Inside this issue:

CRJ Employee Newsletter

January, 2014 Over 540 individuals sup-ported last month

CS Collaborative Presents at Annual Providers’ Council Convention

By Gabriella Priest

Contributors:

Gabriella Priest Bill Coughlin Liz Curtin Lindsey Greenfeld Toni Preston Gianna Franco Gayle Saks

Members of the collaboration between Community Strategies and the Crime and Justice Institute presented to an audience of 80 at the annual Massachu-setts Providers’ Council Convention on November 6, 2013 at the Boston Marriott

Copley Place. Terry Burch, CS Clinical Director, Bill Coughlin, Chief Operating Officer, and Gab-riella Priest, CJI Associate showcased the work of the Collaborative, from the evaluability as-sessment, to the development of a logic model and routine reports; the improvement of the clinical model and meaningful day; and the cur-rent process evaluation. Several CS and CJI staff were in attendance, and the audience members were engaged and asked great questions. Forty-five CRJ staff attended the Convention and other workshops. CRJ entered a video into The Caring Force competition at the conven-tion. Produced by Angelo Maroun, Assistant

Director of CS, Mandy Adao, soon to be Assis-tant Director of CS, Lisa Chute, Administrative

Assistant at Hampshire House, and Rafael Medina of Tech Services. The video can be seen on the CRJ website.

A large crowd of CRJ staff and friends gathered at 355 Boylston Street to view

the Red Sox victory parade pass by our office. With the large bay windows

decorated with a “2013 World Series Banner” we had a unique view of the

duck boats carrying our home team past at least a million people. Among the

partiers were Liz Curtin, SJS Department Director and Angelo Maroun, CS As-

sistant Director. Others in attendance included John Larivee, CEO, Bill

Coughlin, COO, Rick McCrossan, CFO, Tom DeSimone, CRJ’s Treasurer, Carlos

Febres, newest CRJ Board Member, Anna Poplasky, Advancement Manager,

Gabriella Priest, CJI Associate, and Nat Franke, Manager of Budgets and

Analysis. Special thanks to Rebecca Cabaniss, Corporate Office Manager, for

throwing another great event.

Gabriella Priest at presentation

CRJ Celebrates Champion Red Sox By Bill Coughlin

Mass Council Presen-tation

1

Red Sox Celebration 1

SJS/CJI Collaboration 2

From the COO 2

Wellness at McGrath 3

Shout Outs 3

Employee Referrals 4

Tuition Reimburse-ment

5 & 6

Customer Delight 6 & 7

Thankful Clients 7

Employee Awards 8

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The Social Justice Services/Crime and Justice Institute Collaboration Progresses By Liz Curtin

SJS continues to march toward our goal of ensuring consistent application of evidence-based and promis-ing practices across the entire department. Our five-year plan is to further advance this goal by reducing recidivism for our adult offenders, reducing system-involvement for our young adults, protecting public safety, changing lives, and accomplishing this in a cost effective and efficient manner. We have many irons in the fire which have prompted us to undertake “Operation Integration” to be sure we capture our efforts into a cohesive plan. In late December, SJS and CJI began work on coordinating the results of sev-eral initiatives including: Implementation of Effective Practice In Correctional Supervision (EPICS), wrapping up its initial six-month implementation training; A report from the University of Cincinnati on the Correctional Program Checklist (CPC) assessment con-ducted at Brooke House and McGrath House; Recent action plans developed by adult programs participating in the CRJ/Dismas (a organization in Ken-tucky with which we share best practices) working group; Recommendations on operations from correctional consultant George Vose, former DOC Commissioner. Continuing the collaboration between SJS and CJI, “Operation Integration” will focus on reviewing Initia-tive results and coordinating them into a cohesive plan of action for the SJS programs to be implemented over the coming year. Key staff working on this project include: Kristy Danford, CJI Associate, Kate Florio, CJI Director of Ad-ministration and Operations, Marcy Rosenthal, Program Director for Watson Academy, Gayle Saks, Life Skills Coordinator, Ernie Goodno, Program Director for Hampshire House, Dan Robertello, Program Direc-tor at Horizon House, Liz Curtin, SJS Department Director, and Dick Guy, SJS Deputy Department Direc-tor.

