MAGAZINE
Sponsored by Community Connections of Brockton in alliance with United Way of Greater Plymouth County
SOUTH SHORE
In this edition... Easton Children's Museum Coping with Grief and Loss Reading with Children Summer Activities and more!
Summer 2022
COMMUNITY
The Goncalves family are proud members of the growing and expanding Brockton Community! Rob is a housekeeper as well as a member of the Brockton Lions Club and father to Camila (8) and Xavier (3). For fun, they like to visit surrounding cities and go sight seeing. Rob and his family have been participating in the South Shore Community Magazine for a very long time, providing valuable resources, ideas, and stories! Pictured you can see them during the Abington St. Patrick's Day Parade! Thank you Goncalves family!
Table of Contents
Local Small Business Directory Page 28 South Shore Community Magazine Virtual Resource Guide Page 29 Additional Resources Page 30 - Family Resource Center Information Page 43 - Eviction Diversion Page 44 - HIP/SNAP Page 45 - Talking with Youth About Vaping United Way of Greater Plymouth County's 100th Annual Meeting and Sponsors Page 32 - About the Annual Meeting Page 33 - Award Recipients Page 34 - Annual Meeting Sponsors
Meet the Goncalves Family
Introduction Page 1 - About Our Cover Photo Page 1 - Upcoming Events and Opportunities Page 2 - Do You Know About Us? Page 3 - Note from the Editorial Team Page 3 - Get Involved Resiliency Library Page 4 Community Diaper Drive Page 5 Summer Activities Page 6 Ongoing Family Activities Page 7 Education Page 8 - Easton Children's Museum is the Place to Go for Kids Page 9 - Brockton Arc Offers Support to Families
Featured Article Page 10 - Coping with Grief and Loss During COVID Health and Wellness Page 13 - Brain-Behavior Connection Community Spotlight Page 16 - Boys & Girls Club of Metro South Safe Spaces Page 18 - A Leap of Faith - Recovering from Entering the Workforce at the Dawn of the Pandemic Caring Adults Page 19 - How to Encourage Children to Read Opportunities to Serve Page 20 - Welcoming Our New Staff Faith Page 22 - Unity: Psalm 133:1 Freeform Writing Page 23 - Hey, Jude Page 26 - A Gingerly Walk to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Page 27 - Beach Life
South Shore Community Magazine and Leadership Conference Monthly Meeting - Tuesday July 5th 2022 - To Register please email Kasey.dean@ccbrockton.org Eviction Diversion- Services available for those unable to attend their virtual hearing and facing eviction due to non-payment of rent regarding COVID-19 - Call the Family Center at 508-857-0272 Resiliency Library-The Plymouth County Resiliency Library and Book Buddy program provide access to a variety of children's books covering a range of topics that help guide children in their social-emotional learning. Free books for all ages! Nutritious Home Delivered Meals- If you're a disabled Brockton Resident under 60 years old, you may qualify to receive Meals on Wheels through OCES | Contact OCES for more information | 508-584-1561 | Family Support Services with SABURA| February to June 2022 | Mondays through Thursdays | 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm | Program will be CLOSED when Brockton Public Schools is Closed | See Flyer for information 1st Annual Juneteenth Celebration Festival| Brockton Fairgrounds | June 18th, 2022 | 11:00 am to 5:00 pm | Family Center will have a resource table! Brookside Summer Camp | Teen Summer Camp | June 27 - August 19 | 9 am to 4 pm | Ages 13-18 | 233 Warren Avenue Brockton, MA 02301 | Want your community program or event featured here? Email Kasey.dean@ccbrockton.org a flyer and ask to be featured! We also accept advertisements!
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Upcoming Events, Resources, & Opportunities
Interested in how to participate? There are many ways to get involved for any time, schedule, and/or interest! Here are some ways: Articles and Art! Articles are important to the magazine. We are always looking for new voices- youth, adults, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, coaches, etc. If you are reading this, we would love to hear your voice! We love featuring art of all types- drawings, paintings, poetry and so on. Let your light shine! Advertise! The magazine is fully non-profit. Calling all business owners, entrepreneurs, and people having events! Support this magazine and your local community! Our advertisers make the magazine thrive. With more ads comes more ability for us to provide more resources. Join a meeting! The volunteers meeting for the magazine is the first Wednesday of every month from 6:30-7:30pm. Subject to change based on Holidays We are meeting on ZOOM for the time being. Submit your Pic! Each issue of the magazine, we feature a family on the cover. We are beautiful communities made up of lots of amazing families! Why not yours? Got magazines? If you don't see the magazine in your area, let us know! We distribute to businesses, doctors' offices, barber shops. and other community places. Celebrate Champions! Nominate someone for our Community Spotlight. If you know a person or organization who is going above and beyond in your community, let us know! We would love to highlight them! Email: Kasey.dean@ccbrockton.org with any questions or inquiries! Submissions are welcome year round! Welcome to the South Shore Community Magazine Family!
We serve 28 communities on the South Shore. Our staff is compromised of our Director, Program Manager, School Liaison, Community Resource Specialist and Administrative Assistant. Language capacity includes English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole. We help families navigate child serving systems through information, education and/or referrals. For more information, call us at (508) 857-0272 Community Connections of Brockton engages the public, community agencies and community members in efforts to strengthen families and build stronger, healthier communities. By sharing ideas, knowledge, skills and training community members have the potential to become community champions. Building stronger, healthier communities requires leadership; leadership that is grown within a given community. The first step is to get involved with your community. Please make sure to become a fan of The Family Center at www.volunteersouthcoast.org If you would like more information about programming offered by the United Way of Greater Plymouth County The Family Center, call The Family Center at (508) 857-0272 or email Brocktoncc@gmail.com.
