Exploring options

As a bachelors level social work student I find myself constantly trying to determine which population I would like to work with after I graduate. I then find myself questioning ways to enhance that populations lifestyle. So far I have experienced work with individuals with developmental disabilities, children, addictions, and domestic courts. Although these are only a few, one would think.. what about the elderly?? I recently job shadowed a case manager in a smaller hospital to expand my knowledge on assisting the elderly population. It's amazing how much the elderly population need assistance from a case manager. Many elderly individuals are eligible for medicaid and medicare, which turns out is the case managers duty to determine whether or not they have the assistance. I know I said I would focus on the elderly population, but I was amazed at the case management work at this hospital. This specific kind of case management works on every floor in the hospital. (medSurg, psychiatric and mental illness, ER, ICU etc.) while combining medical terminology and communicating between their providers/ home health care. I learned a lot from the 8 hours I spent at the hospital with the case manager. The purpose of this post is to let it be known, that it is okay to explore options. If you are unfamiliar with a population, place, line of work, etc. then explore it. I am now working towards doing my practicum in the fall at this location. Curiosity can lead to great things! :)

Empowering Women Who Empower Me

I have the pleasure to work as a case manager at a women’s treatment facility for substance abuse. I meet women who have overcome multiple challenges in their lives. Some of these women amaze me that they are still alive and thriving after all they have experienced. These women have lost loved ones, lived on the streets, done jail and prison time, experienced domestic violence, and gotten up just to hit rock bottom again. Despite these hardships, they get up everyday with an attitude that today is the day to make a difference. Clients range in different races, backgrounds, and challenges in their life, but they all come together for a common cause in their recovery.

When answering questions for a student regarding resiliency in our clients it occurred to me: my job is to empower these women, but I go home everyday finding that they have empowered me. I learn so much about life from these women. They teach me everyday how to forgive, how to heal, how to overcome hardships, even other skills like new recipes or trying a new activity. I’ve created a new challenge for myself to think of one thing I learned each day, no matter how hard of a day it was. Sure, the job is not all daisies and rainbows, but overall I have learned that I am blessed to have the privilege to empower women who have not lost hope, which gives me more hope than I could ever have imagined. On the days when I feel like complaining, I think of the hardships these women have faced and how far they have come. As a prospective social worker, I hold onto that hope everyday, and it reminds me why I wanted to be in social services. I’ve always wanted to make a change and provide hope is an irreplaceable feeling, and I look forward to many more years in the field.

Kaitlin K.

IU School of Social Work

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and we hope that you can help us celebrate!

The mission of the Early Intervention and Prevention Initiative (EIP) is to eliminate child abuse, child neglect, and juvenile delinquency in Marion County through comprehensive community efforts that coordinate, build capacity, and advocate for high-quality early intervention and prevention services.

What the EIP Initiative is doing to end child abuse in Marion County:

Co-location of Services Project

• Promoting healthy children, families, and communities by locating several organizations in one building to create a “one stop shop.”

Stewards of Children

• Training 700 adults in 2012 to prevent child sexual abuse.

Race for Resources

• Hosting an annual networking event that connects 150 human services professionals with each other to better serve families.

Advocacy

• Engaging policy makers and community leaders about the importance of prevention.

Child abuse is preventable. By putting protective factors around a family, we can reduce the risk. By supporting the EIP Initiative, YOU can make a difference.

Your $30 financial contribution will be used to support the crucial work of the Early Intervention and Prevention Initiative, the only entity charged with coordinating and building the capacity of EIP service providers in Indianapolis.

We thank you for your consideration and welcome the opportunity to tell you more about our work.

Click here to make a secure online donation.

MCCOY Legislative Update

Voices for America’s Children, the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations, last week released an updated report tracking questions about child policy – like

K-12 education, child health, child safety, and child poverty – raised in the first 20 presidential debates. The new edition examines each of the transcripts of the Republican presidential debates beginning with Greenville, South Carolina, on May 5, 2011, and ending in Mesa, Arizona on February 22, 2012.

