Upcoming Events |
Institute Conference:
Maternal Depression & Infant Mental Health
Oct. 1, 2009
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Festival of Flavors Wine & Food Event
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NEW! YCS Foundation on Facebook
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| You can now find out about upcoming YCS fundraising events on Facebook.
Become a fan of YCS Foundation. Help us expand our circle of friends
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Speak out for Children's Rights and focus on protecting N J's children now!
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In November, New Jersey will elect a governor and state Assembly.
Whoever wins will make critical decisions about our children for years to come.
YCS is partnering with Association for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) in its campaign to put the focus on children and highlight children's issues in the
election.
Click here to read more or sign on to the What About the Children" campaign
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Youth job training program underway with PSEG grant
With seed funding from the PSEG Foundation, YCS has designed an Essential Life Skills
(ELS) Job Training Program to prepare young adults
for the job market through a guided, paid work experience at a YCS facility.
While getting on the job training and skills coaching, these young men and
women are acquiring
the critical tools necessary for successful employability and
independent living.
"Many young adults growing up in out-of-home placements do not
have adult role models to show them how to prepare for the world of work, said
YCS President, Richard Mingoia. "We are
hopeful that this new program will address this need." |
New Therapeutic Nurseries to open in Essex and Hudson
The YCS Institute for Infant and Preschool Mental Health recently
received a $640,000 grant from the NJ Department of Children and Families (DCF)
to open two therapeutic nurseries in Hudson and Essex counties. What makes this
project so special is the individualized services that are built into the
programs. These services include, speech
and occupational therapies, the guidance of a nutritionist and a team of mental
health specialists, including a psychologist and psychiatrist.
"We will also be using parent child
interaction therapy to engage parents in how to help their children in a
therapeutic way," said Dr. Gerard Costa, director. Each nursery will serve 24
children ages 3 to 5 who are unable to attend mainstream preschool programs
because of developmental emotional and behavioral difficulties.
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TD Bank presents YCS with 500
Teddy Bears | Putting a brand-new teddy bear in
the arms of a frightened child who has just come to YCS, helps him/her feel a
little less alone. When TD Bank learned that
YCS had run out of the cuddly stuffed animals, they moved into action and
collected 500 new bears. The bears were
presented to the YCS Foundation at a victory party bank employees organized for
our 2009 H'Olympic athletes at TD University in Marlton, NJ.
"When we heard about the athletes
accomplishments at the H-Olympics, it truly inspired us. Our Teddy Bear Drive was motivated by the
hurdles these kids have overcome to grow into bright, driven teens. Two
hundred and twenty Metro Philly stores all personally donated new Teddy Bears
to comfort kids, like these athletes, when they need it most," said Linda
McGuigan, Senior Retail Officer.
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Pre-Placement Assessment program marks
2nd anniversary
Two years have passed since YCS began offering evening and weekend Pre-Placement Nursing Assessments for
children who had just been removed from their homes by DYFS. As the first program of its kind in the state,
it was designed to bypass long waits in impersonal hospital emergency rooms
that these children had to endure.
To date, YCS registered
nurses, have provided nearly 1,200 children with thorough assessment in an office equipped with toys, soothing wall d�cor, comfortable sofas, movies and snacks. There is also formula and
diapers for infant. "Our medical team has worked hard to create a warm, child-friendly environment to
welcome these children at a most vulnerable time," said Dr. Ena Cade, YCS vice
president, Pediatrics.
At the close of the assessment, each child receives
a gift. The 500
brand-new teddy bears donated by TD Bank are a big help. "We are very grateful now to be able to
send each child off with a new "friend" to accompany them through
this time of uncertainty," said Dr. Cade.
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YCS supports Healing Homes Initiative
President speaks at Supportive Housing
meeting
The NJ Office of the Child Advocate with the help of the
Supportive Housing Association (SHA), has embarked on a public awareness
campaign aimed at assuring local communities that Healing Homes - therapeutic
residences for children and teens with mental health challenges - are safe and
contribute positively to the neighborhoods.
Recently, YCS President Richard Mingoia spoke at an SHA
general meeting. As a new member agency
of the SHA, Mingoia shared YCS' commitment to the Healing Home initiative. YCS recently opened a Healing Home in Jersey City for 10 young men (18-21) and another home for
5 young women in Orange.
"Every time we've opened a new residence, we've face the fears of
an apprehensive community. However, in time, we have shown each of our
neighbors that our home, like theirs, is a caring environment where children
are nurtured, protected and encouraged to reach their potential," said Mingoia.
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Supporters find own
unique ways to give | UPS delivers right on time
Every summer about a dozen UPS employees from Parsippany visit the Kilbarchan campus with gifts and all the fixings for a
barbeque. The highlight of the visit is a basketball game between the boys and
UPS hoopsters. UPS workers raise the funds by collecting personal donations and
organizing a raffle. Given the precarious economy, it was much more difficult
this year to raise as much money as they would have liked, according to Mike
Zaliewski, one of the event organizers, but that didn't stop them. "We really look forward to spending time with
the boys," said Zaliewski. Site
administrator Barbara Bishop Wells said that the staff always look forward to
UPS' visits. "These folks have a lot of
heart. They know many of our kids by name and connect with them in a personal
way."
Friends of YCS wash cars to
raise funds for Liberty
Science Center trip
On a hot Sunday morning in August, a
group of volunteers from the Friends of YCS, met in a parking lot of a local
business in West New York. They carried with them "Free Car Wash" signs,
pails, sponges, massage chairs, and trays of cookies. Folks who stopped by enjoyed a sweet treat,
and a massage while their car was being washed. One hundred percent of the
proceeds were donated to YCS for a field trip to the Liberty
Science Center
for children in therapeutic residences in northern Jersey.
A Sneak Preview
Cablevision and Bergenfield Clearview Cinema teamed up to treat children affected by trauma to the first screening of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in 3D. Children from a YCS residence and summer school program participated. The were greeted by Clearview employees with raffle tickets, soda and popcorn. The event was part of Clearview Summer Kids Club.
Camp C.I.T. program continues with NRAC support
This year's summer camp Counselor-in-Training (CIT) program was made possible by the support of members of the Northern Region Advisory Council. Special thanks to Donald & Patti Trichon, Fran Einiger, Mr. & Mrs. Charles Maurer, Dr. & Mrs. Martin Schulman, and Marvin & Linda Goldstein.
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