MYC, JAG and UWTC Logo 

MYC & JAG
January 2015
Newsletter
 MYC After School Program
 Updates!

 

We would like to welcome you to the month of January for this school year's Milford Youth Center After School Program at the new location at 27 Congress St (for the duration of the renovation)!

 

The Milford Youth Center after school program is open for youth ages 8-18, free of charge, from 2-6 pm Monday through Friday (unless otherwise noted on our calendar). Some of the programs this month include Trivia with Alithe JAG Youth Council, Instructional Boxing (at Rivera Athletic Center), Homework Help, and Movie Day Fridays! The game room is open daily and activities will be open/held outside depending on the weather. Click here for our full January Calendar! 

All participants must fill out a registration form to be a member. Once this form is returned to the Center, the member will be provided with an ID barcode to be placed on the back of their Milford Student ID's (once they are issued). This will be how Youth Center staff will track attendance. Therefore, all members are required to bring in their Milford School ID's in order to enter the facility.  For the MYC Code of Conduct, click here. You can find out all up-to-date info at our website

Volunteers are always welcome to assist with the after school program or during the morning hours! We are always looking for help during the after school hours, 2-6 PM. You may also run a program/activity during the after school program.  We also need volunteers for our monthly evening events. Please contact us if you would like to volunteer and print, sign, and return this form to the Center!

 Save the Date: 
MYC's Annual St. Pat's Fundraiser! 

 

Mark your calendars!!! The Milford Youth Center will host its sixth annual St. Pat's Fundraiser on Saturday, March 21st!!!

 

We consider this years fundraising efforts to be particularly important, due to our transition to the temporary location for the duration of our renovation! Although we still are able to run our after school program, we are unable to hold rentals during the evening hours, a good source of raising money for the Center. It's due to the generosity of local businesses, organizations and individuals that we are able to continue to offer free after school programming, an affordable summer camp, and provide a safe and fun environment for the youth of Milford!

 

Due to the renovation, the fundraiser will be held at the Marchegiano Club  and will be from 7 pm-midnight. The event will have a cash bar, music, community awards, and appetizers! Tickets will be available soon for $20/person! We are also looking for raffle prize donations. Please contact the Center at 508-473-1756 or milfordyouthcenter@comcast.net if your business or company would like to make a donation! 

 MYC at the Patriots Game!

 

We would like to thank Waters Corporation and their staff for inviting members of the Youth Center to attend the December 14th Patriots vs. Dolphins game!

Milford Youth Center staff, along with nine After School members, attended the game at Gillette Stadium! The group was able to enjoy a day full of activities: brunch, games and photos at the Hall of Fame, and meet some past players! Finally, the group got to see an amazing game, with great seats in the end zone! Thank you again Waters, for allowing us to take part in such a fun day! For more pictures, click here
 MYC Places 3rd at Santa Parade!

 

We would like to take the time to thank everyone at Art's Auto Service for donating a truck and their drivers for the 2014 Annual Santa Parade! We would like to also thank the Milford Fire Department for putting on a great event and thank you for our third place trophy for best decorated float! Thank you JAG Youth Council members and volunteers from RICOH USA for helping paint item of the float and Shaws of Milford for donating boxes! For more pictures, click here. For a video of parade, click here

 

 MYC Holiday Pizza Party! 

 

The Milford Youth Center would like to thank Pizza Chef of Milford for their generosity in hosting our annual Holiday Pizza Party and providing all the pizza and drinks for the kids! 

 

We would like to send a big thank you to the United Way of Tri-County, RICOH USA of Milford, and all the individuals who participated in our Giving Tree! We were able to give out gifts to over 60 kids this year due to everyone's amazing generosity! 


 

We would also like to thank Amy Leone, Mike Rivera, and the Dunbars for all their help at the event as well! Finally, thank you RICOH USA for also providing all the desserts for the party! For more pictures of the event, click here

 

MYC Thanks Rivera Athletic Center!

 

The Milford Youth Center would like to thank the Rivera Athletic Center, and especially Ellen and Jorge, for their part in organizing the collection of Holiday gifts for eleven Youth Center families this year! 

