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National Social Worker Month: Micaela Itter Interview

Posted on March 16, 2018 at 4:32 pm.

At the Board of Child Care, there are many departments that come together to provide the care you the youth. For National Social Worker Month, our Social Workers were interviewed to give us a better understanding of their role in their current position, as well as who they are as individuals. The following interview represents Ms. Micaela Itter

How long have you been for working at the Board of Child Care?

I was an Intern for 1 year, Child Care Worker for 1 year, and now I am a social worker for almost 7 months.

Favorite memory while at the Board of Child Care?

When a resident gave me a chicken for Christmas

We all have the same goal but achieve it differently. How are you working to fulfill this mission statement?

Promoting unification whenever possible

What is your greatest strength in one word?

Advocating for the youth that I serve

How do you display said strength while working?

Collaborating with all parties of treatment to ensure that all need are met and making sure that youth have the opportunity to display improvement.

Can you help us understand why you chose to include the image below?

The single most memorable day of my life was spent with Rebecca, Trina and Chloe. It was my first time in NYC and I will be forever grateful for our fearless leader and chaperone.

To read more about my fabulous trip to NYC click here!

#MyGivingStory

National Social Worker Month: Alex Glover Interview

Posted on March 16, 2018 at 3:47 pm.

How long have you been for working BCC?

In June 2018, it will be 7 years.

Favorite memory while working for the Board of Child Care?

One of my favorite memories was when one of our long-term residents returned to go to Strawbridge. He was so excited to see me that he started running as fast as he could to me. When he got to me he leaped off the sidewalk on top of me to try to give me a hug. He was going so fast that he lost his balance, fell backward and pulled me down with him. He was going to hit his head on the cement, so my reaction was to quickly put my hand behind his head to protect it, in doing so my wrist skid across the ground. To this day, I still have a scar that when I look down at it, it always reminds me of that youth. While it hurt at the moment, it brings a smile to my face knowing that I was able to build such a positive relationship with him and his family

We all have the same goal but achieve it differently. How are you working to fulfill this mission statement?

My role is to support all of the talent in the upper campus program. A huge part of my support is to ensure that the staff work with the mindset of helping both the youth and their families with their needs. “We are not only here for the youth while they are in care but, we are here to forge a path in which they will succeed in the future,” says Glover. “Our job is not done if they can only do better here.” I also like to have direct relationships with families so they know they have someone they can go to as a resource.

What is your greatest strength in one word?

As a social worker, we wear many hats. The one that resonates the most with me is an advocate.The ability to channel my passion for our youth to serve them productively in their best interest

How do you display said strength while working?

We often have to work with interdisciplinary teams and departments. Many of us come from different educational backgrounds and specialties. It is our job as social workers to bring our knowledge base to help educate and Inform agency decisions that make sense for our youth

Empathy

Posted on March 15, 2018 at 5:31 pm.

It is important to remember that feeling empathy and compassion for others and our selves leads to action if we are to have an impact.

I offer this prayer from a Native American tradition:

Oh, Great Spirit,
Help me to remain calm and strong
in the face of all that comes toward me.
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden
in every leaf and rock.
Help me seek pure thoughts and act
with the intention of helping others.
Help me find compassion
without empathy overwhelming me.
-Great Spirit Prayer

We hold you in our prayers and compassionate intentions.
On behalf of the Spiritual Life Team
-Stacey

Halfway to 40

Posted on March 15, 2018 at 3:23 pm.

You are halfway to the goal of 40 days of positive actions and thoughts. Keep up the great effort!

This past Sunday I preached at my home church and shared about our 40 day effort in living with a commitment to positive actions and thoughts. I am learning so much myself each day and I appreciate each one of you who have taken the pledge of positivity.

From the Christian tradition, I would like to share a portion of the scripture lesson we used on Sunday in worship:

If anything is excellent and
if anything is admirable,
focus your thoughts on these things:
all that is true,
all that is holy,
all that is just,
all that is pure,
all that is lovely,
and all that is worthy of praise.
Practice these things …
The God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:8-9, Common English Bible

I am grateful that we have today – another opportunity for kindness and for positive actions and thoughts embodying our core values of safety and integrity. More to come …

Peace to you this day as you strive to be kind to yourself and kind to others
-Stacey

Be Honest

Posted on March 15, 2018 at 3:15 pm.

As we close out our week with an emphasis on our second BCC core value, integrity, I would like to share a prayer attributed to the Cherokee tradition:

Oh, Great Spirit,
Help me always to speak the truth quietly,

to listen with an open mind when others speak,
and to remember the peace that may be found in silence.

Continue to be kind to yourself and to others. These 40 days are going by quickly. I encourage us all to be intentional each day to make positive actions and positive thoughts our way of living and being.
May a sense of God’s peace be with you and may we share it with one another.
Rev. Stacey

College Bound

Posted on March 15, 2018 at 3:02 pm.

Our case management team is constantly working to seek resources for our youth. Our case managers hosted a college fair that provided useful information to our youth about college clubs, scholarships, financial aid, and admissions. Youth received giveaways and other useful information that can guide them in college choices. After the event, youth contemplated on which college they want to go to. This summer, our youth will have the opportunity to tour various college campuses in order to experience what college life is like. – Blog Post written by Nick, BCC’s Development Intern

Core Value Award Winner: Breana Gretsky!

