| Investing
in Youth & Children
Alternative
School
(Written by: an Alternative School Teacher)
I had the privilege of teaching a student
that came to my class and was extremely
credit deficient. He was considered by
his home school to be disruptive and dangerous.
He was a student that refused to show
up to school and was constantly in his
home school office receiving disciplinary
action. This student came to me three
years ago with hardly any credits and
was in danger of not graduating. This
student recently finished up all his credits,
passed his entire OGT testing, and graduated
in May from high school. This student
was a pleasure to have in class and is
the type of student that makes you realize
the importance of what we do as a teacher.
Alternative School
One young man who started
at the Alternative School was extremely
defiant and refused to follow directions.
On several occasions, he would get into
altercations with other students and would
be disrespectful to the staff. Eventually
the student realized that the staff was
not going to give up on him and that they
cared for him. As a result, he started
to complete his classroom assignments
and eventually earned his credits and
graduated from high school.
Currently he has a very
good job and is married with a family.
He frequently visits the Alternative School
to talk to students about how important
it is to get their high school education.
He also visits to say hello to the staff
and thank them for not giving up on him.
Girl Scouts
From Shyanne, a Brownie; “I like
being a Girl Scout because you get to
express yourself.” Sally, a returning
Service Unit Coordinator (head administrative
volunteer from Shelby County), stated
in January 2008 how pleased she was with
the strength of the Girl Scouting community
in her area. (She serves all outlying
communities, excluding the city of Sidney.)
In addition, troop leaders in Shelby County
self-reported 506 hours of community service
projects. A troop leader in the city of
Sidney recently completed Outdoor Living
Skills training. Prior to the training,
she was vocal about not wanting to take
it. Upon completion, she said that it
was one of the best trainings she ever
participated in and recommended that others
participate.
Boy Scouts
Shelby County Scouting had eight (8) Eagle
Scouts in 2007. They were as follows:
• Thomas J. Wolaver, Troop 69, Sidney,
chartered to Johns Lutheran Church
• Logan C. Vance, Troop 69, Sidney,
chartered to Johns Lutheran Church
• Bryant S. Bergaman, Troop 71,
Russia, chartered to Catholic War Veterans
Post 662
• David A. Watkins, Troop 95, Sidney,
chartered to Sidney Knights of Columbus
• Matthew R. Warnecke, Troop 95,
Sidney, chartered to Sidney Knights of
Columbus
• Jonathan D. Clark, Troop 95, Sidney,
chartered to Sidney Knights of Columbus
• Matthew A. Kiehl, Troop 249, Piqua,
chartered to LDS-Sidney Ward-Dayton
• Kaleb M. Roggenkamp, Troop 98,
Botkins, chartered to St. Paul Lutheran
Church
Big
Brothers Big Sisters
Jeff*, a 15 year old, living
on a rural farm has been struggling in
his teen years. He has faced the
difficulty of being overweight for his
age as well as being socially and academically
behind his peers. As a result, Jeff
started to display low self-esteem and
depression and was often the target of
ridicule from his classmates. In
attempt to help her son, Jeff’s
mother decided to change his school environment
and enroll him in the Big Brothers Big
Sisters program.
Jeff was matched with
Big Brother Peter* during the summer of
2005. The match, and resulting friendship,
has made a remarkable difference.
Jeff and Peter do many different activities
together ranging from musicals, to sporting
events, exploring historical sites and
museums. Peter has been able to
introduce Jeff to many different social
and educational opportunities he would
not otherwise have due to limited family
resources.
According to Jeff's mother,
Peter has been the best thing to happen
to Jeff. Peter has been able to
boost Jeff's self-esteem, has shown him
how to interact with others and how to
take the right approach to many life experiences.
Jeff now strives to be the best he can
and more importantly, he has a friend
for life.
* Names have been
changed for confidentiality purposes.
Big Brothers Big
Sisters
Little Brother Caleb was
matched at the age of 10 years to Big
Brother Jared. Caleb was entered into
the program as he had no relationship
with his biological father and needed
to expand his interests and activities.