 

This is the third year in a row that the Rivera Athletic Center has held this collection for Youth Center families. Without the generosity of the gym and its members, we would not be able to provide gifts for all the families in need! 

 

For Milford Daily News article, please click here

Gala of Trees Fundraiser!

The Milford Youth Center and JAG were asked by the Milford Junior Women's Club to take part in the first "Gala of Trees" fundraiser! The event showcased an array of decorated trees that were raffled off in early December.  The proceeds from this event benefited a local little girl, Lily Ann whose been diagnosed with Goldenhar and Vacterl Syndrome.  You can learn more about Lily Ann by joining her Facebook page (Smiles for Lily/FB).

 

Members of our JAG Youth Council worked for weeks to create a Disney Themed Tree for the event. For pictures of the event and tree, visit our Facebook page! 

 

JAG Help's Bake Some Holiday Cheer!!!

 

We would like to thank the JAG Youth Council members and their families for helping to "bake some Holiday cheer" for the second year in a row! Members of the group volunteered to make a batch of cookies! Volunteers then collected all the cookies and placed them into Holiday bags, decorated by the JAG Youth Council, and delivered over 40 bags to a Boston Shelter in need! This year the kids personalized a card for each bag and we also were able to add some much needed toiletry items, thanks to Jenny Medina and Pedro and Jidalis Gonzalez!  
 

 

Giving Tree and Holiday Donations!!!

 

The Milford Youth Center would like to thank the many individuals and companies who made donations this Holiday Season! First, we would like to thank the Milford National Bank and its Charitable Foundation for its generous donation of $1,000 to the Center! We would like to thank Stanley and Gail Brown for their generous holiday donation with the memo reading "Keep up the good work!" We would like to thank Amy Neves, Town Clerk, for your donation of Wii games to the Center! We appreciate you always thinking of us! Finally, we would like to thank everyone who participated in our Giving Tree this year! We were able to give out more gifts than ever before due to the multiple collections held on our behalf. Thank you to Ellen Freedman, Pauline Jackman, Sandy Caproni, the Smith Family and the amazing staff from RICOH USA who adopted individuals and families! Finally, thank you to Susan Breault for donating two fake tree for our Giving Tree and for our Gala of Tree entry! 

JAG Meeting!

The adult  JAG Coalition will have its fifth meeting on Wed., January 7th, at 8:45 am, at the Milford Police Station Training room. Thank you Kaitlyn Mobilia, Shevill Feaster, and Mikayla Ault, JAG Youth Council members, for joining us last meeting! Thank you to adult JAG members Ellen Freedman and Pauline Jackman for adopting a youth for our Giving Tree program! 

 

The Juvenile Advocacy Group (JAG) provides an opportunity for youth, parents, community agencies, schools, state and local institutions, volunteers and our faith communities to network, coordinate services, identify and respond to emerging needs in the Greater Milford community. Through youth-adult collaboration JAG seeks to engage all sectors in the Greater Milford Area to promote healthy development for youth and families by reducing substance use, lowering risk factors and strengthening protective factors. For more information, contact Amy Leone

SAVE THE DATE: Networking Breakfast!

The Juvenile Advocacy Group (JAG) has continued to work, for the past eight years, to bring together mental health providers, police, juvenile courts, schools, churches, medical providers and hospitals to address youth mental health and substance abuse in Greater Milford. Last year, over 200 local providers attended our 2nd Annual Networking Breakfast supported by Milford Regional Medical Center's Patient Family Advocacy Committee's (PFAC) Mental Health Subcommittee and the Center for Adolescent and Youth Adult Health, to collectively explore existing and new resources for the clients and families we serve.

 

We would like to invite all Greater Milford Area Providers to save the date and attend a FREE 3rd annual mental health networking breakfast scheduled on Wednesday, April 1st from 8:30-11:30am at the Doubletree Hotel in Milford.

 

This year we intend to take the next step in collaborating with all of the community providers making everyone part of the TEAM. Our goal of this year's breakfast is for all participants to learn who are the individuals, organizations, resources and agencies in the room and what can they do for you and those who you serve.

