MFS IN THE NEWS

Index

Ken Jue Earns Honorary PhD at KSC

Ken will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree and address KSC graduates at the College Commencement on Sunday, May 6.

President Helen Giles-Gee will award associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees to the more than 800 graduates who are expected to attend. The event begins at 1 p.m. on Fiske Quad.

Ken is being recognized for his leadership in the field of mental health and his commitment to bringing people and agencies together to serve the people of New Hampshire. He has been member of the Keene community since 1978, when he became director of consultation and education at MFS. He assumed the role of chief executive officer at MFS in 1998.

He is involved in many of the College's community outreach initiatives, including the Early College Awareness Project (ECAP), a collaborative program with MFS and the Winchester schools. He is a member of the service-learning advisory committee at KSC and has personally supported service-learning projects by KSC students within his agency.

Ken has served for two terms as a Keene School Board member and chair, has been a tireless advocate for Monadnock United Way for more than 20 years, is an active Rotary Club member and past president, and is a lifetime trustee of the Keene Public Library. He holds a BA, cum laude, from Trinity College and a dual master's degree in social work and management of nonprofit organizations from the School of Applied Social Sciences at Case-Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Click here to view a transcript of the speech

Great News for Cheshire County Students Headed “Back-to-After-School”
Study Shows Students Attending MANY Options After-School Program Are Improving Academically

Keene, NH: As students in Cheshire County get ready for “Back-to-School”, many families are busy setting up plans for what the kids will do after school. When left unsupervised, the hours between 3 and 6 pm are the most dangerous hours for our youth-a time when rates of drug and alcohol use, cigarette use, and crime triple. A study by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time found that children who are isolated and inactive during after-school hours are at significantly higher risk of truancy from school, stress, risk-taking behavior, substance abuse, obesity, and poor academic performance.

Middle School students are particularly vulnerable to adverse changes in academic performance. Researchers at the University of Michigan studied the transition from elementary to middle school and found that, on average, children's grades drop dramatically during the first year of middle school compared to their grades in elementary school.

MANY Options, which is run through Monadnock Family Services, is an Out of School Matters! NH model after-school program for 5th – 9th grade students. Since the program opened its doors in 2001 MANY Options has served over 200 youth from Cheshire County. OSM! NH research shows that if youth participate in quality after-school programs that link to in-school learning, then students’ academic preparedness and achievement will improve. As of 2007, RMC Research Corporation conducted program evaluations for 10 sites statewide, including the MANY Options program. According to teacher surveys and report cards, an astonishing 88% of students attending MANY Options improved in their overall academic performance.

MANY Options not only tracks academic outcomes, but student and parent perceptions as well. “I like the exposure my child gets to different kinds of activities, including being able to help out in the community,” reports one parent. Students value the academic support they receive through tutors at MANY Options. One participant says, “MANY Options is a great place to go after school, I always get help with my homework from the staff, and when I’m done I can play a game.” Another student simply states, “It’s fun here, and I’m not bored!”

In addition to homework help and remediation, the program offers a wide range of programs promoting wellness, academic enrichment, social skill building, and community and family involvement. Examples of these activities include cooking, bowling, swimming, photography, rock wall climbing, theatre and playwriting, cartoon making, gardening, animal care, pottery, dance and more.

MANY Options runs Monday through Friday, 2:30pm – 5:30pm throughout the school year. The program is located at 24 Vernon Street in Keene, which is directly across the street from Keene Middle School. Fall programming beings on Tuesday, September 4th and all students in 5th – 9th grade are welcome to attend. MANY Options is a drop in program, and new participants are encouraged to join at any point. For more information, or to register for the program, please visit www.manyoptions.org or call (603) 355-3040, x108.

MANY Options is an Out of School Matters! NH program, supported by PlusTime NH, Nellie Mae Education Foundation and Cheshire County Incentive Funds. MANY Options is a program of Monadnock Family Services, a Monadnock United Way.

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Grant Monies will Mean Wintertime Fun for Many Options Afterschool Students

KEENE,NH: Many Options is pleased to announce a $1,724 grant from PlusTime NH, in partnership with HNH Foundation. This grant award will go toward physical activity equipment and/or nutrition education supplies for the Many Options after school program.

Many Options is a comprehensive after-school program offering Keene area youths an array of safe and drug-free activities ranging from sports to the arts to academic tutoring.

According to Youth Initiatives Director Linda Rubin, this grant money will go specifically toward funding snow shoes and winter boots for the program.

“The winter months present challenges to keeping kids active. Sledding can be a popular activity, but given that 67 percent of our participant’s families are considered to be low income, participants often don’t have appropriate winter clothing, such as boots,” she explained. “Snowshoes and winter boots will help to provide year round, outdoor programming to our 50 middle school participants each year. They will also help us take advantage of the miles of hiking trails available to us in the Monadnock Region.”

PlusTime NH is a state-wide non-profit organization dedicated to the development and sustainability of NH afterschool programs. More information about PlusTime NH can be viewed at www.plustime.org.

Monadnock Family Services is a program of the Monadnock United Way. For more information on any of our programs and services, call (603) 283-1658.

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Senior Corps & Volunteers Present Governor With Big Money

CONCORD: A check for $7,370,000 representing the value of Senior Corps volunteers’ time and talents in helping state residents over the past year, was presented to Governor Lynch on June 14th at the Statehouse. Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions, and RSVP, (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program) volunteers and staff from all ten counties, and towns were on hand as the Governor acknowledged the contributions of 4,000+ older adult volunteers.

Each year, as part of the Corporation for National and Community Service, almost a half-million Senior Corps volunteers deliver creative solutions to community problems, throughout the country, serving 109 million hours through over 65,000 not-for-profit agencies and municipalities. Volunteers read with students, drive elders to medical appointments, provide respite for caregivers, lead exercise classes, offer behind the scenes office support, teach decision making to inmates, and more! While a dollar value can be assigned to these activities, Tom Brokaw said it best, “It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot harder to make a difference.”

Since the early 1970s, RSVP has been matching people aged 55 and over with flexible service opportunities that fit their skills, interests, experience and schedules. For almost 40 years, Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions have mobilized volunteers, offering income eligible people aged 60 and over a small, tax-free stipend, mileage assistance, and training in exchange for a weekly commitment helping children or elders, respectively.

To volunteer to make a difference as a Senior Corps volunteer, call 352-2088. RSVP is a program of Monadnock Family Services, a program of the Monadnock United Way.

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ActingOut to perform Playback Theatre about Poverty and Youth

ActingOut, a program of the Youth Initiatives Office of Monadnock Family Services, will be presenting a performance of Playback Theatre entitled: Right In Our Backyards: Stories of Poverty and Youth in Monadnock. ActingOut is funded in part by Monadnock United Way. The performance will take place on Friday, June 1st at 8pm at The Community Kitchen in Keene on Mechanic St. and Sunday, June 3rd at 7pm at the Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church in Peterborough on Main St. Both performances will be free and open to the public. This will be a Playback Theatre performance where the members of the audience will be asked to tell stories from their experience about how poverty has been affecting the youth of our area. These stories will then be played back for them by the ActingOut ensemble in a variety of improv theatre formats from the Playback Theatre tradition. The performance will be different each night, depending on the sorts of stories audience members will bring with them that night. The ensemble performing will be comprised of group members from Keene High School, Conant High School, ConVal High School, and Keene State College . For further information, please contact Jodi Clark, ActingOut Coordinator at 603-357-5882

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MANY OPTIONS CAMP ANNOUNCES SUMMER SESSIONS

Keene, NH (April 9, 2007) – The Challenge Program and MANY Options, programs of Monadnock Family Services, announce the expansion of their summer camp for students ages 10-13 (Outdoor Explorers) boys 13-16 (Boy’s Wilderness Adventure).

MANY Options, an after-school activity program offering a range of fun, creative, and supervised activities for students, and the Challenge Program, an outdoor education program, will join forces again this summer. MANY Options Summer Camp will offer an exciting combination of activities including: outdoor games, hiking, swimming, biking, ropes course activities, rock climbing, and field trips to local museums and attractions.

MANY Options Summer Camp will provide opportunities for the students to have fun, build self-esteem, develop life skills, take part in regular physical activity, develop positive peer and adult relationships, and participate in outdoor recreational experiences.

Beginning with the week of July 2nd and ending with the week of July 30th, five one-week camp sessions will be offered. The first four weeks of camp will run Monday through Friday each week from 8:45am to 4:45pm. The fifth week will be a week long overnight wilderness experience for boys ages 13-16.

