| The WSOS Press - October / November 2002 |
WSOS secures $1.4 million more in grants for families
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| A child, above, in the WSOS Child Development program, learns self-help skills, fine motor skills, and develop self-esteem from simple tasks as serving themselves at meal times. The new funding will allow WSOS to serve infants and toddlers. |
WSOS Child Development Director Jacquie Wells and Community Development Director Deb Martin both received preliminary approval October 15 of proposals totaling $1.4 million.
"October 15 was a great day for the families and communities that WSOS CAC Inc. serves," said WSOS President/CEO Don Stricker.
Child Development expects to receive up to $730,226 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for funds to operate an Early Head Start program at various centers in the WSOS service area. The precise centers are yet to be decided.
The Early Head Start program will serve 60 participants - 16 infants/toddlers at the WSOS centers, 134 infants/toddlers through contract childcare (private homes and centers), and 10 pregnant women. These services will begin operations Fall 2003.
The second proposal, which provides funding for 18 months, is expected to be for $700,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Housing Service. It will be used to provide Good START services to communities within the existing states that Great Lakes Rural Community Assistance Program operates. The Good START process, which has served up to 47 area communities in the last seven years, gathers community input to produce a vision for the community that makes development happen. The process fosters communication among all segments of the community, giving residents and small businesses an opportunity to have a say in what happens where they live and work. This grant will allow that process to be offered among six states: Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
While final approval of the grants are still pending, Wells and Martin expect to be funded.
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Board member profile
Guardiola sees WSOS as one more chance to help people
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| Louis Guardiola Jr. |
Name: Louis Guardiola Jr.
Address: Buchman Road, Fremont
Family: His parents; brothers and sisters; and two dogs, Ringo and King.
Occupation: Louis is the Regional Director for the Texas Migrant Council Inc./Ohio Migrant Head Start Program, based in Millbury. A licensed social worker, Louis' previous experience includes behavioral management and childcare services. Also, he is an adjunct faculty memberat Terra Community College and the University of Cincinnati. Board Status: He joined the board in January 1998. His current term expires in December. He was appointed to represent Sandusky County Commissioners on the board.
Board Status: He joined the board in January 1998. His current term expires in December. He was appointed to represent Sandusky County on the board.
Goal as a board member: Louis said that as a social worker it is his passion to advocate and empower individuals and that his role as a policy maker on the board is one way to ensure that families are provided with the tools to be self- sufficient.
Hobbies/Interests: Louis enjoys reading, working out, and spending time with his family as well as his dog Ringo and King, who are from the same litter. "I'm a bleeding heart liberal social worker and could not separate the brothers, so I adopted them both!" he said.
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Families benefit from more than $4 million extra in last 3 years more
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The final reports of the WSOS Strategic Plan for the last three years indicate that WSOS programs had increased funding for the families and rural communities it serves by $4,907,376.
"I am very proud of the work our staff has done to accomplish this," WSOS President/CEO Don Stacker told the WSOS Board of Directors at the board's October meeting.
The last three-year strategic plan began in October 1999 with total revenues at that time of $19,872,176 compared to revenues of $24,779,522 by September 2002.
Some of the new programs that contributed to the increased revenues included the WIA Youth program, Marine Mechanics Skills for Life, the New Dierections Summer/After School Program, increases in Head Start Funding, the watershed coalition, and the safe water loan fund. During these three years, WSOS also constructed a new family development center in Fremont and began construction on additions to that new center as well as the Jordan Family Development Center in Bowling Green.
At the same time, management reorganized the accounting department and restructured the human resouces department. A new executive vice president positions was added to management and the Assistant to the President had a change in job title to Vice President.
In addition, a housing development coordinator's positon was added and that was merged together with the Great Lakes Rural Community Asssitance Program (GLRCAP) and the Community and Economic Development department to become the Community Development (CD) department. |
Watershed Coalition conducts conservation buffers media day
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The Agricultural Committee of the Sandusky River Watershed Coalition on October 3 conducted a demonstration on the benefits of conservation buffers at Jim Leslie's farm in Upper Sandusky and at Bill Frankfart's in Clyde.
Conservation buffers (or filter strips) consist of a grassy area that is deliberately created between a farm and its run-off area. This area may be filled with only grasses, but it may also include trees or shrubs.
The goal of the demonstration was to remind and educate farmers and landowners of the conservation benefits of filter strips to improve water quality, especially in the Sandusky River Watershed. |
Children, parents, and teachers, above, display their Head Start Awareness signs as they walk through the streets of Republic in recognition of Head Start Awareness Month in October. The children from the Republic Child Development Center were escorted on their march by Republic Police Officer Bollinger. Bollinger treated the children to an inside view of the police cruiser, much to their delight. Before their trek through the village, the librarian in Republic read to the children from a book on police officers.
Each WSOS Child Development center celebrated Head Start Awareness Month with its own list of activities.
Also, the Fremont Family Development Center and the New Directions After School Program will begin a new program, Reading Buddies, in November. Students from New Directions will visit with the preschoolers at the center and read to the children there.
Housing and Energy conducted a weatherization demonstration at the home of Bellevue resident Nicole Vargas in recognition of Weatherization Day, October 30. Local officials and state legislators were invited to the event.
About 325 people attended Ottawa County's "Clowning Around" event Oct. 23 at Camp Perry's recreation hall. Senior Programs partnered with H.B. Magruder Hospital and The News Herald newspaper to conduct the event.
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Familiar Face
Veteran teacher still finds her students stimulating and enjoyable
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| Jo Simms |
Name: Josefina "Jo" Esperanza Simms.
Address: Circle Drive, Fremont.
Family: Husband Victor; and son Jose, a junior at the University of Toledo.
Occupation: Currently, Jo is a teacher at the Fremont Child Development Center. Jo has been a preschool teacher with WSOS for the past 24 years.
Favorite part of the job: Jo said that it has given her much joy through the years to watch the children she teaches as they progress through the school year. "I enjoy the actual conversations with the children," she added.
Goals: Her goal is to continue to grow and learn about child development so that she can better serve the needs of every child who comes to her classroom.
Hobbies/Interests: Apart from collecting apples and items with the apple motif, Jo loves to spend time with her family and attend sporting events with her husband and son. But, she said, she has developed a knack for making board games for the children to use in the classroom and she enjoys this tremendously. She said she believes this is a great learning tool for the children.
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