We're here with you through all times. Support, care, and guidance. We're working remotely to continuously make sure we're serving our communities well. Please email us at Brocktoncc@gmail.com with questions, concerns, referrals and need for support.
The Family Center offers parenting programs, support groups, information and referral resources, assessment services, early childhood services and education programs from families with children ages 0 to 18. We also have specific services for families with children who may be frequently absent or have problems at school, have problems at home, have run away from home, or are being exploited
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Parenting skills workshops Nurturing Fathers Parenting Journey Grandparents Raising Again Family Events & Activities Playgroups Child Requiring Assistance Diversion Help with accessing other services (Culturally diverse, multi-lingual staff) Drug Endangered Children's Initiative
Do you know about us?
GET INVOLVED
Hello South Shore! As we slide into Summer, South Shore Magazine Committee wants to remind you to be safe as we enjoy all the upcoming activities, events, and changes. This edition focuses on a variety of topics that have risen throughout the last few months, as well as looking forward to see how we can make the most of our Summer! Learn about the Boys & Girls Club of Metro South, take a peek into a Grief and Loss Workshop recently held, or learn how to encourage your children to read! Feel free to join our meetings, suggest new workshop or group ideas, and let us know if there is a new and unique need in our area. Always remember to contact us if you need any help! We at the Family Center aim to be a continous resource to all parts of the community. Have a wonderful Summer! SSCM Editorial Team
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A Note From the Editorial Team
"The Rabbit Listened" Written by Cori Doerrfeld
"The Last Stop on Market Street" Words by Matt De La Peña Pictures by Christian Robinson
Donated through Amazon
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We are working on our Family Boutique! Contact us to learn more about how you can help to build this boutique!
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Join us on the Plymouth County Resiliency Library! This free online resource connects kids, caregivers, educators, and other professionals with a free digital library. Access titles that focus on social-emotional learning, mindfulness, and other behavioral health topics in non-fiction and fiction form. Suitable for ages 0-100, there is something for everyone. Sign up today!
Collected by Magalie Pinney
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Summer Activities
Things to Do Indoors Rearrange your house Donate old clothes Plant an indoor herb garden Pick up a new hobby Apply a fresh coat of paint to your walls Read a new book Play board games/cards Watch a new or old series Spice up your resume Try new recipes Visit local museums Build pillow forts Organize your cupboards/pantry
Ongoing Family Activities
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Things to Do Outdoors Explore a trail Plant an outdoor garden Play sports Go for a bike ride Visit a beach or pond Go for a walk/jog Go birdwatching Go seashelling Try geocaching Build a rock garden Waterballoon fight/sprinklers Camping/Campfire Wash your car Have a cookout Enjoy the fresh air
Brockton Public Library Museum Passes Program Museum passes are available only at some locations due to coronavirus restrictions. Several locations require patrons to schedule the time of arrival online, but will accept the passes from the library. Call 508-894-1407 or check the museum pass reservation page for details on individual passes. The Massachusetts Cultural Council, Brockton Cultural Council, and Brockton Public Library sponsor a museum pass program for adult Brockton Public Library cardholders with library records in good standing. Patrons must have a valid Brockton library card in order to check out the passes. Passes may be reserved at the Main Library up to two months in advance. We recommend that patrons wishing to reserve a pass for a high demand time, such as a weekend, school vacation, or summertime, call as early as possible The library offers one pass per day to each museum. The pass may be picked up at the Main Library the day before or the day of the reservation. Passes are for 24 hours ($1.00 late fee per day and $25 replacement fee when applicable). Only one pass may be taken by a patron on a given day. Directions and other information are available at the circulation desk of the Main library. Battleship Cove, Fall River - Reduced price for 2 adults and 2 children Buttonwood Park Zoo - Free admission for 4 people. The Children's Museum, Easton - Admits 4 people at half price. Edaville, Carver - Admits 2 people free. Fuller Craft Museum- Admits 2 people free. The Hall at Patriot Place - Admits 2 people. Heritage Museum and Gardens, Sandwich - Half price for 2 adults and 4 children. Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation - Free parking in over 50 of the State Parks. National Black Doll Museum - Admits up to 5 people.Located in Mansfield. Providence Children's Museum - Half price admission for up to 4 people. Roger William's Park Zoo - Admits 4 with a $3.00 discount Sandwich Glass Museum - Admits up to 5 people. Regular admission Adults $10.00 Children $2.00 USS Constitution Museum - Boston, Pass admits up to 9 people.
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Brockton Arc Offers Support to Families By Caroline Bunnell
Living with an intellectual or developmental disability can create a variety of obstacles in someone’s life, as well as the people surrounding them. The Brockton Area Arc works to eliminate those difficulties through its work and their programs. The Brockton Area Arc is a non-profit organization that provides support and resources to people with disabilities and their families. Ang Colby knows first-hand how important the work of the Brockton Area Arc can be. Colby became involved with the program through her brother who has autism. One in 44 children have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, according to the Center for Disease Control’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. According to the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers, 20,000 families living in Massachusetts care for a family member with an intellectual or developmental disability in their household. “When I was around eight years old, they had a group called sib shops which is a support group for individuals with their siblings who have disabilities. They were teaching you how to live with your sibling. They don’t want you to feel alone,” Colby said. Colby said that she is grateful for the resources it has given her family, and the skills she learned through the family programs. “I have a lot more patience with him because I know I’m not alone. If you go to the group, I know I can talk about it, and I know it’s a safe spot where I can talk about it,” Colby said. Aside from the sibling programs, there are other family programs that provide support to families of individuals with disabilities. There are educational trainings for caregivers and parents, as well as social programs. The center also can provide funding for any costs or resources that can’t be covered by the family. “Our Friends of the Arc Helping Hand Fund is available to cover cost of an unexpected expense, as well as to support skill development and recreation activities,” according to the Brockton Area Arc website. Other programs include the Haitian Family support group, the Spanish support group for Parents, Cape Verdean support, Transition support group, and a parent support group. Information about these programs can be found HERE or by calling 508-583-8030.
