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2:08 PM August 12th, 2009 JUVENILE SYSTEM UPDATE: Part 2 of 3 Ronn Jeffrey, Municipal Court Judge, summarized the concept of the JPB as a multi-disciplinary group of people working together to plan a system for handling kids in the system...READ >>
2:54 PM July 8th, 2009 JUVENILE SYSTEM UPDATE: Part 1 of 3 After several discussions, the Laramie County Commissioners and Cheyenne City Council collaborated to approve the Laramie County Community Juvenile Services Joint Powers Board Agreement...READ >>
1:03 PM July 15th, 2009 AROUND CHEYENNE SURVEY Your opinion matters to us. Please take the time to fill out a brief survey and either mail or email it to us so that we may better serve you. TAKE >>
2:40 PM July 8th, 2009 ROTATING HEADER UPDATE You can now click on the rotating magazine cover images to open up the issues! Please note some of the past issues only contain the front cover.
3:11 PM June 12th, 2009 NEW WEBSITE Around Cheyenne has a new website! Please check back often as we continue to fill and update it with magazine content.
SHOWCASED ORGANIZATION: 2009 Live United Campaign By Amy Bennett
United Way of Laramie County kicked off the 2009 LIVE UNITED campaign on September 1, 2009. The Kick-Off announced $478,484.84 as the Campaign’s total amount to date, the first in a series of 13 car voucher program drawings, and addressed meeting the needs of the community. This year represents the largest kick-off total to date which included the results of the 36 Pacesetter companies’ employee campaigns, Partners of Influence who make multi-year commitments, the Women’s Leadership Council, United Way Board members, as well as individual donors.
Co-chair Susan Samuelson of Warren Livestock states, “It’s reassuring to see the community make United Way of Laramie County a priority.”
This year’s kick-off included a LIVE UNITED challenge from Greg Dyekman of Dray, Thompson and Dyekman, encouraging leaders in business to encourage and support employee campaigns and invited individuals to increase their generous gifts.
United Way of Laramie County identifies the need to transform lives and make the greatest possible impact in the community by partnering with human service programs. Local agencies that receive funding must apply through two-year grant process cycles.
The Car Voucher program is an incentive for individuals to donate at specific levels so they become eligible to enter into the 13 weekly drawings for $20,000 total toward the purchase of a car. This year’s sponsors are Halladay Motors, Inc., Kia of Cheyenne, and Spradley Barr Motors, Inc. The semi-finalists will be invited to the final drawing to be hosted live at CBS NewsChannel 5 and the Cheyenne CW in January 2010.
The year-round corporate sponsors help cover expenses such as the kick-off luncheon. This year’s Diamond sponsors are Spradley Barr Motors, Inc., Warren Federal Credit Union, Wyoming Bank & Trust, and #1 Properties. Wyoming Tribune Eagle sponsors all of the printing costs for the Campaign.
Pacesetters are Cheyenne businesses that committed to help set the pace for each new campaign year, have completed their employee campaigns, and have totals ready to be announced at Kick-Off. The largest corporate gift of $35,000 was received from the Union Pacific Foundation. The Warren Federal Credit Union Golf Tournament held in August 2009 raised $13,000. The largest increase in an employee campaign came from Wyoming Machinery Company―they increased their campaign almost threefold going from $8,400 to just over $22,000.
The 2009 Pacesetter companies are Allstate Insurance Company, American National Bank, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cheyenne Children’s Clinic, Cheyenne LEADS, Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power, Cheyenne State Bank, Dyno Nobel, First Cheyenne Federal Credit Union, First Interstate Bank, First National Bank of Wyoming, Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, Halladay Motors, Inc., Jonah Bank, McGee, Hearne and Paiz, LLP, Mechanical Systems, RBC Wealth Management, Schreiner & Weskcamp, LLP, Security First Bank, Spradley Barr Motors, Inc., Taco John’s International, Tri-County Bank, Tyrrell-Doyle Auto Centers, United Way of Laramie County, Union Pacific Railroad, US Bank, Wallick & Volk, Inc., Walmart Distribution Center, Warren Federal Credit Union, Western States Learning Corp., Western Vista Federal Credit Union, WY HY Federal Credit Union, Wyoming Bank & Trust, Wyoming Machinery, Wyoming State Bank, Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
Executive Director, Connie Sloan-Cathcart was pleased with the announcement kicking off the campaign, and looks forward to seeing a positive response as the campaign moves forward.