Sessions 1-4 costs range from $160-$200 per week and session five will cost $325.00. Scholarships are available for qualifying families. For more information or to register for MANY Options Summer Camp, please call 603-355-3040.

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ActingOut Youth Theatre Group to Improv for 24 Hours with Improv-a-thon Fundraiser

ActingOut will be holding their first ever 24 Hour fundraiser event, the 24 Hour Improv-a-thon, at the ActingOut space on 24 Vernon St. in Keene from Friday, April 6th-Saturday, April 7th, 6:30pm-6:30pm. ActingOut is a youth theater prevention program of Monadnock Family Services Youth Initiatives Office and is funded in part by Monadnock United Way. This improv theatre performance event will be open to the public for the total duration of the event. ActingOut group members from improv theater groups at Keene High School, Creating Positive Change’s Club Cannon in Peterborough and Keene State College will all participate in this unique performance event. Each group member will be seeking sponsorships to fund their participation in this event. The money is being raised for ActingOut to be able to purchase equipment for performances and take educational fieldtrips to performances in Boston or New York City. No refreshments will be served for audience members, but all are welcome to bring their own snacks to munch on while watching or to donate to the performers. ActingOut uses improvisational theatre to explore important issues ranging from AIDS awareness, bullying, relationship issues, alcohol and drug abuse, how poverty affects youth and many others.

Contact Jodi Clark at ActingOut for more information: 603-357-5882 or actingout@mfs.org

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ACTINGOUT TO HOST PLAYBACK THEATRE WORKSHOP

ActingOut, a youth theater prevention program of Monadnock Family Services Youth Initiatives Office, is hosting a Playback Theatre Workshop on Saturday, January 13th from 9am-4pm at the ActingOut space at 24 Vernon St. in Keene, NH. The workshop cost to adults is $50 and $25 to undergraduate students. Space is very limited!

Playback Theater is a form of improvisational performance which allows members of the cast and audience to have their stories performed for them. Come join a group of ActingOut students and interested adult performers of all experience levels for a day of introduction to this fun and meaningful form of story sharing/performance. Our workshop will be co-facilitated by Jen Kristel, Artistic Director of the Vermont Playback Theatre Company and Nancy Manning, performer with the Vermont Playback Theatre Company.

Jen Kristel has been doing Playback Theatre for over 15 years. She offers and teaches Playback theatre internationally. She has always loved hearing a good story, and in listening to persons’ personal story, always feels honored, enriched, and touched. For her, Playback is a way of life. Jen is also mother to three teenage boys, artist, and arts based therapist in private practice in Burlington. She loves to travel, play games, and knit.

Nancy Manning is a substance abuse counselor who works with teens. She joined this company in May, 2004. She first experienced Playback Theater while traveling in Australia, and was trained in the form in Oakland, California in 1991. She is also an active member of White River Valley Players in Rochester, Vermont, having performed in Dancing at Lughnasa, The Good Woman of Sezuan, and Chorus of Disapproval.

To find out more about Playback Theater in general, please visit the Vermont Playback Theatre website: http://www.vsavt.org/vermontplaybacktheatre/

Participants in this workshop will learn about several forms of Playback Theatre as well as hone some basic skills needed for Playback Theatre. Specifically we will work on techniques of improvisational theatre more generally including: warming up both physically and creatively, developing group dynamics, being in the moment, allowing your ideas to flow and how to use your voice and body to express your ideas and creativity in a scene.

ActingOut is funded in part by Monadnock United Way.

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Contact Jodi Clark at ActingOut for more information: 603-357-5882

ActingOut Improv Club Presents Open House Performance Night At Club Cannon

ActingOut, a youth theater prevention program of Monadnock Family Services Youth Initiatives Office, will be holding an open house performance event at Club Cannon in Peterborough on Thursday, October 19th. The event will begin at 7pm and continue until 9pm. Refreshments will be provided. Admission is free. The event is designed to allow members of the community to see what types of activities and work ActingOut creates. This is also a chance for any area youth who think they may be interested in joining the group to meet with the coordinator and group members. The Improv Club will be performing an original piece they have created about ConVal High School to illustrate their experiences of what it is like to be a student there and how recent policy changes have affected them. The student performers will also demonstrate various improvisational techniques and games, which audience members will be welcome to join in on. After the performance segments, the student performers and program coordinator, Jodi Clark will be available to answer questions about their work in the group. The sequence of the evening will run twice, with games starting at 7pm and 8pm and the performance piece happening at 7:20pm and 8:20pm. The ActingOut Improv Club at Club Cannon meets every Thursday afternoon from 3pm-4:30pm and is open to any area youth aged 14-20 who has an interest in participating in a dynamic improv theater troupe. The group uses improvisation to explore important issues in their lives ranging from school issues of violence, bullying or intolerance as well as more health oriented issues such as suicide, depression, alcohol and drug abuse, relationship issues, AIDS/HIV awareness and many others. ActingOut is funded in part by Monadnock United Way.

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AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM HAS NEW OFFERINGS; SEEKING ENROLLMENTS AND VOLUNTEERS

Keene, New Hampshire – The Many Options After School program of Monadnock Family Services is pleased to announce the recent receipt of a two year grant from PlusTime, NH for $115,000. The funding will support a new computer lab and many academic enrichments, according to Linda Rubin, Director of the local agency’s Youth Initiatives Office. In addition, the popular Character Counts! program will be implemented during the 06/07 school year utilizing a grant from the Dewing Foundation.

Many Options serves students in grades five through nine and is aimed at cultivating resilience, social skills and healthy development in youth during after school hours. “Many Options is a fun, safe alternative to going home after school; youth are able to enjoy their current interests, develop new ones, and build relationships with each other and caring adults in a structured environment,” says Elizabeth Harding, Many Options’ program coordinator.

The state of the art computer lab will consist of six new PC’s located at the program’s site on Vernon Street and will be available for homework help, research, games, and email. The Character Counts! program will utilize the curriculum’s “Six Pillars of Character”: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship to support youth in becoming individuals of character. Enrichment activities such as cooking club, photography club, art activities, newsletter club, swimming, ropes course, dance, bowling, improvisational theater and more will continue to be offered with many activities tying directly back to NH state math, English/language arts, social studies and science curriculum objectives.

According to the NH After School Learning Study (2005) 61% of students who participated regularly (three or more days/week) in 29 after school programs around the state improved both academically and behaviorally. In addition, 66% of those middle school students participating in after school programs who were identified by teachers as needing to improve their overall academic performance did so. According to other state and national studies, having a safe place to go after school can also deter teens from risky behaviors such as substance abuse and sexual activity.

The Many Options program is located at 24 Vernon Street (directly across from Keene Middle School) and has an entrance on Washington Street. The program runs Monday through Friday from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m and follows the SAU 29 school schedule for vacations, holidays and snow days. The program begins Tuesday, September 5th for the 06/07 school year. An annual membership fee of $280 includes a healthy snack each day. A sliding fee scale is also available for families showing economic need.

For more information about the Many Options program, to register your child, or to learn about volunteer opportunities with the program, please contact Elizabeth Harding at (603) 355-5333.

The Many Options program for the 06/07 year is supported in part by the Monadnock United Way, the Cheshire County Incentive Fund, PlusTime NH, TD Bank North, the Dewing Foundation and the Community Youth Profile program.

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May is National Supervised Visitation Awareness Month!

All R Kids Supervised Visitation Center (ARK) in Keene provides a safe, neutral, child friendly atmosphere to support supervised visits and exchanges between non-custodial parents and their children.

Whether the issue is domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, substance abuse or other safety issues, ARK can provide confidential services to facilitate healthy interactions between family members.

As a way to celebrate this month, many will be wearing an orange ribbon to represent safety and awareness of supervised visitation centers.

Last year ARK and the other members of the Family Visitation & Access Cooperative, a group of 7 New Hampshire visit centers, facilitated almost 8,000 supervised visits and custodial exchanges to 708 NH families! Too many families learn about these services when it’s already too late – wear your orange ribbon and spread the word!

For more information about supervised visitation in Keene, email ARK@mfs.org. Statewide information is located on www.VisitationCoop.org.

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MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES IS ONCE AGAIN CALLING ALL COOKS!

Keene, New Hampshire – Back by popular demand, Monadnock Family Services is pleased to announce its 4th annual Men Who Cook fundraiser, set for this coming Spring. In the planning of this event, MFS is calling all men who cook to volunteer their services on May 19 by offering to make their favorite dishes.