Caleb resides with his mother and younger
sister in a rural area of Shelby County.
Caleb suffers from asthma
and a bone disease; osteochondroma, which
requires him to have surgeries periodically.
His bone disease had limited his activities
and therefore Caleb also had limited associations
with peers his own age.
Caleb and Jared have formed
a wonderful and lasting relationship that
over the past several years has truly
blossomed. As a result of the match with
the Big Brother, Caleb had flourished
in school and increased his extracurricular
activities, interests, and hobbies.
Over the course of the
match, the two have tried many new experiences
such as skiing, bass fishing, bowling,
and a major focus on academics. This once
shy and introverted child accompanied
his Big Brother on a week long family
reunion in North Carolina. According to
the Big Brother, Caleb blended right in
with family members.
While in the 5th grade, Caleb and some
of his peers were nominated “Superior
Innovator Award” and invited to
attend Wright State University where they
could showcase their invention and accept
the award. Each student was asked to have
their parent accompany them to the stage
and accept the award. Alongside Caleb
walked his Big Brother Jared, who could
not have been more proud of his Little
Brother.
Because of his Big Brother’s
influence, Caleb has expanded his interests
and taken on some leadership roles at
school. His Big Brother reports that Caleb
has become much more outgoing, upbeat,
and well-rounded. Jared continues to inspire
and encourage his Little through all venues
of life. This is truly a success story
demonstrating how a child’s life
can be impacted by having a mentor in
his life.
Gateway Youth
(15-year-old female)
She was originally referred to the program
through another program because her mother
was evicted from their home. The family
was homeless and they were staying with
various family members. She was dealing
with issues of abandonment (emotionally
because her father had moved to Piqua)
and there were severe drug and alcohol
abuse issues with the adults in the family.
The female was housed in a service program
for a week and Children Services Bureau
took custody of the 15-year-old female.
During this time, her mother moved out
of the county and left the 15-year-old
and her 2 younger siblings in Shelby County.
The reason that I believe
that this 15-year-old female is successful
is despite all of the struggles she is
personally dealing with in foster care,
she remains a positive and caring person.
She utilizes Gateway as a “safe
place” to discuss her concerns and
true feelings about what she is dealing
with everyday of her life. She encourages
other youth in the program to make the
best choices that they can for themselves,
and she discloses her personal challenges
to the other youth as a way to better
bond with them. The female has been receiving
passing grades at school and has had no
disciplinary issues at school this year.
Last year, she fell asleep in school all
of the time, grades and attendance were
poor, and there were severe disciplinary
actions. She has not been drinking or
using drugs since she has been in placement
She has a positive attitude
about her life and wants to do well. Her
CASA worker has assisted her with getting
braces and glasses. Now she feels that
her medical needs will be met. Initially,
she was resistant to attending anything
that she defined as counseling, but she
is now willingly attending her appointments
at Catholic Social Services.
(10th grade male)
When Gateway first started working with
this male (summer of 2006), he would attend
the center every day, but he had a negative
attitude with staff and was disrespectful.
He bounced back and forth from his mother,
father, and grandmother’s homes.
His parents had severe alcohol and drug
issues, and he had a chip on his shoulder
and had extreme difficulty trusting others
and with communication skills. But as
the Gateway staff worked with him, the
wall around him appeared to erode away
a little day-by-day.
Now, he has a good sense
of humor and interacts with his peers.
His mother moved away to another state
over the summer of 2007 and by the fall
he appeared to be back in a depressed
state. He was limiting his actions with
others and acted out in the Youth Connection
Center at Gateway almost daily. He currently
lives with his grandmother who has four
adults and five grandchildren in the home.
He missed his mother but refused to talk
about it. Gateway referred him to therapy
and encouraged him to talk. After numerous
dedicated efforts of trying to get him
to engage in conversation about his mother,
he spoke about missing her during an activity
and how he just really wants to talk to
her face-to-face. The staff and other
youth supported him. Since that day he
has had a different attitude.
