DETROIT, MI, August 23, 2010 – The Foster Care Review Board is seeking nominations for its annual Child Welfare Awards, which honor judges, lawyers, foster care workers, and foster parents for exemplary service to children in Michigan’s foster care system.

FCRB Program Manager James Novell said that “The awards recognize those who protect, care for, and advocate for foster care children and their parents. These people have tremendous responsibilities, yet receive little, if any, recognition. The Child Welfare Awards were established to honor them and call attention to their difficult and demanding work.”

Categories include “Jurist of the Year” (judges and referees); “Foster Care Worker of the Year”; “LGAL of the Year” (lawyer guardians ad litem); “Foster Parent of the Year”; and “Parent Attorney of the Year.” Nomination forms are available online at http://courts.michigan.gov/scao/services/fcrb/fcrb.htm. The deadline is September 15. Award recipients will be recognized at the FCRB annual training conference on November 4, 2010.

Created by the Michigan legislature in 1981, the FCRB provides a third-party review of the foster care system. The program is administered by the State Court Administrative Office, the administrative agency of the Michigan Supreme Court, and is comprised of citizen volunteers who serve on one of 30 local review boards throughout the state. Local boards review randomly chosen child abuse and neglect cases to assess the performance of courts, the Michigan Department of Human Services, and private child welfare agencies.

Lansing Teen Court, a community-based and highly collaborative program of Child & Family Services, announced today that it has awarded Don LeDuc, president and dean of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, with the organization's first-ever Community Recognition Award.

"To say the least, we are grateful for Don's civic-minded nature, his commitment to education and his support of creative and community-based methods of resolving juvenile justice and community challenges through collaboration," said Mike Botke, director of Teen Court.

The basis for the Community Recognition Award includes making a significant contribution to the community, whether monetary or in deed. LeDuc is the first to receive the award and was selected to honor his commitment, not only to Teen Court, but to community collaboration as well.

"Cooley is honored to be involved with the Teen Court program," said LeDuc. "Our staff, professors and students have embraced this program, as it gives a second chance to young people and provides an invaluable service to the Lansing community."

By the Midland Daily News

The Midland Area Community Foundation is collaborating with a local adoption agency to help children take a leap toward a successful academic future.

The MACF awarded Adoption Option Inc. a $30,000 grant that is to be spread over a three-year period to provide a summertime academic enrichment program for children who have lived in foster care or some other similar type of out-of-home placement. Middle school age adolescents who reside in Midland County and surrounding areas are the focus of the camp. The program's goal is to introduce new skills and strengthen existing ones in the effort to prepare foster children for success in college and later life.

Participants will receive support designed to improve their reading comprehension using the Remarkable Readers Program. They also will have the chance to cultivate leadership skills, character development, and psychosocial growth. Additionally, students will experience a taste of college life through half-day visits to universities within the region.
College students that have demonstrated their ability to be academically successful will serve as camp mentors. In addition to all the learning and interactive activities, camp participants will have a little fun through the opportunity to attend a Great Lakes Loons baseball game. The camp takes place Aug. 8-11 on the campus of Northwood University.

For additional information about Adoption Option Inc. or this program, contact DeLois T. Leapheart or Bryce Rucker at (989) 839-0534.

Vistas Nuevas Head Start, a program of Matrix Human Services will host its’ annual Celebrations of Culture Parade on Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 10am. More than 1400 head start children will march from Holy Redeemer Church to Clark Park in celebration of the various cultures in the Detroit community.

The Celebrations of Culture Parade will represent several countries around globe in support the diversity that is among all of us each and every day. Those countries include: Spain, Trinidad and Tabago, Hawaii, Ecuador, Ghana, Mexico, Scotland, Puerto Rico, Native American, Lebanon, Brazil, France, Portugal.

Vistas Nuevas Head Start is the largest head start program in the city of Detroit. Vistas’ has more than 1400 children annually, teaches in 3 languages (English, Spanish and Arabic) and operates 13 locations all located in Detroit’s Southwest community.

“This annual event highlights the multi-cultural community we live and serve in everyday. It is important for our children to know, celebrate and embrace the differences within all of us.” – states Debra Spring, Vice President of Education and Director of Vistas Nuevas

The Celebrations of Culture Parade will end at Clark Park with children’s activities, free food (while supplies last), vendors and community organizations supporting this wonderful event. The event is from 10am – 2pm.

Matrix Human Services, inspired by its’ heritage since 1906, advocates and serves the most vulnerable in the metropolitan Detroit community and empowers individuals and families to enhance the quality of their lives and achieve self sufficiency.