 

More information on the breakfast, including the agenda, will be forthcoming over the next few months. In the mean time, please feel free to pass this onto others you feel would benefit from our event. We look forward to seeing all of you and working together to make Greater Milford a place where young people and their families can find needed mental health services and treatment.

Teachers Driving Academy
 2014-2015 Classes!

We are now accepting registrations for Teacher's Driving Academy for the 2014-2015 school year! The Milford Youth Center is pleased to partner with Teachers Driving Academy to offer students a great program, at a reasonable pice, with added convenience of taking classes right at school! For more information, click hereEvery registration fee is made out the Milford Youth Center as a donation from TDA. We are very grateful for this collaboration and support!     

DBT Group at Community Impact

Individuals learn more helpful coping skills to deal with distressing emotions and situations, and to improve their relationships.

Dialectics is the theory that opposites can co-exist.  In therapy, different points of view are discussed, and individuals are then helped to select appropriate skills to either change or accept situations.   

The next group will run for 12 weeks and starts on January 14th, 2015 at 4:00 pm.  To register log onto group therapy tab at www.communityimpactinc.net or call 508-422-0242 ext 1. 

 

Community Impact Inc. & Prana Recovery Partner for Program

Community Impact, Inc & Prana Recovery Centers will be collaborating to provide individual and group therapy for ten to twelve chemically dependent adult males in the Greater Milford Area with the goal of sustaining sobriety from drugs and alcohol for the following six month period. The program teaches emotional, cognitive, and behavioral skills based in modern neuropsychology, resiliency, and the twelve steps of recovery including habits of mind and body, principles of wellness, and the science of happiness. Weekly and monthly group sessions cover topics such as relapse prevention, increasing social capital, mindfulness, exercise, nutrition, and yoga. Topics are embedded in experiential emotional, cognitive, and behavioral exercises that lead to skillfulness in order to build capacity to better handle difficult emotions and to maintain long -term sobriety.


Date(s)/Duration of Program: 95 hour treatment program that covers 16 weeks.

Starting: March 9th - June 27th

Meetings are twice a week on Monday & Wednesday evenings from 7:00pm -9:30pm and five Saturdays from 8:30am - 11:30am

For further information or to get involved please e-mail Kelly at Kelly@pranarecoverycenters.org
Parent Forum: Keeping Your Child Safe in a World of Chaos: Social Media

Increase your awareness of how to keep your child safe in the social media age with a few tips to help you stay connected with your child's plugged-in world. With the frequent changes in technology, learn what you can do to keep your family safe!
Families are encouraged to email topics of interest or areas of concern to be addressed at this forum to: parentforum@milfordma.com
 

When: January 20, 2015 - 6:30 p.m.


 

Where: Milford High School, Room C-8

Watch for more information about upcoming Parent Forum events:
Prescription Drugs: What the News Doesn't Tell You (March 2015)
Social Host Responsibilities: Student Drinking at Your Home (May 2015)
Milford Family & Community Network Programs

The Milford Family & Community Network has a bunch of new program being offered! Please call the office at 508-634-2356 to register for all programs.
 

1. Come One...Come All - A 2 part fun and interactive time in both English and Spanish for children from birth to 5 years old and their parent/caregiver(s) on Wed.'s, January 7 and 14, 2015, from 10:00 to 11:15 am at the Milford Town Library.


 

In addition, we still have limited space in the following programs:

  • Potty Perspectives - A parent workshop on Wednesday, January 14th, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the Shining Star Conference Room. 
  • Nurturing a Reader; Once Upon a Snowy Day:  A 5- part series for children from 36 to 54 months and their parents on Thursdays, from January 15th through February 12th,  from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm in our Playcenter.
  • Little Feats Movement Program:  A 4 week program for children from 5 to 6 years old and their parents on Saturdays starting January 17th through February 7th from 10:30am to 11:30am in the Shining Star Gym. 

CHNA 6 Meeting

The next CHNA 6 meeting will be held this Friday, January 9th, at the Milford Senior Center (60 N. Bow St. Milford) from 9-11 AM. 