Men Who Cook is a delicious feast prepared by local amateur chefs. Last year, more than 150 men in the community participated and over 400 people were served. This year, the goal is to feed 500 people.

For 100 years, Monadnock Family Services has served the community. Through prevention, education, counseling, mediation and other supports, we help individuals and families lead happy, fulfilling and productive lives. MFS assists those who are struggling with depression or loss and helps families cope with the sometimes difficult challenges of growing children or aging parents.

To help out by volunteering to cook, please contact Jillian Pecor, Development Administrative Assistant at MFS, at 283-1599.

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Cheshire Mediation Receives Bid to Facilitate Strategic Planning from the Vermont Department of Health

Cheshire Mediation was awarded a competitive bid to work with the Vermont Department of Health, Tobacco Control Program to facilitate a strategic planning process to identify and Eliminate tobacco related health disparities among populations in Vermont

Keene, NH. January 4, 2006. –Cheshire Mediation, a program of Monadnock Family Services, was recently awarded a bid of to $21,900 by the Vermont Department of Health to facilitate a strategic planning process to identify and eliminate tobacco related health disparities among populations in Vermont. This project, sponsored by the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, supports one of the CDC’s goals of eliminating disparities in how different populations are affected by tobacco use.

Greg Hessel, Director of Cheshire Mediation expressed excitement with the award and the project. “This award is significant for Cheshire Mediation in that it demonstrates we have a lot to offer not only families, but also governments and organizations.” Hessel also noted that tobacco is the nations leading killer, and that he was “thrilled to be able to contribute to this exciting project which has the potential to save lives.”

For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release contact Greg Hessel or visit Cheshire Mediation at www.cheshiremediation.org .

About Greg Hessel: Greg Hessel is a professional mediator, trainer, facilitator, and consultant who helps families and organizations to work in a more efficient and harmonious manner. Greg’s areas of specialization include Divorce Mediation, Organizational Consulting, Conflict Resolution Training, Meeting Facilitation, Facilitating Multi-Party Disputes and Team Building.

Contact:
Greg Hessel, Cheshire Mediation
357-6873 or
ghessel@mfs.org

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MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES RECEIVES $12,500 IN FUNDING FOR YOUTH INITIATIVES BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS

KEENE, NH - Monadnock Family Services is pleased to announce the receipt of several grants aimed at building improvements at its facility on Vernon Street.

The agency recently received $5,000 from the Arthur Getz Charitable Fund, $5,000 from The Agnes Lindsay Trust and $2,500 from Parker Nelson Foundation for these building improvements.

This funding will ensure the continued work of those in Monadnock Family Services’ Youth Initiatives Office. The Youth Initiatives Office’s mission is “to cultivate resilience, social skills and healthy development in youth through education, community engagement, and prevention activities.”

There are currently three prevention/intervention programs within this office including ACTINGOUT, MANY Options After School Program, and The Challenge Program. ACTINGOUT is a performing arts program that utilizes improvisational acting to addresses teen issues; MANY Options is an after school program for youth in grades 5-9 and provides safe and structured activities daily from 2:30-5:30; and The Challenge Program offers adventured based learning opportunities focusing on peer relations, conflict resolution and communication skill building. In the last year, these programs provided services to approximately 1600 area youth.

Monadnock Family Services, and all of its programs, are programs of the Monadnock United Way.

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MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES BRINGS ON THREE NEW STAFFERS

Keene, NH – Monadnock Family Services is pleased to announce the following new hires to its staff:

Linda Douglas, M.S.Ed., CSAC(VA) is an outpatient substance abuse clinician. She has ten years of experience working in the area of domestic violence and substance abuse. Linda specializes in working with women with addictions who have experienced family and intimate partner violence. She also has experience working with dual-diagnosed clients of both genders. Linda uses a cognitive-behavioral approach.

Susan Stafursky, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker; received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Delaware State College in 1992. She worked as a therapist at the Sussex Mental Health Clinic, a state facility, for twelve years prior to moving to Vermont in 2003. She has significant experience working with clients with mood disorders, PTSD, adjustment disorders, or personality disorders. Her sexual abuse survivors’ group was the highlight of her week. Susan has an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and has taught elementary school in Washington, DC and high school in Delaware during the 1970s and 1980s.

Nate Manlove, MSW, is a clinical social worker working with adults in the Keene Office. He received his Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Connecticut and his B.A. in Sociology from North Park University in Chicago, IL. Prior to joining the staff of Granite Hills, Nate worked at the University of Connecticut’s Counseling and Mental Health Services, where he worked with young adults experiencing mood, anxiety, and adjustment disorders, relationship issues, and those who survived abuse. Previously, Nate worked for Klingberg Family Centers in New Britain, CT as a staff development coordinator/trainer and a supervisor of an adolescent boys unit.

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SEASONED PLAYERS SEEK ACTORS FOR NEW PROFESSIONAL YOUTH THEATER TROUPE

Keene, NH – Seasoned Players, a new semi-professional acting troupe for high schoolers to people in their mid twenties, is looking for actors to audition for the group.

Seasoned Players, a derivative of Monadnock Family Services’ ActingOut group, will perform two or three plays a year in the community. Most of these plays will be about serious issues faced by today’s youth, according to ActingOut Director Henry Balzarini.

Recently, members of Seasoned Players performed in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged.

Seasoned Players will meet weekly to rehearse, with many of the rehearsals focusing on improv acting skills. During play seasons, the group will rehearse several times each week.

“ActingOut has been dealing with youth issues and giving youth something valuable and healthy to do since its inception,” Balzarini said. “With this group (Seasoned Players) we want to take it a step further and become the first youth theater group in the area.”

Along with rehearsals and acting, members of Seasoned Players will be encouraged to write their own plays and direct, Balzarini said.

Balzarini said Seasoned Players is now taking auditions and those interested should call 357-5882 or email actingout@mfs.org. The group is also looking for a tech group that would rehearse with the troupe and run the technical end of performances.

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Photo caption: Members of Seasoned Players in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged in April at the Moose Club in Keene.

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MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES JOINS NATIONAL VOICES FOR RECOVERY CAMPAIGN/RED RIBBON WEEK WITH WORKSHOPS AIMED AT OPENING DOORS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TEENS AND PARENTS

KEENE, NH – It happens here: 82 percent of New Hampshire adults personally know a relative, close friend or someone at work who has had a problem with alcohol and/or drugs; one out of five families assessed by the NH Div of Children and Youth have alcohol and/or other drug problems; and New Hampshire’s binge drinking is the 3rd highest of the 50 states in people over the age of 18.

And it’s not just adults who are abusing drugs or alcohol. The New Hampshire Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data shows increasing percentages over the past 10 years of students using marijuana once or more in their lives, trying marijuana before age 13, and using any form of cocaine during the past 30 days. Key YRBS data for several Monadnock region high schools show earlier onset of drinking than the statewide average, greater use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs in the past 30 days, higher percentage of drug use by close friends, higher percentage of binge drinking, and greater percentage of smokers.

Monadnock Family Services treated more than 700 people in the Keene area alone for substance abuse this year alone. Most of these disorders start in a person’s younger years, and develop into addictions by their early 20s.

Educators, parents, and family can make a big difference in helping all kids early on by identifying problems and knowing when and where to ask for help.

September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. This national initiative is supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The 16th annual observance of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month celebrates individuals in recovery from substance use disorders and their families and publicizes the need for better access to treatment and recovery support services throughout the country.

“As a responsible community, we must ensure that addiction is recognized as a disease and treated as such. We can do this by educating ourselves about the signs to look for in friends, family, and co-workers, such as a sudden decline in performance or attendance at work or school, sudden changes in behavior or personality. We can also call upon our doctors and primary care providers to actively screen patients for and identify addiction and actively refer patients for further evaluation and treatment. Finally, we can ask our employers to help make treatment available,” said Doug Iosue, Chief of Outpatient and Children's Community-based Services for Monadnock Family Services.

Opening Doors to Communication

While some of the statistics seem bleak, the fact is that there is something parents and neighbors alike can do to help curb drug and alcohol abuse in our schools and community – start talking!

