A Call To Action...

Serving All Communities & School Districts Town-wide Since 1980

With everything we're presently experiencing as a society,

Please Don't Forget To Notice...

School Districts: Please send information on your programs/events open to families town-wide for us to SHARE!!!

*Administrators; Teachers; Scout Leaders; Club Advisers; Community Leaders ...

PLEASE pass Information on to Students & Parents!!!

Click link to view & share PDF:

Town of Smithtown Youth Bureau Brochure

Helpful Resources for Parents; School Personnel; Students; Community Leaders...

Help Town of Smithtown Celebrate Global Youth Service Day...

Throughout the Month of April!

Every year the Town of Smithtown Youth Bureau coordinates a town-wide Global Youth Service Day event where students & families join together for one big, fun community service project/event. Due to present circumstances, this year we'll bring people together in their communities in a different way.

Please Join Us!!!

In this newsletter, you'll find multiple ways to participate in this year's town-wide, multi-component Global Youth Service Day initiative.

We've included many ways STUDENTS & FAMILIES can Easily participate locally, to serve their communities in this time of need, as part of a Town-Wide Global Youth Service Initiative!

PLEASE participate in several or MANY of the suggested ways below with your friends, families, neighbors,co-workers...

PLUS , if you know of any local volunteer initiative that we can let people know about, email us information and we'll share right away! Email your local initiative information to Stacey Sanders at the Youth Bureau:

[email protected]

Global Youth Service Initiative #1 -

THANK OUR HEALTH HEROES -

Photo Campaign

**EMAIL us a PHOTO of your own personal THANK YOU Message -

...An image including a special THANK YOU Message to our Local HEALTH HEROES!!!

The message can be in various forms...

Just send us a photo!!!

Poster
Card
Artwork (in any form)
Chalk driveway art
Your family holding a Banner
A virtual "High Five" (close-up photo with
a message written on your palm)
...Be Creative!

Since photo files can be more easily (and safely) shared, we are asking that you email ALL of your caring, thankful art and messages to us and we will share ALL of your heartfelt sentiments with St. Catherine of Siena employees who are working tirelessly, and risking their own personal safely to care for our communities!

It's GREAT for you and your family to feel Thankful...

But PLEASE help us to let our Local Health Heroes Know -

They AND their sacrifices Are APPRECIATED!!!!

...SO Quick & Easy to do as a family!!!

PLEASE email your photos ASAP to the Smithtown Youth Bureau to share by 4/30/20!

[email protected]

Global Youth Service Initiative #2 -

HELP FEED STRUGGLING FAMILIES- Food Donation Campaign

Now more than ever food donations are critical to help many families through these unimaginably difficult times!

PLEASE consider donating to one or more of these important community resources. Don't let anyone in YOUR community go hungry!!!

1.Long Island Cares has always been a great advocate and friend to the people of Smithtown and beyond. During the coronavirus, LI Cares has been working around the clock despite the obstacles. Residents can help by making monetary donations : Donate Funds Here

OR by donating via setting up and doing your own:

Virtual food drive

2.Island Harvest relies on the kindness of the public year-round to feed those who are most in need. Residents can help during the COVID-19 pandemic by clicking here and : donating online

Each $25 donation will go towards supplying a family meal kit, which provides food for three to four days.

3.Smithtown Food Pantry :

Residents wishing to help the food pantry during the coronavirus can mail monetary donations or gift cards to Smithtown Emergency Food Pantry: Post Office Box 1663, Smithtown, NY 11787.

Global Youth Service Initiative #3 -

THANK OUR LOCAL ESSENTIAL WORKERS - Kindness Rock Campaign

(At Smithtown Town Hall, 99 West Main Street, Smithtown)

A great way to spread some much-needed positivity throughout our Town are Kindness Rocks !

Creating them together can be an excellent activity for your family to fill the extra time we are spending together these days!

Examples of designs are - words of encouragement for essential workers; rainbows of hope; butterflies or flower;, and optimistic words or sayings. . virtually anything that spreads positivity. The more colorful, the better !!!

Here’s what you need:

A smooth, flat rock from your yard, (cleaned well with dish soap and completely dried),

Non-washable acrylic craft paint and/or a gel pen, (even a sharpie or permanent marker will do),

Brush-on or spray-on outdoor sealer such as Mod Podge,

Your positive messages and creativity!

Step 1. Once your rock is washed and completely dried we suggest painting the entire rock a bright color, so it will be highly visible,

Step 2. Then apply sealer and let dry.

