Strengthening FAMILIES and keeping CHILDREN safe

Strengthening FAMILIES and keeping CHILDREN safe

Relief Nursery Newsletter Vol. 41 Iss. 1

MAKE YOUR MARK ON RELIEF NURSERY

Your gifts to Relief Nursery are so important to our programs ? you can be confident they are stewarded very carefully.

With your gifts this past year we've opened two new specialized classrooms and expanded our respite care for families on the waiting list. We also re-opened respite care at the Lane County Courthouse for children whose parents are in court.

We simply could not have done this without your generosity. Thank you.

As you consider your giving this year, why not join our monthly giving team? These folks designate an amount that is donated monthly and over 12 months, that really adds up. Monthly givers enable us to plan more confidently when determining which services to add or expand.

You can easily sign up for monthly donations on our new and improved website:

If you are thinking about legacy giving, please consider a gift to our endowment ? Children's Legacy Fund for the benefit of Relief Nursery. We want to grow this fund to $2 million. We take up to four percent of the interest generated during the year to supplement our annual operating budget. A fully funded endowment could provide $80,000 annually!

Another fun way to give is in honor of a friend or colleague. Imagine the smile on their face when they receive a note from us about your gift and then see their name in our newsletter.

Relief Nursery's growth is a direct result of your commitment to those who are struggling in our community. Thank you for believing in our mission to strengthen families and keep children safe. Your donations absolutely make a difference.

Please contact Jennifer Solomon for more information: jennifso@ or 541-343-9706 x 109.

Matching on a rainy day! She got to her classroom and found an umbrella that matched her dress. Cute, right?

It's clean your car at school day, and what better outfit than cowboy boots to complete the task?

Board of Directors

Jenny Bennett, President Dale Hartley, Past President Jim Walsh, President Elect Rory Robison, Vice President Rodger Terrall, Treasurer Melaney Grenz, Secretary Ralph Parshall, Member at Large Honorable Ann Aiken Kevin Alltucker James S. Anderson, Jr. Ed Barclay Pilar Bradshaw, MD Holly Campbell Beth DeGeorge Howard Feinman Leonora Hemphill Erik Jensen Susan Kauble Doug Koke Don Lance Robert Laney Patty McConnell Patsy Moser Patty Perlow Susan Roberts Beth Sheehan Jami Sterling-Christopherson Genevieve Sumnall Byron Trapp Jenny Ulum Juan Carlos Valle Kim Williams Kitty Williams

Leadership Board

Genevieve Sumnall, President Celeste Edman, Past-President Tony Pendleton, Secretary Marc Carlson Colbey Carpenter Allison Coughlin Bryon Crosby Whitney Demers Steve Griswold Melissa Koke Nicole McOmber Amy Newport Curt Rasmussen Mark Rodewald Olivia Stark Jolene Stephenson Mackie Swan Jane Yates

YOU ARE GREATLY MISSED

Relief Nursery lost a dear friend this summer -- Dwain ("Dewey") Page Ramlo passed away on July 28th at the age of 89. We met Dewey many years ago through Lane Leaders, a local business organization. In fact, it was John Sheppard, one of Relief Nursery's earliest champions, who introduced him to Lane Leaders. Dewey enjoyed visits to Relief Nursery and attended nearly all our community events. Dewey so loved the children of Relief Nursery. He was a leader in the insurance industry and used his role to promote legacy giving through different insurance products. Dewey left a meaningful legacy gift upon his passing that will support Relief Nursery in serving the struggling children and families in our community.

Dewey attended LaCrosse State College for several years where he was a member of the swim team and the varsity "L" club. He transferred to University of Minnesota where he joined Kappa Sigma Fraternity. After 18 months Dewey was drafted into the US Army. He spent 13 months in Korea with the 8074th army unit and in late 1953 was awarded the Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service. Returning to the University of Minnesota, Dewey earned a BA in Economics in 1955 and later a BS in Business Administration. In 1970 Dewey and his wife Aimee moved to Kelly Sutherland, Dewey Ramlo and Jennifer Solomon Eugene where Dewey joined Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance as an agent, representing them here for the next 30 years.