He is now willing to talk to his advocate
about his thoughts and feelings. As of
today, he continues to do well in school
and is taking responsibility for his actions.
Gateway helped him to get a haircut and
clothing for an interview which resulted
in him getting a job. He calls his work
every day to see if he is able to work
overtime on his days off. He has made
a 180 degree turnaround due to people
showing interest and concern in his life.
Now he has support, hope, love, and a
mission that gives him a purpose.
(11th grade female)
An 11th grade female was referred into
the program, because she was fighting
with her mother, leaving the house without
permission in the middle of the night,
and performing poorly at school. She continued
to fight with her mother for a period
of time and became pregnant. Last year,
she had the baby and with the support
of Gateway, she has continued her education.
She has been working with other area programs
such as Help Me Grow, the Women’s
Center, and Embracing Grace to learn parenting
skills plus connecting herself to other
resources to assist in the development
of her child. She is currently living
with her single mother who is raising
her 10-year-old sister, her, and her child.
Through Gateway and the agencies that
Gateway referred her to, she has begun
to engage in her child’s life. The
bond has increased, and she is currently
attending the JVS in the Med-Tech Program.
Gateway assisted with paying for her school
fees. She now works more functionally
with her mother to help raise the family.
She is looking for employment as she continues
to learn parenting skills.
Promoting
Health & Well Being
Health Assistance
Program
A mother of an asthmatic child
was distressed. She did not have funds
to pay for the inhalers her child so desperately
needed to treat her condition. She did
have insurance but it did not provide
for medication reimbursement. She was
relieved and thankful to receive the help
she received from the Health Assistance
program.
Compassionate
Care of Shelby County, Inc.
Compassionate Care had the privilege
to treat a young family that consisted
of a man, wife, and three young children
(two of which were school-aged). The man
was seen and treated for high-blood pressure
and during his visit it was discovered
that both he and his wife smoked cigarettes
and were both trying to quit. The man
worked full-time at a job that did not
provide health insurance. The wife was
a full-time college student pursuing a
nursing degree. In order to help this
couple with their desire to quit smoking,
Compassionate Care completed patient assistance
applications to obtain the new medication
that blocks the craving for nicotine.
This medication is normally very expensive,
and so they would not have been able to
afford it without assistance. The last
contact made with this family found the
man to have his blood pressure controlled,
and both had quit smoking.
Compassionate
Care of Shelby County, Inc.
A young man who had not been to a physician
since he was a child was referred to Compassionate
Care by a friend because he wasn’t
feeling well. He was given a complete
physical including a full laboratory work-up
and found to have diabetes. If he had
continued to go untreated, he would have
suffered from complications of diabetes
ranging from loss of vision to multiple-organ
failure. Instead, he was put on appropriate
medications, taught how to monitor his
blood sugars and given information regarding
a diabetic diet and general diabetes care.
With his blood sugars in control, this
young man is now feeling better that he
has in years.
Shelby County
ARC
M.H. has been attending our Friday Nite
out Program for one year and has attended
the ARC summer program for several years.
She has always been very shy when attending
the programming. However, in the last
year, she changed dramatically in her
ability and desire to participate and
socialize. She no longer needs to be asked
to participate in certain activities.
She now comes in every month and takes
charge of what she wants to do and does
it. She is one example of how the Friday
Nite out Program is helping individuals
because they know this is “their”
social outing that they look forward to
each month.
Shelby County
ARC and Residential Services
Justin* has Prader-Willi Syndrome,
a genetic disease characterized by low
muscle tone, short stature, cognitive
disabilities, behavior problems and the
involuntary and uncontrollable chronic
feelings of hunger. With the help
of ARC and Residential Services, Justin
was able to move from his parent's home
into a staffed home. The staff works
with Justin and helps keep him on a strict
diet. Since living in the home,
Justin has met his weight loss goal and
is also able to meet his need of approximately
2 hours of exercise a day.
*Names have been changed
for confidentiality purposes.
