Summer Newsletter | 2024
In this Issue:
Agency Happenings
Department Highlight: CYFS
Advocacy Ramps Up During the 2024 Legislative Season
Volunteer Spotlight: Ed Dingledine
Happy Summer! In this issue, we feature some of the ways CYFS is helping children and families heal from life-changing trauma, abuse and neglect, and other life challenges using a family-centered, inclusive, traumaresponsive, and strength-based approach as we achieve solutions together!
We are thrilled to announce that Renewal by Andersen has donated $40,000 to our Peoria and Rock Island programs and services. This generous donation comes in addition to their CEO Sam Heer establishing the Guardian Angel Impact Fund in 2021 through the Morton Community Foundation. The fund is designed to help support the costs of extra-curricular activities for the young boys who are part of our Guardian Angel Residential program, which supports youth who have experienced significant trauma to heal, cope, and thrive.
“We are thankful for Renewal by Andersen’s CEO Sam Heer’s belief in our mission and that we can count on them to help us achieve solutions for children and families facing life storms. This most generous donation will help support vital programs that give children and families hope for a better future,” said CYFS CEO Patrick Phelan.
In addition, the good people of Renewal by Andersen’s Davenport office put on a fantastic Foster Parent appreciation event for the foster families we serve in the Quad Cities. The event provided live entertainment, interactive experiences, prizes, and family fun. We are so grateful to count on Renewal by Andersen as a partner in achieving solutions for children and families!
Our Behavioral Health program is proud to announce they recently received grant funding to provide the services of the Mental Health Juvenile Justice program for youth in Mclean and Vermillion Counties by providing family-systems, inclusive, trauma-responsive, and strengths-based assessment, linkage, and referral services to youth with a possible behavioral health need either at risk for contact with or for more intensive involvement in the juvenile justice system. “Many youths who interact with the justice system have unmet behavioral health needs. The MHJJ program will allow CYFS to partner with youth and families who are at risk for involvement with the justice system to identify needs, link them to needed services and supports, and help reduce barriers to care,” stated Stephanie Barisch, CYFS Director of Therapeutic Services.
Anyone, such as justice-system-connected sources, schools, medical providers, or other human service providers, can refer youth to this program. We look forward to providing updates on the program’s impact in McLean and Vermillion counties.
This summer, CYFS bid farewell to some organizational leaders who, for decades, were resolute advocates of the agency’s mission (and that of Catholic Charities and Catholic Social Services).
For almost 40 years, former Human Resources Director Rosemary Haynes, who has been a bedrock of support for employees, retired. Rosemary was a constant source of knowledge and guidance, and we are so incredibly grateful for her many years of service. Samantha Lord, former HR Supervisor of CYFS, has been promoted to Human Resource Director. Samantha embodies the agency’s mission, values, and has a genuine passion for Human Resource work. We are confident she will continue to continue our mission and values in this new role.
In other news, Associate Agency Director Tim Glancy transitioned into a part-time role before retirement. Tim was vital in leading our Youth, Family, and Community Outreach program before becoming part of executive leadership. Tim’s passion for achieving solutions has been continued by the many people he has supervised, including one of our latest leaders, Amy Dralle, who was recently promoted to Chief Operations Officer. Amy oversees our Continuous Quality Improvement, Human Resources, and Mission and Professional Development Departments in this role. Each department plays a crucial role in supporting our staff’s work here at CYFS. “CYFS is a continuous learning agency, and quality improvement is a passion of mine. I take pride in the opportunity to collaborate with staff in these departments as they continually adapt their work to meet staff needs best,” stated Dralle.
Along with Dralle, CYFS proudly announces its Chief Program Officer, Heather Goff. In this role, Heather oversees the agency’s programs, such as Behavioral Health, Youth Family and Community Outreach Services, Seniors, Guardian Angel, and Child Welfare. Before moving into this role, Goff was the agency’s Director of CQI and Child Welfare.
“I get the opportunity to work closely with our program leadership team regarding program development, implementation, and evaluation. As a team, we are trying to create a culture of innovation and creativity within our programs to meet our community’s needs while remaining effective and competitive in our rapidly changing environment,” stated Goff. In addition to working with program leaders, Goff meets with outside stakeholders to talk about the positive work happening at CYFS and create a more significant systemic impact through advocacy and awareness.
In 2024, we expanded our presence at the Illinois State Capitol by hiring a Public Policy and Communications Coordinator to oversee CYFS advocacy efforts. During the 2024 Spring Legislative Session, CYFS filed 50 witness slips on various pieces supporting and opposing legislation impacting child welfare and behavioral health issues in Illinois. CYFS kept track of legislation that could affect the children and families served throughout our 37 county service geography, including an $11 million rate increase for psychiatric providers to serve Medicaid patients.
