Crossroads July 2021 Newsletter

CROSSROADS

Model: Wendy's Dog, Brinley

LIFE IS SHORT. TAKE THAT TRIP.

JULY 15, 2021

THE MISSION OF CROSSROADS YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES, INC. IS TO SUPPORT THE HEALTHY LIFESTYLES AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES THROUGH THE PROVISION OF EFFECTIVE, COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS.

CONTENTS 6

6

CLEVELAND COUNTY "Don't compromise even if it hurts to be yourself."

10

CREATE Sensory Bottles

– Toby Kieth

12

RECIPE Aguas Frescas

14

PARENT HACK Snackle Box

16

HEAD START UPDATES No one was harmed

18

YOUTH SERVICES UPDATES Time for a makeover

19

CELEBRATIONS Our team is amazing!

22

NEW TEAM MEMBERS The Warmest July Welcome

23

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS Thank you for your support

COMANCHE COUNTY When SpongeBob's perseverance shines through, and you root for him - that's when the show is working.

– Stephen Hillenburg

7

LINCOLN COUNTY There's nothing wrong with giving.

– Jim Thorpe

8

POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY When you have a child, you have a bond that surpasses any bond they can have with any other person.

– Pat Hogan

9

SEMINOLE COUNTY "Music is the way I deal with the world, the way I process the world, when I felt like everything was being taken away from me.

– Samantha Crain

Crossroads covers over 4,000 square miles in Oklahoma.

Pictured above are the Wichita Mountains located in Comanche County.

CLEVELAND COUNTY

With the largest population in Crossroads, Cleveland county covers 558 square miles just south of Oklahoma City. There are many adventures available in Norman and Noble, Crossroads' largest cities in Cleveland County. With both Universities and many industries, this is a key area of growth in Oklahoma.

County Favorites: Parks: Andrews Park & Lion's Park Lakes: Lake Olverhoster (OKC) Places to Eat: Kendall's (Noble) Special Attractions: HeyDay! (Norman) Museums: Sam Noble or Fred Jones for older kids

COMANCHE COUNTY In the heart of the Wichita Mountains is Comanche County. Lawton is the largest city we serve in this county. With a unique blend of military and Indigenous cultures, Comanche County has many natural places to experience a more serene environment.

County Favorites:

Parks: Elmore Thomas Park Lakes: Letra Lake, Lake Ellsworth Places to Eat: Meer's Store, Los Tres Amigos (Lawton) Special Attractions: LOL Family Fun Center Museums: Museum of the Great Plains & Comanche National Museum & Cultural Center

LINCOLN COUNTY Named after President Abraham Lincoln, our newest addition to the Crossroads' family is Lincoln County. There are several adventures to partake in including Farmer's Markets and history Route 66 fun.

County Favorites:

Parks: Ed Smalley Centennial Park Lakes: Stroud Lake Places to Eat: Five Star BBQ, Rock Cafe Special Attractions: Vintage Emporium on Route 66 Museums: Lincoln Museum of Pioneer History

POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY

Located directly east of Oklahoma and Cleveland County is Pottawatomie County. Founded in 1891, this area has a rich history of numerous tribes and a variety of industries including flour milling, casinos, and pipe and tube manufacturing. Anyone enjoying your Sonic beverages in this hot Oklahoma heat can thank this county as its birthplace.

County Favorites:

Parks: Woodland Park Lakes: Twin Lakes Places to Eat: Paul's Steakhouse Special Attractions: Splash Water Park Museums: Sante Fe Depot Museum, Potawatomi Nation

SEMINOLE COUNTY Neighboring

Pottawatomie

County,

and

sometimes

lumped

together, is Seminole County which was founded in 1906. This area is filled with wholesome fun including movies in the park, turtle racing at Lakefest, and much more.

County Favorites:

Parks: Skate Park Lakes: Sportsman Lake Places to Eat: Roma Special Attractions: Boom Town, Lakefest Car Show Museums: Jasmine Moran Children's Museum & Seminole Nation

STEP 1

CLEAN AND SANITIZE A WATER BOTTLE For the environment, these bottles are perfect ways to reuse old plastic bottles. To sanitize the bottles simply clean with dish soap and water and allow to dry.

STEP 2

(FOR DRY SENSORY BOTTLES) 1. Collecting items with different sensory details helps calm children. paper clips pop corn fuzzy poof balls beads 2. Hot glue the lid to securely close the bottle.

STEP 3

(FOR LIQUID SENSORY BOTTLES) 1. After sanitizing the bottle, fill with water (leaving room for adding additional base and objects) 2. Add baby oil, glitter glue, or even water beads.

3. Add glitter, small resin objects, foil confetti, or food coloring.

4. Hot glue or super glue the lid to close the bottle.

TIPS AND USES

WHAT ARE THESE GOOD FOR?

This is an amazing STEAM tool to help "calm children who may have difficulty calming themselves." These bottles also help with fine motor skills.

STEP 1

PICK YOUR FAVORITE FRUIT OR VEGETABLE Aguas frescas are a delicious way to get hydrated and to get in much needed nutrients from fruits and vegetables.

