MARATHON YOUTH SERVICES
NEWSLETTER
January 1, 2004
Volume 4, Issue 1
First, on behalf of Marathon Youth Services, I would like to wish all our
friends and supporters a very
Merry Christmas
and a
Happy and Health New Year! One
of my favorite lines from Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol sums it up
best…as Fred invites his Uncle Scrooge to celebrate with his family he describes
Christmas as “the only time in the long
calendar of the year, in fact, when men and women open their shut-up hearts
freely, and think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers
to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.”
What more reason than this do we need to celebrate the season! Truly sentiments
that Jesus himself would have applauded.
It’s been a busy
and fulfilling year for all of us here at MYS. As one of our regular readers
you’re aware of the many changes and growth that we’ve been experiencing this
past year. We will forever be grateful for your support and encouragement.
There are so many people to thank for our many successes of the past year that
it’s hard to know where to start.
I’d like to first thank everyone who was able to
make it to our Open House on December 5. We were extremely pleased with the
turnout, with about 50 people taking the opportunity to share our hospitality
and refreshments. They also had the chance to meet some of our residents and
tour our facilities. We always enjoy being able to share what we do with our
friends.
On behalf of myself and my family, and the other
staff members, I’d also like to extend a sincere
thank you to our own
Carol Gruening for the beautiful
Christmas wreaths she made for many of us. In the background of what you’re
reading, you’ll see the wreath Carol made that is gracing my home this holiday
season. Carol never fails to amaze the rest of us with her creative abilities.
It’s exciting to be embarking on another new
year! While we’ve had a lot of accomplishments this past year, there are always
new challenges ahead…
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________________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
-
Director’s Column
-
Christmas at RGH
-
Our Champion Bowler…Travis
-
Thoughts of Mary D
-
Director’s Column
So Much Thanks…
We live in a community that is so supportive of an adventurous
non-profit such as Marathon Youth Services, Inc. We recently were invited to
Sam’s Club to receive a part of
the $9,000 that they donated to area non-profits and service groups.
Sam’s Club also donated during
the year a very nice recliner, a beautiful couch and love seat for our new
adult homes, as well as many food items and treats. A special thanks to
Gloria, Keith, Lois, Lee and all the great team of Sam’s Club.
Last month we benefited from the generosity of
Home Depot when they donated two
very nice air compressors to MYS. These will benefit our program as well as
the Racing Program.
Speaking of the Racing Program, we wish to thank
Wausau Imports, 2510 Restaurant, Walters
Buildings and Auto Select for their continuing support. We also
what to extend a sincere thanks to the
Baumer Limousine Service for transporting our young men to the Prom
in style!
There have also been many individuals throughout the year who have donated to
our program with such things as a refrigerator, lawn mowers, washers, golf
clubs, freezers, and many other nice furniture pieces.
As Director I want to extend Another
Special Thanks…to my very special Team…and friends.
How many people love what they do…and truly enjoy the people they work with
everyday. My job as Director of MYS becomes better every year as my Team
develops and becomes more polished and experienced. Every year I think is
great, the next year becomes even better. This year MYS expanded even more
into the young adult care services, allowing us to collect a few more awesome
individuals on our staff. WE also added several great members to our Board of
Directors.
Our Team:
Board of Directors of MYS
President Deborah Van DeWeerd, State Corrections Office
VP and Treasurer Martha McLeod, McLeod Law Office
Secretary Karen Klos, LPN Premier Recovery
New Member Mike Juers, First Wausau Builders
New Member Cathy Hamann, Pharmacist
Reynolds Group Home
Coordinator Rick F…a man with a passion for doing great
things for children and people.
Staff Mike…experience, wrapped in a sense of
humor, and keeps Rick humble
Nick S…a great man with a strong
dedication and awesome spirit
Sarah W…a whirlwind of spirit,
experience and energy
Darwin M…weekend power, creator of
fun, and awesome mentor
Carol G…she teaches us all how to
live life with love and gusto
Tony X…a dedicated helper, and a
man of peace and patience
John S…a man of greatness, with a
presence and appreciation of life
Danielle S…Wonder Woman’s blonde
sister, thanks for coming back
Hamilton House
Coordinator of Adult Programs
Sue M…everyone loves Sue…simply
spectacular
Christina S…a woman with heart and
spirit wrapped in a sense of humor
Suzanne L…our community is truly
gifted with this incredible
woman
Cheryl B…a dynamic woman with
strength and desire to be all she can be
Josh S…a man of example, his
strength, faith, and spirit are
awesome
Scott L…a man of hidden talents,
great humor, and genuine
dedication
Support Team
Maintenance Carl S…a man of many talents, and almost
enough tools
Bookkeeping Lee B…numbers and people
do mix, pass the word
Consultant/Webmaster
Jim P…my mentor, my support, and
best of all, my friend
As Director of this Team, I am honored to be a part of such great and talented
company.
