adoption day and Wyatt’s birthday.

Family Preservation Services

Do you have room in your home to provide a short time of peace and support for Allegany County youth?

Sometimes PINS (Person In Need of Supervision) teens just need a short break (up to 21 days) from their family—a place to be safe and think.

Kinship SHAPE (Supportive Home and Parent Enrichment) is looking for families in Allegany County that would like to be certified to provide this type of care.

You would need to provide: −− Separate bed or bedroom for the youth to stay −− Contact with the youth’s family −− Transportation to and from the youth’s home school (staff can help with this) −− Transportation to doctor appointments (staff can help with this) −− Time and attention for the youth The family would be trained to deal with certain types of behavior, and you would receive a daily stipend for the days you have a youth in your home.

If interested, please contact Michelle Hollier, PINS Respite Coordinator 1 Schuyler St. | Belmont, NY 14813 | 585-268-5616 Office | 607-769-2635 Cell

Residential Services Community Residence and Supportive Living Program Receive Recognition for their Work with Veterans Both the Community Residence and the Supportive Living Program were mentioned in a recent Catholic Courier article for their work with homeless Veterans. Below is an excerpt from the article: “Kinship Community Residence, a shelter for homeless men that provides the Healthcare for Homeless veterans program. This program places veterans in crisis into safe housing and in intensive

outpatient services through the Bath VA. Many veterans graduate from the program to independent living, said Kinship Residential Program Director Kim Robards-Smith of Catholic Charities of Steuben.

“Catholic Charities of Steuben also offers a Supportive Living Program, which offers homeless vets apartment independence and supportive services.

It is housed in the former convent of All

Saints Parish and in area apartments. “‘(Veterans’) motivation is so strong,’ said Karl Brandenburg, the Supportive Living Program coordinator. ‘Their willingness to do the work is such that they succeed even more than our nonvets.’”

Read more at: http://www. article catholiccourier.com/in-depth/previoustopics/veterans-2014/guardian-angelshelp-homeless-vets/#sthash.psXXyox4. dpuf

Prevention Services Red Ribbon Week Activities at Haverling The students, faculty, and staff at Bath-Haverling’s Dana Lyon Middle School celebrated Red Ribbon Week October 27 through 31. Red Ribbon Week is a nationwide drug prevention campaign that began as a community response to a tragedy.

In 1985 undercover U.S. Drug Enforcement Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena was kidnapped and murdered by members of a drug cartel in Mexico.

Kiki’s hometown, enraged by what happened, began wearing red ribbons in his memory. The message of the red ribbon was simple: Take a stand against the loss of life and energy to drug abuse.

Working with the Steuben Council on Addictions and the generous support of Five Star Bank, TOPS Markets, and Paradise Printing, students at Dana Lyon Middle School were able to participate in several Red Ribbon Week activities, including “theme days.” On Monday, students observed National “Wear Red Day;” on Tuesday, students didn’t let drugs “twist their minds” with Twizzlers; on Wednesday, students “Teamed Up Against Drugs” with their favorite sports attire; on Thursday, students “Rocked Drug Free” with their favorite band/ singer t-shirts, and they closed out the week Friday with “Don’t be a Dum-Dum, Smarties Don’t Do Drugs.”

Students in grades four through eight participated in the Dana Lyon Middle School Second Annual Red Ribbon

Vice President Rhonda Sweet (top row, far left) from Five Star Bank, which sponsored Red Ribbon Week, and Steuben Council on Addictions Prevention Director Jim Bassage (top row, far right) pose with the 2014 Red Ribbon Week Drug Quiz winners.

Week Poster Contest. Each Face Time Friday Group in the Middle School worked on creating a Red-Ribbon-Weekthemed poster. The students had to work together to come up with ideas for theme, design, color, etc. The ideas and designs that students produced demonstrated the students’ creativity and what can be accomplished when they work together. One winning poster was chosen from each grade level and the winning groups were treated to a breakfast pizza at their October 31 Face Time Friday meeting. All student posters were hung in the hallway by the Main Office, creating a “Red Ribbon Hall of Fame.”

Finally, sixth through eighth graders were given a Red Ribbon Week Drug Quiz created by Steuben Council on Addictions to take home and work on completing with a parent or guardian. All quizzes that were signed and returned to the Guidance Office were entered for a chance to win a gift card. Gift card winners were: 6th Grade – Hannah Perez & Olivia Gudeahn 7th Grade – Lindsay Machuga & Marcus Burns 8th Grade – Sebastian Perry & Maddie Shuart Overall, the event was a huge success, and students and staff are looking forward to next year’s celebration!

The halls of Dana Lyon Middle School, decorated with Red Ribbon Week Poster Contest submissions, became the “Red Ribbon Hall of Fame.”

