MARATHON YOUTH SERVICES

NEWSLETTER

December 1, 2003

Volume 3, Issue 12

            Here it is, Thanksgiving Weekend again…and the Holiday Season begins.  As we have for the past couple of years, we’re starting it with an Open House at our three residences.  We’d love to have our friends and supporters come by for a visit and some Holiday cheer and refreshments.  Many of you have already received an invitation.  If not, consider yourself invited!  Visit us at:

            Reynolds Group Home – 527 Hamilton Street

            Hamilton House - 617 Hamilton Street

            Prospect Place – 412 Prospect Avenue

We’d love the opportunity to show you around and offer you lunch.

            As we near the end of another year, all of us at Marathon Youth Services are taking time to reflect on all we have to be thankful for.  At RGH we’ve got a couple of guys getting ready to make the transition back home, Hamilton House  and Prospect Place is now home to eight fine young men, and in the process MYS have been fortunate in adding several more excellent staff.  In addition, we’ve been blessed with great people to deal with at our referring agencies.  People who have shown a deep concern for their clientele, and helped us to meet the ever changing needs we see throughout the year.  Yes Indeed!  So much to be Thankful for!

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CONTENTS

 

1. Wreaths Again Available!
   
    
2. Goodbye Charlotte…
   
    
3. Northwoods Alliance Web Site
   
    
4. No Name-Calling Week…March 1-5, 2004
   
    
5. New Staff!
   
    

1. Once again this year, staff member Carol Gruening has introduced a great holiday project for our youth.  Carol has for years made holiday wreaths and has all the equipment to put together some really amazing wreaths.  This proved to be a successful project last year so Carol will once again be involving the boys at RGH in the process.  The boys plan to cut the needed materials and will learn first hand how to make the wreaths.  The wreaths will then be sold to the public with proceeds returned to the boys in the form of gifts or educational trips during the holiday season.  
   
   We feel very fortunate to have staff willing to give of their own time to assist the boys in learning new skills and creating memories they’ll have for a lifetime.  Anyone interested in ordering/purchasing a wreath should call RGH at 842-1154, or email Doug at dadams15@charter.net.
   
   
    
2. Our always resourceful staff at Hamilton House and Prospect Place is forever looking for ways of encouraging the young men to learn skills that may someday help them achieve total independence.  In recent months they’ve been providing incentives in the form of certificates for treats from some local restaurants.  Such an initiative would not be possible without the help and generosity of some of our supporters.  Marathon Youth Services, and particularly the staff of Hamilton House and Prospect Place, would like to give thanks and recognition to the Grand Avenue Dairy Queen, and the Arby’s and Taco Bell restaurants in Schofield for their generous donations.  Thanks!  From MYS and the guys…
   
   
   You may remember from an earlier issue that Mike S, resident at Prospect Place, had befriended a barn spider, watching after her and admiring her persistence and hard work through the summer.  As fall and winter approached, Mike was concerned about ‘Charlotte’s’ future!  With the help of staff member Shanon T, Mike did some research to figure out the best way to help his friend move on with her life’s journey.  Mike and Shanon now filed this brief update on Charlotte:
   
               At the end of October we decided that it was time for Charlotte to leave her lovely home at Prospect Place and turned her loose in the woods to continue her journey in life.
               Mike got a glass jar from Mary (overnight staff) and taped a label on it that said “Charlotte’s Luggage”.  Mike gathered up Charlotte and her things and place her gently into the jar, preparing her for her trip to her new home.
               Mike and the other Prospect Place residents then took her over to the woods behind Eastbay and released her into the woods.  Mike is now looking for a new house pet to write about.  Any suggestions?
                                                               Mike and Shanon
                                                  
   
    
3. Probably one of the better kept secrets in our area is a little known agency which serves the interests of the community with enthusiasm and creativity.  That agency is the Northwoods Alliance for Children and Families, led by their Director, Dr. John Kolhoven.  Their recently introduced web site located at www.northwoodsallliance.org is well worth a visit.  And, you might want to consider placing your name on their email list.
   
   Northwoods Alliance is best described by this quote from their web site:         “The Northwoods Alliance for Children & Families has one main purpose: to help families to identify and access resources within their own communities. We seek to educate families about their communities and resources, empower them to advocate for themselves, and celebrate all of the successes that they achieve! We also help them to plan for crisis. More importantly, we teach them how to ride the crisis out and begin again. The end result should be that the family is self-sufficient, empowered and able to use the resources that they have identified to work together successfully.”
   
   Quite a lofty goal!  And a goal they’ve been successful in providing to the Wausau Area for over five years already.  Give them a look…
   
   
    
4. A novel written for young adults, The Misfits, (Publisher: Atheneum; (October 1, 2001), has given rise to a movement to declare the week of March 1-5, 2004, No Name-Calling Week.  The attached poster provides a good explanation of the effort, and how we may all participate.
   
   We at Marathon Youth Services are very keenly aware how name-calling can damage young people, whether the insults originate with peers or parents.  For this reason, we will continue to support such efforts.  You will no doubt hear us talk about this more as No Name-Calling Week approaches.  We welcome you support and participation.
   
   
    
5. Once again Marathon Youth Services has acquired some additional staff to fill both full and part-time positions.  We are always amazed at the quality of people who continue to show interest in joining the team here at MYS. (And, we’re always grateful for that…)  This month we’ve added several people who will help us out on a part-time basis, including a therapist!  Joining the proud team at MYS are True Lor, Gary Pfefferle, Linda Nolte, John Staeck and Danielle Santiago. 
   
   We will be providing more information about our new staff in future issues.  Each brings with them experience and expertise that will further enhance programming at all three of our facilities.
   
              
              
   
   
   
   If you have any questions or program requests, feel free to contact Doug at 715842-3240 or dadams@marathonyouthservices.org. We are always interested in your thoughts or comments.
   
   If at any time you would like to be removed from this mail list, please click REPLY and simply enter UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.  You will be immediately removed from the list.

Property of Marathon Youth Services, Inc.
 Produced by Jim Prozinski    
 PCS 2003