Shelby County
Residential Services
Through the funding of the Shelby County
United Way, it enabled Leslie D. to move
into a new apartment with Sara M. This
relocation gave Leslie increased opportunities
for activities and community involvement.
She has wanted to move into a new location
with a roommate of her choice and through
funding, Residential Services made it
possible for her.
Shelby County
Residential Services
Four ladies receiving residential services
lived in a home located on Broadway Avenue
in Sidney, Ohio. The home initially met
their needs. Eventually, the ladies age
and handicapping conditions made it difficult
to navigate throughout their home due
to many elevation changes in the home.
Luckily, the ladies, with the help of
Residential Services funding, were able
to move into a new home located on Koop-Johnson
Road. This home is a single-story ranch
home providing handicapped accessibility
and Attention deficit disorderitional
space that the ladies desperately needed.
Rehabilitation
Center for Neurological Development
(A letter submitted by a mother)
“I just wanted to
say a big thank you to the Rehabilitation
Center. I have struggled for two years
trying to get my son the help he needed
in school. My son has no discipline problems;
he is happy and well mannered. He is very
caring and intelligent with a great personality
- all all-around great kid. The school
would tell me that he was very intelligent,
but he wouldn’t stay focused, and
he was easily distracted. It seemed he
couldn’t concentrate and was not
organized. He struggled in math, reading,
and handwriting. I had teachers tell me
that in twenty-two years they had been
teaching, they had never seen a boy like
him. One of his teachers told me she would
lay awake at night trying to figure out
how to help him.
Finally, they suggested
that I take him to a doctor to see of
it could be attention deficit disorder.
They told me that maybe if I put him on
medication it may help. I took him to
a medical doctor, and he spent an excessive
amount of time with him with no diagnosis.
He said he was a good kid and he didn’t
have attention deficit disorder. We tried
herbal remedies and even vision therapy
thinking it was a processing problem.
Finally, I found the Rehabilitation Center.
We started the exercise
program and the neuroeducational classes
in March. The improvement was slow at
first, but the tutor gave me a lot of
good ideas to help my son in class. We
started to see improvement in his behavior.
He started to gain confidence and there
was improvement in his handwriting. It
wasn’t until after he started therapy
that he began to enjoy playing video games
and playing sports. I think it was because
he began to get better hand/eye coordination.
We started Neurofeedback
in the summer and I have never seen such
an improvement in a child.We have given
him no medication and he is excelling.
He played football for the first time
this year. He loves playing Lego Star
Wars with his brother. We have seen a
tremendous change in him. His study habits
are better and he is actually enjoying
school this year. He received the best
grade card he has ever gotten (A’s,
B’s, and 1 C).
The secretary at school
notices how he keeps eye contact and interacts
with the staff. She heard him singing
in the hallway. She asked me what I did
to help him. I am so excited about my
son’s future. He always tells me
he wants to become a veterinarian because
he loves animals. Now I believe that anything
is possible for him. People ask me from
time-to-time what they should do about
their children. I tell them I know the
“MAGIC PILL”. I tell them
to take their children to the Rehabilitation
Center in Piqua and they will see a change
in their child.
I sincerely thank you
for all of your help with my child.
Sincerely,
A Thankful Mother”
Caring
for People in Crisis
American Red Cross
Northern Miami Valley Chapter
It was about 1:00 a.m. on the morning
of July 8th when “Jeanne”
heard these words, “There’s
a fire on the porch!” Their residence
on Court Street was engulfed in flames
within minutes. “David” was
out of town at the time of the fire. Their
daughter, Jamie dialed 911 to summon the
fire department.
The fire lasted nearly
seven hours. Within that time period,
community emergency resource personnel
responded. The Sidney Fire Department,
Police Department and the EMS immediately
took care of the rescue work. The Red
Cross took care of the family’s
recovery.
Volunteers affiliated
with the Northern Miami Valley Chapter
of the American Red Cross responded to
the scene with sandwiches and beverages
for the emergency workers and the family.
