Having asked the staff of MYS to contribute some thoughts to the newsletter, I received the following submission from Rick Ferree, one of our more talented writers….I thought it worth sharing as written:

In a flurry of activity, we are on the threshold of the summer season’s 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 move our eyes off 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 and 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, RGH

For the last couple of years, Doug Adams has offered staff the opportunity to share the excitement of getting behind the wheel of a race car and take a few laps around a real race track. He’s made the MYS cars available for this after the season comes to an end. This year he is offering this possibility to our readers. Doug will have access to Golden Sands Speedway in Plover on Tuesday, September 9. Golden Sands is one of the primer race tracks in central Wisconsin and should be able to provide plenty of thrills for the willing.

If you’re interested in trying your skill at driving a race car, contact Doug at 842-3240 or dadams15@charter.net. At right is a photo of Doug’s son in his most recent win, for your encouragement…..

As many of you are not doubt aware, the Wausau community has been threatened by an apparent serial arsonist for the past couple of months. With the total of unsolved arson fires now at 17, many area residents have been kept on edge, particularly those in the central east side neighborhoods of Wausau. That is where all three of our homes are located! That means that our staff, and residents, have joined in the added vigilance the community has contributed to the cause of reducing the risk of becoming the newest victim. Unattached garages and storage sheds seem to be the arsonist’s favorite targets. Each of our residences fits the bill! While we keep these facilities secured, the danger is undoubtedly real.

That fact was driven home this past month when our immediate neighbor at Hamilton House became victim number 13. It was our staff member who called 911 around midnight to report a fire in the unattached garage next door, not more than 50 feet from our back door. While the garage and its contents were destroyed, a highly effective Wausau Fire Department was able to restrict the fire to the structure and keep it from spreading to several other buildings very close by, including our house.
The fire certainly created some added excitement we could have done without. Like everyone else, we’re all hoping for resolution of this mystery soon.

On a positive note, this experience of having a fire strike so close gave us the opportunity to drive home the real dangers created by fire. We regularly have fire drills at all our houses, but this true life experience adds a level of realism of what we hope to avoid. It also gives meaning to the importance we place on the regular checks of fire extinguishers, as well as other precautionary steps. Here Mark helps Carl do the regular extinguisher check.



We leave you this month with a couple of thoughtful observations:

                        Half our time is spent trying to find something to do
                        with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.
                                                                                      Will Rogers

                        Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them.
                                                                                        Dion Boucicault