People Helping People Help Themselves The WSOS Press WSOS Community Action Commission Inc.   October/November 2005

New President/CEO eases into office at WSOS

40th Anniversary celebrated with two special events

David Bradley, above, updates staff at the Agency Day about legislative action that affects operations at WSOS. WSOS used its 40th birthday to do some fund raising, and to honor its more than 420 employees. To help with the celebration, the executive director of the National Community Action Foundation (NCAF), David Bradley, visited the agency and was the guest speaker at both events. A special fund-raising dinner was held on September 8 at the Holiday Inn French Quarter in Perrysburg. That event netted about $4,400. On September 9, WSOS closed the agency, except for special activities, and feted its employees with a day of information, activities, food, and prizes. Staff were also recognized for milestone service anniversaries. Special awards went to Susie DeLaO of Wood County for being the longest serving employee of 37 years while Maddie Davis, of Sandusky County, received an award for her 35 years of service. Staff also donated more than 20 boxes of items as well as more than $300 for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Two employees from Housing & Energy drove the boxes to Highland County Community Action Commission where it was then transported to Louisiana.

Board member Profile Tammie Wolfelt sees board as chance to help Seneca County families

TAMMIE WOLFELT

Full name: Tammie Marie Wolfelt

Address: Fostoria

Family: Husband Dan; two daughters Cierra, 16, and Angelica 14.

Occupation: Tammie is currently the head of operations at VIP Trucking in Tiffin, a position she has had for the past two and a half years.

Goal as a board member: As a new board member, Tammie plans to get to know and understand all the programs that WSOS operates. She sees her position on the board as an opportunity to help the agency succeed with all its plans.

Interests/Hobbies: Tammie loves to cook, camp, read and do crafts. However, she enjoys most the time she can spend with her family.

WSOS staffer a volunteer for Hurricane Katrina disaster

Jen Elliott, center, stopped long enough to take a photo at the call center with other Red Cross volunteers there from around the nation. It was an experience that will stay with her forever. Even though Jen Elliott was not at ground zero where Hurricane Katrina struck, the stories she's heard at the American Red Cross Call Center in Bakersfield, CA, has had a tremendous impact on her. Elliott, a Family Advocate at the Jordan Family Development Center in Bowling Green, spent 10 days at the California call center. There, her job was to help verify the callers' information by matching up Social Security numbers, addresses and family members' names. She was recruited for this assignment because she is a member of the American Red Cross Disaster Team. This was her first response as a member of the disaster team, and she said she used her vacation time to fulfill her volunteer duties. She worked mostly at night at what she described as a huge call center. The center operated 24 hours per day, seven days per week, and it was staffed by about 120 volunteers at one time. These volunteers answered the phones and took information they received to other volunteers such as Elliott, who then verified the information, then passed that information to other volunteers responsible for wiring funds through Western Union to the victims. Elliott said she spoke with many people who had lost family members, homes and jobs. "A lot of people (who called the center) couldn't even make a claim because they were so upset," she said. Those people were referred to mental health professionals for assistance. The Red Cross provided emergency expenses to those who lost everything in the hurricane. They provided money ranging from $360 per one-person household up to $1,595 for a five-person household or more. As of September 20 when Elliott was there, the agency had disbursed $62 million to about 67,000 households from the Gulf region. Like other workers, Elliott said she received several fraudulent calls while she was on duty, but she was not discouraged. The opportunity provided her with valuable life lessons. "I learned so much about people, and about myself," she said. "I'd encourage anyone to do it. They (Red Cross) always need volunteers."

Director's Corner New Directions Summer/After School Program reaching more families

Program Coordinator: Mae Dell Leake Service Area: Fostoria Community Schools, Fremont City Schools, Clyde-Green Springs School District The New Directions program in the Clyde-Green Springs and Fremont school districts completed in August a summer program, and in September began another school year. Additional funds from United Way, Community Development Block Grant and DJFS, all of Sandusky County, provided more services to current students, and added services for middle school students during the summer. Sandusky County DJFS again funded a middle school program in Fremont and Clyde-Green Springs for the current school year. A transition program that served 40 students was also completed in the Fostoria school district. This was a partnership of the Seneca County Department of Job and Family Services (DJFS), the United Way of Lucas, Wood and Ottawa counties, and WSOS. The Fostoria transition program has blossomed into a full school year program, called Project SUCCESS. It was scheduled to begin in November. More funds from the Seneca County DJFS made this possible. A request for funds from the DJFS of Wood and Hancock counties to serve students from those counties in the Fostoria school district also was made. So far no response to the request has been received. The program for middle school students in Clyde and Fremont was set to begin mid-October. This column features a different program in each issue. Next will be the Summer/After School program.

Briefs

Sue Duff, site manager of the WSOS Senior Center on Put-in-Bay, was honored recently during an Appreciation Day for the service providers in the Put-in-Bay community. She received the Mayor's Award for tireless energy to the P-I-B Senior Center and service to the senior citizens. As part of the recognition, her name is now engraved on a plaque in the Put-in-Bay Town Hall. Housing & Energy will soon have a new address. The program is in the process of moving its offices from Hayes Avenue, Fremont, to the Quilter Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp in Green Springs. Sandusky River Watershed Coalition Coordinator Christopher Riddle raised about $350 for watershed activities with a September canoe float down the Sandusky River. This is Riddle's second canoe float to raise money for the coalition. He raised $300 in '04.

Culture of Poverty trainings return to the organization

Do you know what the hidden rules of class are? What is a mental model of poverty? The Culture of Poverty trainings can help WSOS employees answer those questions. With three employees and one volunteer trained as trainers in the Culture of Poverty, staff can learn more about poverty and how they can be better service-providers to those who come to WSOS for assistance. More in-depth and participatory trainings are set for supervisors on November 3 and 28 and December 7. A schedule of similar training will be made available to other employees beginning in January. After these initial trainings, training on this topic are expected to be conducted on an ongoing basis. Trainers are Cate Knipp, Penny Moore, and Joyce Huntley, and WSOS volunteer Molly Fails. Registration is still open for the November 28 and December 7 sessions, which are expected to last from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The November 28 training will be conducted in conference rooms at the Sandusky County Department of Job and Family Services, Countryside Drive, Fremont. The other trainings will be in the Brady basement training room. For more information or to register, call Joyce Huntley at 419-333-6017, or email her at ejhuntley@wsos.org

A familiar face WSOS gave Gorsuch a chance to find her place in the work world

MICHELLE GORSUCH

Full name: Michelle Yvonne Gorsuch

Address: Walbridge, Ohio

Family: Husband of 18 years Fletcher; two sons Fletcher II, 15, and Cody, 12; one daughter Alicia, 16; two stepdaughters Michelle and Amanda; three grandchildren Rashalle, 5, Mackenzi, 6 months, and Kendal, 7 months; and two miniature Dashhounds Cupcake and Brownie.

Occupation: Currently, Michelle is the Center Supervisor at the Rossford Early Childhood Center. Eight years ago, she joined WSOS as a center substitute.She has held other positions such as center cook, teacher assistant and teacher before being named center supervisor.

Favorite part of the job: That would be the children, Michelle said, followed by the parents, and the staff. She said she believes in WSOS's mission, and added that she found her place in the job world with WSOS.

Goals: As a self-proclaimed people-person, Michelle said she would welcome an opportunity to have more responsibility with families.

Interests/Hobbies: Her family is her main interest, but she enjoys swimming, bike-riding, gardening, and family vacations.