Caseworkers met with the “Jones”
family to determine emergency needs. For
the next two weeks, the “Jones”
would make the Sidney Holiday Inn their
home. “Jeanne” needed an inhaler
right away. A Red Cross caseworker took
care of the necessary paperwork so it
could be purchased for her. An emergency
dispersing order was also given to the
family to purchase replacement items such
as clothing and shoes at Wal-Mart. Comfort
Kits containing personal hygiene items
along with blankets and toys from the
Red Cross became the first family possessions
after the fire.
A professional mental
health Red Cross volunteer, who served
in the role of emotional support, also
visited with the family a few days later.
A Red Cross caseworker communicated with
the “Jones” on a regular basis
to provide continual support and guidance
as they became able to take charge of
their own recovery.
Local disasters such as
the “Jones” fire cost the
chapter over $2,000 (on the average) each
time the Red Cross provides assistance.
All local disaster relief services are
an outright gift. The essential services
are provided for by voluntary contributions
from the local community through the United
Way and direct donations to the chapter.
American Red Cross
Northern Miami Valley Chapter
Jack*, who lost everything in
Hurricane Katrina, came to the area to
stay with his sister while he contemplated
how to recover from his loss. Jack
came to the Red Cross chapter seeking
assistance and was provided with essentials
to get him back on his feet.
Jack enjoyed working with
his hands and was in the construction
business while living in Louisiana.
During one visit to the Red Cross, he
shared with them the devastation he felt
due to losing all his tools. The
Red Cross continued to work with Jack
and found a donor to furnish him with
tools. With the tools, he was able
to get a few odd jobs in the area before
returning to his home state. Several
weeks after Jack returned to Louisiana,
he called the local Red Cross chapter
to say he was alright and had found a
permanent construction job. With
great emotion, he explained that it was
due to the care and concern of the local
Red Cross and the people in the area that
he was able to find normalcy and the ability
to move beyond the tragedy of the hurricane.
New Choices
Mary* sought help from New Choices
after being in an abusive marriage for
10 years. To most, Mary's life and
marriage appeared normal. Her husband
was a well known man in the community;
however, Mary feared for her life and
did not know how to leave her husband
due to his ties in the community.
Mary stayed in the emergency
shelter for several weeks while New Choices
assisted her in receiving a civil protection
order and locating a new place to live
safe from the violence that had haunted
her life for over 10 years. Mary
has filed for divorce from her husband
and attends weekly support groups at the
shelter. She also offers support
and guidance to other residents in the
shelter.
*Names have been changed
for confidentiality purposes
Shelby County
Victim Services
This is shared with the permission of
the family.
Last April 5th, Victoria
Eilerman was robbed, raped, and murdered.
As can be expected, this was very traumatic
for her family. Shelby County Victim Services
worked with all of the Eilerman children
and grandchildren to provide support and
to help them navigate the criminal justice
system. They met with the family to help
them understand the process and attended
court hearings with them. They had meetings
after the hearings to help them understand
what had happened, and attended meetings
between family members and the Sheriff’s
office to work through difficulties. They
also worked with the family members to
assist in preparing victim statements
so the judge would fully understand how
this terrible act had impacted this family.
At sentencing, a Shelby County Victim
Services employee read family statements
for those who emotionally could not read
them. After the perpetrator was sentenced,
they worked with the family to help them
file for Crime Victim Compensation to
assist in covering funeral expenses, wages
for the time lost from work, and other
out-of-pocket expenses that the family
incurred. After almost a year, we continue
to be in contact with family members from
time to time to provide support. Victim
Services has been told repeatedly by family
members that they do not know how they
would have made it through this ordeal
without their assistance.
New Choices
“Sara” came to New Choices
from an eighteen year abusive marriage.