In an effort to support the National Voices in Recovery Campaign and to educate the public on substance abuse recovery, MFS is participating this year in Red Ribbon Week, with workshops to help parents talk to their kids about drugs and alcohol and to help them develop the tools they will need if their children choose to use drugs and/or alcohol. The workshops, “Teens, Drugs & Alcohol 101: A Primer for Parents” are now set for October 19th and October 26th from 6p.m. to 8 p.m. at Keene High School in the Large Group Instruction Area.

Staff members from Monadnock Family Services’ Parents Outreach, Acting Out, and Student Assistance Programs at Keene High and Keene Middle Schools have joined together to help parents understand and practice the best and worst ways to help interact with a child who is experimenting with or using mood altering substances.

Participants will experience and learn about how each family member is affected by a teen’s one-time or ongoing use. They will learn to ‘spot the signs’ of their adolescent’s drug and/or alcohol use and how to get through to them if they are using illegal substances.

According to Monadnock Family Services Youth Initiatives Director Linda Rubin, this program is geared for all parents, whether they think their children may or may not be experimenting with drugs or alcohol at this time or not.

“Parents play a critical role in influencing the choices young people make. These two evenings will provide parents with the support and tools they need to assist their kids in growing up drug and alcohol free,” she said.

This program is being sponsored by the Keene Safe and Drug Free Schools Program and Monadnock Family Services. Free childcare and dinner will be provided at this event. Please Contact Cindy Heselov at Monadnock Family Services at 283-1545 for questions and reservations.

Monadnock Substance Abuse Services (MSAS), a program of Monadnock Family Services offers services for adolescents and adults struggling with alcohol and other drug problems, including evaluation, individual, group, and family treatment.

The Youth Initiatives Office of Monadnock Family Services offers youth prevention programs aimed at cultivating resiliency, healthy development and social skills in youth through education, community engagement and prevention activities.

For more information, please call 357-6893.

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PUBLIC EVENT: “INTERACTIVE THEATRE” COMES TO KEENE NEW HAMPSHIRE!!

Join us October 19th and October 26th from 6p.m.-8p.m.

at Keene High School LGIA Room

Please join us for free theatre, conversation AND dinner while exploring ways that adolescent drug and alcohol use can tear a family apart or help bring families closer together. Staff members from Monadnock Family Services’ Parents Outreach, Acting Out, and Student Assistance Programs at Keene High and Keene Middle Schools have joined together to help parents understand and practice the best and worst ways to help interact with a child who is experimenting with or using mood altering substances.

Participants will experience and learn about how each family member (including your family pet!) is affected by this one time or ongoing event. You will learn to ‘spot the signs’ that your adolescent is experimenting with drugs and/or alcohol as well as whether or not you are really getting through to them. We will watch and talk about what works and what doesn’t work in addressing this issue as well as identifying resources to help families and/or individuals cope with and transform this form of family stress into a ‘bonding’ experience for the entire family.

* Free Childcare provided

*Free Dinner

Please Contact Cindy Heselov at Monadnock Family Services 283-1545 for questions and reservations

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MENTAL HEALTH MONDAYS SERIES SET FOR SEPT. 12 SHOWING OF RON HOWARD’S ‘A BEAUTIFUL MIND’

Keene, New Hampshire – In a dual effort to celebrate its Centennial birthday and to educate the public about mental health, Monadnock Family Services is pleased to announce its free Sept. 12 showing of A Beautiful Mind at the Putnam Theatre at Keene State College, 6:30 p.m.
.
A Beautiful Mind will be shown as the final film in the Monadnock Family Services Mental Health Mondays Film and Speaker series.

Ron Howard’s directorial masterpiece features Russell Crowe’s superb performance as math prodigy John Nash, whose struggle with schizophrenia spans decades. Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash found himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery which takes a heavy toll on his young wife and son. His real-life triumph over tragedy eventually leading to a Nobel Prize, is depicted in this academy award winning film.

A Beautiful Mind will be followed by a discussion on the film and issues in the field of mental health lead by Marianne Marsh, MD. Marsh is the Associate Medical Director at Monadnock Family Services. She earned her MD from the University of Vermont College of Medicine in 1989. She also went to the University of California, Davis, whre she earned a bachelors degree in nutrition sciences. She has practiced psychiatry throughout the region, including with Northeast Kingdom Mental Health Services in Newport, VT and in Burlington, VT in private practice

"The purpose for bringing a film and speaker series to our community throughout the MFS Centennial celebration really has multiple purposes. First and foremost, we want to raise awareness of mental health and mental illness as we celebrate the dedication and consistency MFS has brought to our community throughout the past 100 years,” said Mary Delisle, chairperson of the MFS Centennial Events Committee.

All Centennial film and speaker events are free and open to the public. For more information on any of the films or speakers in the Mental Health Mondays series, please contact Erin George, Community Education and Information Manager at MFS at (603) 283-1658.

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AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM RECEIVES GRANT; SEEKING ENROLLMENTS AND VOLUNTEERS

Keene, New Hampshire – Monadnock Family Services is pleased to announce the recent receipt of a $40,000 grant for its popular after school program MANY Options.

The “3 to 6” grant comes from PlusTime New Hampshire and will ensure the program’s continued ability to help area teens. Funding for the 3 to 6 grant comes from individuals and business donors from across the state.

Having a safe place to go after school can deter teens from risky behaviors such as substance abuse and sexual activity, according to MANY Options staff.

MANY Options is a program for students in grades five through nine aimed at giving teens positive experiences during those after school hours. “MANY Options is a fun, safe alternative to going home after school; youth are able to indulge their interests, develop new ones, and build relationships with each other and caring adults in a structured environment,” said Elizabeth Harding, Many Options’ new program coordinator.

Run by Monadnock Family Services, the program gives teens daily activity choices. These include volunteering at the Monadnock Humane Society, using computers at the Keene Public Library, dance lessons at the Moving Company, swimming at the YMCA, and a cooking club.

A safe walk from Keene Middle School, the program is housed on Vernon Street, with an entrance on Washington Street, in Keene and runs Monday through Friday on the SAU 29 school district schedule from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.

The program, grant funded through Monadnock Family Services, the Cheshire County Incentive Grant, the Monadnock United Way, and the Department of Justice, is offered on a sliding scale basis and costs parents between $3 and $6 a week. MANY Options is currently looking for adult volunteers to help run the program throughout the school year.

MANY Options staffers are currently taking enrollments for the 2005-2006 school year. To register, to become a volunteer, or for more information, contact Elizabeth Harding at (603) 355-5333.

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Cheshire Mediation Youth Coordinator Receives Grant for Graduate Studies

Keene, NH. Kate Kerman, Youth Programs Coordinator for Cheshire Mediation, a program of Monadnock Family Services, has been given a $10,000 grant from the Obadiah Brown Fund to assist with tuition for a Masters Degree from Lesley University.

Kerman is working on the Lesley Education Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Peaceable Schools. The Obadiah Brown Fund was established to assist members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in the pursuit of their religious callings.

Kerman is a member of the Monadnock Monthly Meeting of Friends. She is finding immediate applications for what she is learning in her first semester classes in her role as Peer Mediation Coordinator at Keene High School. Phebe McCosker, Clerk of the Obadiah Brown Fund Board, commented, “The board is delighted to support Kate’s conflict resolution work in the schools.”

For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release contact Kate Kerman or visit the Cheshire Mediation web site www.cheshiremediation.org.

About Kate Kerman:

Kate Kerman is a mediator, trainer, educator and mentor. She began mediating in 1988 as a faculty member at The Meeting School, where mediation and restorative discipline is used in a small alternative school community. Since leaving The Meeting School in 1996, Kate and her husband Ed have established The Phoenix Farm Learning Center and have lived there with up to 5 teenagers, children and young adults at a time in an informal farm community setting designed to give young people an opportunity to develop their skills and learn to live well with others. In that time, Kate has assisted 5 teenagers to graduate high school through individualized home schooling programs, and has helped older young adults find ways to follow interests and passions ranging from veterinary technology to carpentry and fiber crafts. (www.phoenixfarm.org) She joined the staff of Cheshire Mediation in 1999. .

Contact:
Kate Kerman, Cheshire Mediation
357-9673 or
kkerman@mfs.org

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MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES SERVES AS TRAINING MODEL FOR NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE PROGRAMS

Keene, New Hampshire – Monadnock Family Services Chief Executive Officer Ken Jue recently returned from a national Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA) meeting May 31 in Rockville, Maryland where he gave a presentation on MFS programming.

His included a talk on the agency’s new Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles program with Dr. Steve Bartels of the Dartmouth Psychological Research Center. In SHAPE is geared at helping people with mental illnesses to improve their lives through physical exercise and proper nutrition.