Visit www.matrixhumanservices.org for more information

Thank you State Representative Dudley Spade for offering the following resolution! You are a true champion for kids and families in the great State of Michigan!

State launches campaign to recruit foster and adoptive parents
By Kyla King The Grand Rapids Press April 28, 2010

For anyone thinking of fostering or adopting a child, Tammy Schnyders has a message: It might not always be easy, but it is entirely worth it.

Schnyders, who along with her husband, Steve, has been a foster and adoptive parent to more than 25 children in 14 years said the rewards far outweigh the trials.

"I look at my kids and how far they have come from when we first got them, and that's huge for me," said Schnyders, a West Michigan resident and foster parent for Bethany Christian Services.

"What I keep going back to is if they weren't in a good home they might not succeed in life," she said.

State leaders are hoping to find folks who feel the same way when they kick off a statewide campaign today in Grand Rapids to recruit foster and adoptive parents.

"You don't have to go to China to adopt a child or to be a foster care parent," said Ismael Ahmed, director of the Michigan Human Services Department.

Prosecutor, police chief back early childhood education, dropout prevention programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 28, 2010) -- Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton and Mundy Township Police Chief James Petres traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with Representative Dale Kildee (D-MI) to discuss opportunities to reduce crime through the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Representative Kildee will be a key legislator in the reauthorization of that bill as the chair of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education.

They said that providing at-risk kids with early education, keeping school-age kids on track to graduation, and reducing bullying, school violence and drug abuse would all have a positive effect on preventing later crime.

“I’d much rather focus our time, energy and taxpayer dollars on effective school reforms than pay room and board for career criminals,” Prosecutor Leyton said. “Public safety pays the toll when kids drop out of school and turn to crime rather than a career or higher education. We need to make sure kids get the right start to their education and stay on track through their school years.”

Research compiled by the anti-crime group Fight Crime: Invest in Kids also shows that a one-year increase of staying in school reduces murder and assault by almost 30 percent, motor vehicle theft by 20 percent, arson by 13 percent and burglary and larceny by about 6 percent. A study funded by the Gates Foundation found that high school dropouts are eight times more likely to be incarcerated than graduates.

Holy Cross Children's Services receives Civic Engagement Grant

Holy Cross Children's Services (HCCS), one of Michigan’s largest not-for-profit providers of services to children and families across the state, has been awarded a $6,000 grant to support civic engagement activities for youth between the ages of 17-21 who are receiving or have completed independent living services through the agency.

The grant, announced by the Alliance for Children and Families, will allow Holy Cross Children's Services to more effectively engage youth in independent living services programming as advocates with local and state officials and aid in educating the general public about the issues they face. With more than 310 members across the United States and Canada, the private, nonprofit member agencies and organizations of the Alliance for Children and Families represent a significant force in the human services sector. In all, over 3.4 million clients participate in Alliance member services annually.
Sadly, many citizens are completely unaware of the circumstances that these young people face because they are a forgotten segment of a statewide population reeling from economic woes, unemployment and related issues. The HCCS Civic Engagement Project will ideally bring a much sharper focus to the particular topic of youth in independent living, helping the public in general and policy makers specifically to better understand their circumstances and means of assisting them in succeeding. Project plans include face to face visits with members of the Michigan State Legislature, testimony to House and Senate committees, presentations to various civic groups and interviews with local media.

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February 28, 2010 by Midland Daily News

When people tour Eagle Village, in Hersey, one of the most common reactions is that they didn't realize the size and scope of services.

"Often they didn't realize that we were here at all," a spokesperson said. "We find that many misconceptions still exist. There is a perception that Eagle Village is a juvenile detention center or lock down facility. After an individual takes a tour of Eagle Village, their comments include statements like, 'I can't believe what amazing work you do here" and "we never really understood, but we do now!'"

For more than 41 years, Eagle Village has been providing abused and neglected children from all over Michigan a safe place to live, helping them build positive relationships and develop character and leadership skills.

Eagle Village would like local residents to learn more about its services for abused and neglected children. Programs featuring Eagle Village staff and recipients of Eagle Village services are planned at the Midland Country Club. Call Lisa Spaugh at (231) 832-6589 or Linda Greene at (231) 832-7253 to reserve a spot. The program schedule is:

Wednesday, March 10, at 10 a.m.
Wednesday, March 24, at 5 p.m.
Wednesday, April 14, at 10 a.m. **
Wednesday, April 28, at 5 p.m. **
Wednesday, May 12, at 10 a.m.

