a non-profit, comprehensive,
community mental health service

Vol. 2, No. 6
July 2011

MFS CHRONICLE

Staff Appreciation Day 2011: A Fun-Filled Afternoon

Staff Appreciation Day 2011 provided plenty of fun for MFS staff and their families. Forced inside due to inclement weather, the party was moved to the Monadnock Covenant Church on Base Hill Road, where MFS was welcomed by the church staff. The Hoffmans, as usual, did an incredible job hosting the event. MFS is truly grateful to them and hopes they enjoy our thank-you gift. The Staff Appreciation Day Committee carried out the theme of “Red, White, and Blue” with the patriotic decorations and all-American music. Everyone had fun as Sandy Jones coordinated an activity in which MFS staff teamed up to compete in an American history trivia contest. All in all, the event was a tremendous success, providing MFS staff and their families to spend some time with each other in a fun environment. The Staff Appreciation Day Committee welcomes new members. If you have an idea for next year’s theme or an activity, please join the committee! Your contribution will ensure that Staff Appreciation Day continues to be a successful annual event.

Monadnock Family Services Launches Web Sites for Parents

Monadnock Family Services has launched two free web sites designed to give parents and families access to information and services to help them raise their children successfully as well as a way to connect with other parents. Our goal is to greatly increase the ease and efficiency for busy parents to accomplish these tasks.

Resources and Information
The first site, Monadnock Family Network (www.monadnockfamilynetwork.org), is designed to give parents of the more than 30 towns of the Monadnock Region information about their community with its more than 300 resources as well as information about child development, school, parenting, special needs and much more. While the site currently has more than 130 pages of information and is the most comprehensive resource ever built in this area, it is just the first phase.

The second phase is to capture the rich resources of our region and make them available to all. Do you know of a good resource you have used for something that others might benefit from? Send it in to us so that we can list it on the web site. It is easy to do—click on the suggestion box located on every page and e-mail us the description of the resource and its contact information then we will add it to the site.

Are you an agency, business or professional who provides services to parents, children or families? Go to the site and check to see if you are listed and that the information is correct. If you’re not listed or feel you should be listed elsewhere on the site, let us know by using the same suggestion box. By putting all the information families need in one spot, we will create a powerful tool for helping parents and children become more capable and successful.

Getting Connected
The second site was created because parents today do not have the leisure time to make as much contact with other parents as in the past. They need a quicker and more efficient way to connect with other parents. It has been shown over and over that parenting becomes less stressful and more effective if parents can be in touch with other parents and have the chance to talk over their challenges and successes. This is why we have also built a social networking web site (http://monadnockfamilynetwork.ning.com). Signing up is free and only takes a moment.

Do you have a child who struggles with mealtimes, or bedtimes, or school, or with siblings? Do you need some good tips about daycare, or toilet training? Are you worried about your child’s development or school readiness? Are you the parent of a pre-teen or teenager and worry about drugs, alcohol and other risky behaviors? Do you need some good professional advice but do not know who to go to? Hop on this web site, sign up and post a question or make a request.

Have you managed to find a great way to get you child to eat her vegetables, pick up his toys or stop whining? Here is place you can go to share what you have learned, or a good resource you have found, with other parents.

This web site is a place where professionals who work with children and families in the community can come to share their expertise with parents. It is also place where parents can go to blog, chat or explore topics like breastfeeding, starting a day care, bullying, stress, media safety and effective discipline techniques.

The sites are seamlessly connected, you will find the link to the other site on the right side of each menu, and you can easily move between them. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on both sites and event announcements.

If you have questions or suggestions about the web sites, please contact Jeff Drake at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Cycling Club Donates Bicycles to Children

Monadnock Cycling Club Donates Bicycles to Children

This month, the Monadnock Cycling Club (MCC) donated bicycles to MFS clients in Children’s Services. The children were asked to submit a one page essay explaining why they wanted a free bike and what they would use it for. Many of these children’s families do not have the financial resources to purchase bikes for the kids, so they are the first ones in their families to own bicycles. The MCC provided free helmets along with the bikes and fitted the equipment to each individual child. Most of the bicycles are adult size so that the children can grow into them. When asked to describe her favorite part of the experience, one child told us how much she loved picking out a helmet that matched her new bike. MFS is grateful that MCC has so generously chosen to partner with us in this way to serve our clients. Because of MCC’s donation of bicycles, many children are going to be happier, healthier, and more active.

Featured Program of the Month: The Parent Outreach Program

The Parent Outreach Program (POP), housed at Vernon Street, has had a very busy year with the incorporation of the Guiding Good Choices initiative and the launching of two new websites. POP is staffed by three people: Judy Hoffman, program coordinator; Jeff Drake, parent educator; and Katherine Sandman, who manages the retreat parenting programs.

POP serves many populations. Many of the participants in their fourteen-week-long Nurturing Parenting course are referred through court orders, alternative sentencing, or DCYF. The course covers general parenting skills and teaches self-management, a critical step in becoming an effective parent. POP also offers a monthly support group for adoptive parents wherein they can connect with each other and lean how to meet the needs of their adopted children, many of whom have experienced significant abuse or neglect. A third course, Just for Dads, teaches new fathers about the basics of early childcare and seeks to overturn the dominant cultural message of paternal incompetence. Cheshire Medical Center serves as a community partner. The participants have been so impressed with the program that they have asked Jeff Drake, their group leader, to establish a separate group for their wives. Just for Moms will begin this fall under the leadership of Judy Hoffman.