Dewey was very active in and served as president of a number of Eugene organizations including the Eugene Life Underwriters Association, the Eugene chapter of the American Society of CLU and the Eugene Chapter of the Oregon Estate Planning Council. He also taught the basic insurance course at Lane Community College. Dewey and Aimee were among the earliest members of the Friends of the Eugene Public Library and Dewey was a founding member of the Library Foundation.

In 1982 Dewey completed six years of study and received his Master of Sciences in Financial Services (MSFS) at the American College of Bryn Mawr, PA. Dewey was very proud of this accomplishment.

Thank you Dewey for being such a steadfast and generous friend. We miss you.

D A L E H A R T L E Y - President Extraordinaire

Each September, our Board of Directors votes in its new officers for the year. Last week we celebrated outgoing president Dale Hartley as he welcomed new president Jenny Bennett. Dale is a passionate leader who is always advocating for us in the community. He frequently brings guests to Relief Nursery for tours and is not shy in sharing his own childhood story which could have been so different had there been Relief Nursery services in his hometown. We are truly grateful for Dale's dedicated leadership. Thank you Dale. Our next issue will highlight Jenny.

2 Relief Nursery Newsletter Vol. 41 Iss. 1

I T ' S L I V E ! - Visit our new website

Every great organization should have a great website... And now we do! We have a new and improved site where you can find everything you need to know about Relief Nursery. Take a look. Our site provides information about our mission, programs and services, and it's also where you can find the most current news about what we are doing and planning to do. Just go to our News and Events section and read on. Also, if you would like to volunteer with us you can now easily fill out an application in our Volunteer section and our Volunteer Manager will get back to you. The address is the same: We would love to hear what you think. Send us a comment by going to our Contact Us page (under About Us) and please make sure to share our site with your friends and family.

Board of Stewards

Ed Barclay, Chair Honorable Ann Aiken Irene Alltucker Carol Berkman Honorable Dave Brewer Elizabeth Chambers Don Davis Ron Farmer Dave Frosaker Glenn L. Keiper, Jr. MD Dennis Konrady Robert Laney Tom McMahon Randy McPherson Dan Montgomery Jean Phelps Rohn Roberts Linda Sheppard Mike Solomon Jerry South Scott South Phil Speers Diane Walton Scott Williams

A H O Y M AT E Y ! Family Sail Day Recap

Auxiliary Board

Erin Matthews Co-President Sagen Olson Co-President Monica Aaron Linn Bergander Shelly Fretwell Megan Post Jackie Zito

On Labor Day Weekend the Eugene Yacht Club organized a Family Sail Day to benefit Relief Nursery.

Even though it was a hot and (very) smokey day, members of the community and their families joined us for a fun day of great food, live local music and water activities such as sailing and paddle boards.

Thank you to all who volunteered and to our sponsors:

Eugene Yacht Club

Singing Dog Vanilla

Franz

DocuTrak

Dairy Queen on Coburg Rd.

Also, thank you to everyone who joined us to support our mission.

We are already looking forward to next year's event.

Relief Nursery Staff

Kelly Sutherland Executive Director

Ray Brown Program Director A.S., O.R., Navigator

Leslie Finlay Program Director - Early Childhood Programs

Jennifer Solomon Director of Philanthropy

Celia Gowing Director of Budget and Finance

Dani Smith Director of Administration & HR

Michelle Sunia Director of Events

Amy Beauchamp Volunteer Manager

Pau Millan Community Engagement Coordinator

Alex Rottler Development Assistant

Relief Nursery Newsletter Vol. 41 Iss. 1 3

A TA S T E O F T H E S TAT E S - 2017 The Great Taste

What a magical evening it was for sampling wines, cheeses and dishes inspired by regional American cuisine. From fried green tomato sandwiches from the Deep South and Southwestern fish tacos to delectable poached salmon from the Pacific Northwest. No one left hungry.

Stewards from Market of Choice, our presenting sponsor, provided an exceptional experience of gourmet creations. They tell us this is one of their favorite events each year ? and it certainly shows. We are grateful for the generous support and continued commitment Market of Choice has made to Relief Nursery children and families.