Literally hundreds of volunteers make the work possible―company and department coordinators, loan executives, Speakers Bureau, marketing committee, and community investment teams. As an integral part of Laramie County, United Way of Laramie County improves lives by improving community health, helping children and youth achieve their full potential, and helping neighbors in crisis and strengthening families.
United Way of Laramie County has successfully completed all of United Way‘s national membership requirements by their respective due dates. The annual certification process includes completing the Membership Requirements Certification, Membership Investment to support the national office, and a survey of Total Resources Generated (a survey that captures the full extent of a community’s resource development efforts during the year). Over and above the annual requirements, United Way of Laramie County completed a mandatory organizational self-assessment in 2009 as part of this process.
“The membership requirements must be certified annually in order for us to remain a member of United Way,” stated Sloan-Cathcart. “It is important for us to maintain high standards of accountability, and this is part of the process to confirm that our operations are transparent and meet or exceed United Way membership requirements.”
United Way of Laramie County is part of a worldwide network in 46 countries and territories, including 1,277 local organizations in the U.S. Each local United Way must complete United Way’s requirements annually in order to retain its United Way membership.
SHOWCASED ORGANIZATION: DDA Aims to Promote City Involvement Through Beautification, Business Support, and a Hit Song By Carolyn Harrison
The upkeep and beautification of downtown Cheyenne can be attributed to many people and organizations. One in particular plays a huge role in improving our city and keeping it revitalized for years to come, but often gets unrecognized for its hard work in this process.
The Downtown Development Authority is key in making sure the City of Cheyenne is maintained and improved. One might question where his local tax dollar is spent, and programs such as these provide less concern. The DDA is primarily funded through a special district tax. These funds are put toward planning and management of development or improvement activities, marketing and promotion, business development activities, capital improvements, and administrative costs to provide these services.
Many citizens, leaders, and business owners around Cheyenne are actively involved in the DDA. This primarily volunteer-based group is comprised of a Board of Directors that is dedicated to improving and revitalizing downtown Cheyenne. The Board acts as the visionary in this process while three other DDA committees assist in achieving these defined goals. The three committees include the Design, Downtown Beautification, and Downtown Cheyenne Mercantile Association and each is comprised of members specialized in such areas.
The Board of Director’s leaders are Staff President, Sami Falzone; Vice President, Sue Miller; Secretary, Richard
Mincer; and Treasurer, Gregg Jones. Board members include Jack Spiker, Bob Clary, Paul Howard, Barbara Bonds,
Harvey Deselms, Fred Cowsert, and Jerry Inniss. Along with the board members, Executive Director, Christian Cherek; Office Manager, Bev Bowman; and Communications Director, Rachel Bock, hold important positions in making community improvement objectives possible. These hard working people put much time and effort into keeping Downtown Cheyenne dynamic and attractive. “The downtown is the heart of any city and health of the community,” Christian Cherek said. “The DDA works as stewards of the downtown’s commitment to protect, prosper, and future growth.”
The Design Committee is comprised of a creative group of individuals with a cross section of design expertise as well as representatives from the city council. They consider Capital Improvement Grant applications, plan DDA streetscape and design projects, review downtown projects, and monitor and provide solutions for design related issues for downtown. Dave Ohde is the chair of the Design Committee.
While walking around places such as Union Pacific Depot Square and along the city streets, one might notice the flowers and shrubberies planted to make Cheyenne more attractive to visitors. The Downtown Beautification Committee is responsible for just that. They are in charge of designing and placing the downtown planters and finding others ways to beautify the downtown area. Other projects include placing new trash cans and benches, providing lighting for the trees, banners, and holiday decorations. Dayle Petrillo is the chair of the Beautification Committee.
