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| March is Social Worker Month--Hug a Social Worker Today! |
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It is 2 am, and her cell phone rings. She reaches for it and listens as Annie explains that Antonio, eight months old, has a fever. Given his premature birth history and his cough, Jennifer tells Annie she will meet them at the Emergency Room.
At 8 am, a call comes in from Child Welfare Services; there is a three-month-old baby that has been found alone, dirty and hungry, at a park. Does Angels have a home for this little girl?
Attending court hearings, ensuring children are placed in loving homes, supervising of parent-child visits, assisting with the reunification process, developing child intervention plans, supporting children learning to trust again, teaching foster parent classes, evaluating bonding behaviors, referring children for developmental assessments and services, sharing 24/7 on call duties, interfacing with CWS workers, talking with attorneys on the child's case, talking with and attending physician's visits, conducting home visits, completing home certifications, counseling parents on reunification, counseling on adoption, and simply, a warm shoulder to to lean on or cry on for Angels parents.
Whew, I am so tired just writing all that, and this is just a sampling of all the hard work and heart that goes into being a social worker at Angels Foster Care.
WE ARE SO LUCKY, because we have two of the best! Stacey Anderson, LMFT (pictured below), with a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology, has been a wonderful addition to our Angels team, She is our south county Social Worker. Her background with children and family interventions has given her a tremendous ability in this work with babies and toddlers and their families.
Jennifer Mills, LCSW (pictured at top), is our Program Director and came to us eight years ago. Her clinical expertise and experience in the field of early childhood mental health is a wonderful match for our program. Additionally, we think she is a dependency court savant while also administering the clinical program and keeping us in good standing with Licensing. The success and strength of the clinical program is due in large part to Jennifer's tireless dedication and leadership and the fantastic team of supporters and Angels families Jennifer and our other social workers have partnered with over the past nine-and-half years. March is Social Worker Month. Lets all take this time to say thank you to our Angels social workers; drop them a card, email, or just say thank you next time you see their smiling faces, welcoming hearts, and strong capable shoulders. Thanks for all you do Jennifer and Stacey, we really appreciate you!! Happy Social Worker month! Meichelle Arntz, Founder
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Angels Social Workers
Since March is Social Worker Month, it's a wonderful time to catch up with some of the exceptional social workers who left their mark on the Angels Foster Care program over the past 10 years. Without them, our program would not be thriving and growing as it is today!
Rosa Del Cid
Rosa came to Angels Foster Care in 2007 when the organization was only a year old. She had already been a social worker for many years but her experience working with babies and placing them in loving homes is some of the best experiences she's ever had as a social worker. She stayed with Angels for two years and then re-located to the Fresno area where she is now closer to her family.
Rosa works for JDT Consultants, a behavioral services company that serves Fresno County. Her anniversary wish for Angels is that we will one day be able to expand and serve more children throughout the
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Rose Del Cid with Angel Ella
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state. She has precious memories of the wonderful families and wonderful boss she worked for during her time with Angels Foster Care. Thank you Rosa for being part of the launch of our Angels Foster Care model--the work you did for Angels and the impact you made on the lives of the babies and families helped set our course for success!
Stacy Peterson
Stacy joined Angels Foster Care in 2009 and recently moved on to work full time at Cottage Children's Medical Center as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She is now the primary Social Worker for the Pediatric Department and the Mother/Infant areas of service. In addition, Stacy continues to be involved in the foster care community by offering her services to families as a foster care/adoption consultant, participating in foster care and adoption committees, and community outreach events. On the home front, Stacy has two little ones of her own (which are the light of her life!), Jaxon (3 years old) and Emilia (11 months).
Her best memory from her time with Angels was regarding a baby who was especially difficult to find placement for. She was a fragile little one who really needed a long-term home. After a few days of ups and downs with placement plans, she finally got a phone call back from an Angels family with a resounding, "100% yes, we will take her!" Stacy knew that she was going to the right parents and being able to see that match come through was really meaningful. Overall, her best memories are of seeing children blossom and grow- she says that each individual child she worked with still holds a special place in her heart!
Stacy's anniversary wish for Angels is that there is continued appreciation for all the amazing Angels foster parents and that Angels is able to continue to grow and flourish and find ways to support all the foster families in the day- to-day work caring for children. It is the foster families that make the program, and Stacy wishes them all the support and encouragement in the world!
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Welcome to newly certified foster parents Jarrett & Tiffany and Ashly & Lee, both from North Santa Barbara County!
We are also pleased to announce our March training class is the largest we have ever had with 10 new foster families underway.
After a flurry of activity in January, February was a quiet month with no new Angels placements or adoptions. Many thanks to Tiffany & Jarrett for welcoming a new Angels child into their home in recent weeks.
Angels would like to recognize the amazing efforts of Matt & Tricia of South Santa Barbara County as our February Foster Parents of the Month. We are very grateful for the time you spend as foster parents, and for the love and support you have given your Angels children!
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Empowered to Connect Conference in a LIVE SIMULCAST
April 8-9, 8:45-5pm (drop in for any length of time)
Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara
1 N Calle Cesar Chavez #21, Santa Barbara 93103
"Empowered to Connect" is a two-day conference that equips families, churches, and professionals to bring hope and healing to
adopted and foster children. This event is suitable for adoptive and foster parents, family and friends of adoptive and foster parents, potential adoptive and foster parents, teachers and administrators, counselors, therapists, social workers, ministry leaders, youth and children leaders, anyone working directly with children, anyone who loves a child who has been in a hard place and anyone who loves a family who loves a child who has been in a hard place. Please register by April 4th by visiting http://goo.gl/forms/BrnqSK4HB0. Refreshments provided, lunch on your own.