URL for ABOVE https://arcofgreaterbrockton.org/programs-and-services/
Easton Children’s Museum, founded in 1991, is a local town attraction for families with children ages one to seven. “Children’s Museum Easton is a vibrant, educational, experiential, and cultural community asset. Our mission is to inspire young children, their families, and caregivers to become lifelong learners, no matter the economic circumstances of our visitors,” said Executive Director Christine Santoro. Memberships to the museum include unlimited visits, discounted birthday parties, free passes for friends, and half prices to other museums in the Greater Boston area. “The museum is housed on three floors in a 117-year-old firehouse, with a safe, fenced outdoor learning space, offering affordable, high-quality exhibits, programs, classes, field trips, and special events. CME designs programs to meet MA curriculum Frameworks,” Santoro said. Some of the exhibits for children to learn involve science, music, theater, art, yoga, and wildlife. “The main floor has transportation and movement-based exhibits. The top floor has several interactive exhibits. The lower level has the party room and large motor area for more active play,” said Santoro. The Easton Children’s Museum offers many other events and programs including kid safe sleepovers, group visits, parties, road races, and sponsorship opportunities. “Annual events offered at CME include the Father’s Day Road Race and Family Fun Walk, Night at the Brewseum, New Year’s Eve Family Celebration with entertainment, and various entertainers such as princesses and princes, storytellers, and animals,” said Santoro. The museum has received great reviews from frequent visitors and welcomes new families every day. “Our most beloved exhibits include the Dino Den, Fire Truck and Pole, Golf Ball Raceway, and the most popular activities are Music with Miss Kerry, Maker Space, and the outside play area called The Wild Place,” said Santoro. The Easton Children’s Museum invests in a welcoming environment opening its doors to surrounding communities. “CME welcomes 50,000 visitors each year,” said Santoro.
Photo by Magalie Pinney
Easton Children’s Museum is the Place to Go for Kids By Kayla Raymond
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Education
Grief is not a linear scale. Everyone experiences grief and all people experience grief in their own way. Grief is something we have had to face in excess since COVID-19 came into our lives. Chances are that we all know someone who passed away from COVID-19. Some people have lost many close friends or family members to this illness. In this new normal, the uncertain as well as everchanging times, we are now over 2 years into this Pandemic. There is no rulebook, no single right way to navigate uncharted waters. Not only have we seen excess loss due to COVID-19, but many of us have been unable to visit sick, elderly, or immune suppressed loved ones, or even say goodbye. Grief Specialist Christine Tangishaka was kind enough to partner with United Way of Greater Plymouth County and the Family Center to plan and implement an 8-week virtual Grief and Loss during COVID program. About Christine Christine Tangishaka is a professional Grief Specialist. Prior to her current position as Grief Specialist, she has experience as a Hospital Administrator as well as Family Engagement Director. Always in a position to work with and help others, especially in connection with grief, Christine describes her work as rewarding. “There are sad moments, but lots of opportunities that are gratifying”. Christine enjoyed facilitating the group as she enjoys the topic of grief and loves to help others. Looking forward to hosting another group in the Fall, Christine extends her gratitude to United Way of Greater Plymouth County for having a sense of needs within the community and looking to meet these needs by crafting unique groups and workshops, with a special wish for the community to look to United Way of Greater Plymouth County as a resource for support. Christine would also like to thank Greater Youth Resource Services Jean Brewster, a support in partnership that helped make this workshop possible. About the Workshop This workshop kicked off in the beginning of February and concluded at the end of March. For connection purposes, this workshop had a 15-person limit. Each week had a different focus outlined as such: Week 1: Introduction & Basics of Grief Week 2: Types of Grief & Grief Responses Week 3: Myths & Facts about Grief Week 4: Coping Strategies and Resilience Week 5: Living Everyday: Practical Options Week 6: Family & Relationship Changes Week 7: Spirituality & Faith Week 8: Memory-Making & Meaningful Connections We interviewed Christine to get a peek into the group, which we are excited to say will be offered again in the Fall, so keep an eye out for registration! The group was mostly all adult women and went exceptionally well. This was not Christine’s first time facilitating such a group, but it was her first group that was entirely virtual. Having a virtual option for a program such as this opens new doors. Although most participants were from the immediate area, having the group virtual was perfect because when participants needed to travel, they were still able to take the time out of their day to join through zoom while on vacation or in another state. When we asked Christine something that stuck out to her, there was a particular question asked by participants that really hit home. The question was “How long is it okay to grieve?” Many folks who were further along in their loss, were asking themselves this question. This question provoked many others such as “Is there a stop time, a time I shouldn’t be feeling as bad?” This is a perpetual standing thought to anybody who has experienced loss. Christine was sure to support participants, assuring them that there is no timeframe on grief. While it may seem that friends or relatives are moving on faster, while others are still having a difficult journey, grief is unique to the individual that is feeling it and the scenario it involves. Christine said “It’s their grief journey, you cannot predict it, you can only walk through it”. Christine’s main goal of the workshop was to work with the participants to identify and put names to the emotions they were feeling, while also offering tools to manage as they move along the path of grief. When asked about takeaways from participants, there was a beautiful story that led to the best name for something we most likely all do. Participants referred to it as “treasure hunting”. “Treasure Hunting” is described as looking for things that we treasure that remind us of our loved ones when we’re out and about in the world. The smell of our loved one’s favorite cologne. Seeing our loved one’s favorite animal or brand. Being reminded of their favorite flower or design. These nice little surprises are gentle reminders of the people we loved and can come at the times most needed. Treasure hunting takes these little reminders a step further, the participant describing it as “going into a place where she knew she would be thinking about the loved one, looking specifically for clues that would remind them positively about the family member” or “Taking yourself to that happy place. Favorite meal, restaurant, food, the Macy’s fragrance department. Remembrance”. One of the last topics that came up throughout the implementation of this group was the concept of silence. Participants of this group know Christine’s common phrase well by now. “I’m quite comfortable with silence”. During the times when the group grew quiet, Christine was content to sit there in silence for a few moments, allowing the group to collect their thoughts, let the wheels turn, and reflect. There are times when silence is necessary. Many people are uncomfortable with silence, not knowing what to say or do. “In our world, we do not just and wait”. Many things are rushed, needing an answer or solution right away, always needing something to fill the gap or time. However, silence has its purpose at different times. Christine encouraged the group to become comfortable with silence, so much so that in the end, it was one of the things group members reflected upon as something they liked. One takeaway she hoped to share with participants and felt confident in, was this concept to remember to be comfortable with the silence. Thank you to Christine for partnering with us for this amazing workshop opportunity! Stay tuned to find out more about upcoming workshops, events, and opportunities by following our Facebook page and website or subscribing to our monthly newsletter!