The streets of Downtown Cheyenne are lined with restaurants, beauty salons, and clothing stores. The establishment of these local businesses was helped established by the Downtown Cheyenne Mercantile Association which aims to facilitate the organization of new downtown merchants. The DCMA is partially funded through the Cheyenne DDA, but when fully functional, will run as a separate organization to support the needs of downtown merchants. The
DCMA is an autonomous membership organization.
Through business support, counseling, and marketing campaigns, the DDA aims to attract big development while providing continued support to smaller, local businesses. Over $65,000 is issued each year for sponsoring events to keep the downtown active. For example, many locals are familiar with the hit song, “Back to Cheyenne,” by Boots Walker. Boots Walker is a mythical legendary cowboy that embraces the Cheyenne way of life. “Back to Cheyenne” is a song that speaks of Boot’s longing to come back to Cheyenne. It is played on many radio stations, picking up a local, regional, and national fan base.
While Boots Walker’s story unfolds, it will be used to promote the Downtown area as the heart and soul of Cheyenne, celebrating its heritage, western culture, and vitality. His story will be showcased in an on-going promotion highlighting the events, retail outlets, restaurants, and hotels that make up the downtown district. For more information about Boots Walker, please visit his website at www.boots-walker.com.
“Kick Back in Downtown Cheyenne” is another program aimed to generate sales in downtown. For every 25 dollars one spends at a downtown business, we will receive a five dollar coupon to be redeemed at any ‘Friends of Boots’ location.
Around Cheyenne would like to thank the Cheyenne Downtown Development Authority for its continued efforts to keep the downtown attractive and alluring for present and future generations.
For more information about the Cheyenne Downtown Development Authority or to get involved on one of the committees, please visit the website at www.downtowncheyenne.com and click on the Cheyenne DDA link.
SHOWCASED ORGANIZATION: New Safehouse Building Aimed to Provide
Better Community Outreach Services By Lisa O’Sullivan
Safehouse Services is a private, non-profit organization providing service to victims or survivors of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault in Cheyenne, Laramie County and the surrounding area since 1975.
Safehouse Services provides advocacy services in our downtown office at 1813 Carey Avenue. These advocacy services include referrals to community resources, group and individual support services for adults, children, and the elderly, assistance with temporary and crisis food, clothing, hygiene, and basic home set-up needs for clients, referrals to court, medical and legal systems for victim assistance and legal advocacy in assisting clients in filing protection orders.
In addition to these services, Safehouse Services provides a 24-hour crisis line and shelter services for victims in imminent danger. Safehouse Services also provides community education to organizations and businesses, outreach services to Laramie County, group outreach services to the County Jail and inpatient residents at Peak Wellness Center.
Family violence is at the heart of public health and safety. It devastates families, reaches across generations, and strains public and private resources. According to the American Institute on Domestic Violence, the health-related costs of rape, physical assault, stalking and homicide by intimate partners exceed $5.8 billion each year. Furthermore, lost productivity and earnings, due to intimate partner violence, accounts for almost $1.8 billion each year. Clearly, domestic violence has far-reaching financial implications for communities.
Beyond these financial implications the social and health implications for communities is significant. Violence is shown through learned behavior. Boys who grow up witnessing abuse in the home are 100 times more likely to become abusers themselves, than boys raised in homes without abuse. In fact, 81 percent of men who abuse their partners had witnessed their own fathers’ abuse their own mothers.
Children who witness violence in the home often turn this violence towards the community as evidenced, due to the fact that violent juvenile offenders are four times more likely to come from homes where their fathers batter their mothers. Studies have shown that 80 percent of men in prisons grew up in violent homes.
Young girls who witness their mother’s abuse by an intimate partner are also more likely to see that as normal relational behavior, and stay in abusive relationships as adults. A child’s exposure to the father/boyfriend/etc. abusing the mother is the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next.