In the audience at this conference were top federal level leaders in the mental health field including Charles Currie, SAMHSA Administrator, and Kathryn Power, Director of the Center for Mental Health Services. Also in attendance were heads of the national Mental Health Services from Scotland and New Zealand.

“This was a rare opportunity as a community-providing organization to be invited to present innovative programs for persons with long-term mental illnesses,” Jue said, adding that SAMHSA officials cited the MFS training program as the best they had ever had at a national conference.

On that end, MFS has also been asked to sponsor an intern from England, whose primary focus in the states will be to learn how the agency delivers its services to the mentally ill and how to develop new and original programming. The intern will be with MFS from late September through late December of this year.

England officials will then reciprocate the internship with an opportunity for an MFS staffer to visit facilities there.

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MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES ANNOUNCES $3,600 WOMEN’S FUND GRANT AIMED AT ‘CHALLENGING’ AREA GIRLS

KEENE, NH -- Monadnock Family Services is pleased to announce the recent receipt of a $3,600 grant from The Women’s Fund of New Hampshire for its Challenge Program.

The grant will be used for three different challenge initiatives including scholarships for girls attending Challenge Adventure Camps, scholarships for girls attending the ACCESS Afterschool Program in Winchester, and funding for 60 girls from Keene middle and high schools to participate in Challenge Programming during the school year, according to Aimee Desrosiers, Challenge Coordinator.

“This grant is a great opportunity for the Challenge program to extend its offerings to girls from Cheshire County. Activities like Challenge give girls a safe place to push their limits and discover new things about themselves,” she said. “I hope that this is just the beginning of a great selection of programs for girls in the area.”

The Challenge Program uses the elements of the outdoors such as ropes course activities and adventure games to teach area youth skills such as healthy risk taking, effective communication skills, enhanced self esteem, developing trust, responsibility, and teamwork.

There is still time for girls or boys to sign up for this year’s Challenge Summer Camps. Camps will run in four sessions, the 1st session, for girls and boys going in to grades 5 and 6 will run from July 5 through July 8. 7/5-7/8; the 2nd session, for girls going into grades 7, 8 and 9, will run from July 11 to July 15; the 3rd session, for boys going into grades 7, 8 and 9, will run July 18 through July 22; and the 4th session, for girls and boys going into grades 5 and 6, will run July 25 through July 29.

Adventure Challenge Camps will also be held in the Peterborough area for students there.

For more information, or to register for a camp, write to challenge@mfs.org or call 352-7393.
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MEET ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEES AT MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES MENTAL HEALTH MONDAYS SHOWING OF “IMAGINING ROBERT”

Keene, New Hampshire – In a dual effort to celebrate its Centennial birthday and to educate the public about mental health, Monadnock Family Services is pleased to announce its free showing of Imagining Robert on Monday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Putnam Theater at Keene State College.

Imagining Robert is the fourth film in the Monadnock Family Services Mental Health Mondays Film and Speaker series. It is the story of two brothers, one who has suffered the horrors and sadness of mental illness for 38 years, the other, a prize-winning novelist who has been his brother’s primary caretaker through those years.

The film is based on the life experiences of Jay and Robert Neugeboren. Its goal is to stimulate national discussion about the impact of chronic mental illness on families and how this impact can play out across entire lives.

The documentary, which will be introduced by its creators, is the work of Lawrence Hott and Diane Garey of Florentine Flims/Hott Productions Inc., producers of many films for PBS and two-time Academy Award nominees and Emmy and Peabody Award winners.

Imagining Robert will be followed by a discussion on the film and issues in the field of mental health lead by Garey and Hott.

"The purpose for bringing a film and speaker series to our community throughout the MFS Centennial celebration really has multiple purposes. First and foremost, we want to raise awareness of mental health and mental illness as we celebrate the dedication and consistency MFS has brought to our community throughout the past 100 years,” said Mary Delisle, chairperson of the MFS Centennial Events Committee.

All Centennial film and speaker events are free and open to the public. For more information on any of the films or speakers in the Mental Health Mondays series, please contact Erin George, Community Education and Information Manager at MFS at (603) 283-1658.
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MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES 3rd ANNUAL MEN WHO COOK SET FOR MAY, TICKETS AVAILABLE APRIL 18

Keene, New Hampshire – Back by popular demand, Monadnock Family Services is pleased to announce its third annual Men Who Cook fundraiser, set for May 20 at 6 p.m. in the Keene State College dining commons.

Men Who Cook is a delicious feast prepared by local amateur chefs. Last year, more than 100 men in the community participated and over 300 tickets sold out weeks in advance.

For 100 years, Monadnock Family Services has served the community. Through prevention, education, counseling, mediation and other supports, we help individuals and families lead happy, fulfilling and productive lives. MFS assists those who are struggling with depression or loss and helps families cope with the sometimes difficult challenges of growing children or aging parents.

Tickets are on sale starting April 18. For advance tickets to Men Who Cook, call (603) 357-6878. Tickets are $20 for adults ($25 at the door) and $5 for children 10 and younger. Tickets generally sell out about two weeks in advance so it’s best to get them early.

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MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES ANNOUNCES FIRST-EVER MEN WHO COOK FUNDRAISER IN PETERBOROUGH, TICKETS AVAILABLE APRIL 18

Peterborough, New Hampshire – Monadnock Family Services will hold its first annual Men Who Cook fundraiser on Sunday, June 5, 2005 in Peterborough at The Café at Noone Falls.

Men Who Cook is a delicious feast prepared by local amateur chefs. Last year, in Keene, more than 100 men in the community participated and over 300 tickets sold out weeks in advance.

For 100 years, Monadnock Family Services has served the community. Through prevention, education, counseling, mediation and other supports, we help individuals and families lead happy, fulfilling and productive lives. MFS assists those who are struggling with depression or loss and helps families cope with the sometimes difficult challenges of growing children or aging parents.

Tickets are on sale starting April 18. For advance tickets to Men Who Cook, call (603) 357-6878. Tickets are $20 for adults ($25 at the door) and $5 for children 10 and younger. Tickets generally sell out about two weeks in advance so it’s best to get them early.

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Mental health funds in trouble Locals step in to fight the cuts
 Nika Carlson
 Sentinel Staff

In the 1970s, mental health care underwent a transformation.

Psychiatric hospitals across the country downsized and closed and patients were integrated into the community. The underlying idea was that people could be much better treated in their community than isolated in a hospital.

With promises of money from federal and state government, providers like Monadnock Family Services stepped in to oversee the mental health of many.

In New Hampshire and across the nation, however, that funding is in jeopardy.

Monadnock Family Services has lost nearly $1 million in the past two years, said said Kenneth Jue, the agency’s chief executive officer.

Tuesday, the House Finance Committee slashed $107 million from Gov. John Lynch’s proposed Department of Health and Human Services budget, which pays services for mental health services for more than 30,000 in the state.

If the cuts pass, Monadnock Family Services could lose another $1 million and Granite State Monarchs, a peer treatment center in Keene, could be one of the five such centers eliminated under the proposal, Jue said.

“That’s just a gargantuan hit,” he said.

On Tuesday, officials and patients from Keene and the rest of the state will make the trip to Concord to testify against the cuts during budget hearings; cuts that will lead to fewer services and a greater burden on the ones left standing.

Monadnock Family Services

Last year, nearly 7,500 people went to Monadnock Family Services for mental health treatment.

It is the only community mental health center in the region and helps people from all walks of life: little girls and fathers and grandfathers and homeless women from Walpole to Winchester.

They come for any one of the 33 different programs, like psychiatric care, substance abuse treatment or family support at nearly any time of the day or night.

The agency provide services whether someone can pay for them or not. Jue estimates his agency gives away about $500,000 in free services each year.

The agency has more different sources of funding than any other agency in the state, but the cuts are still taking their toll, he said.

In the past two years, the agency has dropped around 10 full time, mostly administrative positions, though some have been restored as the agency won more grants, Jue said.

Counselors are taking on higher work loads and putting in far more hours than they’re paid for, but clients are still getting less “face time”: one visit a month instead of once a week, 30 minute sessions instead of an hour.

Treatment is goal oriented and piecemeal, instead of exploratory or holistic, Jue said.

Most people in the community probably haven’t noticed anything different, but if the cuts go forward they might, he said.

“What I don’t want to do is alarm the community unnecessarily, but we would have to look at all our services and pare it down to the most essential.”