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Featured Article
Coping with Grief and Loss during COVID
The theme of my graduate school course, module 3, is Brain-Behavior Connection as this relates to the triad of Autism Spectrum Disorder characteristics. The triad consists of impairments in social interaction, communication and specifically for this module, the presence of restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities. These characteristics make up not only the impairments for individuals with autism but also the disability and disorder that is autism whose core deficits are made up of Theory of Mind (ToM), Executive Function (EF) and Weak Central Coherance (WCC). The video lecture from Laura Schreibman of the UC Davis MIND Institute, entitled The Science Fiction of Autism, discussed the challenges, characteristics, controversy and issues for autism where the combined resources of language research and autism research have taken families, educators, interventionists, practitioners and professional stakeholders to present day. There have been so many theories, conspiracies, assumptions, speculations and profits based on anecdotal evidence and pseudoscience as to how to diagnose, care for, misleadingly cure, and treat individuals with autism, however there have not been as much empirical data, hard science, productive and beneficial evaluations and good control studies made by comparison which would ease the minds, hearts and emotions of the people whose lives have been regularly affected by autism along the spectrum of severity levels and functionalities. Many public and private sectors such as the media, internet, legal case precedents, policy, marketing, business service providers, medical, neurobiological, behavioral and psychological arenas over the last 50 years have not been able to come to a common consensus with the information which has been gathered to date. So this unfortunate reality has resulted in many more questions being raised than firm answers being made available information wise to the public at large. For many of the groups and individuals whose lives and work are impacted regularly by autism, this has been very problematic. Since autism has become the largest pediatric epidemic and because there are no biomarkers for autism despite it having neural, biological, genetic and hereditary components, the research and information to date has led to increased professional and familial awareness for the diagnosis tools, instruments, care, education, intervention, treatments and research designs which are being utilized today. After my reading of Sensory Processing: Identifying Patterns and Support Strategies, I learned that researchers have found that people with autism have unique sensory processing patterns. Children with ASD are more likely to be sensitive to touch as well as auditory and oral sensory processing. These individual and sometimes co-existing or consequential patterns are referred to as Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Families, practitioners and professionals such as myself who live and/or work with autistic children need to integrate effective educational strategies and sensory processing knowledge to best serve children who have ASD. Understanding sensory processing enables us to better understand student behavior and plan school strategies. Interdisciplinary teams involved with these strategies include occupational therapists who are the experts who have been trained in SPD, nutritionists, dieticians, parents, caregivers, teachers, and school administrations. Our collective goal as interventionists in serving students in schools is to improve their active participation in their education not to change their sensory processing patterns. When applying a sensory processing approach, we must identify the student’s sensory processing patterns from observations, interviews, sensory profiles, questionnaires and evaluations-assessments in order to determine how the SPD patterns might be supporting or interfering with the student’s participation, interests, engagement, experiences, attention, communication, interaction, routines, learning structure and restrictive behaviors. Tables 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5 and 6.6 provided me with many tools, strategies and methods for understanding how seeking, registration, sensitivity and avoiding patterns in auditory, visual, tactile, movement and taste impact, benefit and/or prohibit students with ASD who also possess SPD strengths and weaknesses. The Autism Internet Module (AIM) for Restricted Patterns of Behavior, Interests, and Activities, provided me with the implications of these particular triad ASD characteristics for families, autistics and professionals who encounter them in education, home and everyday life situations. I have relatives and friends with relatives who have autism. I have colleagues and friends who have autism. As challenging as it had been for Raymond’s younger brother to interact and communicate with him in the movie, Rain Man, it showed me what misunderstanding, miscommunication and mistreatment of individuals with autism can result in if you don’t have the capabilities and patience, perseverance and resilience to serve their needs on a regular basis. The movie was just a story about how awful a neurotypical caregiver he was to Raymond, whose insensitivity, low registration, self serving, self seeking and special needs avoidance of the proper treatment and intervention treatment required for his own brother is a worst case scenario example of what ignorance can exhibit and manifest for these individuals who have ASD in real life. One of the primary characteristics of ASD is restricted and repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities. The behaviors occur more often and for longer periods of time in children with ASD than in typically developing children. The behaviors can range from looking at a spot on the floor, to flapping hands, to repeating favorite phrases, to lining up objects such as toys or books, to talking obsessively and/or repetitively about a topic of interest. They can include wanting routines to remain the same, needing people to behave the way they did the last time they were in a given situation, or only wanting to play an object in a specific, rigid way. Rituals are a pattern of behavior regularly performed in a specific sequence with no obvious function. People with ASD can be very rigid and always want to do things the same way at the same time. Since life tends to include change, expecting things to remain the same can cause trouble for the person with autism and those around him or her. Raymond as a character mirrored the examples of the real life case studies which were featured within the AIM module. They want sameness without routine changes which are unexpected, unpredictable or could cause them stress, anxiety, becoming upset and/or agitated and/or creating fear. Repetitive behaviors may include motor bodily movements or stimming, verbal repetitions and focal fixations and obsessions involving objects. The speculation as to the possible reasons for these restrictive behaviors is varied. We know that these behaviors result from the neurobiological makeup of their brains. We know that these brain based impairments lead to disabilities and disorders where it involves, language reception and expression, social cognition, cognitive memory and comprehension. And, we know that individuals with autism have no control over their attention, interests and behaviors and as a result they are not choosing to behave as they do. It is a characteristic that is part and parcel how, who and what they are as individuals so it is important that we try to connect to them from their perspectives in autism and not from ours as neurotypical people. Restricted behaviors and interests may develop from attempts to