According to the Cheyenne Police Department, domestic violence calls have increased significantly over the last year. Additionally, the Safehouse Shelter has been filled to capacity with victims residing for longer stays.
Breaking the cycle of violence within families is the only means to mitigate the future negative behaviors of individuals as well as future violence in our streets and communities. Providing services that assist victims in leaving these abusive homes is the first step toward breaking the cycle of violence. However, a large percentage of abused women are not able to leave the abusive relationship because the abuser has control over the household finances or because of poverty.
Providing free access to services for these families is paramount to successfully eliminating violence from our community.
However, as the demand for Safehouse’s programs and services continues to grow, its current shelter is inadequate to house the number of clients it must serve. Currently, Safehouse cannot house more than 19 women and children on site. Men and individuals with physical disabilities must be housed in other locations, as well as victims with male children over the age of 14.
Many nights the shelter is at or over capacity necessitating placing families in motels or other less secure locations.
After completion of a professional feasibility study, Safehouse’s Board of Directors has initiated a Capital Campaign to raise needed funding to design and renovate a 13,000 square foot building sitting on a half block size lot. This project will expand and enrich shelter space, programs, and services for victims of family violence. The building and land is owned outright by Safehouse and will place all three areas of Safehouse in one location. Having the shelter outreach services and administrative offices for Safehouse in one location will enable Safehouse to operate more efficiently and effectively. The funds raised will pay for architectural design and renovation costs of the new facility.
The new location will provide increased and improved shelter program space, allowing for 500 victims to be sheltered annually; a 60 percent increase over the current shelter capacity annually. Additionally the larger space will provide for one stop availability of all programs and services. The renovated facility will offer accessibility to services for people with disabilities, and provide a safer, more supportive environment to clients both today and in the future.
In addition to providing much needed additional space, the new facility will allow for more effective allocation of financial and staff resources. Currently, Safehouse operates both an older, energy inefficient shelter building and rents separate office space. Because the new facility will house both the shelter and office facilities, Safehouse will have better staff and facility utilization resulting in better operating efficiencies. For more information on how to donate to the Safehouse Capital Campaign, contact, Lisa O’Sullivan at 307.634.8655.
PUBLIC SAFETY: Wyoming Mounted Search & Rescue Association By Donald F. Heiduck
Laramie County is fortunate to have a relatively unknown group of individuals who have a vast amount of both practical experience and professional training to locate those of our family and/or friends who have been taken away from us. Who are they? They are neighbors, coworkers, friends, and professionals who serve our community in many other roles, but volunteer their time to seek out those who have lost their way. What do these individuals have in common? They are all members of an organized volunteer auxiliary unit of the Laramie County Sheriff’s Department know as the Wyoming Mounted Search and Rescue Association.
The organization was founded in 1988, and their membership is as diverse as the methods and techniques they implement to locate those individuals whom they are activated to find. The members come from all walks of life in our community including the construction trade, computer technicians, law enforcement, local military, teachers, therapists, postal workers, and retirees, just to name a few of the many entities from which these human resources are drawn.
These volunteers participate in annual classroom training and one to two annual exercises per year. The group hosts biannual training that features two of Wyoming’s nationally recognized specialists in the field of search and rescue, Kirk and Linda Waggoner from Park County and who are headquartered in Cody, Wyoming. Each member of the unit is certified by the National Association of Search and Rescue and has earned the certification of SAR Technician II.
This year’s recent summer exercise was held in the Pole Mountain area, and the scenario was based on a lost hunter. The search included efforts by horseback, ATV, ground, and vehicle search, as well as helicopter flight from the Warren AFB Helicopter Squadron. The search was centralized around a utility tent that served as a command post and was operating with the computer-based search technology determining search patterns and maintaining accurate records of what areas had been covered by the participants. During the exercise there was a classroom presentation and this time the particular topic was crime scene management and evidence preservation instructed by the Laramie County Sheriff’s Department. The unit is currently in the planning stage for a fall exercise to be held in October.
