My favorite story from this year is from a Community Work Support Client who participated in the MOTOR loan program. This young lady had lived a middle class life with her young sons and husband. However, after suffering through a divorce and the legal troubles of her former spouse, this client was left with a mountain of bills, two young sons to care for, and no income. She enrolled in TANF and quickly discovered how difficult it was to sustain a family on those funds. This client was highly motivated, naming her lack of transportation as her only barrier to getting back on her feet. After working with the CWS program and getting a car through a MOTOR loan, she now has two jobs, is enrolled in surgical tech school, and can’t say enough about how much the program meant to her and her family, by giving them the support necessary to become successful and independent again. 

I wish someone would have told me how much fun it is to deal with complete turnover in a department! As we have undergone changes to the programs in MMP, we have also had several new staff come on board as well. Though it can be a difficult and slow transition at times, I am highly excited about and confident in the people we have working here – I have no doubt that FY10 will be a great year.

The highlight of this year came when the program was able to help a client find and keep a job by helping her overcome her transportation barrier. Community Work Support staff first met Janice in October of last year.  Janice lives outside Bourbon, where there are not many opportunities for employment, so gas and a reliable car were essential elements in her effort to become financially self-sufficient.  Three weeks after our initial meeting, Janice called to tell the coordinator that her car had blown a head gasket.  CWSP funds helped with the repair of the car and with renewing Janice's car insurance.  Unable to arrange a ride on one of the days that she was scheduled to work while her car was in the shop, she determined that her only recourse was to walk to work, put in her hours and walk home, a round trip of 14 miles.  Because she wasn't able to get enough hours at her job and didn't have enough money to buy gas to get to Rolla, Cuba or Sullivan regularly to submit job applications, Janice was in danger of having some of her Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefit cut. 

CWSP funds again helped with gas money and keeping Janice's phone on so she could follow up on job applications and receive calls from prospective employers.  Happily, in April, Janice was hired for a full time seasonal position at Cobblestone Lodge, but found out a week later that the rack and pinion steering mechanism on her 1993 Dodge Shadow, was totally shot and that the car was extremely dangerous, "an accident waiting to happen."  Since Janice's ability to continue working absolutely depended on having a car, CWSP staff and the Crawford County Advisory Council worked quickly to approve assistance in the form of a down payment on a 1999 Ford Escort. Janice is confident that having reliable transportation and a good reference from her current employer will enable her to go farther afield if necessary to find a permanent job once the summer season has ended at Cobblestone.  Janice described how she felt during the two days that she had to wait for approval for this last piece of assistance.  "I was so stressed worrying about it and thinking that I would lose my job and be in such a hole I wouldn't be able to get out of it. I want you to know that I appreciate this so much, from the bottom of my heart." 

In our 2009 Fiscal Year we served 139 families (463% of our goal). Some of our results include:

• 61% of families had their sanction lifted or case closed
• We completed 20 MOTOR loans (400% of goal)

The highlight of this year was seeing our broad based efforts pay off. Through Fit Phelps initiatives this year, a child attending Head Start could tend a garden and eat the produce from it while her older brother jumps rope in a school fitness contest. Their mother could participate in a worksite wellness competition and their grandmother could enjoy a senior adult walking event. Fit Phelps helps the entire family know about healthier eating and living and gives opportunities for doing it.

The school component was a huge success and one superintendent sent us the following letter of thanks to express her gratitude. “Thank you so much for the equipment purchased with the Fit Phelps Program.  Our children will enjoy and are enjoying all products purchased in the past and the new will be very exciting for them come fall.  We have applied for a grant for children to try different fruits and vegetables so when we get the smoothie and veggie chopper incentives, they will certainly be in great demand. We enjoy working with the Partnership and hope we can continue in the future.”                

In our 2009 Fiscal Year we served approximately 2000 youth and community members with our programming. Some of our results include:

• 1,015 youth in St. James, Edgar Springs, and Newburg participated
• 96% of youth demonstrated an increased knowledge of healthy lifestyle choices.
• Hosted 14 community health and wellness events including “Walk the World”

The highlight of this year was the Foster Parent Christmas Party. The event was a huge success, as parents from across the circuit braved bad weather and drove to Licking for the celebration. The party included dinner and dessert, crafts, and goodie bags for nearly 120 parents and their foster youth.

In our 2009 Fiscal Year our Foster Care Support program served parents and case workers of the 25^th judicial circuit. Some of our results include:

• 72% of foster families in the circuit attended at least one of our appreciation events.
• The circuit retained 93% of their licensed foster parents from the previous year

The highlight of this year was the incredible turnout of volunteers for the event. We had Missouri University of Science and Technology students from the Interfraternity and Panhellenic councils put in over 200 volunteer hours at this one day event. Volunteers served as buddies, served food to the attendees, and operated carnival booths. The event was a huge success as many children had inquiries which led to long term foster and adoptive placements.

In our 2009 Fiscal Year we served 39 youth at the event. Some of our results include:

• 500+ volunteer hours
• 49 potential foster and adoptive families in attendance 

The highlight of this year was deciding to revamp the program. We decided internally that we wanted to provide more direct and intensive services to the youth – with the idea being to provide more one on one support and increased education to the participants. We instituted a home visit component that focuses on safe sleep, home safety, and whatever individual needs the client might have. Additionally, we restructured the monthly meetings and have discovered a new curriculum to use for our parenting education classes. The hope is that this more direct delivery of services and focus on education will give the participants even more skills to be happy, successful, and nurturing parents.

In our 2009 Fiscal Year we served 59 young parents – 45 moms and 14 dads. Some of our results include:

• 100% of children were current on immunizations
• 100% of youth attended monthly networking/education meetings
• 1404 contacts were made with participants (230% of goal)

 The highlight of this year involves the ongoing commitment to success by one of our highly motivated clients. Since coming into the Youth Employment Skills Program in 2003, this young lady has graduated high school, gone on to college, and is now completing a radiologic program of study at Rolla Technical Center.  She has been the recipient of numerous scholarships for her excellent work and dedication. The participant has had a worksite mentor for over a year, and her evaluations further promote the fact that she is a dedicated, hard worker, who is not afraid to take the initiative on a task, or ask for what she deserves.

All of this has been due to Sarah having a great attitude, and also a great mentor, Mike Hall. She is the model client for the Youth Employment Skills program. We hope to be able to help all of our clients achieve the same level of hard work, dedication, and achievement as Sarah.  

In our 2009 Fiscal Year we served 86 clients. Some of our results include:

• 42% of matched youth reached at least 30 days of mentored employment
• 29 New Worksite Mentor Partner Contacts (goal was 12)