overcome their difficulties with communication and social interaction. They may be trying to relieve anxiety and stress by using behaviors and interests as a coping mechanism. They may be using these activities to calm themselves or defensively block out something or sensory sensitivities that bother them or make them feel agitated or uncomfortable. They may be bored with their environment and/or the people who are there with them and need to self stimulate in order to create passion, engagement, rewards, enjoyment and excitement. All people who don’t have autism can do from caregiver to parents to siblings, relatives, peer students, educators and intervening, interdisciplinary professionals is try to understand what those possible reasons might be through the strategies I have detailed from these module readings and from the research and evidence which was found in the prior modules. As long as we are assessing for safety, helpfulness, structure, sensory processing, interest, strengths and weaknesses, we can adapt our curricula, strategies, supports and environments which result in our making learning and living more beneficial and productive for them so that they have increased potential for successful outcomes in their knowledge acquisition and retention, skills building and vocational execution, employment options and integration, and in living the best quality lives they can for as long as we are able to support them or they become able to support themselves independently.
Brain-Behavior Connection By Magalie A. Pinney
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Health and Wellness
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Through a combination of after-school, weekend, and summer camp programs Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South serves youth ages 5 to 18 at their Brockton and Taunton Clubhouses, Camp Riverside, and at several extension sites throughout Southeastern Massachusetts. Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South provides an affordable, accessible, safe, and enriching place where kids can just be kids without worrying about the dangers their streets sometimes engender. Critically, Club memberships cost just $35 per year and no child is ever turned away due to inability to pay. After their efforts to combat educational challenges, mental health issues, food insecurity and more during the pandemic, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South was awarded the Taunton Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2022 Bristol County Savings Bank Community Impact Award. The Community Impact Award is presented annually to a business or organization who has gone above and beyond to make a tangible impact and contribution while demonstrating a commitment to the local community. Notably in 2021, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South kicked their efforts combat food insecurity up a notch by launching a Freight Farm initiative to support not only their Kids Cafe healthy meals program which provides 100k+ meals per year to Club members, but also to local pantries and food access agencies. The Clubs’ two Freight Farms are sited at their Camp Riverside property in Taunton and at their downtown Brockton Clubhouse on Warren Avenue. This initiative not only brings fresh leafy greens to the Kids Café program daily, but also provides an educational opportunity for their members to expand their STEM literacy. The Freight Farms have paved the way for the forging of partnerships in the Metro South region with other organizations working to combat food insecurity such as the Brockton Area Hunger Network (BAHN). BGCMS now donates produce to more than a dozen feeding programs, and other agencies in the region. On May 21, 2022 BGCMS was also awarded the inaugural Champions of Education Award by Massasoit Community College. Massasoit Community College chose Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South for their outstanding contributions to education and helping to change lives in local communities. Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South creates safe and academically-driven environments for youth in the community to thrive, – and did so especially during the unprecedented challenges of the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their after-school programs quickly adapted to the nontraditional format of remote school days in order to best serve members and their needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Clubs’ “Learning Pods” provided kids with in-person staff support during their remote learning along with the enrichment and socialization that they would have otherwise missed out on by being away from their traditional classroom environment. Following the challenges that emerged during the pandemic, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South found it crucial to respond to the mental health crisis the youth in their community were facing. Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South was able to secure the resources needed to bring a full-time Youth Resource Navigator to both of their Clubhouses to support the mental health and positive social emotional development of youth. BGCMS holds an intrinsic belief that every child deserves an equal chance to pursue the American Dream, to have a genuine opportunity to realize their full potential – to achieve a Great Future. The Clubs play a crucial role in intercepting generational cycles by inspiring our boys and girls, raising expectations, and providing them with opportunities for educational support to ensure that they can succeed, regardless of their life circumstances. BGCMS believes in an interdisciplinary approach to youth development, and so they work to address the root causes of the challenges facing our region’s youth. When a child's basic needs – from nurturing to nutrition – are not met, they struggle to thrive in the classroom and to make smart choices during out-of-school-time. Every day, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South is helping youth build great futures for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Community Spotlight
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Boys & Girls Club of Metro South
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How to Encourage Children to Read By Mark Higgins
Safe Spaces
Caring Adults
A Leap of Faith Recovering from Entering the Workforce at the Dawn of the Pandemic By Kristin Gonzales
Putting yourself through college and attempting to do your best while packing on the workload to graduate as quickly as possible is already difficult enough - combine all that with the impact and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and you got yourself quite an intimidating feat. I was lucky enough to only have to do online learning in my Graphic Design degree for the second half of my last semester - but I can only imagine how fatiguing any other duration of being a student in the face of a pandemic would be. Making the switch from fully in person to sitting on my laptop in my bedroom every day seemed… fun, at least at first. As a go-getter, I am always pushing myself to accomplish my goals as efficiently and quickly as possible and those first two weeks of quarantine honestly allowed me to slow down for what felt like the first time in my life. Of course what was only initially two weeks quickly turned into almost two years of living life at a slower pace and the detriment caught up with me. The massive shift affected us all in varying ways, but for me, I had to adapt to a world I was so ready to hop into closing its once seemingly wide open doors; as if I was almost at the finish line and quickly noticed it getting farther and farther away no matter how fast I ran. After countless hours of applying to positions and hearing back from close to none, with the small few I did hear back from