Psychiatry, which approves all diagnoses and proscribes medications, is the most expensive and crucial part of the agency, Jue said, but it might have to be cut. The agency already loses money on its 24-hour emergency service, which responds to the late-night and weekend crisis that aren’t ruled by a clock. It too, might have to be cut.

The agency’s board of directors will be in Concord Tuesday to try speak against the proposed cuts to the Health and Human Services budget.

“If this is passed as proposed, it would be devastating,” Jue said.

Peer support

Granite State Monarchs is yet another model for mental health care, one of the peer support services run by people with mental illness that have seen increasing popularity in recent years.

For less than $150,000 a year, the program offers an alterative or supplement to more traditional treatment, and for some people it is the only thing that works.

The center provides non-medical support for individuals with long term or severe mental illness, focusing on shared experiences and the belief that people can recover from their mental illness, said Wayne H. Husted, executive director of the center.

The 180 registered members receive educational, social, and vocational support, as well as a place to stay in times of crisis.

“There’s been phenomenal stories that have happened here,” Husted said.

He’s seen people work through addiction. He’s seen them get jobs after years on social security and move from group housing to their own place. He’s seen people emerge from their shells and give back to the community they once relied on for support.

If the program is cut ­ a realistic possibility ­ the community will notice, Husted said.

“If we take away those supports, it will increase the burden somewhere else,” he said.

That somewhere else is usually any one of several emergency options like shelters, crisis lines, hospitals and police; services that are vastly more expensive than community care and limited in their ability to absorb more people, Husted said.

“You only have a finite number of beds available and those beds available are based on the fact that there are services in the community to help people,” he said.

Granite State Monarchs will send at least 10 people to Concord Tuesday to tell their stories and try to dissuade the legislature from cutting the programs that help control their illness.

“I think it’s important that people go and share their stories and show how these cuts will affect their lives; how in a lot of ways it will undermine the work, the hard work they’ve done recover from their mental illness,” Husted said.

Monadnock Family Services and Granite State Monarchs will be just a few of the Keene organizations that plan to testify at Tuesday’s hearings.

Keene’s assistant city manager and director of human resources, Jane Gile, said she plans to speak out against the proposed cuts. Jue said Keene Police are expected to testify against the proposal as well.

“Mental health services play an important role in the community safety net,” Jue said.

Whatever the outcome of the hearings, Jue said he hopes at least they help erase the stigma that still surrounds mental illness.

“I think that we don’t question providing care for heart disease or for cancer treatments, yet when we talk about mental illness somehow that’s different in people’s minds, and it seems less palatable,” Jue said. “Mental illness is not going to go away, and we’re going to have to cope with it and admit its presence and deal with it as we do with other diseases.”

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MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES ANNOUNCES NEW YOUTH INITIATIVES OFFICE AIMED AT YOUTH PREVENTION AND EDUCATION

Keene, New Hampshire – Monadnock Family Services is pleased to announce its new Youth Initiatives office. The mission of the Youth Initiatives office is “to cultivate resilience, social skills and healthy development in youth through education, community engagement, and prevention activities.”

There are currently four prevention and intervention programs within this office including ActingOut, MANY Options, the Challenge Program, and the Student Assistance Program.

According to Linda Rubin, Youth Initiatives Director, prevention and intervention programs are vital to the health of our community. “Community based prevention services through Youth Initiatives assist youth in their healthy development and support and supplement school based support services for high risk students,” she said.

The Challenge Program offers activity-based, group experiences that use problem-solving initiatives to enhance self-esteem, cooperation, decision-making, interpersonal communication skills and trust-building. The adventure-based model utilizes outdoor challenges such as high and low ropes courses, rock climbing and hiking.

MANY Options is a comprehensive after-school program offering Keene area youths an array of safe and drug-free activities ranging from sports to the arts to academic tutoring.

ActingOut is a creative arts program to help adolescents explore contemporary issues through expressive arts, and group and peer interaction.

Lastly, two Student Assistance Programs (SAP) serve the 2,500 students in SAU 29’s Keene Middle School and Keene High School. SAP is a comprehensive school-based program for students within these schools designed to identify issues that prevent these students from learning and being successful in school. SAP programs provide education, prevention, early identification, intervention, referral and support services for students.

For more information on youth prevention at MFS please contact Linda Rubin, Youth Initiatives Director, at 357-6893.

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MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES INVITES COMMUNITY TO MEET AUTHOR OTTO WAHL, PHD

Keene, New Hampshire – From films like Psycho and Silence of the lambs to books, music, advertising and newspapers, we all derive our images of mental illness. But these sorts of betrayals of mental illness are generally the worst and most negative, according to Author Otto F. Wahl, PhD.

Wahl will visit the Keene Public Library on Monday, April 11 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss how the media portrays mental illness as the fourth event in the Monadnock Family Services Mental Health Mondays Film & Speaker Series. This film series is in celebration of the agency’s 100th anniversary.

In his book, “Media Madness: Public Images of Mental Illness,” Wahl examines the impact of negative images of mental illness in the media. He explores how the media has stereotyped the mentally ill and the impact of this on the greater community.

"The purpose for bringing a film and speaker series to our community throughout the MFS Centennial celebration really has multiple purposes. First and foremost, we want to raise awareness of mental health and mental illness as we celebrate the dedication and consistency MFS has brought to our community throughout the past 100 years,” said Mary Delisle, chairperson of the MFS Centennial Events Committee.

Upcoming events slated for Mental Health Mondays include: April 11, 2005-Author Otto Wahl speaks, Keene Public Library, 6:30 p.m.; May 9, 2005-Imagining Robert, Putnam Theatre at Keene State College, 6:30 p.m.; and Sept. 12, 2005-A Beautiful Mind, Putnam Theatre at Keene State College, 6:30 p.m.

All Centennial film and speaker events are free and open to the public. For more information on any of the films or speakers in the Mental Health Mondays series, please contact Erin George, Community Education and Information Manager at MFS at (603) 283-1658.

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ActingOut Presents Improv Show for Teens

Keene, NH -- For many people, “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” is the only improv they’ve ever seen. Maybe that is because there is not a lot of opportunity to see live improv in these parts. Well, now that’s changing.

The Seasoned Players from ActingOut will be performing “Improv In The Basement” for area teens on April 1 (yes, that’s April Fool’s Day) at the ActingOut space at 24 Vernon Street in Keene. Admission is $3 and the show starts at 7 p.m.

ActingOut, part of Monadnock Family Services, is known for their issues-based improvisational theatre, but this time the show will be all comedy and standard improv structures, like you would see in a live show, or on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”

The Seasoned Players is the program’s premiere troupe, a group of experienced young actors and former ActingOut members and the show will include audience participation. So teens, if you’ve never seen improv live, now’s your chance. The show is a substance and tobacco free event, and is sponsored by MANY (Monadnock Action Network with Youth).

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“Don’t ever forget what it is like to be a kid”

April 14, 2005 7:00pm at Monadnock Regional High School Auditorium

In recognition of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week April 10 - 16, 2005 The aim of this program is to recognize and validate the existence of child victims of crime in this community and to provide help and hope for them, for  us all, for the future. The event will include entertainment, speakers, art and community resource information related to this issue.

Victim Justice is at the heart of justice in our nation.   If victims didn’t speak out, didn’t cooperate as witnesses in criminal cases, the guilty would be free to harm again.  It is on the Silver Anniversary of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the month of child abuse prevention and sexual assault awareness.  This night is the beginning of what hopefully turns into an annual victim awareness event and will contribute to a non-profit agency that helps support our children in our community.  This year contributions will be split between: Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention to be designated for children of domestic and or sexual violence and Acting Out, the issue-related improvisational youth theater program of Monadnock Family Services.

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Parent Outreach Project of Monadock Family Services offers Single Parent Support Group.

Parenting on your own has become more common today as the face of family life continues to change. Single parenting, filled with joyful and challenging moments, is uniquely different from parenting with a partner.

A single parent is anyone bringing up a dependent child or children on their own. They may be separated, divorced, unmarried, a widow or widower. Also included are those whose partner is seriously disabled, a long-term patient in a hospital or absent for a long period of time. Latest statistics show that one out of every ten single parents is a single father.

“Many parents find bringing up children alone a very isolating experience”, states Elizabeth Raposa, Coordinator of the Parent Outreach Project. It may be more difficult to see friends or meet people due to childcare or financial arrangements. “In the Single Parent Support Group, parents have an opportunity to talk to others in similar positions and learn how they cope with difficulties. By sharing knowledge and working co-operatively, members can gain a wider understanding of issues affecting single parent families.”