She was married to a former local law
enforcement officer, and she feared for
her family’s safety for several
years. There was a long history of mental,
verbal, and physical abuse against her
children and herself. When Sara arrived
at New Choices, it was after three months
of talking with advocates and the therapist
on staff. Once she arrived, Sara never
looked back. She obtained a Civil Protection
Order and immediately started the process
of filing for divorce. She and her family
were residents of New Choices for two
and a half months. Sara secured a local
attorney with assistance from New Choices
and has been awarded temporary custody
of children and moved back into their
family home which New Choices provided
with security locks for all the doors.
Enriching
the Lives of Seniors
Adult Day Services
Client Profile
“My journey with
being handicapped began sixty years ago
at my birth. I am deaf and unable to communicate
verbally. My life experience has been
sheltered with little socialization. I
live with my mother, who has been my constant
companion and care giver. Her world has
revolved around me and caring for me daily
all of my life which has created many
hardships for us as a family. In May 2007,
there was a life-changing event for both
my mom and myself. I began attending Adult
Day Services of Shelby County. I arrived
at the center depressed and in need of
emotional support. My mom needed time-time
to rest, time for just her, and time to
adjust to our lives as we are both aging.
Adult Day Services has opened up a whole
new world and way of thinking. I am able
to access Shelby Public Transit and feel
I have some freedom and independence.
Please do not misunderstand, my mom has
been a terrific caregiver but she is aging
and finding herself worrying about my
life and what will happen if something
happens to her. I enjoy the activities
and my favorite outing is going to Belmar
Lanes to bowl. The staff has helped me
feel better about ME. I get my hair done
each week and they take care of my bathing
and personal hygiene needs. I have a social
life and sense of self-worth. I attend
Adult Day Services five days a week. Each
morning, I look forward to starting my
day so that I can attend Adult Day Services.
I cannot begin to express the value and
quality their program has brought to mine
and my mother’s lives.”
Adult Day Services
A 61-year old female, suffering
from depression and diabetes, was invited
to attend Adult Day Services by a friend.
Her very first visit led her to become
a daily participant in the program.
By attending Adult Day Services, she has
received the emotional support and friendship
she was lacking in her life. With
no close family members to depend on,
the staff helps her with her medical and
shopping needs as well as transportation
for medical appointments.
She feels like her quality
of life has improved and she is learning
to make better and healthier choices for
herself. She enjoys her time at
Adult Day Services and feels that the
kind and generous staff has made her life
better.
Council on Rural
Services, Retired and Senior Volunteer
Program (RSVP)
“Renee” is 65 years old and
came into our office looking for something
to occupy her time. “Renee”
lost her husband suddenly due to a heart
attack and was at a loss. As she explained
to our staff, “Renee” and
her husband worked very hard in life,
so that they could retire at the same
time and travel. When her husband died,
she was in a severe depression and reported
that all she could do is think about him.
She felt that she needed to get out of
the house and be around people that could
giver her something to look forward to.
“Renee” volunteers approximately
20 hours a week and has met several new
friends. Although she will never get over
her loss, she has found a new beginning
with volunteering in her community.
Catholic Social
Services of the Miami Valley-Senior Health
Services
Kathy is 84-years-old and lives alone.
Kathy’s family is supportive but
they work full-time and have their own
responsibilities to their own families.
Kathy has had shoulder surgery which was
unsuccessful and she cannot raise her
arms above her shoulders. She can no longer
wash or set her hair, completely bathe
herself, or complete homemaking tasks.
An aidr has been providing help to Kathy
to achieve these tasks. Kathy states,
“I could not remain living on my
own without the help of this program and
I would lose my independence.” Kathy
also has a history of falls. One of her
falls was just outside her patio door.
Kathy hit her head on the patio furniture
and fell on the cement. She was uncertain
how long she laid there unable to get
up. She did not have an emergency response
system to call for help. She was finally
able to get to a phone. Kathy now has
an emergency response system provided
by the program so that she can access
help immediately. Both the personal-care
services and the emergency response system
help Kathy stay safely in her home and
improve her quality of life.
