Inside this issue:

CS Client Makes Theatrical Debut

1

Stars Are Born 1

SJS Graduates 2

Coventry Goes to Hampton Falls, NH

2

Coventry Fishing Trip 3

Shout Outs 3

Coolidge House Library 4

SJS Hires New Program Director

4

Juvenile Justice Reform Conference

5

Minding Your P’s & Q’s 5-6

Emerging Leaders Graduate 6-7

September 2014

Contributors:

Kellyanne Lynch Leslie Nelson Elizabeth Curtin Randi Mundell Matthew Stringer Dave Parilla Tessa Upin Bill Coughlin Richard Espinosa Gayle Sachs Josh Tackett Anna Poplasky Maria Alexson

CRJ Employee Newsletter

CS Client Acts in Stepping Stones Community Production

By Kellyanne Lynch

Christopher St. Louis made his theatrical debut in Godspell Jr. at the Stepping Stones Community Foundation. The show ran from June 20th through the 22nd. He played many roles, and also sang and danced. “Chris was a wonderful addition to our cast. He is a very good actor,” said Wendy Saba of Stepping Stones. “He was quick to learn his part and took di-rection well. He was also very kind and respectful to all the members of the cast. We look forward to hav-ing him in future productions.” Highlights of Chris’ performance included his passion-ate portrayal of The Unjust Judge and his lunge at the person who took Jesus. The audience smiled and cried with him. We are all incredibly proud of Chris!

Stars Are Born By Josh Tackett

It is common to hear that individuals we serve in our field cannot achieve or excel at things in their lives. Coming soon to our website is a story that proves this miscon-ception wrong—the story of Lori and Justin. Both are current residents in Central Massachusetts and they’ve attempted to achieve more, to better themselves and to overcome obstacles in order to reach their goals. On August 6th, Anna Poplasky, Paul Swindlehurst (Advancement), and Rafael Me-dina (IT) came down to visit Alger Street and Westminster programs to videotape interviews with Lori and Justin. Lori and Justin shared their stories about the chal-lenges and triumphs and their willingness to accomplish their goals through any ad-versity.

Justin and Lori walked us through the events of their daily lives and shared their pas-

sions and hobbies as well as their coping skills and the things they get up for in the

morning. We hope that by sharing their stories they might influence or provide hope

for those who struggle, as they once did, to see the chance for a brighter future and

a better life. It was a wonderful experience to be a part of sharing these stories with

others and I know that soon everyone will see just how much someone who is moti-

vated can achieve.

SJS Graduates

By Elizabeth Curtin

Joe Jarvis, Program Administrator at Coolidge House and Matt LeFrancois, Program Director at Coolidge House both completed the “Certificate Program in Nonprofit Human Services Management, with Advanced Studies in Ad-ministration & Finance” at Clark University in June. Sponsored by the MA Human Service Providers Council, this year - long graduate level program is offered at both Suffolk and Clark Univers it ies , and is de-s igned for mid -career human service employees who seek to strengthen their management sk i l ls and learn in special ized, sector -specif ic c lasses with peers from other human serv ice agencies . Their studies inc luded coursework in Nonprofit Human Service Management, F inancial Manage-ment, Program and Pol icy Evaluat ion , Human Re-sources Management, Legal & Ethical Issues for Nonprofits , and Alternat ive Revenue Strategies for Nonprofits . Well done to Joe and Matt for completing this intensive pro-gram of study, especially while holding down their full time jobs at CRJ!

(Joe and Matt with Professor Peter Salerno at th e J u n e 25 t h g r a du a t i o n c e r e m o n y )

Page 2

Coventry residents and staff explored the wilderness with a three day camping experience at Hampton Falls, NH earlier this summer. Days were full of adventure with activities on the campgrounds, beaches, and nearby shops. The evenings brought a night life of family fun and treats, along with live bands. The trip provided a great escape for everyone, and encouraged clients to have a deeper appreciation for the outdoors and for one another!

Coventry Residents and Staff Go Camping

By Richard Espinosa

Page 3

Coventry Fishing Trip

Shout Outs

To Tia Tallman who has been promoted to Assistant Di-rector of CSNH.

To Wendy Signer who has been promoted to Program Manager of CSNH.

To Wendy Signer who just started her new position and had two perfect state inspections.

To Christine Parsons for becoming the new Administra-tive Assistant for Keene CSNH. She comes to Community Strategies with a wealth of knowledge in human ser-vices. She will be a welcome addition to our team!

To Susan Jenness Phillips for celebrating her 29th anni-versary with CRJ in August. To the staff at Horizon House for getting another "no deficiency" monitoring from the Federal Bureau of Pris-ons.