The scope of the unit’s capabilities goes well beyond being mounted on horse back and being on foot. It also includes using four wheelers, snow mobiles, utilizing the technology of computer based scientific applications, as well as being supplemented with helicopters from Warren Air Force Base in an actual search incident. The use of the Wyoming Mounted Search and Rescue Association goes well beyond Laramie County. Since its inception the unit has been used in searches in our surrounding counties including Albany and Goshen. The type of incidents the unit participates in varies as much as the weather. One of the first documented incidents that the unit was activated for was an individual who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and had become disoriented while in the Curt Gowdy State Park area. There was also the second Alzheimer’s individual who became disoriented near Torrington, the Boy Scout who became lost in the Camp Jack area, the elk hunter near Centennial, the deer hunter near Arlington, the child in the Buffalo Ridge residential neighborhood, the graduate student who became disoriented in the Vedauwoo area. The list goes on and on. The distance the people the unit has been to find and have been actually found varies from the neighborhood they lived in to as far away as fourteen miles from the vehicle they left.
What constitutes a successful search? This is a difficult question to answer, but as Wyoming Mounted Search and Rescue Association President Jim Talkington responded, “It is when we actually locate the individual, even if they are deceased.” This response poses an interesting statement of life’s reality, and as Mr. Talkington stated, “At minimum we can provide closure for the family by finding their loved one”.
These are not the only incidents in which the Wyoming Mounted Search and Rescue Association have been active participants. The unit has also been involved in criminal cases where either human remains or the weapon used in the crime needed to be located.
In describing the group’s activities, it varies and goes well beyond their designed function in Laramie County, the unit also participates in the Wyoming Hunters and Fishermen’s Expo that is held annually in Casper. They use this opportunity to promote the “Hug a Tree” program to the youth in our Wyoming communities. This program teaches our young people that if they are lost, they need to stay where they are at and reassures them that someone will be able to find them if they remain in one place. The unit also hands out survival kits with whistles which will enhance the chances of the child being found if they are lost and/or disoriented. This wonderful group of volunteers is always looking for new members and what a unique way to contribute to our community. If you are interested in the Wyoming Mounted Search and Rescue Association, contact either the organization’s President Jim Talkington (307) 421-4127 or Vice President Jack Selby (307) 635-9437 or for general inquiries email at wma.sar@hotmail.com.
PUBLIC SAFETY: The Silent Witness Crime Stoppers Board By Donald F. Heiduck
Protecting our community takes the effort of many entities and individuals in conjunction with our local law enforcement agencies. One of the community boards that serves in a partnership capacity to aid law enforcement is the Silent Witness Crime Stoppers Board. This program combines the efforts of a private organization operated by volunteers with city, county, and federal law enforcement agencies to solve crimes in Laramie County.
The Silent Witness Crime Stoppers Board began in mid-December 1981, after a Cheyenne Police Department Staff Officer learned about the program in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The structure and purpose of the program is that rewards are paid to citizens who provide information to law enforcement that assists in solving crimes, while at the same time the citizens remain anonymous. It was felt that this would be an innovative approach to involve the news media, law enforcement, and the community in this partnership to potentially solve crimes. In its inception, the concept was taken by the Cheyenne Police Chief Byron Rookstool to the then Mayor of Cheyenne, Don Erickson. Mayor Erickson gave the program his blessing and offered the services of his office to start the program. In 1983, the Laramie County Sheriff ’s Department was brought into full partnership with the Cheyenne Police Department in sharing the coordination of the program between law enforcement and the board of directors.
