12/10/05
Mike enjoying one of our early snowfalls...

11/17/05
A very nice photo of the staff at Grand Place...more to follow.

10/20/05
Some of the guys from Hamilton House and Grand Place recently enjoyed a trip to the Corn Maize in the Town of Texas...

                                              

9/21/05
News From Hamilton House!
Kyle attended Lions Camp near Rosholt at the end of August.  At Lions Camp visitors enjoy spending time with peers who share similar life experiences, swimming, hiking, and numerous other camp experiences.  At the end of the weekend an awards ceremony is held.  Kyle from Hamilton House was named Pool King for his mastered performance in billiards.
Also Hamilton House welcomed a new resident during the first week of September. Tong is originally from the Wausau area. We are all just getting to know Tong, but he stated he enjoys bowling and shooting pool, going for walks and for bike rides. Staff and residents alike look forward to getting to know him better as we spend more time with him.

8/31/05
As most readers already know, Rick Ferree has left his position at Reynolds Group Home to return to his beloved Kentucky.  We wish him well.
We now want to introduce the new Coordinator at RGH, Chris Gunderson.  Chris comes to Marathon Youth Services with a well rounded background of experience in the management of adolescent group  homes, along with other skills as a trainer.  We are looking forward to introducing Chris to our clientele, and utilizing his many skills.

8/1/05
I thought you could get a laugh from my reaction this morning to Mike S. and his bottle of pink silly string upon my arrival to work. The group planned the morning in celebration of my birthday, and wow I was not expecting it. Residents and staff decorated the office and picked out a card and ice cream cake for the occasion as well. What a great group of people who surround me at MYS.
Caryn

7/25/05
This past weekend was another opportunity for the guys to enjoy the Council Grounds State Park.  They spent the day on both Saturday and Sunday, but chose to sleep in their own beds back at home instead of the tent.  A great time was  had by all, with Doug showing up to give rides on his jet ski on Sunday.

7/11/05
The young men of Reynolds Group Home had an adventure this past weekend at Cooper Falls in North Western Wisconsin.  They got in a little sight-seeing, camping and fishing; generally a great time by all.  A special thanks to Rhonda and Darwin for your efforts!
Also, check out the pictures of our young men at a recent Brewers Game!

                            

5/25/05
Mike S and Mike P toured the Ronald McDonald House in Marshfield with Becky. Mike S turned in about 100,000 pop tops at that time and was presented with a T-shirt that reads "I'm a top tab saver for the Ronald McDonald House." as well as a tote bag in appreciation of his efforts. Both Mike's were given a tour of the House and had pictures taken with Sandy, the director of the house. Sandy was very appreciative of Mike's efforts to collect the tabs. She gave him several boxes that hold 10,000 pop tops as a goal to save this year. The Moose Lodge donated the T-Shirt and paid for dinner for residents and Staff.
                            

5/1/05
I just thought this was a nice picture, worth sharing...
                         

4/1/05
Marathon Youth And Family Services is proud to announce the opening of our Clinical Services Office!  We were honored with a ribbon cutting ceremony by the Wausau Area Chamber of Commerce at our Open House on March 30.  We hope to continue providing the same high quality level of services to the community, now also on an out-patient basis.

3/14/05
This past weekend Ashley S. accompanied 3 of our residents to Menominee for a Special Olympics basketball tournament.  Mike S. (Prospect Place), Kris (RGH) and John F. (Grand Place) made the trip with Ashley, and Adam D. (Prospect Place) joined them at the tournament.  Here they all pose for a group picture.
                           
The guys all spent the night at a motel and had a great time.  Dinner was at Applebee's in Menominee.  Before returning home they had a tour of an old, haunted theater in Menominee also.  On the return trip they stopped at Abbotsford for gas and an ice cream trip.  Once again, a great time for our basketball players!

3/10/05
Marathon Youth Services has been granted a license to operate an out-patient mental health clinic!  We have planned for and envisioned this day for quite some time.  With the purchase of a suitable building and acquiring of two more experienced therapists, our plan has come to fruition.
Effective this month, MYS will now accept referrals for out-patient services to include individual and family therapy, child and adolescent counseling services, as well as psychological evaluations.  We will also be able to do all third party billing for such services.
We would like to invite our friends and supporters to attend an Open House to become better acquainted with our facility, therapists and services.  The Open House will be at our Clinical Services Office located at 1611 N. 7th Street in Wausau, Wednesday March 30, 2005 from 2-6 PM.  Please plan to attend.

2/28/05
                                

1/31/05
Some of the young men recently had the opportunity to meet the Wimmer brothers, Chris and Scott.  Both aspiring NASCAR race drivers, they made a recent appearance at snowmobile races at Man Made Lake in Wausau.  Here we see John F posing with the brothers.

