Our Team

I wake up everyday with a new opportunity to do my best, despite yesterdays wins, losses, shortcomings or mistakes. I know that the work we do is special. I also know that we are not these young men and women’s parents. At the end of the day when we leave from work to go home these kids are sound asleep and when we come in the morning they are still resting. They don’t see us leave or return, and most don’t notice at all. It is a blessing beyond belief to work with the youth, as they are the future. I can only imagine that when I am raising my own children, that the resources and role models in this community will help them to be their best and achieve lasting success. Thank you to all of the teammates that I work with throughout this agency. Whether or not we’ve spoken, you are greatly appreciated. Team work makes the dream work!

To me, working for the Children’s Home means, being able to provide a sense of hope for the children, birth parents, and foster parents. Especially those foster parents who struggle with having children of their own. We have the opportunity to reunite families, while at the same time creating new families through foster care and adoption for children who have been abused, neglected, and maltreated through no fault of their own. Working for the children’s home for over 10 years now, I feel blessed to work for an organization that is devoted to rebuilding families, keeping children safe, turning youth into young adults, while at the same time giving men and women the opportunity to be first time parents through foster care and adoption.

What working at the Children’s Home means most to me is opportunity to support and watch our young people as they grow .  It’s nice to get a phone call from a former resident, out of the blue, updating me on how they are doing.  Whether it’s good news or bad, it shows that the Children’s Home has had an impact, and remains a source of support.  I appreciate the fact that they still think of the staff, and the great memories they’ve had here.  I see growth in the staff, as well. I like the fact that I can help them as they transition into confident, experienced, and senior staff. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to pass down what I have learned over the years, just as many colleagues have done for me.

We welcomed Dr. Hilary Gamble as our new Psychiatrist on Wednesday, July 5, 2017. Dr. Gamble is a Board Certified General Psychiatrist specializing in Child and Adolescent psychiatry. She will be providing services to the youth in our programs.

We are excited to have Dr. Gamble join our team. As a fellowship trained Child Psychiatrist she brings to our team leading edge work in brain science, treating childhood trauma, and appropriate use of medication. Her commitment to family engagement emphasizes our mission to support families in leading happy productive lives. Furthermore we are happy to host Dr. Gamble’s adorable therapy dog, Preston. We are excited about what we can do to improve the lives of those it is our privilege to serve.

I have been with the Children’s Home for almost 9 years now.  The first 8 years were spent in the residential units.  I had an opportunity to work closely with youth and their families to address the challenges that brought them to us.  Recently I had the privilege of starting as the supervisor of Bridges to Health.  Though I miss the direct face to face contact and the relationship with the youth I find it rewarding to watch the next generation of staff learn and grow.  I enjoy working at the Children’s Home because I believe in what we do.  I have seen how the relationships that we build provide support and encouragement to the youth and the families that we serve. Sometimes we don’t always see immediate progress but the dedication I see in us all, further proves our ability to support these families through some of the most challenging times of their life. I am appreciative to be a part of that process, and it is very touching to see the difference that we all make, every day.

I work at the Children’s Home because I believe in the possibilities contained within our mission, vision, and values.  Every day I get to partner with kids, families, and the community to build on successes.  I believe every impact point can and does make a difference and that’s why I love the work, the agency, and the opportunities here.

I work in the education department as the health and physical education teacher. I started teaching at the Children’s Home this past October and my co-workers have been extremely helpful and supportive from day 1. I am also the lifeguard during summer school. A few weeks ago I rescued a student from the pool and it was a very humbling experience. Moments like that make us realize how important our jobs are and keep us ready for the new challenges we face each day.

When I started working at the Children’s Home, I was asked to be in charge of the karate component. Since then, I have been attending classes with some of the TASP children, where I started off as a white belt and 18 months later I received by black belt. During this whole process, it has been an amazing experience to watch not only me step outside of my comfort zone, but for the children to step outside of theirs. If I could take one thing away frommy whole karate experience, it would be the concept of progress, not perfection. Now thatI have just recently started my social work position, I like to use this concept with my kids and their families. I am thankful that I am able to be a part of this agency because it gives me the opportunity to watch my families grow and overcome the challenges they face.