A group of local businessmen, who had a long-term interest in law enforcement, agreed to set up the program and became the nucleus for a board of directors for the organization along with other volunteers. This volunteer board of directors provided the initial preliminary publicity and spearheaded the fundraising for the program. The local program was called Silent Witness of Cheyenne, Inc., and affiliated with Crime Stoppers International. These first efforts from volunteer board members who solicited money to establish a fund for both the rewards and the operating expenses was met with an equally enthusiastic response from the community. Initially more than 100 businesses, organizations, and individuals contributed to the fund. Without these private necessary funds, Silent Witness could not operate due to the fact no public monies are provided to the program. A broad spectrum of the business community has supported the program over these many years including banks, construction companies, retailers, manufacturers, restaurants, liquor dealers, insurance companies, real-estate companies, as well as many civic organizations. Many organizations over the years have made vital monetary contributions for the board.
Silent Witness Crime Stoppers was incorporated with the State of Wyoming and received Federal nonprofit status with the original five volunteers as officers. The board is responsible for fund-raising and paying rewards as well as serving as liaison between law enforcement and the community. This volunteer board is comprised of 20 members whose membership draws from a pool of individuals who represents businesses, retired persons, Chamber of Commerce, news media, the local school district, state government, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, and representatives from local law enforcement.
The process begins when information is obtained from a Silent Witness caller that leads to an arrest, recovery of stolen property, seizure of illegal drugs, or solution of crime. The investigating officer makes a reward recommendation for the anonymous caller who has been designated with an identification number to be paid for the information provided. The written reward recommendation, which provides a background of how the information resulted in a positive resolution of the case, is then presented to the board, which meets on a monthly basis, for approval of the reward recommendation.
The Silent Witness Crime Stoppers program has taken on many forms over the years and established many partnerships to create community awareness for their work. A vital part of the program is the cooperation of the news media. Each week a “Crime of the Week” is featured in the local radio and television stations. This relationship is twofold, oft en information that is received enables the featured crime to be solved and this particular public service announcement keeps the program in the public eye. In 1998, a partnership was formed with the publication, Trader’s Shoppers Guide, and with their generous efforts a weekly submission of Laramie County’s “Most Wanted” and “Crimes of the Week” have been placed out in our community in written form.
One of the volunteer members of the board, Buzz Davis, left a sizeable estate gift to the organization when he passed away. This gift was invested and provides funds for both operating expenses and reward recommendations.
In tribute to Mr. Davis and the Silent Witness Crime Stopper’s Board, an endowed scholarship was established at Laramie County Community College in his name. The board has also integrated a number of other entities including the United States Marshal Service, the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office, and the Laramie County Coroner’s Office. Recently another partnership was formed to deal with the growing problems with spray-painted graffiti and placards being placed on both governmental structures and private homes and businesses. There are now billboards throughout the city of Cheyenne with the Silent Witness 638-TIPS phone number advertising its use for identifying possible suspects in graffiti vandalisms. In making changes to keep up with progress, there has also been a web site developed to keep the public informed in this age of computers: www.crime-stoppers.net.
The community benefits because citizens are encouraged to keep their eyes and ears open for possible illegal activity. The program also wants to make citizens aware that they can be directly responsible for dealing with crime. The Silent Witness Crime Stoppers program is considered to be a deterrent to crime in Cheyenne and Laramie County, making it a better place to live through the involvement and cooperation of a broad spectrum of its own citizens.
PUBLIC SAFETY: Fire District #2 Fire Chief Marlene Aitchison By Donald F. Heiduck
“Our primary goal is to balance our lives by focusing on family, job and school, and the Fire District,” this is the guiding philosophy of this month’s public safety officer nominee, Marlene Aitchison, Fire Chief for Fire District #2. Aitchison is originally from North Dakota, along with her husband of thirty five years, Ken. They have resided almost 33 years in Wyoming. This has included time in Laramie, Buffalo, and the last 18 years in Cheyenne, 15 years of which she has been as a member of Fire District #2.
Marlene and Ken have three children, two boys and one girl. In addition to holding her position as Fire Chief, she is very much about family. Not just her own, but her fire department family, where she is affectionately called “Mom” by some of the members.
Ken originally started as a fire services volunteer in Buffalo, Wyoming, and joined the Wyoming Air National Guard here in Cheyenne shortly before they moved here.
