Day of Service by IBM Employees Helps the Family Partnership Center

As part of IBM's Celebration of Service, designed to allow employees, retirees, clients and business partners to donate their time and expertise during the company's Centennial year, 300,000 IBMers around the world-- close to three quarters of its global workforce- are volunteering in more than 5,000 projects in 120 countries, meeting civic and societal challenges and serving millions in need.

Today, over 50 IBMers are volunteering their time and services to help spruce up the Family Partnership Center!  We are so pleased and grateful for IBM's support!

Revving up the power tools!

Painting the auditorium

Working on an Annex walkway.

Freshening up the front of the Family Partnership Center.

The IBM team sprucing up the Annex backyard!

 Representing FSI at the IBM Kick-Off event: (l-r) Dave Sollenberger,
Jean Calyer, Susan West, Hope Shoemaker, John Festa

Join Us for a Black History Month Celebration

This event is being brought to our community by Real Skills Network, a positive youth development program run by Tree Arrington, a Family Services Board member.

 

Celebrating Black History Month

Saturday, February 26th  12:00pm - 5:00pm

Lateef Islam Auditorium  Family Partnership Center   

29 N. Hamilton Street  Poughkeepsie, NY 

Featuring:

• Professional Lectures on Black Studies
• Traditional African Dances & Drumming by J&G Consultants
• A one woman theatrical production by Carolyn Evans called "Harriet Tubman"
• Dances by M*Power Cultural Dance & Fitness
• FREE Southern African Cuisine
• Community Discussion led by Michael Gee
• A Showcase of Talent
• Youth Tribute to African American History: Readings by Project Thunder Youth & other local youth
• Spoken Word by Gold
• Interactive Capoeira Workshop with Graduado Azulao

Standing on the Shoulders of Greatness

Come Thank These Great Volunteers, Feb. 17, 4-5:30, Family Partnership Center

Sue West, President

From Sue West’s Desk

If you live in the Hudson Valley, I’d like you to join me on February 17 when Family Services will be honoring the volunteers who give of their time and talents to make it possible for people in the Valley to help themselves manage some of the toughest problems families have to face.

Every year we hold a reception to say thank you to Family Services’ volunteers. In addition, our employees nominate two volunteers to honor for outstanding service to the community. This year we honor Sarah Beaumont and Dennis Dean.

Volunteering comes from the heart, from the passion a person feels for some issue or the compassion they have for people in need.

Sarah’s passion is helping victims of domestic violence. For four years, starting as an intern, she has volunteered on the hotline, counseled victims, advocated for their rights, educated legislators, provided childcare so mothers attend the Battered Women’s support group, participated in teen dating violence prevention education for middle and high school students, and helped to train new volunteers.  And, that doesn’t count adopting a family at Christmas.

In addition to her time and energy, Sarah brings a special understanding and knowledge of working with women and children with disabilities. She has done all this while finishing college, establishing herself as a young graduate, and starting a career.

Dennis’s passion is Poughkeepsie’s adolescents – providing them not only safety, hot food, and recreation at TRAC every day, but nurturing and mentoring them so that they can learn to be good citizens and parents in the future. You may know Dennis as a TRAC employee, but his commitment far exceeds a paid gig. When funding for TRAC evaporates, as it did last October, Dennis volunteers. As he pointed out, if we closed TRAC’s doors, we would never get them open again. He made the commitment to keep the center functioning with the same high standards established with a paid staff.

I’d like you to join me in thanking Sarah and Dennis and the many other volunteers they represent. They are helping all of us as we cope with crises, challenges, and growing pains. I hope to see you there.

Family Services Volunteer Appreciation Reception

February 17, 2011 (Snow date: 1/24)

4:00 to 5:30 pm

Family Partnership Center Cafeteria

29 North Hamilton Street

Poughkeepsie

No RSVP required

OASAS Training - Working with Criminal Justice Clients - Feb. 3 &4

Workforce Development - OASAS Training: "Free OASAS-Sponsored Regional Trainings

The Family Partnership Center will be the site of a free two-day OASAS training for substance abuse treatment professionals.

Who Should Attend:

Professionals providing direct care in a substance abuse treatment setting, including clinical supervisory staff.
Professionals providing direct care in a criminal justice setting through drug courts, probation, or parole, including supervisory staff.

The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services’ (OASAS) Criminal Justice Unit will conduct a 12-hour training entitled “Working with Criminal Justice Clients” on January 18-19, 2011 at Johnson City Learning Center/BOCES, 500 Main Street, Johnson City, NY 13790, and on February 3-4, 2011 at Poughkeepsie Family Partnership Center, 29 North Hamilton Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.

Training hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. This seminar will cover Criminal Thinking from the perspectives of Cognitive-Behavioral therapies and the parallels between the thinking distortions that support addictive behavior and the thinking distortions that support criminality.

This training meets established standards for 12 hours of Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC Section 2), and Credentialed Prevention Professional/Credentialed Prevention Specialist (CPP/CPS Section 1) education and training. Participants are required to attend the full 12 hours of training to receive a certificate of completion. There will be no tuition charge for this training."

For more details and the application form click here.

Hudson Valley Press Online Features the Family Partnership Center and REAL

Everyone likes to be the focus of good news and yesterday was a banner day for the Family Partnership Center and our partners! The Hudson Valley Press Online published two good-news articles that involve the Center.

The Wizards of Poughkeepsie cast on stage

The first highlighted the play "Wizards of Poughkeepsie" performed by youngsters in the Relationship Empowerment Affirmation Leadership (R.E.A.L.) Skills Network at the Family Partnership Center.  Over 800 elementary school children attended the December play which put a hip-hop spin on the Wiz to underscore the importance of college. You can read about the play and the other great programs R.E.A.L. offers here.

The second article identified the range of services available through agencies located in the Partnership Center.  From health care to teen parenting, battered women's services to literacy you can find what you need in a safe, convenient neighborhood center. You can read that article here.