A special thanks must go to the many who partnered with us to make the evening such a success:

The Heritage Courtyard at Oakway Center is unsurpassed with its intimate setting under the beautiful majestic oaks.

Kendall Auto Group hosted a very special Private Tasting Room experience with exclusive wine tastings.

Imagination International Inc. was our patio sponsor creating an intimate setting to enjoy the food and music with friends.

Luis y Priyo shared their delightful Latin inspired sounds thanks to music sponsors Adrianne and Joe Potwora.

Finally, thank you to our media sponsor KVAL and McKenzie Mist for providing refreshing, local artisan water.

Rick Wright, Debbie Wright and Kelli Sherman

Find your Great Taste photo on our Facebook page and tag yourself!

Tami Jenkins from Hot Flash Photography has been taking our The Great Taste photos for the last 3 years and we couldn't love them more.

4 Relief Nursery Newsletter Vol. 41 Iss. 1

WE LOVE OUR NEW GARDEN

All seniors from the University of Oregon Family and Human Services program are required to complete a senior project and in this case, one of our interns, Hannah Spomer, chose hers to be planting a garden with and for Relief Nursery's children.

She gathered the children around the garden and told them a short story about planting, then provided them with seed starts which they planted together. At the end, they all enjoyed product of the types they had just planted and Hannah talked to the children about caring for their new garden.

Teachers Nicole and Sarah have shared that it is now part of their group's daily routine to visit the garden and care for it before starting their classroom activities.

WE ARE FIVE STAR!

Relief Nursery's Therapeutic Early Childhood Program has long been viewed in the community as one of the highest quality early childhood programs in Lane County. This year, we were given further confirmation how truly extraordinary our program is. The state of Oregon has developed a system for determining the quality of early childhood programs. QRIS (Quality Rating and Improvement System), is an in-depth measure of almost every aspect of early education, including the classroom environment, curriculum, staff qualifications, promotion of social-emotional development, health and safety instruction, partnership with families, cultural responsiveness, and business practices. The intention of this system is to provide recognition to programs that are meeting high standards and providing exceptional services to children.

In order to participate in the QRIS program, Relief Nursery compiled a binder for each site with extensive written and photo documentation of all of these areas and more. The binder for the Springfield site was reviewed this spring, and was awarded the highest QRIS rating possible: 5 stars. We will submit our Eugene binder soon, and anticipate a 5 star for that site as well.

Some of the areas in which Relief Nursery preschool particularly excels are partnering with families and

providing support to parents as well as children, providing a rich curriculum with a focus on social emotional development, and being culturally responsive. Each of these have always been part of the values and the structure of Relief Nursery. We recognize that the greatest impact on outcomes for children can only happen when we support each family as a whole through home visiting, parenting education, addiction support if needed, resource referrals, and family events where parents can meet and connect with other parents. We design curriculum knowing that children who have strong social skills and emotional literacy will adapt better to kindergarten and to many circumstances throughout their lives. Our staff are trained to support children who have had difficult experiences, and our child counselors are available as needed. Relief Nursery is always striving to be more culturally responsive and has made great strides in connecting with and supporting the Latino Community, with a bilingual teacher in each classroom, and all materials provided to families in either English or Spanish as needed.

The achievement of the QRIS 5-star rating is a source of pride and further validation that Relief Nursery's model is a beautiful example of what can happen when an organization strives for excellence in all areas.

CONNECT WITH US!

Join the conversation. Be in-the-know for special and fun ways you can get involved with Relief Nursery and learn more about what we do to help the children and families of our community.

Relief Nursery, Inc. 1720 West 25th Ave. Eugene, OR 97405 (541) 343-9706

Relief Nursery Robin Jaqua Child and Family Center 850 South 42nd Street Springfield, OR 97478 (541) 485-0007

ReliefNursery instagram: Relief_Nursery

Relief Nursery Newsletter Vol. 41 Iss. 1 5

AUXILIARY BOARD SUPPORTS FAMILIES

A welcome from our new Co-Presidents.