ending in a kind but crushing “we have decided to move forward with another candidate”, I found that I needed to shift my approach. So I opened my own business on a whim providing social media and design services to various entrepreneurs. A field I had zero experience in but felt passionate enough about to take a leap of faith on. I researched a bunch, utilized any free online training I could find, and spent hours upon hours perfecting my own social media strategy to attract potential clients. This new endeavor quite honestly revived me, and reignited my worn down passion for life 5 months into the pandemic. I showed up and pushed myself to confidently display my talents although I definitely wasn’t feeling all too confident inside. And I successfully wore all the hats for 8 months straight, with many road bumps and trials along the way. But I found it difficult to maintain a soulful connection to the work I was performing, and felt slimy in marketing myself to people - mainly because I didn’t have the self confidence to back up what I was selling and that created a block in my creativity. It turns out I was right where I was meant to be the entire time. The skills I collected while being a self-starter social media guru weren’t for nothing, and just 6 short months after closing my business for good in June 2021, I was hired as the Marketing Coordinator for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South. A position that I definitely didn’t feel qualified for, but quickly flourished within. This position has provided me with that soulful connection I so desperately craved while also allowing me to reign in my creative abilities and contribute to an amazing team within an incredible opportunity I only dreamed would be possible for me just two short years ago at the dawn of my college graduation.
If a child reads as much as one million words a year or 3,000 a day, he or she will be in the top 2% on standardized reading tests, a 2019 report conducted by Ohio State University said. On the contrary if a child reads less than 8000 words a year, or 20 words a day, he or she will be in the bottom 2%, according to the Ohio State University study. Lynne Campbell, the children’s librarian at the Hanover public library since 2004, believes it is important for every child to read early and often to positively contribute to early literacy. “I have worked at the library for almost 18 years and have seen children grow up from babies to high-schoolers,” Campbell said. Creating a desire to read from a young age is very important, it is less about the child’s ability to read complex text at a young age and more about the child wanting to learn, Campbell said. “Something I feel strongly about is letting older children read what appeals to them depending on their interest and not getting hung up on what ‘level’ they should be reading. I get parents insisting that they want me to show them the books for their child’s level, and I try to steer towards the idea of let’s find books that your child will enjoy,” Campbell said. From the time children are born, parents should constantly be reading to them and surrounding their children with both written and spoken words, so that the children will become better natural readers themselves. Parents may find more success in ‘teaching’ their children to read if they stick to simple methods rather than promoting complex lesson plans. “I really don’t think in terms of parents consciously ‘teaching’ their children to read. I just encourage people to read to and with children from the time they are born. When they get into school, the teachers will use sophisticated methods for reading instruction, but I feel parents will be successful if they keep things pretty simple,” Campbell said. One key aspect to inspire children to read at a young age is to create a fun environment. If children are excited to read, they will read more independently and increase their literacy as a result, Campbell said. “I do a baby story time every week that includes reading out loud, singing and movement, and a toddler time with more of the same. All of these things contribute to early literacy. I see my job as making reading part of a fun environment. In story times for little ones, I incorporate props like puppets to engage the children with the words we’re reading and singing,” Campbell said. Campbell said the best method she found is to keep the interactions informal and low stress. “I have attended plenty of workshops, meetings and classes that encouraged specific "methods" like writing up on a board for parents to see what particular literacy skill is being highlighted in a story time. I think that is kind of too much, as far as my job is concerned. I like to keep things more informal and natural,” Campbell said. Teachers should be the main source of education a child how to read but parents should instill an enjoyment and excitability that will lead the child to want to read, Campbell said.
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Welcoming Our New Staff United Way of Greater Plymouth County and The Family Center
Opportunities to Serve
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Jacelina Monteiro
“It is my pleasure to say that I am extremely happy to be serving and doing more for the people in our community; making a difference everyday! I have the pleasure of providing anyone that is in need with the many resources and help that are available. I chose this career path because helping people has always been my passion. My favorite thing about this position is knowing that each day is special because I have the privilege and opportunity of putting a smile on someone's face and knowing that I was of extreme help to them and on some occasions, helped "save" the day. The Family Center in Brockton keeps its family close at heart and as priority always! After getting licensed as a Cosmetologist, going to Bridgewater State University for Early Childhood Education and have worked in many other fields, I finally came across my true passion; serving and helping other people that sometimes don't know where to go and where to turn to. Together with my colleagues & with all the wonderful resources our community has to offer, we can strongly strive to provide help. My favorite hobby is doing volunteer work at my local church, and hanging out with my loved ones. I also enjoy anything that involves arts and crafts because I can get super creative and I find it super relaxing.”
Stay tuned to hear more about the Family Center! Do you have questions about services, referrals, resources, or opportunities? Call the Family Center at 508-857-0272 Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm or Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.
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Claudel Chevry
Jaqueline Cardoso
Jackie began with the Family Center as part of our Local Consumer Advocate Program (LCP) in February 2022. Jackie works closely with Claudel in connection with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office to help consumers who have experienced problems with purchases either receive refunds or exchanges in response to poor service or item quality. Jackie speaks 5 Languages: English, Spanish, Cape Verdean Creole, Portuguese, and Brazilian. Jackie is kind enough with her language capacity to translate as needed for other staff within the Family Center for intakes, communication, and more. Jackie chose this position because she loves to help others, with her favorite part of the job to help people in need and put a smile on their face. Jackie believes the Family Center is different because of the hands-on communication, reliability in response, and the specific team of individuals we have. Jackie enjoys cooking, traveling, and dance. In her spare time, she enjoys doing hair and makeup as well as shopping and spending time with her children!