12/27/04
Reynolds Group Home resident Kris was chosen "Math Student of The Month" at DC Everest Senior High School this month!  Here he shows off  his award.  We're all real proud of Kris.
                                      

12/18/04
Pat, Shawn, and John from Grand Place had their Christmas Pageant on Monday, December 13th.  The Pageant was held at First United Methodist Church in Wausau.  The program was created from members who go to A.R.E.H., a group of people who gather every Monday for a church service. While there the guys sing, have show and tell, learn a Bible story, and end the evening with a short service based on the Bible story that was talked about earlier.          Ashley
                            
Check out more photos from the Pageant on the Activities Page.

12/12/04
This past Friday evening was an opportunity for the staff of MYS to enjoy a little time together in a relaxing atmosphere.  Those that attended, along with their kids, enjoyed the company of co-workers and spouses/friends in the pleasant confines of Sylvan Hills Chalet; and, the unexpected entertainment of our own Rick Ferree.  Rick has once again amazed us with his seemingly unending pool of hidden talents.
                                 

Check out some additional photos of the evening at our Gallery page.

12/5/04
The past month was busy as usual for many of the guys.  Among other activities, some of our young men visited the Wausau Fire Department for a tour.  Check out some photos from that day.
Another birthday was celebrated at Prospect Place too!  John P enjoyed his cake and the good wishes of his fellow residents.
                    

12/2/04

11/15/04
In an attempt to capitalize on the sub-par performance of our beloved Badgers this past weekend, Program Coordinator Rick Ferree seizes the opportunity to hoist the flag of his esteemed Wolverines. 

11/9/04
Last weekend included a Special Olympics Bowling event in Eau Claire for several of our adult residents.  All the guys from Grand Place, John F, Pat W, Skyler W, and Shawn participated and were joined by Adam D from Prospect Place.  The guys were accompanied by Suzanne who reports they "Left Wausau around 1:45pm, arriving at 3:30pm.  We unpacked the van...Shawn doing most of the work.  We had a snack of peanut butter sandwiches, grapes, cookies, rice krispy. treats, and soda on pool side.  Guys swam and used the whirl pool.  We then walked to Wendy's which was only about four blocks away. Most guys got kid's meals, with monster truck toys. Back at the motel, the guys enjoyed swimming, using the hot tub, and visiting with all the people they knew.  Shawn was very pleased he knew so many people."
It was a great time and experience for the guys.

11/3/04
Halloween has come and gone for another year, but our young men made the most of it.  Some of them gathered at Grand Place to bake cookies which were enjoyed by all.

Later in the week they attended a costume party at Northcentral Health Care.  Check out more of the pictures on our Photo Gallery page.

9/1/04
Posted by Doug Adams....
Another Race Season…a look in the mirror

Here we are after our 6th year of what began as a simple desire to try a new youth project. What was to be a “fun” year with the goal to be “casual”, we still found ourselves in 5th place overall in the State Park Speedway point standings. With 9 wins to date this year, we had a very fun and exciting year. Over the years we have had many exciting accomplishments.
            
We have set fast time 3 times, once setting a new track record at Golden Sands Speedway. We won 8 fast dashes, 4 feature wins, and 21 heat wins. We won “Best Paint and Design” and “Hot Dog of the Night” both in he same night. We also received the distinction of “Gentleman’s Award” as well as “The Most Improved Driver Award”. Our team built 4 cars, and raced 5 cars, usually 2 at a time. Our other drivers also landed wins. My son Deven, now 18, started when he was 14, and has tallied 4 heat wins and a fast dash win. A friend and teammate, Detective, now Lieutenant Bill Kolb has 2 feature wins and about 5 heat wins to his credit. My son Derek and another racing friend Jeremy Faust also participated in driving duties.
What began as a youth project, and met the original goals with success, has since also became a regular adult activity. A loyal following of young adults and staff in our programs have also acquired the recognition of our team to be “the most fan friendly” due to their exuberant cheering each week at the track. My wife Barbara and my nieces Haley and Alyssa Greene are regular fans and awesome statisticians. Our community also has offered terrific support. 2510 Restaurant, Walters Buildings, Wausau Imports, Auto Select of Schofield, Wimmer family, Brickner Group, and Hilltop Autowrecking, have all offered support to make our team a success. Special Thanks also to the “playgrounds” including State Park Speedway, Marshfield Super Speedway, Golden Sands Speedway, and even Monster Hall Speedway in Marshfield, and all the super staff who man these facilities.
We have awesome memories, great experiences to share, super times with our residents and staff, lessons learned about business, competition, and life, and great pictures and videos to share.
Thanks…and remember…objects in the rearview mirror may be appear closer than they are.