We are Sagen Olson and Erin Matthews and we are honored to act as Co-Presidents of the Relief Nursery Auxiliary Board this year. Erin works at Northwest Community Credit Union as a Marketing Coordinator and Sagen is a Physician Assistant, working in family medicine. We are looking forward to collaborating with Relief Nursery staff and supporters to fulfill our mission of supporting the immediate and long-term needs of Relief Nursery families.

We will focus on promoting our traditional, well-loved events while integrating new ideas for fundraising and raising awareness in our community.

We welcome your support and participation so please contact us if you are interested in joining our efforts.

Sagen Olson and Erin Matthews

For nearly as long as Relief Nursery has existed, the Auxiliary Board has been there to support low-income parents with young children through creative, thoughtful projects. Auxiliary Board has the unique opportunity to interact directly with Relief Nursery families through many of their events. This year, we look forward to working on both traditional and new projects.

Held at Relief Nursery, Pamper Me Day offers parents experiencing high levels of stress an opportunity to relax and receive some much needed TLC. With free haircuts and styling by Reflections Salon, chair massage, nail services, free childcare and a delicious dinner, our special guests can set their worries aside for a few hours and enjoy being pampered. If you are a professional who would like to volunteer your time and talents with chair massage, nail or facial services or product giveaways, please contact us! Our next pampering event will be Monday, Oct. 23.

Over the years, Auxiliary has fundraised and awarded thousands of dollars in the form of Continuing Education Scholarships to Relief Nursery parents. Nominated by staff, parents are given not just a financial boost, but also a vote of confidence that their hard work is noticed and appreciated. Parents who complete a degree or certificate are more likely to find steady employment that supports their family's needs. This year, Auxiliary will add financial support for parents who want to complete their GED.

This fall, Auxiliary will begin fundraising for Relief Nursery's Emergency Assistance Fund. The Emergency Fund provides one time financial assistance to struggling families who are at risk of losing utilities, housing or transportation. Funds can also be used to improve the home environment for a child, such as paying for cleaning or childproofing supplies. Stay tuned for more details about upcoming fundraising events ? you won't want to miss them!

Auxiliary needs you!

Relief Nursery Auxiliary Board supports the immediate and long term needs of families we serve through fundraising and volunteering efforts. If you are interested in joining this dynamic, hardworking team, please contact Volunteer Manager Amy Beauchamp at 541-343-9706 ext. 104 or amybe@, or visit

Jackie Zito, Sagen Olson and Daisy Rodriguez

6 Relief Nursery Newsletter Vol. 41 Iss. 1

Vicky Bell, Reflections Salon owner, working her magic on one of Relief Nursery's moms on Pamper Me Day.

GOOD KARMA MONDAY - EUGENE EMS & YOGI TEA

The third week of August was a home run for Relief Nursery. We give many thanks to the Eugene Emeralds and Yogi Tea for hosting a Good Karma Monday game in support of our children and families and thank you to everyone who came and donated! We had a great time. Chase Hartley, son of Relief Nursery Board of Directors President Dale Hartley, did an amazing job throwing the 1st pitch!

Friday that same week, the Eugene Ems and Hope for Lane County donated backpacks and game tickets for the families we serve. They got to spend time on the infield hanging out with the players and getting baseballs autographed by them. Thank you Anne Culhane from the Eugene Ems and Ken Brown from Hope for Lane County, and all the players for coming in early to spend time with the children and their families.

Later that Friday, Relief Nursery Executive Director Kelly Sutherland and Community Engagement Coordinator Pau Millan alongside Yogi Tea employees received a $1,000 check for all the donations made during the Good Karma Monday game.

Relief Nursery Wish List

? Children's toothbrushes/toothpaste ? Bubbles and wands ? Shaving cream ? Wooden playdough rollers ? Homemade playdough ? Rain boots (small size) ? Lice kits ? Glitter Glue ? Pipe cleaners ? Eye droppers

? Wooden step stools to reach sink ? Wooden doll houses ? 1 wooden climbing step ladder for diaper changer ? Car Ramp ? Wooden doll house ? Rolling paint pins ? Dot paints ? Googly eyes ? Check our Amazon Wish List article on page 11

Relief Nursery Newsletter Vol. 41 Iss. 1 7

THIS YEAR'S BOARD, STAFF & FAMILY PICNIC

This past June, once again, Relief Nursery's Board of Directors organized and hosted one of our favorite yearly traditions, the Board, Staff and Family Picnic.