 

The mission of CHNA 6 is to identify, plan and advocate for a healthier community. We are dedicated to the promotion of accessible multigenerational services that assist people to lead healthier lives. CHNA 6 represents the communities of Bellingham, Blackstone, Douglas, Franklin, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon,Milford, Millville, Northbridge, Sutton, Upton, Uxbridge.
 

For more information, contact Ellen Freedman

COFFEE CONNECTION

Do you feel that your life is out of control and nobody understands?  PLEASE JOIN US ...COFFEE CONNECTION: a support group for parents of children ages 2-22 with special needs. 


 

WHEN: Group meets every First and Third Thursday of the month

TIME:  10:00 am ~ 12:00 pm

PLACE: KDC (Kennedy Donovan Center), 171 Main St., 4rd Fl., Milford (Public Parking in rear)

 

For more information please contact:

Marty Schneier, Kennedy Donovan Family Support Center

Cheryl Marino, Senior Family Partner, You, Inc. (508) 902-0080 ext. 119

 

Winter Groups for Integrated Psychotherapy

Integrated Psychotherapy is a group of independent practitioners, each with our own style and clinical approach. They provide a wide variety of services including: individual, couples, family and group therapy.

Click here for some of the new winter programs, including: Kids Chill Out, Nobody's Perfect, and Mother-Daughter Creativity and Yoga!
 

 

Riverside Services 

for Children in Crisis 

Worried about the way a child is acting or feeling? Access crisis evaluation services outside of a hospital emergency room.


 

Here are two Riverside Services: 

1. Riverside Emergency Services/Mobile Crisis Intervention

We provide face-to-face response by trained clinicians if a child is experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis - around the clock,

7 days a week! We can meet a child in your offices, at home, at school, or other community settings. Our goal, whenever possible, is to help avoid a lengthy hospital emergency room visit by intervening in a less stressful environment. We evaluate the child, collaborate with the family, provide initial crisis intervention and then help to arrange a next step - including in-home therapy, outpatient care, or other services as needed.


 

2. Riverside In-Home TherapyOur In-Home Therapy services help strengthen families by providing supports and interventions that address a child's behavioral or emotional crisis. We provide personalized, effective strategies that promote children's healthy functioning at home, in the community, and at school. Our clinicians have extensive experience in crisis intervention, clinical assessment, and treatment. Often meeting within the family's home, these clinicians meet with both the family and the child weekly and provide the one-to-one support needed to address daily living, social interactions, and communication.


 

For more information, click here


 

 

     

    The MYC and JAG Monthly Newsletter will be e-mailed at the beginning of every month. If you would like to have something placed in the newsletter please e-mail Jen Ward, at jward@milfordyouthcenter.net.
January 5, 2015
In This Issue
MYC After School Program Update
MYC's Annual St. Pat's Fundraiser!
MYC at the Patriots Game
Santa Parade
MYC Holiday Pizza Party
MYC Thanks Rivera Athletic Center
Gala of Trees Fundraiser!
JAG Help's Bake Some Holiday Cheer
MYC Giving Tree and Holiday Donations
JAG
Networking Breakfast
TDA
TDA
TDA
Parent Forum
Milford Family & Community Network
CHNA 6 Meeting
COFFEE CONNECTION
Integrated Psychotherapy
Riverside Services

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Juvenile Advocacy Group (JAG) mission is to work with its community partners to bring resources together to prevent substance abuse and address other emerging needs in the community. The Massachusetts communities included in JAG's service area are the towns of Milford, Bellingham and Hopedale. Through JAG's programs and services youth and their families are able to gain the information and resources to help live and lead healthier lives.  For more information, click here.

Milford Youth Center (MYC) mission is to provide a safe environment that promotes self esteem, builds character, and fosters the notion of community and the importance of respecting and serving others. For more information, click here.

The MYC & JAG work together to provide resources and opportunities for youth to make healthy decisions. The MYC & JAG have worked to provide local youth with the necessary activities and events that help them develop physically, mentally, socially and emotionally through their childhood years. By providing Milford youth with these types of programs and a safe environment during the after school hours and during our monthly events, we hope to address adolescent risk factors as well as promoting the partnership among community members to ensure a comprehensive vision and plan for the health of the youth in the town of Milford.