To the members of the Caretracker Database implemen-tation team (Angelo Maroun, Dave Parilla, Jeremiah Baker, Kellyanne Lynch, Penny C. White, Rafael Medina, Sergio Reyes, Michelle McCormick, Terry Burch, and Ellen Donnarumma) for their tireless efforts to work through the challenges of the new system. To John Larivee for being invited by the Kennedy School of Government to consult on Community Corrections in Ethiopia. To Jennifer Sirois for becoming the Program Director of Sargent House.

By Matthew Stringer

On May 10th, the Coventry residents Daquan Clark and Luis Velez went out fishing with staff Jerome Demers and Richard Espinosa. They boarded the Blackhawk charter boat and set sail from Niantic, CT. The trip lasted 6 hours, the residents and staff enjoyed every minute of it. Daquan caught 20 Porgie’s and Luis caught 25 Porgies and a striped bass. The residents were able to bond like they couldn’t before. Resident Luis is deaf, and despite ASL staff, communication can be difficult between resi-dents. Now that they both understand each other’s passion for fishing, it gave them some common interests. After this trip Daquan and Luis were able to explore a couple other common interests such as cooking and sporting events.

The fishing trip has paved the way for great success!

Page 4

CJI and Coolidge House Collaborate to Create a Resident Library

By Elizabeth Curtin and Dave Parilla

SJS is excited to announce that Matt LeFrancois has accepted the position of Program Director at Coolidge House, effective in early September. As many of you know, Matt was one of the original staff at Hampshire House, hired as a Program Monitor in March of 2009. Matt quickly rose through the ranks and spent 8 months at Coolidge House as a Program Supervisor, then returned to Hampshire House as a Case Manager, and since Nov. of 2011 has served as the program’s Assistant Director. Matt holds a Bachelors Degree from Clark University, completed CRJ’s Emerging Leaders Program in 2011, and just completed the MA Providers Council “Certificate Program in Nonprofit Human Services Management with Advanced Studies in Administration & Finance” at Clark University. Although a bittersweet departure from Hampshire House, this is great opportunity for Matt, and for the staff and residents at Coolidge House.

Coolidge House Welcomes New Program Director

By Elizabeth Curtin

In July, several Crime and Justice Institute staff participated in a volunteer activity at Coolidge House. The program

had recently received a donation of over 3,000 books and dedicated a room to permanently house them, complete

with handmade bookshelves. Staff wanted to turn the donation into a library for residents, and reached out to CJI

to help establish their library by sorting the books by subject matter and providing a detailed catalog of the inven-

tory. Nine CJI staff (Julie Finn, Melissa Haynes, Mike Kane, Dave Parilla, Barbara Pierce Parker, Gabriella Priest,

Jesse Revicki, Tessa Upin, and Colby Ward) organized and catalogued over 500 books in one afternoon. CJI and SJS

worked together to ensure Coolidge House staff and residents can build upon the work CJI completed on this very

hot July day. Staff also worked to establish that the library will add to the services offered at Coolidge House, and

that it will have a lasting impact on all involved.

Thanks to Liz Curtin, Dick Guy, and Joseph Jarvis for collaborating with CJI to make this event a success. Additional

thanks to the nine CJI staff who volunteered their time to help out a SJS program.

Dave Parilla, Barbara Pierce Parker, Tessa Upin, Colby Ward, and Melissa Haynes catalogued books Julie Finn organized books at

Coolidge House

Page 5

On July 16, 17 and 18th in Burlington, Vermont, Barbara Pierce Parker, Gabriella Priest and Tessa Upin participated in an event hosted by the Pew Charitable Trusts, “Getting Results in Juvenile Justice: Improving Outcomes and Con-taining Costs.” In attendance at the event were over 100 representatives from 10 states interested in juvenile jus-tice reform, as well as a number of individuals from national organizations and the federal government. The purpose of the event was to share lessons learned and encourage other states to take steps towards improving their juvenile justice systems and outcomes for youth in their communities. Several panels were held throughout the event to highlight states’ experiences with the process of system reform and passing new legislation. There was an emphasis on Georgia, Kentucky and Hawaii, all states CJI assisted in the reform process. Barbara facilitated a panel entitled “Building Suc-cessful Coalitions for Reforms” with Thomas Worthy, former Deputy Executive Council, Georgia’s Governor’s Office, the Honorable Mary Noble, Deputy Chief Justice, Kentucky Supreme Court, and Representative John Tilley, Kentucky House of Representatives. Barbara, Gabriella and Tessa also facilitated state breakout sessions with delegations from South Dakota, Kansas and South Carolina, respectively. In addition, there were presentations by leading na-tional juvenile justice experts Dr. Edward Mulvey and Dr. Mark Lipsey on recently published research on pathways to desistence and effective interventions for justice system involved youth. The audience also received a preview of a soon to be released national poll showing public support for juvenile justice reform. Participants provided posi-tive feedback throughout the event and have set goals in their home states to begin transforming their juvenile justice systems.