CYFS Public Policy and Communications Coordinator Ryan Melchin emphasized the importance of advocacy: “It is really important to have a presence at the State Capitol during the legislative session to ensure that the children and families
we serve and our staff on the front lines have a voice in the legislative process. CYFS works closely with organizations such as the Illinois Collaboration on Youth and the Community Behavioral Health Association to further assist in its advocacy efforts to advance our interests at the State Capitol. Both organizations have a strong presence at the State Capitol, and CYFS works with its advocacy teams throughout the legislative session and remains engaged with them after the session to plan for the future.
“CYFS’ partnership with other organizations provides a collective voice on the critical issues affecting child welfare and
behavioral health issues in Illinois,” said Ryan Melchin. For example, CYFS participated in a lobby day organized by the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association in May and met with legislators from our region to discuss critical issues in the waning days of the Spring Legislative Session. Lobby days are an excellent opportunity to join with advocates from various parts of the state to bring a unified message to the General Assembly about the issues that are important to us. In addition, CYFS has a daily presence at the Capitol, attending legislative committee hearings and talking with legislators and their staff about CYFS priorities.
Effective advocacy is not just about showing up at the State Capitol during legislative sessions but also about ensuring that our staff is updated on the fast-
paced changes during the session. CYFS publishes a weekly internal newsletter for staff and provides upto-date information regarding the latest legislation under consideration by the General Assembly. When the General Assembly is not in session, CYFS continues to contact state legislators and state agencies to discuss CYFS priorities and concerns. It is crucial to have an open line of communication with policymakers to have our issues heard.
We are committed to collaborating with our partners in the child welfare and behavioral health sectors to affect positive change for the children and families we serve and our staff who are on the front lines every day.
According to the Agency on Aging, as we age, many of our social interactions begin to disappear, and a person can lack the social stimulation that comes with work, events, and relationships. More importantly, when we have social interaction, it lets us feel cared for and supported. That’s why at CYFS, we have a volunteer component to our New Day Senior Services program — our Friendly Visitors. The program is designed for seniors at least 60 years of age living in Peoria and Tazewell counties who are lonely or in need of assistance to continue living in their homes or apartments. Seniors are referred to our Friendly Visitor Program through family members, other seniors or service providers, medical professionals, or community members. Each senior is matched with volunteers based on interests and needs.
We caught up with one of our Friendly Visitors to give you a better idea of what it is like to volunteer for this program through this Q&A with Ed Dingledine:
Q: What inspired you to become a Friendly Visitor?
A: Back in 2016, I was reading the newspaper and saw a section on ways you could volunteer in the Peoria area. I noticed that The Center for Youth and Family Solutions was looking for people to visit with isolated seniors who could use some company and in need of help around the house, so I called and got matched and have been volunteering ever since.
Q: Walk us through what a typical visit looks like.
A: It can vary depending on who you are paired with. One of the first seniors I visited required a lot of care, and often, when I came to visit, his wife would run to the grocery store or do other errands. We both enjoyed watching baseball games, so we would do that if a game were on. Sometimes, we
would talk, drink coffee, and eat a piece of pie. The goal is to find a consistent time for the visit, which lasts an hour or two, so the senior has something to look forward to.
Q: What are the most significant benefits of volunteering for this program?
A: As a retiree, I have the time to volunteer, and it feels good to use my time helping others. I know I am helping someone feel less lonely with errands or things around the house. Volunteering also helps me with my social interactions, too, as you build a nice relationship with the person with whom you are paired.
Q: What impact do you feel you have made with the folks you have been paired with?
A: When you know that the person you are visiting has experienced loneliness and isolation because their loved ones have either passed away or are no longer able to visit, it feels good knowing you are someone they can count on. Here lately, I
have also been doing a lot more transporting — where I take folks to doctor appointments, and that feels so good knowing that I am helping them remain independent where they can continue to live in their own home.
Q: What would you say to them if someone considered becoming a Friendly Visitor but wasn’t sure they would be good at it?
A: Well, you will never know unless you try. It truly is a rewarding experience, and you will enrich your and senior’s lives. What is great is that the folks who run the New Day Senior Service program will match you with someone with common interests, so many of the folks I have visited over the years have become genuine friends.
If you are interested in volunteering as a Friendly Visitor or want to learn more about this opportunity, call Betty Sours at (309) 323.6573 or email at bsours@cyfsolutions.org
You could win a $3,000 Alexander Travel gift voucher by purchasing our Wine Down with CYFS raffle tickets for $20! Four other lucky people could win the following:
2nd: $500 Ticketmaster gift card
3rd: $400 Amazon gift card
4th: $300 Binny’s gift card
5th: $250 Omaha Steaks gift card
The raffle drawing will occur on Friday, October 18th at the Wine Down with CYFS event, but you don’t have to be present to win! Call or email Crystal Bentley at CYFS at 309-323-6601 or email her at cbentley@cyfsolutions. org to purchase your raffle ticket! Are You Needing A Vacation