This free parent-led support group provides a place where parents can talk about problems with other single parents who will be able to help and understand without passing judgment. Through mutual support, strong friendships can develop. Group members swap skills, ideas, and resources and may offer each other help with transportation, decorating, financial planning, gardening, resume writing, running errands and grocery shopping in return for child-caring time.

 “By tackling problems together and realizing that they have the resources to help others, many single parents feel uplifted and regain the self-esteem and confidence they may have lost, “ said Raposa. “By helping others and taking on tasks as part of the group, many members have claimed that this has helped them to move on in their own life.”       

A children’s program to help children manage the emotional ups and downs of single parenting is offered while parents meet. A meal and fun activities are offered.

 The Single Parent Group, offered through Monadock Family Services, meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 6-8pm at 24 Vernon St, Keene. Registration is required for the children’s program. For more information and to register please call Elizabeth Raposa at 355-3082.

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MENTAL HEALTH MONDAYS SERIES SET FOR MARCH 14 SHOWING OF OSCAR NOMINATED “THE SNAKE PIT”

Keene, New Hampshire – In a dual effort to celebrate its Centennial birthday and to educate the public about mental health, Monadnock Family Services is pleased to announce its free showing of The Snake Pit on Monday, March 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Putnam Theater at Keene State College.

The Snake Pit will be shown as the third film in the Monadnock Family Services Mental Health Mondays Film and Speaker series. Anatole Litvak’s 1948 Oscar nominated film starring Olivia de Havilland follows Virginia Stuart Cunningham (de Havilland) and her time spent in a mental hospital trying to piece together how she got there, why she got there, and how she will get out.

The Snake Pit will be followed by a discussion on the film and issues in the field of mental health lead by Marianne Marsh, MD. Marsh is the Associate Medical Director at Monadnock Family Services. She earned her MD from the University of Vermont College of Medicine in 1989. She also went to the University of California, Davis, whre she earned a bachelors degree in nutrition sciences. She has practiced psychiatry throughout the region, including with Northeast Kingdom Mental Health Services in Newport, VT and in Burlington, VT in private practice

"The purpose for bringing a film and speaker series to our community throughout the MFS Centennial celebration really has multiple purposes. First and foremost, we want to raise awareness of mental health and mental illness as we celebrate the dedication and consistency MFS has brought to our community throughout the past 100 years,” said Mary Delisle, chairperson of the MFS Centennial Events Committee.

Other upcoming events slated for Mental Health Mondays include: April 11, 2005-Author Otto Wahl speaks, Keene Public Library, 6:30 p.m.; May 9, 2005-Imagining Robert, Putnam Theatre at Keene State College, 6:30 p.m.; and Sept. 12, 2005-A Beautiful Mind, Putnam Theatre at Keene State College, 6:30 p.m.

All Centennial film and speaker events are free and open to the public. For more information on any of the films or speakers in the Mental Health Mondays series, please contact Erin George, Community Education and Information Manager at MFS at (603) 283-1658.

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MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES SUMMER CHALLENGE CAMP NOW TAKING REGISTRATIONS

KEENE, NH - Monadnock Family Services is pleased to announce four sessions of Challenge Adventure Camp set for area students this summer.

he Challenge Program of MFS and the MANY Options after school program have once again teamed up to offer an exciting adventure summer camp for kids entering grades five through nine. Challenge Adventure Camp combines the elements of the outdoors by including ropes course activities, adventure games, hiking, and swimming into every session. The adventure camp participants learn skills such as healthy risk taking, effective communication skills, enhanced self esteem, developing trust, responsibility, and teamwork.

“At Challenge Adventure Camp, campers will have the opportunity to try activities that they may not normally have the chance to try. Campers are encourage to test their limits and offered activities that will help them expand their horizons physically, mentally and emotionally. Challenge Adventure Camp is a great opportunity for any child or parent looking for a fun, safe, educational option for summer vacation,” said Aimee Desrosiers, Challenge Coordinator.

Because of last year’s popularity, this year’s camps will run in four sessions, the 1st session, for girls and boys going in to grades 5 and 6 will run from July 5 through July 8. 7/5-7/8; the 2nd session, for girls going into grades 7, 8 and 9, will run from July 11 to July 15; the 3rd session, for boys going into grades 7, 8 and 9, will run July 18 through July 22; and the 4th session, for girls and boys going into grades 5 and 6, will run July 25 through July 29.

Adventure Challenge Camps will also be held in the Peterborough area for students there.

Staff from Adventure Challenge Camp will be on hand at the camp fair slated for Feb. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Keene Middle School cafeteria. For more information, or to register for a camp, write to challenge@mfs.org or call 352-7393.

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Parenting Classes & Support Groups

Parenting Basics A 6-week class covering the basics of parenting

Feb 3 – March 10, 2005 3-5pm Keene Public Library

Childcare may be available. Pre-registration is required.

Call 355-3082 for information & to register

Parenting Basics A 6-week class covering the basics of parenting

March 21 – April 25, 2005 5-7pm MFS, Vernon Street Keene

Childcare may be available. Pre-registration is required.

Call 355-3082 for information & to register

Single Parents Support Group

2nd & 4th Thursdays each month 6 –8pm MFS Vernon Street Keene

Childcare and light meal provided. Must register for childcare.

Call 355-3082 for information & to register

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PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 17, 2005

Elizabeth Raposa, Brattleboro, recently joined Monadnock Family Services of Keene as the Coordinator of the Parent Outreach Project. In her new position, she will oversee program development and implementation of parent education and support. She brings extensive background and knowledge in infant/early childhood and parenting development and education. Prior to joining MFS Raposa, a Reiki Master/Teacher, was the owner of SELENE, a birthing/postpartum doula and early parent education service. For information about upcoming parenting classes, support groups, or individual consultations you are invited to call Raposa at (603) 355-3082.

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Exercise Program Specially Fit to Needs of Mentally Ill People
· Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles uses physical fitness, plus weight management and behavior modification, to help improve lives and life spans.

By Elizabeth Mehren, Times Staff Writer

KEENE, N.H. ­ Until her first breakdown, Pat was trim and active, even playing on the volleyball team in college. But deep scars on her forearms attest to a lifetime of self-abuse. Pat, 53, grew sedentary, obese and reclusive. She said she has been hospitalized 25 times.

"The sicker I got, and the more doped up I became, the more I tended to become isolated," she said.

This year, Pat enrolled in a program here called Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles, designed to provide regular structured exercise for people with mental illness. The year-old project also includes education in nutrition, weight loss and behavior modification. Each participant works with a mentor, and all classes and training take place in mixed settings among people who are not mentally ill.

The unusual, community-based effort targets a population that has been largely overlooked by a physical fitness boom that caters to an array of groups ­ from older people to babies to the physically disabled ­ but typically not to people with mental illness. Experts view Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles as a model to improve the lives and life spans of millions of people with mental illness.

"It is absolutely groundbreaking," said Dr. Stephen Bartels, a psychiatrist at Dartmouth Medical School. "This is a very important project."

Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles evolved after Kenneth Jue, a social worker who runs a large community services agency here, noticed that one after another, his mentally ill clients were dying in their 40s and 50s.

After some investigating, Jue learned that the life span of mentally ill people tended to be 10 to 20 years shorter than that of people who were not mentally ill. The health problems that sometimes contribute to their early deaths ­ including diabetes and heart disease ­ often are related to obesity. Cigarette smoking also was a factor, Jue found, as was a general pattern of poor physical maintenance.

So, Jue told his bosses at Monadnock Family Services: "It is our responsibility to extend the life span of someone with mental illness and to get to the same life-span expectations as anyone else in this country."

His goal was to sign up 40 people. But as Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles winds up its first year, about 130 people are enrolled in a free regimen that takes participants to the YMCA, yoga and dance studios, the local state college, an indoor pool at a motel and wooded trails for vigorous group walks.

Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles has been so successful in its first year that Monadnock Family Services has budgeted $830,000 to run and expand the program over the next four years. About half the money comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles also has received grants from the local United Way and the New Hampshire Endowment for Health, as well as smaller foundations.

The mentors who work with the Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles participants receive salaries. Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles pays charges associated with stop-smoking programs, gym memberships, nutrition classes and other expenses.

For participants, bodies are changing, old habits of isolation are shifting ­ and spirits are lifting.

