First Step holds annual meeting
BY JOSIE SELLERS
7
Health
LAHNA
BAUMAN
GRESS
tion Services, Inc. annual meeting. BEACON PHOTO BY JOSIE SELLERS
COSHOCTON - The staff, board members and volunteers who help provide the services offered by First Step, Family Violence Intervention Services, Inc. were honored during the organization’s Feb. 11 annual meeting at Coshocton Hospital. After enjoying a dinner of salad and soup prepared by the hospital, board of trustees member Mary Tracy had the pleasure of introducing the shelter workers. “These are the people who do all the work for us,” she said. Crystal Kiser, who also serves on the board, had the honor of introducing the students and other volunteers who give their time. “We have a tight budget and it’s the students and volunteers who make our services possible,” she said. The organization’s budget was the topic Kathy Bauman, board president, discussed in her presentation. “We’ve lost some funding which makes it so we can do less with our school programs to address bullying and other problems our children face, but we are doing everything in our power to keep going,” she said. “We’ve seen progress made with what we have done.” One hundred and thirty-eight students were
provided advocacy services by the School Youth Advocate program and 2,223 students in the three county school districts and at the Career Center were educated by the prevention program. Kim Gress, board vice president, shared First Steps’ annual report and also took a moment to highlight how the organization is able to also help pets who belong to victims. “We have a nice kennel and a place for people to keep their pets,” she said. “A lot of time if people can’t get to you they will get to your pets and if people are anything like me your pets are your family.” Jill Lahna, the board treasurer, gave the organizations financial report. The bulk of First Steps funding comes from federal and state grants, but community support also is heavily counted on. “It’s vital to us,” Lahna said. “We appreciate what the community already does, but we could always use more.” During the meeting, attendees also listened to a presentation called “My Voice” by Jayne Jacops and a speech by Inna Simakovsky, who is an immigration attorney. According to Victoria Laudick, executive director of First Step, the organization provided
more than 16,363.25 hours of direct services hours and 213 prevention hours in 2012 and the Hope House Shelter was occupied 84 percent of the year. “It is the ultimate goal to decrease violent crimes in Coshocton County, to ensure that the next generation will live in a community of peacefulness, not fear,” she said in the meeting’s program. Laudick also shared in the meeting’s program that the 2012 Coshocton Municipal Court Report states that there were 11 felony domestic violence cases, four felonious assaults, two sexual batteries and two rapes. “There is still work to be done, we as community can change these numbers by educating ourselves about violence in our community, knowing local resources and educating our youth,” she said. For information about First Step, visit www. firststepcoshocton.org and/or become of friend of the organization on Facebook. JOSIE@COSHOCTONCOUNTYBEACON.COM
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FEBRUARY 20, 2013 THE BEACON CLASSIFIED HOTLINE 622-4ADS
ANNUAL MEETING Board of trustees members Kathy Bauman, Kim Gress and Jill Lahna gave presentations during the Feb. 11 First Step, Family Violence Interven-