From the COO by Bill Coughlin

This is both an apology and a promise. For year’s now, I have made it a habit to write a note to each em-ployee on their anniversary. I started this 10 year’s ago and, while not always exactly on time, I have been pretty faithful to this practice. Until this year...I fell behind during budget season and never caught up. I was making progress in the fall and then had some health problems that slowed my ability to get to eve-ryone. I have finally declared defeat. So for those of you out there that didn’t get an anniversary card, I apologize. I am now starting from January and promise to do better in saying thank you for all you do to make CRJ great.

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To the Coolidge House team for

their fabulous weekly newsletter,

especially to Samantha Oliveira,

the “Producer”!

To Horizon House Staff for

achieving an overall rating of

“Very Good” on their annual

FBOP performance assessment –

which means that the program

meets their requirements in all

areas, and exceeds requirements

in several areas. Job well done!

Congratulations to Amanda Smith on her promotion from Case Man-ager to the Assistant Director po-

sition at McGrath House! To Mandy Adao for her promo-tion from Program Coordinator of the Carver and Middleboro Resi-dences to Assistant Director of Community Strategies! To Kelly Hargett for her promo-tion from Program Manager at the Templeton Residence to Pro-gram Coordinator for both Templeton and our new program at Leominster/Union Street! To Robert Muanya, Resident Counselor, Milford Residence, who celebrated his 9th anniver-

sary in November! To Cindy Gaudet, Job Coach in Shared Living and Lucy Lison, Resident Counselor for celebrat-ing their 15th anniversaries with CRJ! To Karen Herrnsdorf, CS Business Director, Ellen Donnarumma, Sen-ior Director for Business Develop-ment, Angelo Maroun, CS Assis-tant Director, Janna McPherson and her staff for the successful move from Leominster/Pleasant to a new house at Leominster/Elm Street!

Shout Outs

Women’s Health & Wellness: A Collaboration between YW Boston, Watson Academy, and the McGrath House by Gianna Franco

This fall the McGrath House women had the unique experience to have a community educator conduct a six week Women’s Health and Wellness Program tailored to their specific needs. Sarah Peterson, Com-munity Health Educator from YW Boston, reached out to The Watson Academy in order to facilitate this program at McGrath House. Ms. Peterson has tremendous experience facilitating education workshops through the Peace Corps, where she spent two years in Peru. She had, and continues to have, the desire to work at the community level, specifically in health education, which brought her to YW Boston. The Women’s Health and Wellness group discussed various topics that are the most crucial health issues for women today. These topics consisted of: Breast Health ­– the importance of early detection, screen-ings, nutrition, and lifestyle choices that improve breast health and reduce the risk of cancer; Healthy Relationships, where Ms. Peterson instilled empowerment of each resident’s voice to take ownership of their own welfare; Self-Esteem, which was structured to teach the women an accurate definition of self-esteem; Sexual Health, an educational series for STI’s, basics of reproductive health, and negotiation contraceptive use; and lastly, Diabetes and Heart Health, focusing on providing preventative knowledge on both topics and accurate understandings of the lifestyle risk factors and planning services that are available.

McGrath House has received very positive and grateful reviews of this program from our residents, and

we are excited to announce that Ms. Peterson will be returning with a new evaluation process and more

in depth curriculum at the start of the New Year.

