2015 Snowball Award Recipients!

Operation Snowball Inc.

2015 Award Recipients

Impact Your Community: Special Edition

In This Issue

OS Board of Directors

OS Inc.

Operation Snowball, Inc. is funded in part by the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Cebrin Goodman Center, an affiliate of the Lillian and Larry Goodman Foundations.

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The Operation Snowball Awards recognize OS Chapters and all of those that make their Chapters successful. Chapter Leaders, their students, and community partners were invited to submit nominations which are reviewed and chosen by the Operation Snowball Inc. Board of Directors. Congratulations to all of the 2015 OS Award recipients!

Outstanding Youth Leader:

Delila Flores - Streator IL

Delila Flores pictured with Ms. Park, Chapter Leader & Principal Ms. Mascal

Delila Flores is a leader in and outside of the classroom, and within the community. She is an active member of the community's drug coalition and she is also a leader within many organizations at Streator High School. As the OS President, she has personally helped to shape and mold how things are run. She has worked hard to increase membership and participation in many community and school events. She truly lives by the mission of Operation Snowball, leading a healthy lifestyle. She is the epitome of what Operation Snowball represents and she takes great pride in providing opportunities for her peers to make good decisions.

She was an integral part in making Streator's Snowball lock-in a huge success and she dedicated much time in making sure that Red Ribbon Week was successful. When I hear the word leader, Delila is always the individual that comes to mind. Aside from her Snowball commitment, she is also active in Key Club, Senior Class President, she holds 3 jobs, and she helps to support herself through hard work so that her parents have less of a burden. She has worked endless hours to apply for scholarships, grants, and other rewards to guarantee herself a bright future. Snowball is one of the many things that Delila has on her plate. ~Submitted by PAWS OS Chapter Leader, Tiffany Park

Outstanding Adult Leader:

Michael Gianatasio - Lisle, IL

Michael Gianatasio with his Lisle OS friends

Michael is an individual who goes the extra mile. He has been involved in the Lisle Chapter since 2008 as a community partner with the Lisle Park District. He brings energy, humor and dedication to the Lisle Snowball. Students and adults alike are drawn to him because of his positive attitude and welcoming personality. Earlier in the year Michael moved on in his career to pursue greater challenges to a neighboring community. His impact will always be recognized by the adults and students he has worked with in Lisle. He will be a great advocate for Snowball wherever life leads him!

Outstanding School Support:

Larsen Middle School - Elgin, IL

Assistant Principal Gibson & Principal Crespo

Our November 8th, 2014 Larsen Snowflake was the first OS event at the middle school. Principal Gina Crespo and Assistant Principal Darnell Gibson were supportive, but apprehensive at first, in hosting a Snowflake. They made time for us to train our team at the school and promote the event during lunch hours. Before the first Snowflake ended, they were so impressed with the atmosphere Snowflake brought to the school and the hard work of our Community Action Team (CAT) that they scheduled a second Snowflake for a few months later. We have now completed two Snowflakes at Larsen Middle School for the 2014-2015 academic year and Principal Crespo has invited us to do a workshop at their summer program Lancer Fest. Assistant Principal Gibson is assisting us in developing a Snowball club at the school to continue the Snowball mission. ~Submitted by Renz Prevention OS Chapter Leader, Katelyn Ragan

Outstanding Chapter:

Livingston County OS

Livingston County OS Chapter Members

The Livingston County OS Chapter has grown from 15 teen staff to nearly 70 in the last 5 years due to a lot of hard work and networking. Our chapter is comprised of students from all around Livingston County. We are unique in that we encompass 4 school districts and each event invites students from nearly 10 or more schools to each event. Having connections with each of these schools has proven to be key.

A key part of building up our staff has been to stay in contact with those participants each year, whether that is through social media such as Facebook, or mail correspondence. Our Facebook page has been a great way to keep our community up to date on upcoming events. Our local radio station lets us feature even information a couple times a year as well. Another key component is building good relationships with each of the schools.

To be a part of staff, students must fill out an application, be in good academic standing, be considered a role model in their respective schools, and bring something unique to the table. Each year, in addition to covering drugs and alcohol (which is the foundation of our organization) we also like to touch on other hard hitting issues for kids. This year in particular was hard for our communities as we lost 3 students at the high school level. One to an illness, another to a suicide, and the final one to a car accident. When our community is dealing with something in particular we find it important to address those topics either through our keynote speakers, or during discussion in small groups. Our Snowflake held on March 28th welcomed 157 junior high students.

