An electronic newsletter from your friends at NYFS Preparing youth & families for healthy lives
www.nyfs.org	June 2007

Toro Volunteers Help NYFS Seniors

Nearly 20 volunteers from Toro volunteered their time, talent and a lot of machinery to help out members of NYFS Senior Chore Program living in Mounds View.

“They brought every kind of yard equipment you can think of,” said grateful Senior Chore Coordinator Debbie Peterson. As a result, two elderly residents had their garden tilled, their lawn mowed and their hedge trimmed. All of the volunteers working in one of the resident’s yard created quite a bit of curiosity among her neighbors who came over to see what was going on.

This is a great example of a community minded organization like Toro encouraging their employees to make a difference in their community by allowing them to take time off work to volunteer. Not only did the volunteers feel good about helping others, they enjoyed working as a team to get the job done. NYFS thanks Toro and their employees for the enthusiastic effort.

NYFS Counselor Offers ADHD Advice to Medtronic Employees

NYFS Mental Health Counselor Vicki Bailar-Holmin recently spoke with Medtronic employees about the diagnosis and treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). While Bailar-Holmin spoke directly to about 30 Medtronic employees, the presentation was also web cast to all employees at multiple work sites.

“I went over the symptoms of ADHD in its many forms and spoke about the importance of having a professional trained in assessing ADHD do the evaluation,” Bailar-Holmin said.

ADHD affects 3 to 5 percent of children, meaning that there may be up to 2 million children in the US suffering from the disorder. Symptoms can include an inability to stay on task, difficulty in organizing tasks and activities, forgetfulness, inability to sit still and poor impulse control.

NYFS mental health counselors see over 700 clients in our Counseling Center every year. About 500 clients are youth age 18 and under. A significant portion are struggling with ADHD and issues related to the disorder. In addition to offering individual and family-based therapy, NYFS works closely with area school districts to help students with ADHD succeed in school. Bailar-Holmin also leads educational groups on parenting children with ADHD. Many of these services are offered on a sliding-fee or free basis to our low-income clients.

For more information about ADHD or mental health services at NYFS, or to ask about scheduling a presentation, call 651-486-3808.

PJW Automotive Helps NYFS Client Find Reliable Car

Access to reliable, affordable transportation is a critical need for many of our low-income clients. Without it, finding and keeping a job, getting to doctors appointments and just plain getting around can be a time-consuming, sometimes impossible task.

“My client is a single mom with three kids and she needed a car so she could get back and forth to work,” said Janet Larsen, NYFS Community Social Worker. Currently there aren’t enough bus routes to fully serve the suburbs and relying on taxicabs for transportation is too expensive.

Luckily, another NYFS employee thought she had found a way to help out the client. “When a friend of mine mentioned that he was thinking about donating a car to a local charity, I decided to check with Janet and see if we had any clients that were in need of a car,” said NYFS Development Specialist Sandra Bahr.

Larsen was happy to match the donated car with her client. The car was brought to Pat Whelan at PJW Automotive in New Brighton. He offered to look it over but unfortunately he had bad news. “He stated that the vehicle was not fit for driving, that in fact it was dangerous and too expensive to repair,” Larsen said.

But Pat also had a solution to their problem. “He had a car out back of his shop that one of his patrons had donated,” Larsen said. “Pat said he would make the repairs on the car and trade the first vehicle for the car to my client for free. In the end Pat donated $1,000 worth of repairs and man hours on this car for my client. Pat was a tremendous help."

Today, Larsen’s client has a reliable car and her burden is eased significantly. Thanks for the efforts of Pat Whelan at PJW Automobile.

NYFS’ Penny Pinchers Thrift Store Honored by Local Newspaper

Readers of the Bulletin newspaper have awarded Penny Pinchers Thrift Store with the Reader’s Choice Award for “Best Place to Find Antiques and Collectibles.” This is the first time the store has been honored with the award.

Each year, readers of the Bulletin are asked to submit their votes for their favorite places, stores and amenities. NYFS would like to thank everyone who took the time to vote-we appreciate your strong support!

Penny Pinchers Thrift Store is located in the Mounds View Square Mall on County Road 10 in Mounds View. For more information about the store call 763-783-3626.

Not too Early to Donate to the Taste of Northwest Silent Auction

The Taste of Northwest: A Restaurant Extravaganza Benefiting Northwest Youth & Family Services isn’t until Sept. 27, but staff and volunteers are already hard at work on the event.

We are currently looking for original artwork, sports memorabilia, weekend getaways, fitness memberships, golf outings and sports equipment for our silent auction. Creativity is encouraged.

If you are interested in donating an item, please contact Sandra Bahr at 651-379-3422 or email sandra@nyfs.org.