5th Annual Al Fresco Afternoon
on the Riviera
Friday, April 22, 11am
Four Seasons Biltmore
Please join us for our annual luncheon set in the exquisite gardens of the Four Seasons Biltmore Santa Barbara. Shop in the Angels Marketplace filled with wonderful items for purchase ranging from jewelry, home goods, fashion accessories and florals. Enjoy the European-inspired luncheon served "alfresco" and beautiful table decor, music, floral arrangements and a fashion show featuring the latest spring trends. Bring your friends and celebrate National Foster Care month with us as we honor Angels families, volunteers and supporters. All proceeds from the event support the Angels Foster Care program. Click here to order tickets. For more information, please contact Ellen at ellen@angelsfostercare.org or (805) 884-0012.
The 5k Fun Run for Foster Care
Saturday, May 21, 2016 10 am
The entrance to Orcutt Community Park
5800 S. Bradley Road
Enjoy the glitter and the fun as a runner, a helper, a sponsor, or a cheerleader as we raise awareness and money for Foster Care during National Foster Care Awareness Month in May. Families, teams, serious runners, beginning runners, and even walkers are encouraged to get their glitter on while they race the beautiful 5k course from Orcutt Community Park to Rice Ranch Road and then up Sage Crest Road to show your support for Angels Foster Care as we continue 10 more years of placing babies and toddlers in exceptional foster homes throughout Santa Barbara County.
Click here for race registration. Contact Kelly at Kelly@angelsfostercare.org or call 937-8500 to get information on how you and your business can sponsor this wonderful family event or if you would like to volunteer to help.
Santa Maria Sunrisers Lions Club
5th Annual Nate Lipscomb Memorial Golf Tournament
Saturday, June 18th 2016 10 am
Monarch Dunes Golf Course
Join golfers from around the Central Coast in a fun day on a beautiful course for a chance to win prizes and awards AND know you are supporting Angels Foster Care. Proceeds from this tournament will be donated to Angels Foster Care. SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES are available. If you or your business would like to participate as a sponsor--foursomes are included in most sponsorship levels--contact Kelly White O'Neill. Click here for golf tournament details and to download a registration form.
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Curiosity, Pleasure and Play
The human brain is an amazing organ. At the first stages of life, the brain begins to form from just a few cells. Within a few short years, it has grown to 85% of adult size. The brain grows to become a dynamic, ever-changing biological system which gives us the capacity to love, create, communicate or think. Our brain becomes a product of our genetic potential and our history of experience.
Experiences - repetitive, consistent, predictable and nurturing experiences - are required to express the underlying genetic potential of each child. The experiences, environments and opportunities we provide our children help determine their strengths and vulnerabilities. If the child's world is chaotic, violent or emotionally or cognitively impoverished, his potential will remain unexpressed. If the child's world is safe, nurturing and rich in social, emotional and cognitive opportunities, he or she will flourish. As parents, many of us wonder how much time to devote to unstructured activity. Research has shown that allowing plenty of time for a child to play is critical. Central to a child's healthy development is the opportunity to act on his natural curiosity - to explore, to play and, thereby to learn. Play takes many forms, but the heart of all play is pleasure. We play from birth using such elements as: 1) Our bodies (e.g. hands to build with blocks) 2) Our minds (e.g. fantasy play) 3) Words (e.g. jokes, wit, humor) 4) Props (e.g. blocks, toys, games) While the exact nature of play evolves, becoming more complex as we grow, play at all ages brings pleasure. And with pleasure comes the powerful drive to repeat the pleasurable activity. And with repetition, comes mastery. Mastery brings a sense of accomplishment and confidence. The more comfortable a child feels with the world, the more likely she or she will explore, discover, master and learn. Play develops important skills such as:
- Creativity
- Teamwork/cooperation
- Communication/negotiation/compromise
- Development skills
- Goal setting
- Following rules/directions
- Self-reliance
- Empathy
- Social interaction
- Problem solving
- Self-expression
- Self-confidence
In today's world, we often underestimate the importance of play. We over schedule our children with educational or structured activities that often inhibit spontaneous, curiosity-driven exploration. In the end, if we want to help our children meet their potential, we should allow children to have their free time, spontaneous play and enriched play and learning environments.
- adapted from "Curiosity, Pleasure and Play: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective" by Bruce D. Perry. M.D., PhD
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ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN. Support Angels far into the future and provide financial stability to the agency as the fund grows and pays out profits annually to support Angels' work. Our goal in 2015-2016 is to bring in $50,000 to qualify us for matching funds. Make a personal contribution, have your business donate a portion of sales or host a small gathering to secure further contributions. Contact Executive Director Meichelle Arntz to get started!
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Visit our web site for full details on requirements, training, support and adoption. Begin the process now in order to take advantage of our May Foster Parent Training Series. Note that pre-screening and certain paperwork are required before prospective foster parents may enroll in parent training classes. Please contact Angels as soon as you are ready to begin the process. If you can't foster, please consider a donation.
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