By Tessa Upin

CJI Participates in National Convening on Juvenile Justice Reform

Minding Your P’s and Q’s at Sargent House

By Gayle Sachs For the past two years as part of Watson Academy’s Life Skills program, I have been going to Sargent House on a weekly basis. In that time the residents have learned about everything from nutrition and exercise, how to make good spending choices and stocking a home with all of the essentials from first-aid kits to kitchen necessities. In a just-completed workshop that spanned five weeks in a group co-facilitated with Sargent House clinician Joel Ferat, we led the young men through cultural norms and customs of etiquette throughout the world, spanning the Victorian Era through to today. Proper topics of table conversation and how to conduct ourselves in a restaurant were taught. During the last group, leading up to the surprise we had for the residents, we practiced using chop-sticks with actual rice and soy sauce dishes and the proper way to enjoy family style dining. (I’m not too proud to admit that I was the ONLY one who, after a lifetime of trying, could not master the chopsticks.) By then, the guys guessed how their perseverance would be rewarded—a dinner out at PF Chang’s, hosted by Sargent House. (continued on pg. 6)

Page 6

Once we settled into a Friday night dinner at the Prudential Center location, the lessons were put into practice. Napkins were placed on laps, polite conversation was initiated with the waiter and the residents were awed by the menu. They were asked to come to a consensus on the dishes that were ordered and remembered not to start eat-ing until everyone got served. They all sampled foods they hadn’t tried before (including sushi!) and sipped cups of tea with their pinkies up. The only utensils in sight, unless requested, were a pair of chopsticks at each setting.

It was very touching to learn that this was the first time that any of the residents had had a meal out like this.

Something that we often take for granted was more meaningful to them than I could have imagined. When Joel

told me that the next day one of the residents said that he had never enjoyed being with the other guys as much as

he had at dinner that night, I knew that the things they had learned in the previous weeks, at least for a little while,

had changed them.

On June 20, 2014, 19 CRJ employees graduated from the Emerging Leaders Program. As part of CRJ's Management Development training, the Emerging Leaders Program is designed to benefit aspiring leaders develop their leader-ship capabilities, management skills, and confidence to advance their professional contributions and accelerate their careers. The graduating class was made up of the following: Simon Atem, Program Manager/Franklin; Jeremiah Baker, Pro-gram Manager/Manchester, CT; Gary Best, Assistant Director/Sargent House; EJ Brady, Senior Recruiter/HR; Lisa Chute, Program Supervisor/Hampshire House; Lyndsay Cirelli, Program Manager/Abington; Erin Crudup, Program Manager/Carver; James Fenton, Administrative Services Coordinator; Jennifer Garvey, Case Manager/ Hampshire House; Ryan McCluskey, Program Supervisor/Coolidge House; Amanda Noone, Program Manager/ Leominster Crimson Court; Anna Poplasky, Advancement Manager; Jessica Rodriguez, Assistant Director/Brooke House; Bupe Rupia, Program Manager/Fitchburg; Lynnette Simoneau, Program Coordinator/Winchendon I & II; Amanda Smith, Assistant Director/McGrath House; Cuiara Thomas, Assistant Director/Horizon House; Tessa Upin, Associate/CJI and Patrick White, Assistant Director CSMA. In two intensive weeks, participants worked on developing their communication, self-awareness, professional adaptability, teamwork and leadership skills. The program assisted CRJ employees with not only understanding professional goals and leadership styles, but also with gaining personal insights. Through personality inventories that provide information about leadership prefer-ences and interactive sessions, program participants left the training with practical knowledge about themselves and their abilities to lead. The classes were facilitated by Pat Sordill, founder and president of Sordill Consulting, a consulting firm specializing in customized training and development services. Pat has been working with CRJ for the past several years and conducted CRJ's first ELP program. (continued on pg. 7)

Minding Your P’s and Q’s at Sargent House (cont.)

By Gayle Sachs

CRJ Congratulates Emerging Leaders Program Graduates

Page 7

“ELP gave me the tools to help me become a great manager. I learned a lot about myself. I also met wonderful people with many talents.” Bupe Rupia, Program Manager, Fitchburg Residence “ELP gave me an opportunity to learn that no matter how challeng-ing a problem may be, it can be solved through persistence, team work, and creative thinking.” Ryan McCluskey, Program Supervisor, Coolidge House RRC “ELP gave me the chance to reflect upon my own management style and realize areas of improvement by working closely with peers and maintaining an open mind.” James Fenton, Administrative Services Coordinator

Emerging Leaders Praise Program (cont.)

John Larivee addressing the ELP class

Paul Swindlehurst, Bill Coughlin, Anna Poplasky, and John Larivee at graduation

From left to right: Jeremiah Baker (CSCT), Ryan McCluskey (Coolidge House), EJ Bradey (HR), and Lisa Chute (Hampshire House) participate in a class discussion