YSB Newsletter #4

News

4th issue

The Arize Federal Credit Union crew volunteering at this year’s On the Fly event

Volunteering and supporting the Centre County Youth Service Bureau is an easy choice due to its remarkable staff, who are both kind and passionate. Their kindness and passion create a nurturing environment that benefits local youth. YSB's programs are not only impactful but also essential, providing vital support and guidance that help shape a brighter future for our young community members. Being part of an organization that genuinely makes a difference in our community is an honor and a privilege.

-Mary Potter

Arize Federal Credit Union

Volunteers, like Mary and her Arize colleagues, are the driving force of YSB, playing an integral role in carrying out our mission. Our volunteers’ dedication and selflessness enable us to reach and uplift the community we serve. Events alone require over 100 volunteers annually. We would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all who share their time, talents, and treasures to ensure a brighter future for local youth and families.

stormbreak painting

On June 27th and 28th, YSB staff and volunteers from the community got together to prep for painting YSB's Stormbreak Girls Group Home. The prepping included pressure washing, sanding, and scraping off the old paint. This month, we will be painting the outside of the home to include window trims, the ramp, and porches.

On July 15th and 16th, we will be painting all exterior surfaces of the home. We’d love your help! The more helping hands we have, the easier (and more fun!) this job will be.

Click the link below to sign up to help repaint our Stormbreak Girls Group Home!

YSB staff and volunteers take a break for a photo during the painting prep session

www.ccysb.com

now they b

STATE COLLEGE PRIDE

YSB was a proud sponsor of State College Pride again this year. The parade is always a favorite way for us to show our support for the LGBT+ community. YSB staff along with some youth in our programs walked in the parade and shared in the love!

In June, our BBBS program held their annual Kick-Off to Summer Picnic. This is a beloved tradition that brings together our BBBS community of staff, matched and unmatched Littles, their families, and our volunteer Bigs. Hot dogs cooked on the grill, pulled pork, chips, fruit, cookies, and lemonade and iced tea were on the menu. Everyone had a great time connecting with old friends and making new ones!

At this year’s picnic, we were thrilled to have one of our longtime volunteers, Lisa, guide us through the art of collage making. Several matches enjoyed sitting with each other perusing magazines to find just the right image to fit their vision.

In addition, we were fortunate to have Ryan the Bug Guy and Devin from Nittany Balloons join us too. It was amazing to see all the insects Ryan had the kids catching. His passion and energy were contagious! And Devin’s talent for twisting was a sight to see! A fan favorite was the bow and arrow.

big brothers

big sisters

www.ccysb.com

child welfare service providers recognized

Representatives from YSB, Children and Youth Services, and Wardell & Associates’ Family Intervention Crisis Services (FICS) were all in attendance for the proclamation

Centre County’s Commissioners proclaimed the week of June 10th through June 14th as Child Welfare Service Providers Appreciation Week. We have an incredible team at YSB who are working hard to keep kids safe and supporting their families so that they can fulfill their most important role – taking good care of their kids. We value our strong partnerships with Centre County Government which allow us to serve local kids and families with preventative, evidence-based strategies that focus on recognizing and building on every child and family’s strengths.

At the meeting, our CEO, Christine Bishop, shared these words, “I always say it takes a village to raise children, and you’re seeing a lot of that village in the room here today. There’s no way that we could serve the amount of kids and families that we do if we weren’t all working together really closely.”

student assistance

PROGRAM (SAP)

YSB provides Student Assistance Program Liaison services for all five school districts in Centre County. The Student Assistance Program, also known as SAP, is a team process used to mobilize school resources to remove barriers to learning or success. SAP is designed to identify social, emotional, attendance, mental health, substance use, and other concerns that pose a barrier to student success. The primary goal of the Student Assistance Program is to help students overcome these barriers so that they may achieve, advance, and remain in school.

During the 23-24 school year, YSB’s Liaisons served on 29 school SAP Teams and attended 333 team meetings. They conducted 200 Behavioral Health Screenings and had 525 conversations with parents/caregivers to help connect them to support services. Our SAP Liaisons look forward to continuing to support Centre County students and their families in the 24-25 school year!

www.ccysb.com

now they b

PREVENTION

This summer, our Prevention team has StreetWorks Outreach Program (SOP) sites in Philipsburg, Boalsburg, Bellefonte, Mountaintop, and more! These programs aim to provide the youth with fun activities where they can learn new things and be in a safe place with trusted adults.

Thanks to a generous donation from DiamondBack Covers our Philipsburg SOP site will have the opportunity to go on many fun adventures throughout the summer. With input from the youth on where they’d like to go and what they’d like to experience, the Prevention team has created a fun filled summer schedule. The adventures start this month and range from a Barnes and Noble shopping trip for some new books, creating at Discovery Space, visiting the specialized zoo at Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland, and more!

www.ccysb.com

2023 ON THE FIELD TEAM CHAMPIONS

YSB’s fundraising events play a crucial role in supporting our community and advancing our mission to help every child reach their full potential. This year, we invite you to join us for our 24th annual clay shooting tournament, On the Field. Whether you choose to participate, sponsor, or volunteer, your involvement will make a significant impact. The day is filled with friendly competition, great food, chances to win an array of prizes and most importantly, a wonderful feeling of comradery.

To learn more or to register, please click the link below.

Upcoming

Events