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CRJ Employee Referral Bonus by Toni Preston, Benefits Manager

CRJ is always looking for good people and you can help. Research has shown, and our own experience supports this, new hires that come into a company through employee referrals are excellent contribu-tors, stay with the company longer, and are a more cost effective recruit. That's where you come in! If you know someone who would be a good addition to CRJ and they meet the qualifications for an existing open requisition, it may be worth some $$$$ if you refer them for em-ployment and they are hired! So encourage your friends, family, and acquaintances to apply today, and be sure to let them know to indicate your name on their on-line application! ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS In order to receive the referral bonus, your name must be entered by the candidate under “How did you hear about Community Resources for Justice?” next to “CRJ employee” on his/her online application. Both the employee who made the referral and the employee who was hired must be “active” employ-ees and not on a “Leave of Absence” at the time payouts are disbursed. This program is designed for external hires only and does not apply to internal applicants. All CRJ employees are eligible for the re-ferral bonus except Executive Management, Human Resources, Supervisors or Managers involved in recruiting or hiring an employee who will report directly to them. Internal employees, Temporary em-ployees & consultants, Per Diem & regularly scheduled special positions and Individuals who have worked for CRJ within the past five years do not qualify as referrals. All candidates will be evaluated for employment consistent with CRJ policies and procedures. Only candidates who meet the essential qualifications for the position will be considered.

REFERRAL PROCEDURE The referral bonus amount is based on the status of the hiring position and are as follows;

$400 for Management (manages more than one employee)

$300 for all other full-time positions

$100 for part-time positions (20 hours or more per week) Upon completion of 90 days of employment, the referring employee will automatically be issued half of the total referral bonus on their payroll check based on eligibility requirements. The remaining amount will be issued after 180 days. The referral bonus check reflects the net amount of the referral bonus (taxes have already been withheld). The referral bonus amounts are paid in 3 month increments with no prorated amounts if referred employee becomes “inactive” during one of these increments. If the re-ferred employee changes status from part-time to full-time or full-time to part-time you will be paid based on the original status the referred employee was hired. All information regarding the hiring deci-sion will remain strictly confidential.

Contact Recruitment with any questions at 617-423-2020, Ext. 2101 or 2107

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Human Resources Highlights by Toni Preston

Community Resources for Justice (CRJ) encourages the professional and personal development of every employee. The following policy establishes reimbursement for qualified educational expenses and successful completion of courses for undergraduate, graduate, and professional certificate programs in accredited colleges and universities. This Tuition Reimbursement Program is an IRS tax-exempt pro-gram. Eligibility: All Full-time active employees are eligible for the Tuition Reimbursement Program upon the completion of three months of continuous employment prior to the time of course or program enroll-ment. The course(s) taken must be job related or related to the Human Services Occupational field. Reimbursement Documentation Requirements: Employees interested in participating in the Program must be prepared to submit the following documentation: The Tuition Reimbursement Form. Written acceptance into the course or program from the accredited college or university. Bills and receipts that reflect the out-of-pocket payments, which may include pay-ments through student loan programs, of tuition, text books, registration fees, course fees, and lab fees. Copy of the final grade report, which reflects a passing grade of at least “C” or better. All docu-mentation must be submitted to Human Resources for review and approval.

Reimbursement Amount: CRJ will reimburse an employee up to $1,500 per fiscal year for out-of-pocket payments for courses in undergraduate, graduate, and professional certificate programs. Reimburse-ments are paid through payroll in two (2) parts:

Part 1: Payment up to $750 when the following documentation is submitted: Tuition Reimbursement Form Written acceptance into the course or program from the accredited college or university. Bills and receipts that reflect the out-of-pocket payments, which may include payments through

student loan programs, of tuition, text books, registration fees, course fees, and lab fees.

Part 2: Payment up to $750 when the following documentation is submitted: Bills and receipts that reflect the out-of-pocket payments, which may include payments through

student loan programs, of tuition, text books, registration fees, course fees, and lab fees. Copy of the final grade report, which reflects a passing grade of at least “C” or better.