**Alternate location, call for details

By Austen Smith, Heritage Newspapers

When it comes to abused children, it's never easy.

There are horror stories of kids who have come from family backgrounds filled with neglect only to be shuffled through impersonal foster-care programs that do not provide the support necessary for children with behavioral problems.

There are, however, many success stories and the Girlstown Foundation, located in Belleville, has been a shining example for more than 50 years providing a comprehensive range of therapy, social work, residential and foster-care placement services for kids whom have come from terrible situations.
The longtime nonprofit organization at first featured just the residential program for troubled girls, but has blossomed to include foster care and Supervised Independent Living, with approximately 50 kids involved with those two programs alone.

With a little more than 50 employees spread throughout the residential facility, called Loch Rio, and administrative offices located on East Huron River Drive, the program provides services to hundreds of children each year. Most of the staff at Girlstown includes social workers with backgrounds in psychology and criminal justice.

Assistant Director Maria Lessnau does not have an easy job.

Starting out as a certification worker in 1995, she has experienced nearly every type of heartbreaking and exhilarating scenario that passes through Girlstown.

"The big push right now is licensing relatives. There are a lot of kids right now who are living with relatives who are not licensed as foster-care parents," Lessnau says. "The state's goal is to have only 10 percent of the parents in the home not licensed."

All Michigan private, nonprofit child and family serving organizations are invited to participate in this survey. Find out how in the attachment below.

Holy Cross Children's Services (HCCS) was notified today (12-23-09) that the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) has issued a full three-year accreditation to the agency for all programs and sites. This new accreditation covers the agency from December 2009 to December 2012.

According to CARF, service providers accredited by CARF enjoy recognition among an international community of persons served, peer facilities, and programs for superior standards of care and excellence in outcomes. For consumers of services, it is assurance that the provider meets rigorous CARF guidelines for service and quality—a qualified endorsement that the provider conforms to nationally and internationally recognized service standards and is focused on delivering the most favorable results for consumers.

“This is simply great news and a wonderful early Christmas gift” according to Loren Brown, Executive Director of HCCS. “This accreditation affirms the commitment of our coworkers to providing the best possible services to children, youth and families. We are humbled to have the opportunity to serve those most in need and appreciate being recognized for our efforts to do so through quality services. I congratulate our coworkers and applaud their efforts!”

Holy Cross Children's Services has been providing services to Michigan’s children, youth and families for over 60 years and is headquartered in Clinton, Michigan.

 WASHINGTON – As president and chief executive officer of Spaulding for Children, Addie D. Williams, LMSW, JD, sits at the helm of an organization with three service entities and one overarching belief – every child is adoptable and every child deserves a permanent family. For her outstanding work on adoption issues, Senator Carl Levin, D-Mich., nominated Ms. Williams as an Angel in Adoption. She will be honored along with more than 185 Angels in Adoption at an awards celebration tomorrow in Washington, DC, sponsored by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CACI).

“I’m proud to nominate Addie Williams as a 2009 Angel in Adoption,” Sen. Levin said. “Through her compassion and leadership she has had a broad and positive impact on the lives of thousands of children and families in Michigan. This award recognizes her years of service on this issue and is just one measure of our appreciation.”

Based in Southfield, Spaulding for Children operates three programs: Child and Family Services, the Spaulding Institute for Family and Community Development, and the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Adoption. With a mission of assuring that all children grow-up in safe, permanent families and have the help they need to be successful in life, Spaulding for Children has been responsible for the adoption of more than 1,000 children, permanency for more than 500 and has trained more than 135,000 persons nationwide in its permanency techniques.

 October 18, 2009 • From Ingham County Community News
ONONDAGA – Gillian (Jill) Peck, director of quality and program development at human services agency Highfields Inc., has earned the 2009 President’s Award from the Michigan Home-Based Family Services Association (MHBFSA). The award recognizes individuals, agencies or families for imnovative contributions to home-based counseling services.
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Peck is the fourth Highfields employee to win the award. Other winners from Highfields were Clinical Director Tim Monroe, former CEO Carl Latona and administrative assistant Kris Koivu.

“Jill is a shining example of what makes Highfields so effective at working with at-risk youth and families – its people,” says Brian Philson, Highfields president and CEO.

The MHBFSA aims to strengthen families and communities through the advocacy, education and promotion of family-centered, home-based service delivery.

- From Highfields, Inc.