Save the Date! On January 15, 2015, Steuben Council on Addictions will hold an information session on the very real, illicit

drug problem faced by our community from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Wimodaughsian Library in Canisteo. A panel of prevention educators, law enforcement officials, and other experts will walk you through what is happening in our schools and on our streets, what to look for, and what you can do about illegal drug activity in your community. Light refreshments will be served and giveaways will be distributed to all attendees. This event is free and open to the public.

Coalition Leadership Steuben Prevention Coalition Task Forces Tackle Underage Drinking and Marijuana Use among Steuben County Youth Steuben Prevention Coalition’s Underage Drinking and Marijuana task forces have recently completed logic models defining the underage drinking and marijuana use issues among youth in Steuben County.

The logic models were developed using data from: Risk & Protective (R&P) surveys taken every two years since 2010 by students in 6th, 8th, and 10th grades in nine Steuben County school districts; Town and Village Board meetings; youth focus groups involving students in grades 8 – 12 county-wide; and key informant interviews.

Underage drinking was identified as an issue based on these data sources, which revealed 11.2% of 8th and 27.5% of 10th grade students used alcohol in the past 30 days. Binge drinking occurred in 7.3% of 8th and 18.2% of 10th graders in past two weeks.

Root causes of the underage drinking problem were identified as “availability” and “favorable parental attitudes.” Data reveals that youth are getting alcohol at unsupervised parties or from older siblings or friends. In 2014 R&P surveys, 54.1% of students reported obtaining alcohol from their home or someone else’s home without parent permission.

Parents also provide a safe place for kids to drink and do not enforce consequences for underage drinking.

2014 R&P survey data reveals 36.2% of

8th graders and 39.5% of 10th graders obtained alcohol from home with their parents’ permission. Youth focus groups report that some parents are tolerant of alcohol use by adolescents because they did it as a teenager.

Marijuana use was identified as an issue based on the same data sources—14.9% of 10th graders reported using marijuana in the past 30 days, and 25.8% of 10th graders reported ever using marijuana.

Root causes of the youth marijuana use issue were identified as “marijuana is easily accessible” and “community attitudes favor use.” Family members are providing marijuana and kids are using it in public places. 10 of 21 students reported knowing a parent that provides marijuana to their kids, and 6 of 13 communities report marijuana use in public places such as skate parks, dug outs, parks, and back roads. Educators may tolerate students under the influence of marijuana and parents or guardians are using marijuana with their child or tolerating their child’s use of marijuana.

Youth focus groups report teachers know kids are high in class and do not report it or deal with it, and 30 of 42 kids know of parents who use marijuana with their children.

These logic models were adopted by the Coalition at the November 20 meeting. They will provide the foundation for strategies to address these issues.

Steuben Prevention Coalition Celebrates its First Birthday

Steuben Prevention Coalition (SPC) celebrated its First Birthday on Wednesday, October 1 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the third floor lobby of the Steuben County Building in Bath.

More than 80 community members stopped by for a piece of cake and to learn more about how the public can be involved in promoting healthy and safe communities for youth across Steuben County.

Drug Free Communities Project Coordinator Norm McCumiskey hands out giveaways and information to a family at SPC’s 1st Birthday Party.

Steuben Prevention Coalition Announces the First Youth Action Forum The Steuben Prevention Coalition (SPC) is pleased to announce the first Youth Action Forum was held 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, December 3 at Bath Central School in Bath. The Forum provides natural student leaders a voice to be heard among peers and within the community and allows them to be the change they want to see in their communities.

Invitations to join the Forum were sent to all Steuben County school districts. Of these, 10 school districts participated, including Addison, Arkport, Bath, Bradford, Campbell-Savona, CanisteoGreenwood, Corning-Painted Post, Hammondsport, Hornell and Prattsburgh.

Each of these school districts handselected up to 10 students in grades 7 through 12 to participate in the Forum, accompanied by one or two school

district chaperones.

At the Forum, students engaged in group and individual school discussions to identify the critical issues impacting their school climate, their peers, and their community. Solutions will be developed and action plans put into place to best impact the student body.

The Forum is designed to provide exceptional leadership training as well as personal and career development opportunities. Student leaders participating in the Forum will develop leadership, communication, problemsolving, teamwork, engagement, and strategy development skills. They will learn to nurture abilities in themselves and in others in order to make an impact at school or in the larger community, and they will have the opportunity to network with other students and leaders in the

community to identify available resources and practices that would aid in bringing about change.

SPC’s mission is to promote healthy and safe communities in Steuben County by reducing alcohol and drug use among youths. The Steering Committee (or governing body) of the Coalition is comprised of many county-oriented members that are vested in the future of our youth. Members include our District Attorney, County Sheriff, New York State Police Captain, several school superintendents, director of community services, county public health educator and our three county prevention providers. This group is the driving force behind engaging our youth in the future of the Steuben County community.