ATTENTION: Watch for an announcement on our annual end of season “drive a racecar” day. We will be setting a date soon. PLEASE contact me if you are interested and we can be sure to notify you when this event takes place.

 

8/25/04   
Early August was camping time again for the guys at Reynolds Group Home.   Check out some of the pictures!  It was another great weekend, and as you can see, they discovered some of what nature has to offer.

July 31, 2004
We at Reynolds Group Home are working very hard to recover from the loss of our special friend and colleague, Danielle Santiago.  Danielle lost her life on the morning of July 19 in an automobile accident as she traveled to work. This shocking event touched the lives of so many who knew her and loved her for who she was and all that she gave. Danielle was loving, kind, generous, and shared a sense of humor that delivered brightness to the days of all that were near her.

The staff and residents of RGH together attended the services for Danielle in Antigo, to honor her life, comfort her family, and in turn be comforted in the sharing of our grief.  Danielle will be greatly missed, and never forgotten. Our prayers remain with her and her loved ones…..always.

                          

It seems that we often take much in life for granted, we somehow feel that it cannot happen to us or those we love. We somehow neglect to be in touch with our earthly mortality, and that as all life begins, it too must end.  July 31 marks what would have been the 28th birthday for Danielle, a day we had plans for celebration…but this was not to be…..she was taken so abruptly.

An introspective has us consider all that we have and all whom we love…..we need to extract joy from all opportunity, cherish each moment, and never fail to say “I love you” to those that are dear.  Life is a blessing, it is fragile, and fate not at our discretion.  A wise man once said, “love as if there were no tomorrow, and dance as if nobody were watching.
Let us move forward with vigor and passion in the work that we do……Danielle would have it no other way.

Rick Ferree

 

July 21, 2004
A recent night at the race track was rewarding on a couple of scores.  Not only did Doug win a heat, but some of the kids of the Northwoods Alliance For Children Program had a fun night at the track.

July 10, 2004
Last month was a very active month for all of us.  One of the activities was a camping trip to Counsel Grounds State Park for residents and staff of Hamilton House, Prospect Place and Grand Place.  All the guys, and the staff, had a great time.
                               
We're looking forward to more camping excursions in the weeks to come.  Check out some of the pictures from the trip!

The guys at Hamilton House also embarked on a gardening project last month.  Through much hard work on their part, they cleared an area in the back yard and planted some mixed vegetables.  Here's a couple of pictures of the work in progress.  We'll update the photos as the garden grows.  Check it out.  Mark, Travis, Kyle and Sam worked hard on this project.

July 6, 2004
We're beginning a re-design of our site!  Any suggestions you might like to see incorporated?  We would be happy to consider them. Drop us a line...
Any previous posts to the News Page are contained in the Current News Archive.
 

11/7/03
It's time again for our Annual Open House!  This year it will be held on December 5....from 11 am to 2pm.  Please mark your calendars now, and join us for lunch and a tour.  All three houses will be ready to welcome all visitors.

I hope to begin updating the Staff Biography pages in the near future...I've been promised pictures of all staff, along with a brief bio.  Check back and get to know our wonderful staff.

10/24/03
Wow!  It's almost Halloween...and as you can see, Carol has been up to her creative tricks again.

9/17/03
Mike, one of the guys at Prospect Place, has been keeping a close eye on his 'pet' spider all summer.  You may have read about it in our newsletter from time to time.  With fall, and hibernation, close at hand, Mike wanted to write a little piece about "Charlotte" for the newsletter and web site.  Staff member Shanon helped him a bit with it and took their picture together.

Click over to the Prospect Place page for Mike's complete story about Charlotte.

9/3/03 
In a flurry of activity, we are on the threshold of the summer seasons' passing.....and with it the return to school. The resident group at Reynolds Group Home have been preparing for this inevitability in the last few weeks, with a focus on athletic participation, fine tuning of learning skills, and a consistent focus on behaviors that will support their opportunity to achieve. The beginning of the school year poses a challenge to all young people, and particularly so for those entering an unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar faces representing the friendships yet to be forged. The Staff at RGH are sharing in this focus, emphasizing commitment and the utilization of resources. Every effort is made to diminish anxiety, assuring the young men that obstacles are only seen when we our eyes off of our goals.
In recalling my adolescence, I have visions of the effort to make the hair just right, the jeans had to fit as style would demand, the efforts to emulate the behaviors of others we deemed to be successful, the uncertainty of tomorrow, the awkward efforts to communicate to the opposite gender, the struggle between having fun and getting a start on that term paper.....the list goes on. Today I chuckle, but oh......some classified number of years ago...these challenges were far too large to force in to the book bag. These challenges are real still for today's young people, and the burden often exponential with the issues and circumstances center stage in the lives of the young men in our charge.
In preparing our young men, we must go far beyond clearly identified boundaries, stated expectations, and an anticipated response for falling short. We shoulder this load as well, with the assurance that we will be omni-present, and when they skin their knee, we will pick them upright an continue the journey, side by side.
They must understand that mistakes are a by-product of initiative, and that the only thing worse than doing something wrong is doing nothing at all.
The school year is a daunting opportunity to many, but we in partnership with the outstanding school faculty remain unified in our commitment to the young men emerging with a high level of skill, self-esteem, and a perspective that will someday have them too chuckling over those school days.....some classified number of years ago....