The event's purpose is to thank Relief Nursery's staff for all their work and to celebrate the children and families we serve.

It is at events like these where we get to experience the bond that our mission creates.

Thank you Board of Directors for continuing such a rich tradition.

T H A N K Y O U V O L U N T E E R S ! - May 11 to September 10, 2017

Giselle Abarca Lois Andersen Mike Atterberry Jaskiran Aulakh Navit Berman Libby Boles George Brooks Heather Brown Gabby Butler Brian Cantoran Kelsey Crabbe-DeSoto Carol Crum Cherann Daniels

Megan Danielson Erin Ellefsen Kristin Eslick Rhonda Fielder Anna Ford Miriam Garcia Luke Gary Logan Goldsby Maria Gomez-Leon Tammy Goss Tyler Goss Cameron Gray Callie Haines

8 Relief Nursery Newsletter Vol. 41 Iss. 1

Christian Hernandez Meghan Hilden Dierdre Hill Felicia Huang Trinity Iglesias Sydney Johnson Ha Eun Kim Jessica Kinser Payton Kirkpatrick Sydney Krantz Larry Lassiter Matt Lloyd Liam Lovenstein

Kathleen Lyons Reilly MacDonald Brooklyn Mann Daisy Marshall Michelle Palmer Erika Parisien Megan Pelos Eden Pierce Giosanna Prochot Taylor Proden Natalie Reed Shawnte Roberts Brianna Roysdon

Tara Rush Beth Ryer Kelly Schombert Madison Schones Donna Shannon Emilie Simmons Hannah Spomer Ana Steele Josh Thaxton Wesley Wachob Abby Warnell Courtney Weixelman

CIRCLE OF SECURITY

This summer Relief Nursery's Parenting program completed its first Circle of Security (COS) group for families at our Springfield site. For those of you not familiar with this amazing program, COS is about giving parents a clear blueprint on how to build strong and secure relationships with their children.

At times, parents feel lost or without a clue about what their child might need from them.

Imagine how it might feel if you were able to make sense of what your child was really asking from you.

The Circle of Security Parenting program is based on decades of research about how secure parent-child relationships can be supported and strengthened.

Using the COS-P model developed by the Circle of Security originators, our trained facilitators work with parents and care-givers to help them to:

? Understand their child's emotional world by learning to read emotional needs,

? Support their child's ability to successfully manage emotions,

? Enhance the development of their child's self esteem,

? Honor the innate wisdom and desire for their child to be secure.

Those who participated in the group this summer left with a new confidence in their ability to understand and meet the emotional needs of their children.

Here are some of the things families shared about what was most valuable to them:

"I never put it in perspective before ? Why I feel the way I feel. Now that I can notice what triggers me, I can support him when he talks about his dad instead of just shutting him down."

"Kids are communicating their needs. They aren't just being annoying."

"The most valuable thing to me was the circle map. I didn't know that `going out' and `coming in' was even a thing."

"I liked learning about `Rupture and Repair' because it puts words to what I was already trying to do."

"What was most important to me was learning to follow your child's need."

"The idea of being bigger, stronger, wiser and kind when I'm upset and I'm losing it, that's what I try to remember."

This class will be offered again in Eugene during the fall and we are very excited about it. In the spring we will be offering COS groups for Spanish speakers at both our Eugene and Springfield sites.

Volunteer with us!

DID YOU KNOW THAT 200 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER WORK ARE NEEDED EACH WEEK?

VOLUNTEERS ARE VITAL TO THE SUCCESS OF RELIEF NURSERY WOULD YOU LIKE TO VOLUNTEER WITH US?

Please contact our Volunteer Manager Amy Beauchamp at (541) 343-9706 ext. 104

Relief Nursery Newsletter Vol. 41 Iss. 1 9

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download