A 44-year-old Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles client named Deborah said her cholesterol level dropped 35 points in three months. Deborah also has lost an inch and a half off her waist.

Most important, she has been able to taper off some of the medication she takes for depression.

"Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles also has helped me with socialization," Deborah said at a recent Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles awards luncheon. "A few months ago, I would not have been able to speak like this in front of a group."

Peter, 63, took up water exercise ­ "a big change from what I used to do, which was sit home all day and cry."

Pat ­ who, like all the Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles participants, did not want her last name used ­ works out at the YMCA at least three times a week. Pat and her mentor, Pam Buffum, learned racquetball together.

When Pat has an especially grueling psychotherapy session, she likes to go whack racquetballs with Pam. "This has done more for me than any psychotropic drug I have taken, and I have taken a lot," Pat said ­ so much medication, in fact, that she joked that the pile of pills she took each night was her version of dessert.

Finishing up a 30-minute session on the treadmill, Pat said: "I feel like this has saved my life. I keep telling people that I am this 20-year-old, svelte athlete stuck in this 53-year-old, obese body."

An Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles mentor named Josh Royce, who began working as a personal trainer in high school and studied physical education in college, said: "People didn't talk about this special population. You talked about the obese or the elderly or little kids. But nothing about people with severe mental illness."

Royce, 23, watched with satisfaction as the Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles clients worked through their exercise routines alongside others in the busy gym.

"I can't see any difference between the Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles people and anyone else who's here," he said.

But Kathryn McNulty, director of consumer affairs for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in Washington, said mental illness was surrounded by stigma.

"There is an expectation that people with mental illness will be overweight, will smoke and will have a low activity level," she said. And the reality is that many also are poor: "It is hard enough to buy good quality food," McNulty said. "It is out of the question to join a gym."

Although medication can convey "remarkable effects in terms of mental health," McNulty said, many of the drugs prescribed for mental illness cause people to gain weight.

"Keene sounds like heaven," said McNulty, who said she knew of no other comprehensive program like Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles. "They are doing the right things, helping people with lifestyle changes and using a buddy system. This is awesome. They are just not doing this in the rest of the country."

Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles has drawn inquiries from Britain and Canada. The U.S. federal government is sending a mental health specialist to Keene next month to observe the program. And doctors at the Dartmouth Medical Center, which has a branch in Keene, are providing free medical evaluations so they can track participants' progress.

Jean Hoffman said she and her husband donated $50,000 from their family foundation because they had seen the benefits of exercise in their own lives after they began running together in their mid-40s.

Hoffman, 70, said: "We are really hoping that we can move this program across the state. Then our idea is, if we have one state that is a pilot program and it shows improvements, we can take it across the country."

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MONADNOCK FAMILY SERVICES CENTENNIAL FILM AND SPEAKER SERIES AIMED AT EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ON MENTAL ILLNESS

Keene, New Hampshire – In a dual effort to celebrate its Centennial birthday and to educate the public about mental health, Monadnock Family Services is pleased to announce its Centennial Film & Speaker Series, “Mental Health Mondays.”

The series will kick off on Jan. 10 with a showing of “West 47th Street” at the Putnam Theatre at Keene State College. It will be followed by a talk and question and answer session by filmmaker June Peoples. Considered a documentary masterpiece, “This film holds the potential to change the way Americans look at people with mental illness,” according to Michael Faenza, president of the National Mental Health Association.

Monadnock Family Services is a non profit agency that provides counseling services to mentally ill adults and emotionally disturbed children. The agency offers prevention programs for youth, mediation services, substance abuse programs, family counseling and more.

Founded in 1905, Monadnock Family Services has been reaching out to those in need of emotional support or guidance in our community for nearly a century. Originally, MFS was known as the Associated Charities, founded by local women’s clubs, churches and the Humane Society. The Associated Charities held their first meeting on Sept. 29, 1905 in Alice Batchelder’s casino in Keene. This group initially worked toward “…relieving distress and diminishing pauperism, encouraging thrift, self-dependence and industry through friendly intercourse, advice and sympathy…”

The agency has grown from the small volunteer group in the early 1900s, to social workers it later hired in the 50s, to employing nearly 300 counselors, mentors, and staff at all levels, including staff psychiatrists. The agency now touches the lives of about 7,500 community members each year through its programming and site locations in Keene, Peterborough, Winchester, Jaffrey, Antrim, and Walpole.
Each of the Mental Health Mondays events will include discussion by field professionals on topics surrounding mental health. Peoples, vice president and executive producer at Lichtenstein Creative Media, is an award-winning communications professional. She has worked in newspapers, radio and television for 30 years and is also expert in development and execution of both national and grassroots educational outreach campaigns. Since 1997, Peoples has been responsible for editorial content and direction of The Infinite Mind, a weekly public radio program about the human mind, and is currently executive producer of the program. The Infinite Mind is heard on more than 210 radio stations across the United States with an audience of about one million. Peoples has also served as co-coordinator of a mental health anti-stigma campaign developed by Lichtenstein Creative Media under contract with the City of New York. The two-year research and coordination effort brought together leading market research and advertising professionals with LCM and its expertise in the area of mental health. June serves on the board of directors of the American Women in Radio and Television, New York City, and the advisory boards of the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression and the Center for the Advancement of Children's Mental Health at Columbia University.

"The purpose for bringing a film and speaker series to our community throughout the MFS Centennial celebration really has multiple purposes. First and foremost, we want to raise awareness of mental health and mental illness as we celebrate the dedication and consistency MFS has brought to our community throughout the past 100 years,” said Mary Delisle, chairperson of the MFS Centennial Events Committee.

Events slated for Mental Health Mondays include: Jan. 10, 2005 – West 47th Street, Putnam Theatre at Keene State College, 6:30 p.m.; Feb. 14, 2005-Titticut Follies, Putnam Theatre at Keene State College, 6:30 p.m.; March 14, 2005-The Snake Pit, Putnam Theatre at Keene State College, 6:30 p.m.; April 11, 2005-Author Otto Wahl speaks, Keene Public Library, 6:30 p.m.; May 9, 2005-Imagining Robert, Putnam Theatre at Keene State College, 6:30 p.m.; and Sept. 12, 2005-A Beautiful Mind, Putnam Theatre at Keene State College, 6:30 p.m.

All Centennial film and speaker events are free and open to the public. For more information on any of the films or speakers in the Mental Health Mondays series, please contact Erin George, Community Education and Information Manager at MFS at (603) 283-1658.

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By Erika Cohen

Keene Sentinel

The two women seemed to fit right in at the Keene Family YMCA Monday afternoon. Pamela S. Buffum marked information on her clipboard while her client Joanne, a slender woman in her early 50s, used the leg press. But Buffum is not a traditional personal trainer. She is a health mentor to Joanne, who is a participant in Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles, a 7-month-old Monadnock Family Services program that promotes fitness for people with mental illness, as a way to improve their emotional and physical well-being. Joanne, who asked to be identified only by her first name, says the program has improved her mood and provided opportunities for socializing. “Until this program, I couldn’t cope,” said Joanne, who lives in North Swanzey. She’s been struggling with mental illness for 11 years.

“Nothing helped, not therapy or medication, but Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles did.”

The two women meet about three times a week to walk and lift weights. When they started working out together in March, they walked five minutes in a session. Now they walk for an hour. Joanne is one of 61 participants in the pilot program. Monadnock Family Services is a mental-health agency serving Cheshire County and part of Hillsborough County. Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles participants receive free memberships at the YMCA and the Moving Company Dance Center in Keene. They can attend free stop-smoking classes at Cheshire Medical Center, consult nutritionists, and participate in nutrition education classes. That might seem a simple recipe for success, but it works. Of the 31 participants who have filled out their first three-month progress report, at least nine reported losing weight, two quit smoking, and 17 reported exercising three or more times a week, said Gail E. Williams, the program manager. “The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Williams said.

“If you have depression as an illness, there are huge cycles you go through. It’s just great to see that people keep trying.”

A program that treats the whole person Participants in the Monadnock In SHAPE Lifestyles program have a number of mental illnesses, including major depression, schizophrenia and other mood disorders. Everyone needs a little motivation to put on their sweats, get to the gym and work out. But people with mental illness face additional challenges, including weight gain caused by some medications and lack of motivation due to their mental illness, said Kenneth Jue, chief executive officer of Monadnock Family Services.

Motivation and a health mentor were all it took for Sharon, 48, of Keene. Sharon, who