Step 3. Then, using a thin brush or gel pen/marker, apply your positive message in a contrasting color and seal again.

If you don't have all of the suggested materials, don't despair!!! Do the best you can with the rocks you find and whatever paint/markers you have at home! It's DEFINITELY the thought that counts!

**When your rocks are ready, just bring them up to Smithtown Town Hall at 99 Main Street and place under one of the banners for all of our our local heroes and Town residents to see and appreciate!

Also, don't forget to share your pics of the rocks once you've brought them to their new home at Town Hall.

PLEASE email your photos ASAP the Smithtown Youth Bureau to share by 4/30/20!

[email protected]

Plus.... Don't forget about possibly helping a Furry Friend!!!

Foster a Dog or Cat: Due to COVID-19, the Smithtown Animal Shelter has had to restrict public access to confirmed adoption appointments and animal/wildlife rescue. Residents with no other pets or young children at home can apply to foster a rescue dog. Families looking to serve the community can sign up to foster cats as well. The shelter staff is limited at this time, so Town officials ask that the only serious foster applicants apply.

ONLY Approved Adoption Appointments will be permitted to enter the Shelter.
Call to discuss what you are looking for in a pet and we can help you decide if we have a pet that suits your lifestyle.
Schedule a FaceTime interaction with the pet that you are interested in.
We will help you get a feel for the animal’s personality and typical interaction with its caretakers.
Fill out an application- They are available on our website, or we can email/fax one to you.
Once you have an approved application, you may meet the pet that you are interested in at the shelter, weather permitting we will hold all dog interactions outside.

We assure you that the animals are getting plenty of love, attention and medical care despite the limited access to the public. On behalf of the Town of Smithtown and the Animal Shelter team, we wish you all health and positive thinking during this troubling time. As a united community, we will get through this!

P (631) 360-7575 F: (631) 360-7973 E: [email protected]

We Hope that YOUR Family Participates in

Town of Smithtown's

April Global Youth Service Initiative in

Multiple Ways!!!

Help the Town of Smithtown Youth & Community Alliance

By Helping to Educate Others!!!

The Town of Smithtown Youth & Community Alliance is coordinated by

Horizons Counseling & Education Center and Smithtown Youth Bureau

Alcohol Awareness Month Contest!!!

We are looking for submissions for our April Alcohol Awareness Month Event. The Town of Smithtown Horizons Counseling and Education Center and Youth Bureau would like to display all pieces of work online.

Open to all students (K-12) in the public and private schools in Smithtown, Kings Park, Hauppauge, and Commack school districts!

Guidelines: Develop a poster (8.5x11) that focuses on alcohol awareness month and the dangers of underage drinking. Please include the hashtag #alcoholawarenessmonth . Due by April 17th! YOU STILL HAVE SOME TIME!!!

Email pics of your flyer by Friday, April 17th to Kelly DeVito, Horizons Center:

[email protected]

Winning poster will be picked and announced on May 1, 2020!

Alcohol Awareness Month is a public health program organized by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence as a way of increasing outreach and education regarding the dangers of alcohol.

. ..*More Important Information from the Town of Smithtown Youth & Community Alliance!

Don't Miss this Important FREE Online Event!!!

"Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience" - Friday April 17th

Registration Required At:

https://www.bigmarker.com/screenagers-starhouse/SCREENAGERS-NC-WPYB

View the trailer and more at : https://www.screenagersmovie.com/synopsis

In " Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER" , we follow Delaney as she finds herself at a loss on how to help her own teens as they struggle with their emotional well-being. She sets out to understand these challenges in our current screen-filled society, and how we, as parents and educators, can empower teens to overcome mental health challenges and build emotional agility, communication savvy, and stress resilience.

We witness Delaney as she finds her way from ineffective parenting to much-improved strategies. We follow other personal stories of families from an array of backgrounds with a spectrum of emotional challenges. We also observe approaches in schools that provide strategies relevant beyond the classroom setting.

Interwoven into the stories are surprising insights from brain researchers, psychologists, and thought leaders that reveal evidence-based ways to support mental wellness among our youth. The impact of social media and other screen time is incorporated in all the topics raised in Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER, how it may be impacting our teens’ mental health, and what we can do to help foster youth in the face of struggles.

Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER shows many ways parents, counselors, and educators can help teens build crucial skills for navigating stress, anxiety, and depression.

Recommended age: 6th grade and older.