Claudel has been with us at the Family Center in various roles for a long time! Claudel is one of our Local Consumer Advocates. He works closely with Jackie in connection with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office to help consumers who have experienced problems with purchases either receive refunds or exchanges in response to poor service or item quality. Claudel speaks English and Haitian Creole. He also understands but is not fluent in French. Claudel has been in the Human Services industry since he was 14 ½ years old. He has worked in various capacities including but not limited to advocacy, clinical work, consultant work, and translating. In his free time, Claudel enjoys photography, reading and researching. Some of Claudel’s favorite activities include coaching and playing soccer, going to the gym, going for walks, and also running. Claudel also has a special interest in life coaching.
My brother is 27 years younger than me. Jude was born 4 months early via emergency cesarean section weighing in at just over one pound. He started life as a special needs child who was developmentally and physically affected in many areas. He was in the NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit) for the first three months of his life. Afterward, he continued to be administered medications and treatments for his impairments. He was protected, nurtured, supported and accommodated by a village: his mother, his father and his adult sister, me. Subsequently his mother died when he was 11 years old after two year rehabilitation with intensive medical treatments, physical complications and living struggles, post stroke. This left my father and me and him now with this huge gap. He was accommodated at home and in school for acute asthma, Executive Function Disorder and Dysgraphia. However, his emotional needs weren't being met all the way with long term counseling and therapy. It was like any counseling or therapy was taboo. I could see that he needed interventions. My brother knew that he needed help. He was suffering and depressed. This manifested physically with his dramatic weight gains then dramatic weight losses over the years. Another way is that he would hide food everywhere and lost his appetite. He was self starving and extremely thin much throughout his youth. He was grieving and mourning. It was impacting his self care and his academic achievement. Yet our father couldn't accept that outside counseling was needed for Jude as even he slipped into his own depression and medical issues following the loss of his wife. The severity of our aging father’s medical issues meant that Jude, now a teenager, needed me to intervene as much as I possibly could. So, here I was with a multi exceptional, gifted family of my own knowing full well that if my father died, that I must take in my brother. I actively tried to help him and work with him during his life as a high schooler. His transition from an adolescent to a teenager was challenging given the huge loss of his backbone and biggest supporter and best friend, his mother. We not only talked; we spent time away leisurely to just be. I would visit him at their home, with Dad present during some of those occasions, to go through his backpack and homework assignments. Dad paid for him to receive tutoring help from places like the Sylvan Learning Center and he would receive free after school help with peer students and his classroom teachers. Still his weaknesses impaired him in the areas of memory, planning assignments, tracking their due dates, completing and submitting them timely and organizing his tasks in ways which could help him help avoid the cycles of missing assignments. Dad would have to regularly meet with his school counselors and teachers to obtain the missing and incomplete details. Then Jude would have to double down on his current assignments and those he would have to turn in late time and time again. So, I took him with me to buy him several work planners and together we would weed through the loads of disorganized paperwork he brought home so he could make sense of his work timelines and track when his work was due. I also would pick him up and take him to my house so we could work on areas he needed help such as reading comprehension, literacy, language arts, and writing assignments. Jude not only amazed his teachers with his strengths, but he amazed me with his immense, creative artwork. He had amassed portfolios and folders of varied sketches, drawings, paintings, multidimensional, complex designs and beautiful graphic art. His writing on paper was pronounced, but in an oppositional way: chaotic, untranslatable and undecipherable. He and I could discuss philosophy and writers such as Sartre and Nietzsche. He nailed down ideas such as existentialism, rebirth, life, death, faith and spirituality whenever we had downtime together. We shared our perspectives commentaries on the asynchronous books and stories we had read. The co-ed Youth Group meetings at Church helped him further in his social skill weaknesses and to enrich and broaden his deep horizons. Up until then, he had had a core group of mostly male friends he had known since elementary and middle school. In this environment he met creative, artistic and talented peers with whom he could discuss spiritual truths, teachings and complex life matters through the lens of adolescence and diverse family relationships. He even met his second girlfriend there. Yet, when it came to his written execution of serious topics, the output was a paradox of giftedness and disability. This affected him and lent itself to numerous bouts with imposter syndrome which he stills battles with today. Even he couldn’t make sense of the disparities between what he was thinking and seeing in his mind’s eye to how those same thoughts and visions could not translate legibly once he wrote them down on paper. I took these years as fuel to advocate for him, but to also help him learn how to self advocate so he could grow to take care of himself physically, academically, mentally and socially. I regularly lent him my ear emotionally. I supported his intellectual gifts and disabilities. Therefore he had begun to grow as himself and as a burgeoning, young, twice exceptionally gifted man. Now aged 22, some of his work has been featured in art shows and exhibits. I helped him get published as well. Jude attended college with his revised 504 plan accommodations and executive functions coaching access. We worked together to have these set in place through his college disability department. He drives. He manages his own bank account. He has a rich social life. He still has far to go in his adulting and the work, independence, self sufficiency and responsibilities which come with that. Given the fact he spent his young life fighting to be understood, challenged by his maternal heartbreak and struggling with adversity since he was a baby, I have to give him kudos and well-earned credit for making it this far in life. He has told me I am the closest version of a mother he has had in the eleven years since she passed away. That chokes me up inside knowing he has spent exactly half of his life with her and half of it without her. I stand by him indefinitely.