“While children represent 24 percent of the population and 100 percent of our future, questions about their future constituted less than 2 percent of all questions raised in those debates,” said Bill Bentley, president and CEO of Voices for America’s Children. “America’s more than 74 million children can’t vote, but they should be heard, especially in a time of widespread hardship for families.”

The report, “Election 2012 Debate Watch Update: Moving America’s Children Into the Spotlight,” shows that candidates at the 20 Republican Party presidential debates fielded more than 1,000 questions on national security, the economy, immigration, social security, the federal deficit, and other issues, yet only 17 questions on K-12 education, child health, welfare and poverty. No questions were fielded on child protection, early childhood education, or children with disabilities.

The report also cited Kids Share, a study by Brookings and the Urban Institute, which shows that the federal government spends $374 billion annually for child health, safety, nutrition, education, and economic security programs, about one-third of all federal, state, and local public investments in children’s programs.

Members of Voices for America’s Children have signed a resolution calling for increased attention to children’s issues, which will be submitted to presidential candidates and candidates for Congress through member organizations and their policy coalitions.

Read the original report here: http://voices.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Moving-Americas-Children-Into-the-Spotlight-report-120511.pdf.

Kim Rompala - April Everyday Champion

Congratulations to Kim Rompala from Password Mentoring: MCCOY's Everyday Champion for the month of April!

What is your profession or vocation?

I am currently serving as the Senior Clinical Manager at PassWord Community Mentoring. I moved to Indianapolis from Chicago in 2005 after receiving my M.A. in Clinical Psychology and began working at PassWord, where I served as school-based Mentor. During my time at PassWord I have served in several roles providing supervision and clinical support for school-based and community-based services with youth. 

How are you an Everyday Champion for Youth?

Every day I support the mission of transforming communities by empowering kids in crisis to access their potential, one step at a time. I provide clinical supervision, training, and support to PassWord staff who are on the front line serving youth with significant social-emotional, behavioral, and academic challenges. I also consult with school staff, parents, and other youth providers to ensure that every youth has their individualized needs met. In addition I work with families to help them learn parenting strategies, develop behavior plans, and advocate for their children’s needs. During the summer months I serve as one of the program managers, developing and leading the PassWord Summer Academy. The PassWord Summer Academy serves youth who are typically not successful in summer camps and other community-based activities. 

What impact do you hope to make on youth?

My hope is that all youth learn that they can be successful. By helping youth develop their strengths and gain confidence in their abilities I hope to set them on the path for success.  I hope every youth I work with gains the skills they need to succeed at school, at home, and in their community. I treat every contact I have with a youth, a parent, or a teacher as if it might be my last chance to make a difference in their life. By being intentional in what I do I hope to never waste an opportunity.  

What’s one thing that you wish an adult had told you when you were a young person?

I was frequently told that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to, but I wish people had let me know that I was capable of much more than I could ever think possible. Too often young people do not set goals or set their goals too low. It is our responsibility as adults to help youth dream big and learn about the world outside of their neighborhood. 

What do you want to do next to support youth?

This summer I will again support the PassWord Summer Academy. We provide a safe, structured setting for youth to grow and develop.  Our goal this summer is to expose youth to new experiences to help them learn about the city they live in. In addition I will continue to serve as an advocate for youth by working with families, school staff, and other providers to meet the needs of youth. 

Do you work directly with youth?

Yes, especially during the summer when I am onsite at the Summer Academy. I also work with families, school staff, and providers throughout the year to support youth.

What percentage of your time is spent working directly the youth or families?

40%-50%

A Different Kind of Madness of March

We are in the midst of March Madness but a lesser known craze goes on at the same point this year. Basketball is still a part of it but its played a little differently. Winning is still important but it isn’t everything. Fouls, traveling, and double dribbling are all optional in their game. I am referring to that of Special Olympics. I have been apart of Special Olympics for over 5 years. It is one of my favorite events of the year.