NYFS Offers Support to Youth At Risk of Committing Suicide

NYFS Mental Health Therapist Vicki Bailar-Holmin recently attended a series of presentations given at North High School in North St. Paul by the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program of Minnesota.

“It was very cool to be a part of the community responding to the teens at this high school and being able to help reassure them that the adults and professionals cared about them,” she said. Bailar-Holmin came at the request from Mary Sue Hansen, Executive Director of the Suburban Ramsey Family Collaborative.

The Yellow Ribbon Group is an international organization dedicated to reducing the number of suicides. It was started by Dale and Dar Emme after their son Mike committed suicide. Rather than be consumed by their grief, the parents started the non-profit organization which gives suicide awareness and prevention presentations across the country and in Canada and Australia. The group also distributes yellow ribbon cards which youth can carry with them and give to a trusted adult if they feel they are in danger of harming themselves. The cards give instructions on how the adult can help keep the youth out of immediate danger and get them to safety.

After the presentation at North High, Bailar-Holmin was available to speak with kids, assess needs and make appropriate referrals. “There were several kids after each session that were in need,” Bailar-Holmin said. She personally met with three youth.  

In Minnesota, suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth age 10-14. It is the second leading cause of death for persons age 15-44.  For more information about the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program of Minnesota, check out their web site at www.yellowribbonmn.org. 

A Note of Thanks From Kay Andrews, NYFS Executive Director

You did it again!

Thank you so much for making our fourth annual NYFS Leadership Luncheon: Investing in Youth for the Benefit of All, a huge success. Because of the generous donations from over 300 attendees and sponsors from our community, we raised over $33,000 to support youth and families living in the northern suburbs.

These much needed funds helped offset the reductions in social service spending made at the state legislature over the last few years. Money raised through this event will support mental health counseling services for adolescents, juvenile delinquency prevention programs, employment programs for at risk youth, parent education groups, day treatment programs and many other services.

Again to all our supporters, we say a heartfelt thank you. We would especially like to thank the Roseville office of Community Resource Bank, Anchor Bank of Arden Hills and the Pioneer Press for continuing their leading sponsorship of the event. A special note of thanks goes to Cyndi Lesher, president and CEO of Northern States Power Company-Minnesota, for donating her time to speak at the event.

Kay Andrews, Executive Director
Northwest Youth & Family Services

Bremer Bank Continues Donation Drive

A request for a one-time donation from Bremer Bank in Arden Hills has grown into a long-term partnership with NYFS. Bank Manager Gary Erickson was originally contacted by Penny Pinchers Donations Coordinator Waid Johnson about the possibility of holding a donation drive in the month of April at Bremer Bank. In addition donations from bank staff, tellers said they would make sure customers were aware of the donation drive and would be able to contribute. Erickson agreed to the donation drive and added that he would like to make the donation a regular part of Bremer’s commitment to the community by keeping the Penny Pinchers donation bin year round.

“This is part of the deal-this is what it means to be a bank in the community,” he said. Erickson added that the bank also maintains a donation bin for the Ralph Reeder Food Shelf in New Brighton.  

If you are interested in making a donation to Penny Pinchers, you can drop off items at Bremer Bank-Arden Hills located at 4061 Lexington Avenue North, Penny Pinchers Thrift Store in the Mounds View Square Mall or at NYFS offices at 3490 Lexington Avenue in Shoreview. Please make drop off donations during regular business hours. For more information, contact Penny Pinchers Thrift Store at 763-783-3626. 

Every Day is Father’s Day

Father’s Day may be over, but the joys, pains and just plain hard work of being a good dad is a job that lasts a lifetime.

According to the National Fatherhood Initiative, the closer a child is to their father the less likely they are to engage in delinquent behavior, smoke, drink or take drugs. Just the presence of a loving, stable father is powerful. To learn more about the positive influence dads have on their kids and how you can become an even more powerful influence on your children click on this link to the National Fatherhood Initiative at www.fatherhood.org.

Contact  Information

Main number: 651-486-3808
Fax: 651-486-3858
Penny Pinchers Thrift Store: 763-783-3626

Kay Andrews, Executive Director: 651-379-3401 kay@nyfs.org
Jerry Hromatka, Associate Director: 651-379-3404 jerry@nyfs.org
Fran Smith, Business Manager: 651-379-3402 fran@nyfs.org
Rachel Cain, Mental Health Services Manager:651-379-3403 rachel@nyfs.org
Jill Buckingham, NETS Manager: 651-379-3405 jill@nyfs.org
Tim Gusk, Community Services Manager: 651-379-3406 tim@nyfs.org

3490 Lexington Avenue North, Suite 205     Shoreview, MN 55126
Tel: 651-486-3808  -  Fax: 651-486-3858
Copyright NYFS 2007
All rights reserved