Select a fruit or vegetable of your choice.

STEP 2

CLEAN FRUIT OR VEGETABLE Make sure to clean the selected fruit or vegetable using best cleaning practices. .

STEP 3

ADD CUT UP FRUIT OR VEGETABLES TO HIGH SPEED BLENDER Cut up selected fruit or vegetable and place in a high-speed blender. Add one cup of water.

The amount of time to blend will vary based on the blender.

Blend until smooth

STEP 4 STRAIN THE BLENDED FRUIT (IF YOU DON'T LIKE PULP) Use a strainer to strain out the pulp, seeds, etc.

STEP 5

TIME TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER Add strained mixture into a pitcher with 7 cups of water and sweetener of choice to taste. Check out some of my favorites.

Cucumber Watermelon-lime Peach Hibiscus Strawberry Pineapple

STEP 1 PURCHASE A TACKLE BOX Tackle boxes allow for a variety of treats to stay organized for a quick snack . These can be found at Walmart, The Dollar Tree, Amazon, and many other retail stores.

STEP 2 SELECT A VARIETY OF HEALTHY SNACKS Picking a variety of healthy snacks is the fun part. This is also a way to introduce kids to new foods.

STEP 3

MIX AND MATCH The tackle box allows for different compartments to be adjusted to mix and match the inside treats and the amount of each item included.

Don't forget to add Crossroads on your smile.amazon.com

What can't the Education Engine team do? Sometimes, you just have to get things done. No one was harmed in the making of this beautification project at Education Engine in Lawton. Many Oklahomans suffered from fallen tree limbs and other debris this past winter. With teamwork, this crew was able to clean up the area surrounding the center to help prepare for the upcoming school year.

PAGE 15 | HEAD START UPDATES

Maddie B. in partnership with the CDC's Know the Signs.

ACT EARLY. initiative created a useful resource page to assist parents with tracking their child's development.

Includes link to FREE app.

Website Updates

Each Center has their own page to help connect with the local communty.

These pages are completely customizable.

Jennifer C. and the Parent Advocates have an amazing set of resources that are now available for each county digitally. This in addition to the Beaneighbor.org initiative will help our communities thrive.

YOUTH SERVICES UPDATES

Serve Day

More Updates in the works Even more updates are coming with a partnership with Ideal Homes to remodel the entire shelter. This partnership will help create an even more enjoyable environment for youth.

After getting rained out, the Victory Family Church Serve Day is rescheduled for this Saturday, July 17. Crossroads was selected to receive donated services and items to make the Youth Shelter more comfortable for residents. This Saturday, the craft room will receive an overhaul of organization.

More details and pictures from many of these projects will be posted on our Facebook Page and Instagram Page.

Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.”

– Leon J. Suenes

PAGE 17| YOUTH SERVICES UPDATES

Ms. Shawnda, Thank you for keeping things organized, always being punctual, never missing a shift, doing extra duties with cleaning and organizing files, and being a real team player.

-Youth Shelter Team

Center Directors, Thank you for all the time you are putting in to make this upcoming school the best for staff and families. The amount of training, planning, and coordinating does not go unnoticed.

Thank you so much for all you do!

- Head Start Team

Celebrating July Birthdays Sherkeria- 2 Maddie B- 3 Lizbeth- 6 Shawnda- 7 Stacy C- 8 Katelyn C- 8 Denise M- 8 Marlou- 9 Autumn- 9 Darryl- 10 Heather J- 11 Tonya S- 15 Emily J- 17 Elizabeth W- 18

Kristi C- 19 Emma M- 20 Delois C- 20 Melissa W- 21 Dakota C-22 Jennifer M- 22 Gayle V- 23 Kaylia- 26 Ariel C- 26 Michele A- 27 Tyranza- 27 Rebecca- 27 Jennifer M- 29 Whitney M- 30 Juanita B- 31

Thank you to our Treasured Crew

Work Anniversaries Naomi S- 6 Denise M- 7 Tracy C- 8 Kathryn W- 8 Angela F- 9 Tabatha L.R.- 9 Veronica M- 14 Shelli P- 18

Connie L- 1 Marinel- 1 Erika A- 2 Erica- 2 Jordan- 2 Angela C- 2 Pamela P- 2 Kaila M- 2 Shyla P- 2

Paige M- 3 Crystal M- 3 Shaieyanne- 3 Paula G- 4 Kathellena- 4 Randi- 4 Jill R.V.- 4 Fern T- 4

Stacie Casey-Wewoka Diana McGuire-Wewoka Ame Chambers-Wewoka Lynn Carter-Wewoka Carolynn Lossie-Union St Kellie Lassley-CSBI Angel Harris- Beginnings Josephine Ikpa-Shelter Bart Sallee-Wewoka Jayla Sankadota- First Start

Thank you to our Community Partner

After receiving the SPUD 2021 donation from Norman North, the Youth Shelter started the process of planning a muchneeded renovation.

Ideal Homes stepped in to make this vision a reality by donating time, expertise, and funding to help make the shelter home for displaced youth.

Scan the QR code to follow the progress or to donate.