Senior Center
of Sidney/Shelby County
In 2007, the Senior Center celebrated
its tenth year of operation with a week-long
series of events in September. We also
offered a membership special during that
week. The special was if you paid your
dues for 2007 within those 5 days, you
also got your 2008 membership dues paid
(a $15 savings). During that week, we
actually acquired 59 new members. Mary
was one of those that joined during that
special week. In giving Mary the tour
of our building, she opened up regarding
her loneliness at home. She was new to
the area and has had trouble finding her
own friends and activities. Since that
week in September, Mary has been regularly
seen at our exercise class, joining us
for our on-site meal program, and chatting
with her new friends. Mary has found something
to fulfill herself at the Senior Center
along with countless others.
Strengthening
Families & Individuals
Catholic Social
Services of the Miami Valley
In the last year, Catholic Social Services
has worked with a 4-year-old who exhibited
uncontrolled temper tantrums and problems
following adult direction. This work included
collaboration with the school system and
work with the parents. The school made
a referral based on the child’s
behavior. The therapist met with the mother
and worked on parenting issues, behavior
modification, as well as the mother’s
issues with being separated from the father
and the lack of the father’s involvement
with the school system. The therapist
worked with the mother to arrange a time
for the father to meet with them. The
therapist was able to arrange couples
counseling for the mother and father,
consulted with the school system on parental
involvement, and on methods of decreasing
unwanted behaviors. As a result of the
counseling intervention, the parents have
now reconciled and are dealing with the
child’s behavior in a more productive
manner. Both parents are now actively
working with the schools to put behavior
management techniques in place for their
child.
Catholic Social
Services of the Miami Valley
Mary*, suffering from a
high degree of anxiety, depression and
panic attacks contacted Catholic Social
Services for help. Mary was seen
individually as well as with her husband.
The sessions helped her with communication
skills, relaxation methods and dealing
with her panic attacks. Prior to
her sessions, Mary’s condition affected
her marriage and she was withdrawing from
her family and friends. After Catholic
Social Services taught her how to reframe
her anxious thoughts, she is now able
to attend church and activities with her
children.
*Names have been changed
for confidentiality purposes.
Graceworks Lutheran
Services/Consumer Credit Counseling Service
(CCCS)
A couple, in jeopardy of
filing a second bankruptcy, came into
Consumer Credit Counseling seeking assistance.
The couple was in default on their home
mortgage, had over $37,000 worth of unsecured
debt, which included payday loans costing
them approximately $800 per month.
After analyzing the couple's
expenses, Consumer Credit Counseling was
able to give them cost cutting tips and
put them on a Debt Management Program
that helped reduce their monthly spending
by over $550 per month. With the
additional savings per month, a payment
plan was made to bring and keep their
home mortgage current. Consumer
Credit Counseling was also able to make
payment arrangements with their creditors
to payoff their unsecured debt.
If they continue to adhere to the program,
the couple will be debt free in 34 months.
Graceworks Lutheran
Services/Consumer Credit Counseling Service
(CCCS)
Because of the ease and availability of
the internet and our changing economy,
some new and unique counseling situations
have recently occurred. This year the
credit counselor worked with several individuals
who were victims of internet fraud. One
client became in an “internet relationship”
and was embarrassed to admit it. Over
a period of a several months, they had
given money to the other person on numerous
occasions. At one point, the person on
the internet asked for a much larger amount,
and the client provided them the money
by taking out a mortgage on their home.
As soon as this money was received by
the cyber person, the client received
no further communication. Because of the
overpowering sense of embarrassment, the
client shared this information with no
one. After several phone calls with this
client, the credit counselor was able
to provide information and advise her
on what steps needed to be taken to insure
the client was getting the support that
was needed.
Sidney/Shelby
County YMCA Child Development Center
“Pam” enrolled her daughter,
Amy, in the YMCA Child Development Center
in July 2004. Pam was living in San Francisco
at the time of Amy’s birth. In early
2005, Pam and Amy moved back to Sidney
to be closer to their family. Pam did
not have a job when she first arrived
and needed child care in order to search
for and accept employment. Even when Pam
obtained full-time employment, she was
unable to afford the full cost of child
care as she was not receiving support
from Amy’s father. Amy began care
at the YMCA in the Infant/Toddler Program.
