Hello Friends,
The calendar may say summer has just begun but given the recent temperatures it sure feels like it has been here for a while now! This is a wonderful time of year in our community as we get ready for the fireworks display this week and later this month, the Lancaster Festival. I hope you all get a chance to enjoy these, and the many other events, scheduled for this summer in Fairfield County.
This edition of the JFS e-Link recaps the awareness events we hosted for Child Abuse Prevention and Elder Abuse Prevention. These events featured guest speakers and announcements of well-deserving award recipients. We are so grateful for the dedication and partnership of all those recognized.
Family FunFest was also in May and gave our staff the opportunity to engage with hundreds of our customers in a fun and informal setting. A huge thank you to all of our team members, volunteers, and community partners who made that event possible.
I hope you’ll take a few moments to see what we’ve been up to and if you have any questions or feedback, never hesitate to contact me directly. Thank you and Happy Summer!
Sincerely,
Corey Clark
Fairfield County Job and Family Services Director
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JFS Hosted A Fantastic
Family Fun Fest!
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This year’s Family Fun Fest was held May 23rd in the Job and Family Services parking lot, and it was fantastic! With the help of dozens of volunteers and community partners we were able to host hundreds of families – approximately 400 people! This event allows families to spend a fun evening together and everything is FREE. This is truly only possible due to the generosity of our community partners and the time put in by our volunteers.
Family Fun Fest has been a special event at JFS for over 20 years.
Each year, we are able to provide families in our community with an opportunity to get out and enjoy some time together. Children can play games and win prizes, have their faces painted, and make crafts. There are free hot dogs, chips, drinks, popcorn and snow cones for everyone. Families also have the opportunity to learn about organizations and agencies within our community that could provide them with additional resources. The weather was absolutely perfect this year and Family Fun Fest was a tremendous success! We would like to thank our community partners, volunteers, and everyone who came out to support our 2024 Family Fun Fest.
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Child Abuse Prevention Month Breakfast Held In April
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Fairfield County Protective Services held their annual Child Abuse Prevention Month Breakfast on April 10, 2024. Agency staff, elected officials, and community partners from across the county took part in the morning’s activities. Mike Kenney, Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, was the keynote speaker for the morning. Mike spoke on innovative child welfare practices from across the state and highlighted Fairfield County’s participation in PACT (Practice in Action Together), a shared practice model being piloted in eight counties.
Also, part of the morning’s activities was the presentation of the Partner for Kids Award. Phyllis Shanks, a longtime agency foster parent, was announced as the 2024 winner. Phyllis and her husband, Russ, have been foster parents since 1979 and have had more than 400 children placed in their home during that time. Sadly, Phyllis passed away this past February, so this award was an opportunity to posthumously honor her work and also celebrate her family, who continue their foster journey. Russ and Phyllis’s children and grandchildren were on hand to accept the award on Phyllis’s behalf.
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World Elder Abuse Awareness Breakfast Update
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On June 12, 2024, The Protective Services Department of Fairfield County Job and Family Services hosted their annual event recognizing World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, officially on June 15th ever year, is an opportunity to promote awareness of elder abuse and neglect. Commissioner Dave Levacy kicked off this year’s event with a proclamation presentation honoring June as Elder Abuse Awareness Month in Fairfield County. Our main presentation, titled “Resiliency and The Art of Living Well,” was presented by Karen Vadino, a trainer and humorist in the social service sphere for over 30 years. Karen provided attendees laughter and life strategies for taking on stress.
In addition, Protective Services presented its 2024 Partner in Supporting Seniors Award to Janet Stout. Janet is currently the Guardianship Service Board Coordinator with Fairfield County Probate Court. Prior to that position, she was an Adult Protective Services Caseworker here at Job and Family Services for several years.
As a reminder, if you have concerns about an older adult age 60 and over, please reach out to our dedicated staff to report your concerns at 740-652-7887. Concerns can also be reported through the statewide portal at https://aps.jfs.ohio.gov/.