Hey, Jude By Magalie A. Pinney
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Faith
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Unity: Psalm 133:1 By Jensen Denoyes
Psalm 133:1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! Christian values are practical tools parents can use to teach children the power and peace that comes with unity. While individual freedom is always essential, putting aside personal ideas in an agreement can be pleasant. The allure of being a group member is vital to all of us; we all want to "belong." But members must agree on fundamental core values for a group to function effectively. Christian values offer basic ideas parents can use to teach children how to belong, create progress, and thrive. Unity is not only pleasant; unity is a necessary tool our children need to flourish. By using Christian values to teach our children that, at times, core values are more unique ideas, we are giving our children the tools they will need not only to belong but to succeed pleasantly.
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A Tale Through Photos
Beach Life
Freeform Writing
After 22 seasons of service in the National Football League, Tom Brady called it a wrap after the 2021 NFC Divisional loss to the LA Rams in Tampa. Tom Brady and his Bucs were losing by double digits throughout the game, but then staged a late comeback in the fourth quarter to reduce the deficit. Brady tossed a 55-yard beauty touchdown to Mike Evans with 3:20 remaining. But Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a deep bomb to Cooper Kupp in Buccaneer territory. Then with 0:04 seconds left in regulation, that setup a Matt Gay 40-yard field goal to end the game. Tom Brady and the Bucs lose 27-30. This was Tom Brady’s last game in the NFL before announcing his retirement. This game was a microcosm of Tom Brady’s career. His outstanding ability to drive his team back in contention to win the game from losing. He has 42 4th-quarter comebacks (2nd most all-time; Peyton Manning (43). (NFL Fourth Quarter Comebacks Career Leaders (since 1960) | Pro-Football-Reference.com) Speaking of comebacks, Super Bowl LI was Brady’s 5th ring. This game may have been the greatest comeback in sports history. The game was played on February 5, 2017, in Houston against the Atlanta Falcons. Brady, Edelman, Gronkowski, McCourty, and the other Patriot brothers engineered a 28-3 comeback. The game ended in overtime with a James White rushing TD. The game ended 34-28. Brady cemented his legacy after that game as probably one of the greatest athletes to ever live. Along the annals of, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Bill Russell, Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather, Michael Phelps, and others. Tom Brady done so much, for his career in the NFL. 7 Super Bowl wins, 5 Super Bowl MVPs, 3 NFL MVPs, most regular and postseason wins by a QB, Most passing yards, touchdowns, completions, attempts, and apart of the NFL’s 100th anniversary team for 100 seasons of the NFL. Tom Brady is a living legend. His name and legacy will remain in sports lore for generations. Tom Brady, the man that wore the #12 for the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is a hero. Before Tom Brady, New England never won a Super Bowl. His 19 years with the Patriots, he won six. As of now, New England have the most Lombardi Trophies tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers. MIC DROP.
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A Gingerly Walk to the Pro Football Hall of Fame By Chris Bazile
By Maggie Pinney
Take a peek at our NEW Virtual Resource Guide!
Updated quarterly along with the South Shore Community Magazine, our new Virtual Resource Guide will be packed full of community resources for individuals and organizations alike. Do you have a resource you would like to share with the community? Simply email Kasey.dean@ccbrockton.org to submit a resource!
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Resource Types -AA Recovery -NA Recovery -COVID-19 -Parenting -School -Trauma -Eviction -SNAP/HIP -Domestic Violence and more!
Scan the code below to access our new Virtual Resource Guide!
Above All Properties
Mecheal François, Realtor Resources on the process of home buying and seminar opportunities Link HERE
Mark your calendar!
Jewelry, bows, wristlets, wallets, keychains, decals, resin, paintings, and more. Link HERE
Wooden signs, diaper cakes/towers, paintings, pinatas, and more! Link HERE
Wood-burning, keychains, shirts, coasters, cups, mugs, tote-bags, and more. Link HERE
Local Small Business Directory
Wooden and slate coasters, resin items, paintings, and more! Link HERE
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United Way Campaign Awards HarborOne Bank Rockland Trust Father Bills & MainSpring McGovern Automotive Group Employee Campaign Managers: Amy Cameron-Bennett, Brockton Visiting Nurse Association & Kathy Baldwin, The Arc of Plymouth and Upper Cape Cod Chairman’s LIVE UNITED Award National Grid Community Impact Awards John Messia, Health Equity Task Force/Brockton Mayor’s Office Barbara Cotton, American Red Cross of Southeastern MA Sheila Flaherty, Plymouth Area Chapter of NAMI Community Spirit Award John & Courtney Doyle Lifetime Community Impact Award James W. Blake, HarborOne Bank Profile in Courage Award Shanteria Crawford
2022 Award Recipients
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On June 1st, over 250 guests gathered for United Way of Greater Plymouth County’s 100th Annual Meeting & Awards Celebration at Bridgewater State University. “We are thrilled to be celebrating 100 years caring for our communities in 2022!” Dennis Carman, President & CEO of United Way of Greater Plymouth County said. “It means a great deal to us to get to celebrate the outstanding organizations and companies in our community in our 100th year of uniting people, ideas and resources to improve the lives of people to build a stronger community. We look forward to continuing to work together with our partners to tackle our community’s unmet needs. Here’s to the next 100 years!” The event’s keynote address was provided in a question-and-answer format with Angela Williams, President & CEO of United Way Worldwide. She spoke of her confidence in United Way’s collective future and advised the audience is to be “future forward thinkers” by asking ourselves “How can we be architects of the future of our community? Are we looking at how we can shape our community not just a year from now… but thirty years from now?” To see the event gallery of photos, please visit www.facebook.com/uwgpc. To learn more about how you can help celebrate United Way’s 100th year and view testimonials from distinguished community stakeholders, visit www.uwgpc.org/100. Pictured below: Event Program and Celebrating 100 Years Monogrammed Stemless Glass
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United Way of Greater Plymouth County's 100th Annual Meeting
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