A year end celebration will occur for the kids to have some fun together. Past staff who have graduated are also invited to attend. In the next few years we would also like to set up a scholarship fund for staff. ~Submitted by Livingston County OS Chapter Leader, Tiffany Yoder

Outstanding Young Adult Leader:

Isaiah Carrington - Hanover Park, IL

Isaiah Carrington

It's a rarity to come across such an unbridled, energetic, amazing young person who is visibly and infectiously walking this Earth seeking ways to make it better, make a difference and make good choices. Isaiah is the model of servient leadership. He has visited numerous Chapters throughout the year and volunteered his time to be a co-fac. He has taken the leadership in starting an OS Chapter at the University he attends.

Outstanding Support from a Community Organization:

Streator Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition

Coalition President, Pastor Bill Niebuhr & OS Program Manager, Mary Jo Davies

This coalition has been an integral part in establishing an Operation Snowball Chapter here at Streator High School. The Coalition was created when two Streator community members lost their son to a heroin overdose. Since then, John and Amy Washko have worked tirelessly to recruit community members to help spread awareness regarding all things that contribute directly to Operation Snowball's mission. From monetary donations to guest speakers, the list is endless in regards to their contribution to our PAWS Chapter. Their leaders are constantly making opportunities possible for our members by seeking out events for our members to attend and help with or by monetarily funding events for our students. They send our students to the Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute (CGTI) every year and they take great pride in their message and mission. They provide scholarship opportunities for our Senior members and they are constantly checking in to see if there is anything they can help us with. The title of this award includes the word "support" and that is exactly what the Coalition does for our Snowball Chapter. ~Submitted by PAWS OS Chapter Leader, Tiffany Park

Outstanding Board of Director Member:

Suzanne Hamilton

Suzanne Hamilton

Suzanne represents Operation Snowball District 3 and has been an OS Board member since 2010 She has served on numerous committees including the Youth Advocate committee, and most recently on the Communications Committee. This past January she was elected to serve as the Vice Chair of the OS Board. Suzanne has grown up through Snowball as a high school student through the Naperville Chapter and was a teen director in 1995 and began serving as an adult leader in 2007. A new Board member said of Suzanne, "She impresses me as a person who is truly committed and passionate about what she does. I am honored to be working with her."

Thank You to the 2015 OS Board of Directors

The OS Inc. Board of Directors is comprised of dedicated people from across the state of Illinois that have volunteered their time and talents as a Board member. This commitment cuts into their weekends as they travel to Board meetings held on Saturday's four times a year, as well as being on conference calls and serving on committees. This is in addition to their own communities' Snowballs, work and personal life. We truly appreciate every minute they have volunteered as a Board member!

District 01 - Mike Waxman

District 02 - Yousef Matariyeh

District 03 - Suzanne Hamilton

District 04 - Spike Grossheusch

District 05 - Open

District 06 - Teri Belgio

District 07 - Open

District 08 - Open

District 09 - Edward Gudas

District 10 - Rob Grupe

District 11 - Open

District 12 - Laura Ferrell

IADDA Appointment - Kay Daniel

IADDA Appointment - Patrick Ferrell

IADDA Appointment - Laura Larson-Gibbons

IADDA Appointment - Steve Mazzarella

IADDA Appointment - Charla Waxman

Youth Advocate - Jessica Rippel

Youth Advocate - Andrea Schalk

Youth Advocate - Isaiah Carrington

Youth Advocate - Andrew Pelarinos

IMPACT Your Community

is a publication of Operation Snowball, Inc. and the Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute and is free of charge to subscribers.

IADDA Staff

CEO: Sara Howe

Vice President for Substance Abuse Policy/COO: Eric Foster

Vice President for Mental Health Policy: Randy Wells

Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Mental Health Policy

Business Manager: Pel Kelley

Director of Program Development: Ron Jakubisin
OS Program Manager: Mary Jo Davies
Community Outreach Coordinator: Marne Fauser

CGTI Prevention Coordinator: Ashley Young

OS staff is provided through a contract between the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association and Operation Snowball, Inc.

IMPACT Your Community invites your comments, articles or photographs.

Operation Snowball, Inc./Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute
937 South 2nd Street · Springfield, IL 62704
800.252.6301 or 217.528.7335
info@os-cgti.org
www.os-cgti.org

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Impact is funded in part by the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Cebrin Goodman Center an affiliate of the Lillian and Larry Goodman Foundation.