She is now a delightfully inquisitive
and creative 4 ½ -year-old who
attends the YMCA full-day preschool program.
As time has gone by, Pam has worked hard
to get off assistance. Without the financial
support form the United Way, Pam and her
family would not be able to participate
in child care at the YMCA where Amy is
blossoming spiritually, physically, and
mental.
Wilma Valentine
Creative Learning Center
Beth*, born with a brain
condition that caused seizures at an early
age and developmental delays, started
attending Wilma Valentine CLC when she
was 3 years old. At the time, her
parents had no idea how much of an influence
Wilma Valentine would have on her behavior,
social and developmental skills.
Beth looks forward to going to the Center
because of all the fun things she gets
to do and the consistency it provides.
The Center provides Beth,
and other kids in the program, a wide
variety of activities to expose them to
different situations. Some of the
activities include art projects, going
to the pool, playing outside on the playground
equipment, using a computer and various
field trips. All of these activities
show Beth how to interact with her peers,
follow directions and communicate with
others.
Beth’s social skills
and speech have greatly improved while
attending Wilma Valentine CLC. She
can now use her words to communicate with
other children, which is a comfort to
her parents.
*Names have been changed
for confidentiality purposes.
Wilma Valentine
Creative Learning Center
(Hand-written letter from grandmother
of Ryan Osborne)
January 10, 2008
My name is Mary Osborne
and I would like to share some very positive
improvement in my grandson Ryan since
he has been at Shelby Hills Early Childhood
Center and Wilma Valentine Daycare Center.
Ryan is 5-years-old and has been at Shelby
Hills for 2 years and at Wilma Valentine
Daycare Center for a little over a year.
Before attending here, he had 3 babysitters
and 2 local daycares and neither of them
wanted to take care of him very long.
They didn’t have the experience
they needed to care of Ryan.
Shelby Hills and Wilma
Valentine worked together with his father,
“papaw, and mamaw” to get
him evaluated for the one-on-one help
he needed most. We took him to Children’s
in Dayton where he was diagnosed as ADHD.
With medication and special care Ryan
receives at the centers, he is like a
new child. They provide many activities
that make learning fun for him. Ryan is
very active, and before going here it
was a chore every day to get him to the
sitter or daycare. Now he loves it! On
the weekend he will even ask, “When
is school?”.
He enjoys the special
events that he can do with all his friends.
When they go to the YMCA twice a month
on Fridays he always picks out his yellow
shirt to wear. Some days are PJ day. They
took him to visit the fire station, to
Sidney High School for Halloween, had
a special Christmas program at the church,
and he helped stroll his friend Leah when
they went to the Shelby County Fair this
summer.
Ryan loves to be outdoors.
The center’s playground is very
well equipped and he can play, run, and
explore for bugs. He gets to go swimming
but the most important part is that we
know that he is safe because the staff
is trained.
They have taught Ryan
to stand in line, stay with his group
and not run off, and to play and share
better with his friends. All the teachers
take time to work with him and also the
time to share with us the good and rough
days he has when we pick him up. We feel
like this is the best choice for Ryan.
Ryan and his father live
with us now. It was a bit rough for his
father to take care of him by himself
after Ryan’s mom decided to join
the army. Ryan wasn’t 2 yet and
he has a hard time communicating with
women. He loves his mom and talks about
her sometimes by he doesn’t understand
why she left but he has gotten better
lately. I think this is because he knows
his teachers are his friends and they
care about him. They will get down on
the floor to play games, read to him,
play on the computer, and play with playdough.
He always brings the paper home to show
us how he made his snack.
Ryan has also achieved
skills with speech therapy to help him
with his stuttering. He gets evaluated
and we get the reports. Every child needs
an education and I would like to say thank
you to all the staff and for all of the
funds made available for our kids with
or without special needs.
Mary Osborne (Ryan’s
Grandma)
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