Basic Needs Services Turning Point Bath Welcomes New Site Coordinator, Tess McKinley Turning Point Bath welcomed the newest addition to the team Monday, December 1, when Theresa “Tess” McKinley started as the new Site Coordinator. She brings with her a master’s degree and nine years of relevant experience.

Tess returns to Catholic Charities of Steuben after more than two years as the Manager of Communications and Volunteer Support at the Institute for Human Services in Bath.

She previously worked for Catholic Charities of Steuben as a Prevention Educator with Steuben Council on Addictions and as a Tennis Director for the John Southard Youth Recreation Commission.

Tess was formally recognized for her past efforts at Catholic Charities of Steuben with the 2009 Robert Turissini Award for Excellence.

As an Advisory Committee Member for RSVP of Steuben, a Board Member for the John Southard Youth Recreation Commission, and a Volunteer Youth Catechist at St. Mary’s Church in Bath, Tess is also strong in community involvement.

She earned her Masters of Science in Management from Keuka College in 2013, and her Bachelors of Science in Education from SUNY Geneseo in 2007.

Catholic Charities of Steuben is very excited to have someone of Tess’ caliber added to the team. Welcome aboard, Tess!

More than 2,000 Clients Served County-wide for Thanksgiving This Thanksgiving, Turning Point locations in both Bath and Hornell experienced another jump in Food Pantry use by clients, both existing and new.

Together, Turning Point Bath, Hornell, and Canisteo, with valued donations from the faith community, volunteers, and our generous donors, were able to serve more than 2,000 clients countywide this Thanksgiving with traditional Thanksgiving meal items, including turkey.

In Bath, 502 households were served, including 399 children and 57 elderly clients. In Hornell, 124 households were served, including 159 children and 34 elderly clients, and in Canisteo, 119 households were served, including 145 children and 31 elderly clients.

Theresa “Tess” McKinley, the new Site Coordinator of Turning Point Bath.

Cold Hands, Warm Heart Beginning December 15, clients who come to Turning Point’s Food Pantries, in addition to the usual food pantry items, will receive a gift bag of food items valued at $12 to help keep them warm on cold winter days, while supplies last.

500 gift bags will be available at the Bath location, and 50 gift bags will be available at both the Corning and Hornell locations. Supplies are likely to last through the first week of January.

Items in the gift bag are simple-tofix comfort foods ideal for times when weather-related events keep folks from accessing food with cash, SNAP benefits, or meals at school.

Heart to Heart is New Lead Agency for Christmas Adopt-aFamily Program For several years, Turning Point has offered a project titled “Adopt-a-Family” to our community members who wish to provide Christmas gifts to families in need. With increased demands on staff to provide clients assistance with basic needs such as food, shelter, and utilities, Turning Point is no longer able to provide staff leadership for this popular Christmas gift project. Bearing in mind that our mission of creating communities that care for all people is never accomplished alone, community partners, including donors like you, are a vital resource, and we are happy to provide an update on how Turning Point is meeting families’ Christmas gift needs this year.

Heart to Heart is a Steuben County notfor-profit organization whose volunteers screen profiles of families seeking holiday gift assistance and match donors to approved families-in-need. Twelve of our Turning Point families, including 39 children, have been referred to Heart to Heart, and their family profiles (lists of wants and needs) have been submitted with the assistance of our staff.

Those families will have their Christmas gift lists provided by Heart to Heart donors. Parents will pick up unwrapped gifts of the items their children wished for (along with wrapping paper so parents can participate in wrapping gifts) at Turning Point Bath.

If you would like to continue to be a donor of financial resources or actual gift items for a family, please contact the Bath area Heart to Heart volunteer coordinator: Kathy Musso 6499 Burton St. Ext Bath, NY 14810 607-776-5168 If you prefer to make donations to Turning Point for Basic Needs Services, we are always in need of canned food items, financial donations to support the food pantry, and emergency financial assistance for families in economic crisis.

We hope this information helps you engage in the support of the community that has been your desire in the past, and is so appreciated by families in our community.

Coalition Leadership Catholic Charities of Steuben Thanks Community for Donations We are thankful this holiday season for the generous donations received from the community at both Turning Point Bath and Hornell, as well as Steuben County Rural Ministry in Canisteo.

Thank You to Alfred State College Students Alfred State students were an enormous and welcome support to Turning Point Hornell this holiday season. Five groups of Alfred State students helped gather and distribute donations as community service projects for a college class.

Students Nicole Archibald, Matthew Fromwiller, Cynthia Murphy, and Jamari Payton held a “Warm Winter Items Drive,” which ran through December 1. They collected more than 150 hats, mittens, gloves, scarves, warm socks, blankets, canned food items, as well as monetary donations.

