Registration is open for the MHBFSA’s Spring Workshop series set for April 20 at the Postma Center at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services in Grand Rapids.

This day-long set of workshops is offered free of charge to MHBFSA members (up to six members per agency membership) and just $50 for a non-member.

Find the complete details in the attachment below, or click here to go to the MHBFSA's website.

This year’s MAFAK Conference is themed "Hand In Hand Across Michigan." As a bonus this year, the conference features Dr. Bryan Post as a full-day pre-conference presenter on April 26.

The conference keynote is Dr. James Henry on the topic of “Trauma Informed Parenting.” George Duvall will present “No Reason to Fail” and will be the guest entertainer following the Saturday evening banquet. Numerous workshops are offered Friday and Saturday. Sunday’s closing session features Stephen Youngs, speaking about “Parenting Amid the Chaos of Life.”

**NOTE: As of January 2012, membership for MAFAK Parents is free; however, the registration form is required to receive free conference materials and free meals. Each attendee must complete a registration form and will receive an email confirming receipt of the registration form. The 2012 MAFAK Conference is funded by the Michigan Department of Human Services (DHS). Parents should check with their local licensing agency for room and travel reimbursement, as these expenses are NOT covered by the DHS Conference funding.

Registration is open to child placing agency personnel after April 6, 2012. If there are meal tickets available after the deadline of April 15, 2012, agency staff will receive meal tickets in their registration packet.

Find the full conference booklet as an attachment below or at http://mafak.co.

Federation Affiliate Member Michigan Home Based Family Services Association invites you to join others who are committed to quality family-centered services throughout Michigan.

New and renewing MHBFSA members benefit from three free trainings annually, discounted pricing for the MHBFSA annual conference (September 27-28, 2012), training hours and free social work CEs at each training, an e-newsletter called Practice, access to the Home Based Standards Guidelines Handbook, listing on and access to the MHBFSA website and more!

Find details about membership and benefits at www.mihomebased.com and in the attachments found below.

Detroit News— It was just a few months ago that LaKeisha Johnson and her small children slept in a car when they couldn't count on a relative or a friend to provide them with a place to stay.

On Thursday, Johnson, 24, showed off her new two-bedroom apartment at Oakman Place Apartments, part of a program to house young, homeless adults, as well as those who have aged out of the state's foster care system.

"This is beautiful," said Johnson, as she showed off the expansive ground floor apartment, fully furnished with new furniture. "It doesn't seem real."

The 24-unit, three-story complex on Oakman Boulevard near Woodrow Wilson includes gated parking and a washer and dryer in each apartment.

The $5.1 million development is the result of a partnership that includes Lutheran Child & Family Service of Michigan, Focus:HOPE and Michigan State Housing Development Authority MSHDA.

Robert G. Miles, president and CEO of Lutheran Child & Family Service of Michigan, said the Oakman Place program provides adequate housing and other support services for homeless youth and those who "age out of the welfare system."

"Very few of our own children make the transition into adulthood without ongoing support and supportive services," Miles said. "Through this development, we have become more sensitized to the number of families who are challenged to find adequate, safe and affordable housing."

Miles said Thursday he hopes the residents will "love each other, support each other and become a community."

Selecting the first families to live in Oakman Place was a difficult task for social worker Carolyn Rayford, the deputy regional director for Lutheran Child & Family Service.

LANSING, October 6, 2011 – Child and Family Charities (formerly Child & Family Services, Capital Area) publicly announced the organization’s name change and new logo with an unveiling of their new sign on Monday, October 3, 2011 at the agency’s main office building located at 4287 Five Oaks Drive, Lansing, MI 48911.
Attending the festivities were community leaders, board members, volunteers, and agency staff. This year marked Child and Family Charities’ 100 years of service to the mid-Michigan region, established in 1911 as Lansing Associated Charities. Michelle Reurink, President, Child and Family Charities Board of Directors, stated, “It was the significance of the anniversary combined with long- standing name ambiguity that compelled us to action in selecting a name that better reflects the agency’s focus and cultivates stronger community support.” Jim Paparella, Executive Director, added, “The new name and look takes us back to the very roots of our founding purpose as a charitable organization: to serve as an effective partner for social change through programs and initiatives which benefit children, families, and community. At the same time, the change recognizes years of strategic growth through collaboration and alliances, from the advent of Angel House to recent mergers with Lansing Teen Court and Child Abuse Prevention Services.”
The agency’s core divisions include Child Welfare Services, Family Services, Child Abuse Prevention Services, Juvenile Justice Services, and Residential Services. If you would like more information about Child and Family Charities, please call Demphna Krikorian at (517) 882-4000, extension 126 or email: demphna@childandfamily.org.

Detroit, MI (August 15, 2011). The Children’s Center is very pleased to announce that Chief Executive Officer Debora Matthews was selected to receive the 2011 EP Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award. This award is given to distinguished individuals as part of Disabilities Awareness Day recognition events nationwide. Debora was chosen from an impressive list of local candidates for her dedication and commitment to, and advocacy for, those with special needs.

The mission of Disability Awareness Night (DAN) is to expand awareness of the 54.6 million Americans living with disabilities, by highlighting their extraordinary achievements and the perseverance and dedication of the families, physicians, nurses, therapists, educators and other caregivers involved in their care and development. The presentation of the EP Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award (named after the founder and former editor-in-chief of Exceptional Parent magazine, EP) at each Disability Awareness Night signifies the remarkable accomplishments that can be achieved under difficult circumstances.