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May Was Fraud Awareness Month
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Fairfield County Job and Family Services is serious about investigating and pursuing allegations of fraud. We have a Benefit Recovery team that focuses on protecting the integrity of the public assistance programs.
Objectives:
- To ensure that public assistance benefits are received only by those individuals who are eligible and in the correct amounts
- To recover tax dollars that were obtained by participants through fraudulent activities, unintentional participant error or administrative error
- To deter future occurrences of fraud and maintain program integrity
- 2023 Statistics
- An average of 57 fraud referrals were received each month for a total of 684 referrals
- More than $481,000 was repaid
- The agency received $130,146 in fraud incentives from SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid
- The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office completed eight prosecutions; all found guilty
- Established 45 SNAP disqualifications
- 99% of fraud cases involve unreported income or household members
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Vantage Aging Offers Paid Job Training To Adults 55 And Older
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OhioMeansJobs Fairfield County collaborates with several partner organizations to enhance community services and support workforce development. Among these partners is Vantage Aging, an organization dedicated to empowering individuals aged 55 or older through paid job training.
Vantage Aging offers valuable opportunities for seniors to receive training and gain practical work experience at designated worksites. These training sites, which must hold a current 501(c)(3) or government unit status, provide participants with 20 hours per week of supervised training. The program ensures a safe and sanitary workplace, with assignments designed to contribute to community services while enhancing participants' skills.
To qualify for Vantage Aging’s program, applicants must be 55 years of age or older and meet income eligibility requirements. The program offers numerous benefits, including:
- Helping organizations deliver more services to the community.
- Providing participants with new skills and experiences needed for desired jobs.
- Enabling individuals to take achievable steps on their career pathways.
- Covering participants' time and associated payroll benefits through Vantage.
Training sites offer practical experience in real job environments, helping participants build confidence and thrive in their future careers. Additionally, Vantage Aging's workforce solutions accelerate skill-building by combining hands-on experiences with industry-recognized certifications at community-based organizations.
The program matches the career goals of job seekers with in-demand job opportunities in Ohio, making participants more competitive in today’s job market through targeted skill-building and certification opportunities.
OhioMeansJobs Fairfield County is committed to supporting our community's workforce, and the partnership with Vantage Aging is a testament to that commitment. We encourage eligible community members to take advantage of this excellent opportunity to develop new skills, gain valuable experience, and pursue their career goals. For more information visit OhioMeansJobs.
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Gearing Up For Child Support Awareness Month in August
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The Fairfield County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) will celebrate Child Support Awareness Month in August. To commemorate the occasion, CSEA staff will engage in a variety of activities intended to demonstrate our unwavering support for the children of Fairfield County.
CSEA is again slated to lead a JFS-wide school supply donation drive later this summer. This effort will begin with a monetary donation drive in which JFS employees will be called upon to generously aid the cause. Utilizing the funds donated by our JFS team members, CSEA will purchase numerous school backpacks and place a Target gift card (to purchase school supplies) in each of them.
To compliment this fundraising endeavor, fifteen JFS staff members will volunteer their time with Big Brother Big Sisters of Fairfield County on the evening of July 17th and serve as “Bigs” for the evening. During this event, JFS volunteers will be paired with a child involved in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Throughout the evening, JFS participants will engage in mentorship and activities with their assigned child. The culmination of the evening will see JFS volunteers present the backpacks and school supply gift cards to the children in attendance.
Additional Fairfield County Child Support Awareness Month activities will be made possible thanks to generous donations from local businesses such as Roosters and Wendy’s, as these organizations intend to provide gift certificates for CSEA staff to pass out to customers making child support payments at our local payment drive-thru location.
Child Support Awareness Month continues to serve as a reminder of the importance and impact of Fairfield County’s child support program. Serving nearly 40,000 of our county’s citizens and collecting 23 million dollars in child support on an annual basis; among government service programs, the child support program remains second only to our public school system in terms of the population served.
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