Get mental illness out of the shadows of shame
BY JACQUELINE CASTINE • May 2, 2008
Detroit Free Press • Opinion

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ALBION, MI – Members of Starr Commonwealth’s Marketing and Public Relations team attended the PACE Awards banquet on April 24 in East Lansing where the organization received six Pinnacle Awards for its integrated communications efforts.

The Central Michigan Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (cmprsa.org) hosts the PACE Awards annually and are mid-Michigan’s highest honor for public relations activities. Top honors go to public relations professionals who, in the judgment of their peers, have successfully addressed a contemporary issue with outstanding professional skill and creativity.

“As a key directive in our strategic plan to become a national leader in our field, we are committed to sharing the good work of Starr Commonwealth with key stakeholders,” said Simon Bisson, Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer. “This recognition speaks to those efforts as we continue to reach out to, donors, peer agencies, parents, referral sources and others, in presenting Starr as a worthy cause and a child caring organization capable of providing high quality treatment programs and creating lasting value change.”
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This day-long training in Mt. Pleasant sponsored by DHS will feature Probate Judge Dorene Allen of Midland County for the opening address, followed by a youth panel and two sets of workshops. Registration is due by May 30; there is no charge to attend. The announcement and registration can be found here: June 9: Reintegration Training. Workshop titles are:

• State and Federal Funding Sources and Payments for Youth in Out of Home Care
• JJOLT: Now and the Near Future
• The Workforce Investment Act for Youth
• Registering Sex Offenders in Michigan
• Advocacy and Problem Solving in Education and Rehabilitation Systems
• Essential Ingredients of Successful Community-Based Plans
• Building a Reintegration Program That Works
• Navigating Funding Sources for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care
• Using the Child Care Fund for Reintegration

A January 2008 five-page brief released by Prevent Child Abuse America, and funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, calculates that an investment in the prevention of child abuse and neglect can save the nation over $100 billion per year. The brief, titled Total Estimated Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States, updates an earlier publication that documented the nationwide costs that result because of child abuse and neglect (Fromm, 2001).

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The John Seita Scholarship was created to help Western Michigan University students who have aged out of foster care. To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must have been in foster care or a ward of the state at the time of high school graduation, or eligible for the Educational Training Voucher (ETV). Recipients of the scholarship must be accepted as freshman or transfer students at WMU. More details about the Scholarship and eligibility can be found at http://www.wmich.edu/fyit/scholarship.html.

The Scholarship program is seeking additional supports for the Foster Youth in Higher Education. Your help in publicizing these needs would be very much appreciated. You, your colleagues, your community members are invited to:
• Volunteer time as a mentor, academic tutor, positive role model, or by help with transportation.
• Donate a “Welcome Pack,” consisting of several basic household items that will be given to a Seita Scholar.
• Donate additional items that will be used to support individuals and the creation of a student recreation and study room.
• Provide financial donations to be used for books and other student material needs, laptop computers, Bronco bucks, and medical insurance/co-pays.

For more information about ways to help, download the file below or contact Ms. Shawn L. Tenney at (269) 387-8362 or shawn.l.tenney@wmich.edu. How Can I Contribute