Last year, POP collaborated with the Monadnock Area Drug and Alcohol Coalition (MADAC) to initiate the Guiding Good Choices program. Its goal is for every parent in the Monadnock region to begin talking to their kids about drugs by the time they enter fourth or fifth grade. It is an evidence-based, award-winning program comprised of five two-hour sessions that teaches parents of 9-14 year olds how to discuss drug prevention with their children. The parents, with the support of the program, are able to postpone early use of drugs and alcohol. Through the process they learn about family member roles, communicating values, and setting expectations for their children. Sessions are often held in partnership with schools, other community mental health centers, or prevention coalitions. Last year the program provided twelve programs, serving 136 people. There will be more people this year. Therefore, POP is looking to train more facilitators to serve the needs of their growing participant population. Training is free and will be held August 24, 25, and 26 from 8:30am-4:30pm. Please contact Jeff Drake if you are interested in becoming a Guiding Good Choices facilitator.

In their continuing efforts to invest in families, POP has recently launched two new websites. The first is a parent resource website that can be visited at www.monadnockfamilynetwork.org. The goal for the website is to list every resource in the region that can help parents: community resources, parenting information, child development information, and family life resources. The website is still in progress, so the POP staff asks that everyone look at it, refer clients as appropriate, and suggest new content that you may have used with clients in the past. You can make comments and send suggestions via the “Contact Us” link at the top of the page.

The second website POP is working on is a social networking website for parents, found at www.monadnockfamilynetwork.ning.com. On the website, parents can search for play dates, swap child gear like used strollers or outgrown ice skates, engage in discussion groups, and post blogs. The environment of the social networking site is set up to be equalizing, collaborative, and supportive. This network, too, is in an evolutionary process that was launched only very recently. POP is looking for staff suggestions on this website as well and searching for community partners. Jeff Drake compares the websites to the Stone Soup fable: POP has brought the stone for the broth, and now they are waiting on the community to add to it for richness and flavor. Both websites are managed by Nancy Cavanaugh, a volunteer who many of you may know from her previous role at Parent Express.

Looking forward, POP is exploring opportunities for a collaborative grant that would allow them to share staff development, training, and resources with other family resource centers like Grapevine in Antrim and the River Center in Peterborough. The staff happily anticipates the continued growth of their existing programs. 

What I Do for Workplace Wellness: Healthy, Affordable Lunch within Walking Distance

One of the greatest things about working in downtown Keene is the vibrant community setting. Your lunch hour presents a fantastic opportunity to get outside to enjoy the outdoors along with your meal. As much as I would like to include MFS satellite offices, I am not familiar with the lunch options in those areas, so this list will be most useful to those of us working in the downtown Keene area. Here are some healthy lunch options that you can walk to in less than ten minutes, in the order of lowest to highest average menu prices:

1. 21 Bar: The weekday special is soup of the day with half a panini – $5.00
2. King’s Garden: This Chinese restaurant has healthy options, such as steamed vegetables and your choice of meat on white rice – around $6.00
3. Brewbakers: Soup and quiche are served at lunchtime – around $6.00
4. Armadillos Burritos: burritos and tacos made to order - $6.00-$8.00
5. Thai Garden: curries, pad thai, and other Asian dishes - $6.00-$8.00
6. Kristin’s Bistro and Bakery: The lunch menu includes soups, salads, and sandwiches - $6.00-$8.00
7. Luca’s Mediterranean Café: A variety of Mediterranean-inspired lunch items under $10.00
8. Keene Fresh Salad: All-local soups, salads, and sandwiches under $10.00
9. The Works Bakery & Café: Café lunch fare under $10.00
10. Cheapest of all, pack a brown bag lunch and eat it outside – perhaps on a bench in Central Square – with your favorite coworker

This month, take advantage of the gorgeous sunny weather and challenge yourself to get outside during your lunch hour! 

Guiding Good Choices Program Receives Grant for Further Expansion

Monadnock Family Services would like to congratulate Jeff Drake and Judy Hoffman of the Parent Outreach Program on receipt of a $5,000 grant to expand our Guiding Good Choices program. Through nationally recognized classes like ‘Guiding Good Choices’ and “Just for Dads’ we reach out to parents and teach the most important skills and knowledge they need to ensure their child will grow up safe and successful. We give parents the ability and confidence to establish a family life that research shows works best; like how to use effective communication skills, develop clear family values and expectations, create close and caring relationships so that their children will care deeply about living up to those expectations. 

Bishop’s Charitable Fund Gives to MFS Volunteers at RSVP

We are proud to announce on behalf of our Monadnock Volunteer Center and its Neighbors-in-Deed program, Monadnock Family Services would like to thank the directors of the Bishop’s Charitable Assistance Fund for your $2,500 gift. This gift will help vulnerable seniors in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire to continue to live independently and with dignity in their homes. Monadnock Family Services deeply appreciate the fund’s generosity and hope our two organizations can continue to work together to achieve the goals we share. Congratulations to RSVP!