Debora was honored on August 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Comerica Park prior to the Detroit Tigers game. The Children’s Center took more than 50 children and their families to the park for the ceremony and game, compliments of sponsors Barbara Gill, Principal, Seymour Gill Financial, a MassMutual agency and their Special Care program and Exceptional Parent Magazine.

According to Debora Matthews, “This award is truly an honor. I get the greatest reward seeing hope on the faces of children when they finally understand their so-called disability really gives them the ability to strive for a greater future.”

The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children providing materials for interventions

ALBION, MI – The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children (TLC), a program of the Starr Institute for Training, is currently providing intervention assistance to professionals from the Tokyo Center for Play Therapy in Japan who work with survivors of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami.

Among TLC’s many resources and tools for working with traumatized children, adolescents and adults is the best-selling storybook “Brave Bart,” about a young kitten who overcomes a sad and scary event with the help of a helpful neighborhood cat. This playfully illustrated story normalizes many trauma-related reactions children experience. Kyoko Kobayashi Porteux, a TLC Certified Trauma Specialist, translated the book into Japanese.

TLC Director Caelan Kuban has been in touch with Yumiko Ogawa Fariss from Tokyo Center for Play Therapy who asked for the Japanese translation of the storybook. This organization believes that “Brave Bart” will be extremely helpful to the people of Japan experiencing disaster and loss, especially young children.

“They are very thankful to have access to ‘Brave Bart,’ and it is my professional belief that several thousand children will benefit from the therapeutic messages in the book,” said Kuban. “The devastation in Japan is beyond our comprehension. We are deeply saddened by the tremendous amount of loss but more than willing to provide any assistance we can toward the healing process.”

We are pleased to announce Sunny Crest Youth Ranch as the newest member of the Michigan Federation for Children and Families. Sunny Crest Youth Ranch is a vision of lifelong educators Ron and Ellyn Coppess, and a cadre of caring Ranch partners willing to commit to mentoring some of the most vulnerable in our communities. At full capacity, Sunny Crest Youth Ranch provides a loving, nurturing and secure environment for as many as 48 children who deserve a new start. Sunny Crest offers every rancher a safe place to learn from mistakes without fear of rejection and to practice the skills necessary to become a successful adult. Sunny Crest is designed to be a working ranch operation that offers at-risk boys the experiences and activities any child must have to develop in mind and spirit. Educational programs, mentoring, and skilled adult intervention coupled with cutting edge methods create the Sunny Crest environment – a safe place to explore the opportunities young men need to meet the challenges life has presented them.

For more information, check out their website: www.sunnycrestyouthranch.org

By MARY JO WHITE • mjwhite@lsj.com • November 7, 2010 • From Grand Ledge Independent

LANSING TWP. - No one had to tell the kids to pay attention to Victoria Rowell when she took time from a book tour to stop at St. Vincent's Home Nov. 1. 
That was because the story of her life profoundly mirrored, at least in part, their own.

One of six children of a mother who had a different father for each, Rowell went to foster care right after birth and stayed there for 18 years.

She told her young audience that she loved her mentally ill mother, but realized she was unable to take care of her.

Despite Rowell's difficult start in life, she has achieved a great deal, appearing on "The Young and the Restless" and "Diagnosis: Murder," as well as in movies like "Dumb and Dumber."

She has also written two books, New York Times bestseller "The Women Who Raised Me" and, more recently, "Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva: a Novel."

In addition, Rowell has started the Rowell Foster Children's Positive Plan, a non-profit formed to provide fine arts classes, cultural enrichment opportunities and sports activities for foster children.

November 7, 2010 • From Ingham County Community News

ONONDAGA - Highfields President/CEO Brian Philson has received Spring Arbor University's (SAU) 2010 Professional Excellence Alumni Award.

Philson was recognized for his contributions to the juvenile justice profession and community and for achieving previous honors at SAU. Recipients of the award must be established professionally for at least five years and must have membership in one professional organization. Philson earned a bachelor's degree in social work from SAU in 1985 and a master's in social work from Michigan State University. He has been recognized nationally for his work in juvenile justice, including the 2007 Individual Award for Excellence from the Juvenile Justice Trainers Association. He is the past recipient of SAU's Young Leader Award and the Adult Studies Faculty of the Year Award.

He joined Highfields in 2006 as vice president of programming and became president/CEO in August 2008. He is also an adjunct instructor and guest lecturer for SAU, Siena Heights University, Lansing Community College and MSU. He is a juvenile justice practitioners' trainer for the National Partnership for Juvenile Services.

He serves on the board of the Michigan Federation of Children and Families and Pineview Home for Boys. He is a governor's appointee to the Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice.

- From Highfields Inc.

ALBION -- Hundreds sniffed and wiped tears from their eyes as Erin Gruwell recounted her days as a public school teacher in Long Beach, California.

Aided by clips from her appearance on "Primetime Live" and a Hollywood film made about her, the former teacher Gruwell told the heart wrenching tales of her 150 students in Long Beach who went from hopelessness to success through the power of writing and positive reinforcement.

Gruwell co-wrote "The Freedom Writers Diary", which was made into the 2007 film "Freedom Writers" starring Hillary Swank. She was the guest speaker at Starr Commonwealth's 97th-anniversary Founder's Day celebration.

About 155 students from Starr attended her speech, the highlight of the day's celebration, along with hundreds of teachers and members of the public.

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