I have been involved in everything from track and field, bowling, and basketball. It has been a fantastic experience and I have made an impact and been impacted by so many individuals. My favorite experience has been that of coaching a basketball team. I am a very competitive person but this team had no real chance of competing. We had two main goals and that was to have fun and to maybe get a bit better on the way. There are two stories that show the development and excitement of Special Olympics and why I love it.

We were playing one of our first games of the year and we have a man named Joe our team who always found himself on the wrong side of the court. Normally I have to yell at him on every possession to go on defense and then back on offense. While we were down there playing Joe took off on a dead sprint and I was excited to see him actually going in the right direction. He actually beat the ball down on offense, which was a rarity. Then he took a 90-degree right turn and continued his sprint but this time it was into the bathroom. I stood there frozen and had no idea what to do but laugh. I had to call a time out and gather our team and put in a sub to take his place. My team heads back out on the court and starts playing. A couple minutes have gone by and I started to worry about how things were going in the bathroom. Then like Joe hadn’t missed a beat, he sprints back onto the court, arms pumping at full speed, and heads back onto defense. Now I have to start sprinting after him because we already have five guys on the court. I finally get him off the court and pull him aside and ask him if everything is okay. He just smiles back and says, “Yup, just had to pee.” There is nothing you can do but laugh and try to explain to him that he needs to tell you when he has to go to the bathroom.

Later in the season, Joe had yet to touch the ball on offense so we decided to set up a play for him to at least get him the ball once. I had no expectation that he would actually get the ball let alone be able to do anything with it. We get the guy in position on offense and clear the rest of our team to the other side of the court in hopes that the defense would follow, which they did. Our guard brings the ball down and he made a perfectly, soft pass. For the first time this year, this man actually caught the ball. I was beyond ecstatic. This was a huge accomplishment for him! Then Joe turned around and faced the basket. He held the ball with two hands and brought it behind his head as if he was getting ready to throw the ball as hard as he could at the rim. That is exactly what happened and it skimmed the front of the rim and went well above the backboard and at this point I began to think that the ball has a chance of actually going in. Then it landed on the rim and bounced in. I have never jumped so high in my life and never felt a rush of pure joy. For that moment, when he lifted his arms above his head and ran all the way down the court it seemed as if time stood still and we had a reason to celebrate something so small, yet something that meant so much.

In conclusion, the reason that I am telling you these stories is if you are looking for an opportunity where you can help change someone’s life and get yours changed as well. You need to go out and volunteer for Special Olympics. They are always looking for volunteers to either coach or help. Being knowledgeable isn’t of that much importance but being willing to spend time with these individuals is what matters. Just find a way to get involved with Special Olympics and support individuals like Joe.

Lynhurst Baptist Helps the Community

I am very blessed to be a part of Lynhurst Baptist Church. Lynhurst gives many people the opportunity to get back on their feet during tough times. Our church has a community center that offers a variety of programs to help people in the community when they are in need.

Restoring Lives West is a program that helps young teens who are homeless receive help in getting a job, finding a place to stay, and receiving food and clothing until they can provide for themselves. Another program that is also at the community center is the after school program that allows parents to send their children to low cost childcare after regular school hours, while they attend they receive help on their homework and have the opportunity to grow as a human being and a student. In the community center there is a resale shop that many people donate clothing, housewares, furniture, and electronics to. Every second Saturday of the month there is a sale and everything is .25, this sale helps out the community by allowing them to get gently used items for a low cost and raises money for our church.

Grocery stores around the community will give the community center food when they no longer can sell it and the community center gives it all away for free to those in need. There is also a shower at the center that they will allow homeless people to use to clean up, when they have no one else to turn to they come here.

This community center does a lot of great things for the community and for the people who volunteer there. I volunteered there a number of times and donated many items to the resale shop and it is very rewarding to know you are making someone's life better and the community a better place. This church is open to serving anyone who needs help and feels very blessed to be able to help people when they are in need.

I am attaching the link to the church and community center, if you know anyone who can utilize this please pass it along :)

http://www.lynhurstbaptist.org/