Doug Adams MS LSCW
…the
weaver of souls and strengths to work
together towards the
recovery and independence of others…
Watch
“Child and Family Focus”
with Doug Adams and Dr. John Kolhoven every Tuesday at 7:00 AM
and 10:30 PM, and Wednesday at 5:30 PM. The next episode features our own
Rick Ferree of Reynolds Group Home, speaking on parent relationships regarding
separated and divorced families. Tune in on local cable channel 3.
-
Christmas at
Reynolds Group Home
The excitement of Christmas through the
experience of a child does exist at RGH, and this year has been no different.
It all starts with the release from school for their winter breaks and builds
through the planning of home passes and spending extended time with their
families.
Traditionally we at RGH have a Christmas Party for the boys before they all
depart for their homes for the holidays. This year we had the added bonus of
celebrating a birthday of one of our boys at the same time. A relaxed evening
of pizza and presents took place and all enjoyed themselves.
We at Reynolds Group Home would like to thank
WEBKO for their donations
towards the gifts for the boys this year. They were greatly r received and
appreciated. Thank you for you continued generosity to the children of
this community!
On
December 6, 2003, Travis,
a resident of Hamilton House walked away with a Gold Medal in the State
Special Olympics Bowling Tournament. The tournament was held in Milwaukee at
AMF Waukesha Lanes. Travis had a three game series of
666!
Wow!
This was no easy feat as over 600 athletes participated in the State
Tournament. To be eligible to compete each athlete must have placed 1st,
2nd or 3rd in two other tournaments prior to reaching
the state level. Travis’ dedication to the sport and Special Olympics is
evident. He has been involved with the Everest Special Olympics for over 6
years.
CONGRATUALTIONS TRAVIS!
-
Here at Marathon Youth Services our staff keeps
a journal of their activities as a way of documenting what happens throughout
the day, as well as to insure good communications between shifts. This log is
generally intended to be read only by staff and management. However,
occasionally someone makes an entry, or two, that are worth sharing with a
broader audience. In reading the logs of the past several days, I came across
the thoughts of Mary Duranceau,
our night staff at Prospect Place; thoughts certainly worth
sharing during this Holiday Season…
Wednesday, December 24, 2003 11:31:20 PM
Christmas can be a sad time as
well as a happy time for many people. You know the greatest gift
anyone can give is of one self. I have seen that a lot since I started
to work here at PP place. I've seen the staff (all three houses)
spend time with the residents. I've seen them go out of their way to do
little things for them; boat rides, car races, make Christmas
wreaths, make snow men door stops, resident's spend time with their
horses, shopping, home which is not always taken ),
give a pat on the back, when needed. I've seen the residents
go out of their way to do little things for staff, like make cakes,
malts, take out the trash, clean the kitchen, wash towels, smile and give
cheerful greetings. I have seen a love for nature, helping out for Special
Olympics, and ringing bells. There have been Packer parties, birthday
parties, picnics, walks, YMCA. I have seen shingles put on a roof, new
siding put on a house, wiring and repairs. I've have seen tears,
sadness followed by happiness. I have seen the struggle for
independence, to learn, to change and to try to do better for one self.
There is a lot of giving going on all year long in these homes, not
just the Christmas season. I'm very happy and proud to be a part
of all this. Who could ask for a better gift? Merry Christmas
Everyone. MaryD.
Thursday, December 25, 2003 12:39:00 AM
Staff:
Do you hear it? If your quiet and don't take a breath and listen
very carefully you will hear the laughter, screeches and cheers
of joy from children running down the stairs, around the corner
into the room where the tree stands. They will be searching through
the packages to see what that man in the red suit brought them. A baby doll
for little girls to hug close and love, dishes to serve their best
friends tea and cookies with. A dump truck for little boys to fill
with dirt and sure, even a teddy bear for him to hug and love.
Families and friends getting together with good wishes for one another. Dad is
putting a log in the fireplace where just above stockings are hung,
bulging with candy, peanuts and oranges. Mom is busy in the
kitchen, where it smells of ham, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and look
at the home made cookies, that were decorated with care. Hanging in the
doorway is, you guessed it, mistletoe, where dad kindly gives mom a tender
kiss. Church bells in the distance are ringing. Outside a snowman
is standing with dad's scarf around his neck and some children are
headed for the hill to go sledding down. Down on the pond are
skaters, oops one landed on his better end, out in the field are children
with snow forts with stacks of snowballs, seeing who's got the better
aim. Christmas is a lot of things to everyone but to me it's giving, love,
laughter, tears, hugs, good cheer, smiles, family, friends and most
of all the birth of Jesus. This is my Christmas card to each and every one of
you. God Bless.
MaryD.
Mary’s words to the other staff members of MYS are a true
representation of the type of people who work with us here. Clearly, a caring
and sensitive person who lives the words of an enlightened Ebenezer Scrooge:
“I will honor
Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the
Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive
within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.”
Merry Christmas everyone! And a
Very Healthy and Happy New Year!
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
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Property of Marathon
Youth Services, Inc.
Produced by Jim Prozinski
PCS 2003