Rick Ferree
Program Coordinator
Reynolds Group Home

8/20/03
With the new school year upon us, football practice has begun at Wausau East High School.  This year we have a young man who is making a run at making the team.  So far Darrick is holding his own, and doing quite well.  We'll all be on the sidelines cheering him on throughout the season.

Darrick, on the left, is joined in his athletic pursuits by Matt, both residents at Reynolds Group Home.  Matt is running track and field for Wausau East.
We salute the boys efforts and will report on their progress as the seasons proceed.

8/6/03
Today was the MYS Staff Picnic!  A good time was had by all who attended, which included Darwin's kids...Here's his two daughters enjoying their picnic lunch, and discovering some of the wonders of nature,

in this case, a snail's shell.
Several people tried their hand at the inner tube or ski board behind Doug's boat.  All, until the rains came.

8/5/03
MYS has now moved into the 21st century at all three houses.  Effective today, we now have high speed internet access at RGH, Hamilton House and Prospect Place!  I'm sure the staff and residents alike will be happy about that.  We're hoping that encourages everyone to contribute more and often to web site content....
On another note, Mark K, a resident at Hamilton House recently demonstrated his skills learned through his participation in REACT, the civilian group that assists civil authorities during times of crisis or community events.  We had a staff member who required some emergency attention, and Mark helped control the situation in the house so others could attend to the staff member.  He was a great help.  In recognition, mark was presented a certificate by Director Doug Adams, on behalf of REACT.

Good Job Mark!  And thank you for the help.....

Tomorrow is the staff picnic at Blue Gil Bay Park.  We hope to have some photos of the festivities to share with all...

7/1/03
Here it is, the first of July already...wow!  The summer is flying by it seems.
Doug and the guys have been showing their winning ways again at State Park Speedway, the boys of RGH are helping set up the July 4th celebration again at Marathon Park, HH is full now....will this pace ever slow? (we hope not)
 

5/12/03
The young men of Hamilton House and Prospect Place recently participated in two fun and useful activities.  They volunteered their time and talents at the 2003 Fun Run held at the Nine Mile Recreation Area in the Town of Rib Mountain.  One of their duties was to hand out water to the competitors.
They also invaded the Go Kart Track in Schofield to show off their talents as race drivers.  Some pretty fierce action ensued!  Watch out Doug, these guys are ready for the Big Time.
Check out the photos of these two activities, and others, on the Photo Gallery Page.  The guys would love to hear your thoughts about their activities.
 

5/6/03
Gentlemen, Start Your Engines...

Another racing season for the MYS Racing Team is about to embark.  Two Nissan 200SXs are about complete and ready to enter the bullrings at State Park Speedway and Marshfield Super Speedway for another season of fun and excitement.  Our team has new members this year with new young men at Reynolds and new race fans at both Hamilton House and Prospect Place.  Our team has been Division Champion for the past two years, and will strive to repeat.
This year 17 year old driver Deven Adams will be competing for a track championship at Marshfield Super Speedway and 15 year old Derek Adams will be adding to his experience at several State Park Speedway events.  Wausau Police Detective Bill Kolb will seed several more wins as he has in the past.
We thank area businesses:  Wausau Imports, 2510 Restaurant, Walters Buildings, Auto Select of Schofield and Hilltop Auto Wrecking for their generous support of our team.
Teamwork, Community, Education and Competition continue to be our mission...and some winning is always good too.  We can be seen Thursdays at Wausau's own State Park Speedway, and nine Saturdays at Marshfield Super Speedway.  Come cheer for the bright red #15 Mini-stock and watch this website for picture additions.

submitted by:  D.Adams - Husband, Father, Stock Car Driver, Mechanic, Fabricator, Mentor, Therapist, Welder, TV Co-Host, Machinist, Painter, Designer, Innovator and Competitor #15.