Reimbursement Restrictions: An employee will not be eligible for reimbursement if they withdraw from an approved course or if the approved course is cancelled. The employee is required to immediately no-tify Human Resources if they withdraw or if a course is cancelled. An employee will not receive reimbursement for grants, scholarships, GI Bills, and other stipends allo-cated to pay for educational expenses. Employees will only receive reimbursement for out-of-pocket payments, which may include payments through student loan programs. Continued on Page 6

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Termination of Eligibility: An employee’s eligibility ceases upon termination of employment prior to com-pletion of an approved course or program. No reimbursements will be made to employees who have been involuntarily terminated and former employees after leaving employment. Miscellaneous: An employee who applies for tuition reimbursement after all budgeted program funds have been depleted will be kept on a waiting list. When the tuition reimbursement account is credited with funding, the employee will be considered a priority over others who are applying for reimbursement. An employee who is approved for the Tuition Remission Program, sponsored by the Providers’ Council, may be eligible to receive reimbursement of tuition, text books, registration fees, course fees, and lab fees that are out-of-pocket payments under CRJ’s Tuition Reimbursement Program. If you have any questions, please contact Toni Preston, Benefits Manager, 617-423-2020, Ext. 2108, apreston@crj.org. Tuition Reimbursement Program Policy and Forms are available on crj/staff/human re-sources/benefits or you may request forms from Benefits.

CRJ Delighting People from All Over

From a member of the Advisory Board for Horizon House to John Larivee: I wanted to just let you know that Dan Robertello is doing an outstanding job at Horizon House. It’s been very enjoyable being on the board with him at the helm. He’s a consummate professional with high en-ergy, dedication and a great spirit. From Kate Florio of CJI: Congrats to Kristy [Danford] and the ICRN team for bringing in another extension of the project!! We were just awarded – through a sole source process - another $90k and an additional year to complete more meetings. This is a result of the well organized, quality meetings conducted so far through this ini-tiative by this team. Nice job! From a MA DDS Area Employee concerning the work of Jenn LeClair, Program Manager of the Westboro Residence, and Heather Keegan, CS-Mass, Senior Nurse:

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CRJ Employee Newsletter

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CRJ Employee Newsletter

It was unanimous from all that your day program has improved greatly! Everyone has positive things to say about the increase in programs and how welcoming the day program is now. Staff are interacting with individuals and those who walk in the door as well as being in a positive attitude. ASCs talk very highly of the work that Charles has done since he has been on your staff. One specific example that was given was Bill Miner walking in and getting up and playing Wii. This was not something they have seen in the past and the staff was right there interacting with him. Thank you for the improvements you have made, it is noticeable how welcoming it has become!

What Our Residents are Thankful For by Gayle Saks

Despite the obvious circumstances that the residents of our programs are in, they, like most of us, have many things to be thankful for. In anticipation of the holiday, Gayle Saks, Life Skills Coordinator at Watson Academy asked the residents of Sargent House, McGrath House, Coolidge House, Hampshire House, and Brooke House what they were thankful for. Below is just a sample of what they said:

“I am thankful for my freedom, for my sobriety, for my children, for my mother, for my employment, for the opportunity I’ve been given, and for this second chance.” “I am thankful for having a roof over my head and clothes on my back. I am also thank-ful for being able to wake up every day with a new day.” “I am thankful for all the roads that brought me to faith in God, who gave me a second chance at living the life I want. This includes being a great mother, daughter, sister and friend.” “My Life, My Son, My Family, and Being out of Jail.”

“I am thankful for having my grandkids. I am thankful for my good health. I am thankful to still have both my mom and dad still alive.” This was such a wonderful exercise in helping our residents never lose sight of the positive forces that exist in their lives today and well into the future.

From an Adult Services Coordination Supervisor from the Minadnock Developmental Services agency in Keene, NH:

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Breaking News:

Congratulations to the Award winners at our Employee Recognition/Holiday Party on January 10th: CEO Awards: PEW Team, CJI; Horizon House Team, SJS; Sue Whitney, CS Department Stars: Community Strategies: Brookfield House Team, Amanda Noone, Amber Place, Charles Richwine Social Justice Services: Matt LaFrancois, Jenn Garvey, Ryan McCluskey Crime and Justice Institute: Colby Ward, Kristy Danford Standards & Quality Assurance: Len Andrews Advancement: Anna Poplasky Technological Services: Kris Kelley Administration and Finance: James Fenton, Dan Uminski Thanks to Rebecca Cabaniss and Maria Alexson for making this a special night. More in February Issue!

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