Posted on March 7, 2018 at 5:33 pm.

IMPACT drives lasting change

We seek to make lasting change in the lives of those we work with by providing services that are durable, measurable, and sustainable. We will maximize our impact by investing in staff and board development. Feedback gathered from our entire community will enhance and strengthen our programs and their outcomes.

Breana Gretsky is an exceptional teacher at the Strawbridge School. She has been a role model for her peers and has learned to create a trauma-informed classroom environment that enables our youth to thrive. Breana recently received a new student that was having a hard time transitioning into the program. Breana’s eagerness to provide the appropriate trauma-informed support played a significant role in stabilizing the youth and encouraging more positive behaviors. She understands the needs of our youth and her passion for education has allowed her to help elevate the elementary school program to a new level of expertise.

Breana, we are proud to have a teacher that is focused on making sure that our youth receive the proper support to be successful in their school environment. These daily interactions make a difference in the lives of our students here at BCC. Breana, we appreciate your hard work. Congratulations and thank you for striving to make an impact at BCC!

Congratulations Breana Gretsky! Thank you for being BCC’s exemplary ambassador of our core value: Impact!

Core Value Award Winner: Jessica Weeg!

Posted on March 7, 2018 at 5:28 pm.

Act with INTEGRITY

Openness and honesty with all stakeholders make for both the best program outcomes and team culture. We, as an organization, must build trust with our program participants by being thoughtful, transparent, and committed to our decisions and promises.

Jessica Weeg is the Clinical Supervisor at our Outpatient Mental Health Center in Pasadena. Due to her clinical focus, her assistance has been needed as we move forward with designing our EHR program. Over the last few months, the review process has greatly increased its need for dedicated time. Jessica has been more than willing to be an integral part of the review process. Even with having a clinic to run and clients to see, she continues to make time to fit in multiple EHR meetings throughout the week and while keeping a positive attitude regardless of how many trials may arise within the process. Jessica has also put in time while at home to review documents to help the EHR team meet deadlines and she continues to offer valuable feedback to ensure the final product will fit the program’s needs.

Jessica, I understand that this is a huge project that takes a lot of work. I appreciate your support and contributions in helping move this forward. Congratulations!

Congratulations Jessica Weeg! Thank you for being BCC’s exemplary ambassador of our core value: Integrity!

Core Value Award Winner: Tayler Baker

Posted on March 7, 2018 at 5:25 pm.

Listen and respond with EMPATHY

Empathy will guide our programming and culture at all levels. A supportive work and program environment means possessing a desire to know and understand others. We recognize that with empathy we will better understand what type of care and encouragement to provide.

Tayler Baker is a therapist at our Falling Waters campus. She works very closely with many of our youth and has shown herself to be a supportive role in their lives. Recently, a youth was struggling to cope after receiving news that his grandmother, who happens to be his closest relative, was in the hospital with rapidly failing health. Tayler made herself emotionally available to help the youth process and she immediately tried to figure out a solution that would allow the youth to be transported to the hospital that was 6 hours away to visit. Unfortunately, the youth was not able to make it time before their grandmother passed. However, Tayler rearranged her schedule to take him to an overnight visit with his grandmother’s fiancé. This allowed the youth to share a moment with his family and have some closure with his grandmother’s death.

Tayler, your willingness to put the youth and his needs first during this time is appreciated. Thank you for showing empathy and being attuned to the needs of our youth. Congratulations!

Congratulations Tayler Baker! Thank you for being BCC’s exemplary ambassador of our core value: Empathy!

Core Value Award Winner: Jessica Cole

Posted on March 7, 2018 at 5:23 pm.

SAFETY as a mindset

We value life, spirit, and health above all else and take action to maintain the safety of our workplaces, programs, and services. We are personally accountable for our own safety and collectively responsible for the safety of our community.

At BCC, we care about our kids and are always willing to go above and beyond to make sure that they are safe and feel safe. Recently in our Falling Waters location, a youth left campus without supervision for over five days and per BCC policy had to be discharged. Jessica Cole, one of our care team coordinators at our Falling Waters campus was worried about the youth being missing for this extended period, so she decided to continue searching for the youth during her personal time to make sure they were in a safe place. Jessica followed leads given by the youth’s peers and with some amazing detective work, she put clues together to get an idea of where the youth may have been located. After completing her own investigation, she informed the local Sheriff’s office of all the leads she had, which contributed to their success in finding the youth.

It is always a wonderful thing when we can recognize a staff member for doing more than what is necessary for their job. Jessica, all it takes is for the right person to push on an issue to make things happen. I appreciate your dedication to our youth and making sure that they are safe. Congratulations!

Congratulations Jessica Cole! Thank you for being BCC’s exemplary ambassador of our core value: Safety!

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Congratulations Breana Gretsky! Thank you for being BCC’s exemplary ambassador of our core value: Impact!

Congratulations Jessica Weeg! Thank you for being BCC’s exemplary ambassador of our core value: Integrity!

Congratulations Tayler Baker! Thank you for being BCC’s exemplary ambassador of our core value: Empathy!