MARATHON YOUTH SERVICES
NEWSLETTER
July 1, 2003
Volume 3, Issue 7
We,
therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General
Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the
rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name and by the authority of the good
people of these colonies solemnly publish and declare, That these United
Colonies are, and of right ought to be,
FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES; that they are
absolved from all allegiance to the British crown and that all political
connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be,
totally dissolved; and that, as free and independent states, they have full
power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and
do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for
the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of
Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and
our sacred honor.
Wow! This, of course, is the final paragraph of
the Declaration of Independence. It’s pretty hard for us today to imagine the
conviction and courage it took for the signers of this momentous document to
make such a proclamation. But here we are, 227 years later, still enjoying the
fruits of their actions, and still celebrating the Birth of Our Nation. Happy
Fourth of July to all from the residents and staff of Marathon Youth Services.
This month once again begins with the boys of
Reynolds Group Home serving as volunteers to the
Wausau Area Jaycees in preparing for the July 4 Celebration at Marathon Park.
This is a tradition started by our founder, Denny Reynolds, that we proudly
carry on today.
Read on about the activities and programs of MYS. Please visit us online at www.marathonyouthservices.org, and feel free to direct any inquiries to Doug at 715-842-3240, or email us at admin@marathonyouthservices.org.
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. Your address will be immediately removed from the list.
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CONTENTS
1.
Summer has always been a really busy time at
Reynolds Group Home, and this year is
certainly no exception. Rick Ferree, Program Coordinator at RGH submits the
following as proof:
The boys at Reynolds Group Home have
kicked off the summer in grand fashion, enjoying many activities that center
around a warm sun…the guys have been swimming in Kaiser Pool, visiting Mission
Lake…actively involved in pick-up basketball games down at the park…enjoying
sultry games of capture the flag…and even spent a night underneath the stars on
a camping trip to the Eau Claire Dells.
This week will kick off our annual volunteer effort with the Jaycees and
the fourth of July Celebration at
Marathon Park. At the
conclusion of this effort, the boys will be rewarded with a day of tubing and
skiing on the open water.
Two members of the RGH staff, Rick Ferree and Nick Simonis, have been
certified as lifeguards this month through the American Red Cross and the YMCA.
These certifications are essential so the boys can participate in such
activities…and based on the buzz of enthusiasm here in recent days…this may be
an event that becomes quite frequent by popular demand.
Summer of course is not just fun and games. We
do continue to provide educational and treatment activities at nearly the same
pace as throughout the remainder of the year.
In addition to all the fun recreational
activities shared by the boys and staff, it is a requirement of the RGH Program
for all residents to participate in the
Wausau School District
Summer School Program. Currently, there are seven young men from Reynolds
enrolled at the program at Horace Mann Middle School, and another enrolled at
the North Central Technical Institute Summer Program.
This is viewed as a very important tool in establishing self-discipline,
good study habits, and to avoid any credit deficiencies as the young men
approach graduation.
Learning is a lifelong endeavor…The educational needs of each resident are
evaluated, and an effort made to choose from available courses that which best
meet individual needs.
As always, the faculty of the summer school program have been wonderful,
and the boys seeming to enjoy the opportunity to learn and position themselves
for a spectacular start to the regular school year in the fall.
Rick Ferree, Program Coordinator
As mentioned earlier, this week began with our boys doing their annual volunteer
work at Marathon Park. We hope to have some pictures for the web site of these
activities real soon. Check us out and give us your feedback, at
www.marathonyouthservices.org.
As the summer moves on, we have a couple of young men who are nearing completion
of their program with us. With the aide of the family therapy services provided
by our Director, Doug Adams MS, we have a couple of families about ready for
reconciliation! Just the type of news that we love to report. Of course, that
allows us to consider new referrals. Doug and/or Rick would be happy to hear
your placement needs, and explain how we may be able to help out.
2.
Racing
Season
is again in full swing, with Doug and his team making their presence known at
State Park Speedway every Thursday night. The guys from the three homes usually
get out to “cheer for the home team”, 
and
always
enjoy themselves.
A couple of them even got to pose with Doug in the
Winner’s Circle earlier last month.
Here we have from the left, Doug, Sam, Mark, Doug B, and the young ladies
representing the State Park Speedway. This photo follows one of Doug’s recent
Heat wins. Visit our web site for more photos.
3.
Suzanne Lewitzke, one of our Residential Living
staff reports this month on two very busy houses this past month. Leading off
the month’s activities is the graduation of Hamilton House residents Mark and
Sam from Wausau West High School. We’re all very proud of these young men for
their accomplishments, as are their families and friends. School also ended for
the year for Prospect Place resident Mike, who finished the year with several
A’s that gave him free movie coupons at Family Video. Great Job Mike!
We have several young men at our two assisted living homes who are regularly
employed, along with their busy social/personal lives.
Adam, who lives at Prospect Place,
is a fine example. Adam works both at Northern Valley Workshop and McDonald’s.
He also volunteers to cook brats at the local food stands raising funds for
Special Olympics. Adam is also an avid participant in Special Olympics,
recently placing 1st in the running relay and 5th in the
freestyle event in the Summer Games held in Stevens Point. He has been a fine
ambassador for the Special Olympics program for the past several years.
Adams house mate, Mike, is also
busy working. He is working many split shift and holiday hours at Papillon’s
Pizza in Schofield, saving his money for the upcoming 4th of July
Celebration. Mike is also our own Harry Potter expert, recently winning
stickers/prizes for himself and staff at the Harry Potter Party at Janke Book
Store, correctly answering trivia questions.
One of our recent high school graduates, Mark,
has also been a pretty busy guy this past month. Mark has long been a member of
REACT, a volunteer citizen group who assist in such things as crowd
control/security at community events, and severe weather observations. Mark is
justifiably proud of his uniform, and participation.
The young men have also been attending the races at State Park Speedway,
cheering on Doug and his team representing MYS. They have also attended the
Rainbow Festival (Christian Rock Music) at Trinity Lutheran Church, the Merrill
Rodeo, as well as visiting Counsel Grounds and Rib Mountain State Parks. The
men also have enjoyed swimming at the area aquatic centers, and fishing every
week. They have been going to the YMCA, dog shows, a veterinary hospital,
working with Suzanne’s horses and doing many arts and crafts projects. They
have also helped with painting, gardening, yard work, and moving computers and
furniture around the houses.
With two more very busy and energetic young men joining the mix at Hamilton
House, Kyle and
Travis, our schedule for the month of
July should be quite hectic (and fun!).
4.
Once
again we’ve grown our staff by three more competent and energetic people. As we
fill the beds in the adult living homes, it has become necessary to add staff to
meet the young men’s needs. This past month we were able to hire Josh Schuck
and Christina Samuels to work at Hamilton House, and Stephanie Ramsey to work
primarily at Prospect Place. I hope to have photos and biographical information
to share with our readers next month, and on our web site.
You’re invited to visit our web site at
www.marathonyouthservices.org
to view this month’s pictures and others as they become available. July and
August promise to offer many additional activities for all the residents and
staff of Marathon Youth Services. Stay tuned…..
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.
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Property of Marathon
Youth Services, Inc. 2003
Produced by Jim Prozinski
PCS 2003