Megan Carroll, Jordan Riethmiller, Ryan McGillicuddy, Ben Dewey, and Kerry Jischke collected 614 food items, 114 personal Items, and 117 hats, gloves, and scarves at Walmart in Hornell and donated them to Turning Point Hornell.

Kristy Webster, Chelsea Dunn, Autumn White, Jessica Dixon, Morgan Wadsworth, and Sam Kolivoski helped with the Boy Scout Food Drive. Chelsea Dunn, Autumn White, and Lleris Wisky also sorted through the Boy Scout donations and gathered items for the Turning Point Hornell Thanksgiving Open House.

Finally, Ben Dewey and Melissa Fletcher helped Turning Point Hornell by shelving food items and organizing the pantry for the Thanksgiving Open House.

“Thank You!” to these students for choosing Turning Point Hornell as the benefactor of their class projects. We look forward to working with future classes!

Thank You for Back-to-School Supply Drive Donations Thank you to all the organizations and community members who helped to make our 7th annual Back-to-School Supply Drive a huge success!

Turning Point Bath served 261 students in Avoca, Bath, Bradford, CampbellSavona, Hammondsport, and Prattsburgh school districts.

Turning Point Hornell served 307 students in Arkport, Canisteo-Greenwood, Hornell, and Wayland-Cohocton school districts.

In all, 568 students in Steuben County school districts received new backpacks and back-to-school supplies for a wellprepared start to a new school year!

Calling for Candidates for the Next Getting Ahead Cohort

The Bridges Out of Poverty Coalition is currently recruiting candidates for the Thank You to Hammondsport next “Getting Ahead in a Just-Getting’By World” cohort. This class is an Central School Student Council opportunity for people living in poverty Thank you to Hammondsport High to build resources for a better life. The School Student Council for collecting new and used coats and winter accessories for next 15-week program is scheduled for Tuesday, February 3, 2015 through Turning Point Bath.

A thank you also goes to Hammondsport Tuesday, May 12, 2015 from 5 pm to 8 pm.

Central School Guidance Counselor Jim Each Getting Ahead group consists of Derr for transporting the collected items to six to 12 people who meet for two to Turning Point Bath. three hours once a week for 15 weeks.

Participants are known as “investigators” who work with the support of their cohort to examine their lives and the world around them to discover how to build a better future for themselves and their families.

The program focuses on the tools and supports that can help people living in poverty become self-sufficient. By examining our society and economy through the lens of economic class, each cohort investigates the impact of poverty and low wages on their lives and what it takes to move from a “just-getting-by Heaven Hess and Katelynn Hoyt of Hammondsport world” into a “getting-ahead world.”

High School Student Council pose with Turning Point Bath Site Coordinator, Tess McKinley.

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in a cohort Thank You to Local Boy Scout where your voice will be heard, you will Troops and Cub Scout Packs be understood, and will have a chance to Cub Scout Pack 7 and Boy Scout Troop succeed, please contact Getting Ahead 9 donated a grand total of 2,505 food Facilitator Paula Stark at 607-937-3255 or items to Turning Point Hornell. pstark@pathwaysforyou.org.

A total of 1,886 food items were also The Bridges Out of Poverty Coalition’s donated by local Boy Scout Troops to mission is to link people in poverty to Turning Point Bath. resources of opportunity. Bridges Out of Donated food items include cereal, Poverty is a Coalition of Turning Point, a soups, canned fruits, stuffing, rice, service priority for Catholic Charities of spaghetti sauce, pasta, juices, canned Steuben. meat, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, baby food, and personal care items.

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Boy Scout Troop 57 donated 448 food items to the Bath Food Pantry at Turning Point Bath.

Thank You to our 2014 STEPS Walk Sponsors!

Save the Date!

Wine Tasting & Benefit for Catholic Charities of Steuben In Cooperation with Bottles & Corks Thursday, February 26, 2015, 5-8 p.m.

The Center, 400 Park Avenue, Corning Wine Tasting & Benefit tifeneB & gnitsaT eni (next to Sullivan Kitchen & Bath)

Sample over 75 wines from around the globe Door Prizes, Silent Auction, Complimentary hors d’oeuvres

$20 per person in advance or $25 at the door Tickets sold at: Bottles & Corks, 130 W. Market Street, Corning Brown’s Cigar Store, 6 W. Market Street, Corning Catholic Charities Steuben County, 23 Liberty Street, Bath Sullivan Kitchen & Bath, 400 Park Avenue, Corning

Printing provided by Multi Media Services

Printing provided by Multi Media Services

Appropriate Size for Business Card.

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Questions?

607-776-8085 x2218 | 607-968-4107 | paulasmith@dor.org

Help that works.

Hope that Lasts.

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