Aitchison’s interest in public safety originally stems from taking a medical class at Fire District #2. Once the children were older, her husband Ken, brought home an application for the fire district and said to her “It is time to give back to the community that you live in,” thus her journey began. Aitchison has worked her way through the ranks from Rookie Firefighter, Firefighter 1, Firefighter 2, Lieutenant, Captain, Deputy Chief, to her current position of Fire Chief. Her primary interest was for the medical side, and she maintains her certification as a basic EMT. Beyond the duties of Fire Chief, she serves as a Fire Instructor for EMS classes and has served as an instructor at the annual Fire School held in Cody, Wyoming and at the State Fire Marshal’s Chief Officer Conference that was held in Riverton, Wyoming.
Aitchison states that in this profession, “You never quit learning, which only aids in developing yourself so that you may be more effective in your own job, which assists you in helping in the development of your peers.” She is a member on a variety of panels and boards, which includes the Rural Advisory Board for the Wyoming State Forestry Division, the Laramie County Fire Chiefs Board, which she has held the office of president, vice president, and is currently the secretary. She is also a member of the State Fire Chiefs and was recently appointed their legislative liaison.
Aitchison has faced many challenges during her time in the fire service, but she characterizes them as opportunities to effect positive change. One of these opportunities over the years has been dealing with all the different personalities and maximizing their progression and potential while being members of Fire District #2.
“The most important thing about Fire District #2 is the people, because without them there would be no fire services, no public education, and nor would they be able to complete anything,” said Aitchison. She said, “I am fortunate that the department is comprised of such a diverse group of people with a wide variety of ages, backgrounds, experiences, talents, and training.”
Aitchison encourages and is open to new ideas from the members, which she feels can only make everyone better. She believes that networking at the local, state, and national levels brings great ideas to the table and the experience of other entities demonstrates what works and doesn’t work prior to delving into a project.
In 2007, Aitchison noted that Fire District #2’s call volume was the tenth busiest in the state which includes fire departments with paid employees, volunteer members, and/or a combination of both paid/volunteer staff entities. The department is comprised of approximately 60 firefighters/medical personnel ranging in experience from a few months to approximately 20 years it also includes, 10 members of the Explorer Post, 10 members of with Fire Corps, and five board members, who are elected from the community that the fire district serves. Aitchison characterizes all the members of her department as extremely dedicated individuals who all have something to contribute to both the organization and the community. In 2008, Fire District #2 responded to over 600 calls for service. In the future, Aitchison would like to work towards the goal of obtaining paid fire positions.
When Aitchison was asked what she considers to be the hardships of her position, she noted that since Fire District #2 has a family atmosphere and is a close knit group, this makes it difficult to lose a member of the department for any reason. Another aspect that has a downside for her is when she cannot take away the hurt from her people if they have had to handle a traumatic situation and she feels almost helpless in that regard.
Aitchison said, “Even though you can do your very best at a very difficult situation, sometimes you cannot always make the circumstances better for the people involved.” Two of the primary goals that Aitchison has for Fire District #2 in the future is to continue to expand the area of public education and promote fire awareness and fire prevention. Besides being a mother, her service at Fire District #2 has been one of the most challenging opportunities in her life. Much like raising children, there are no manuals to tell and show you what to do. Laramie County has many dedicated public servants and fortunately for us, Aitchison Aitchison, Chief of Fire District #2 and our nominee for public service officer of the month, has chosen Cheyenne as her home.
PUBLIC SAFETY: CERT Program Teaches Self-Su fficiency in Crisis By Carolyn Harrison
When an 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck Mexico City in 1985, 10,000 people died and 30,000 more were injured. During the recovery effort, volunteers rescued over 800 people, yet more than 100 of those volunteers died because of being untrained in disaster relief. That is where the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program comes into play.
When natural disasters strike, emergency service personnel often have a difficult time responding to the large populations of people who need immediate help. Volunteer responders are effective, but only when properly trained through programs such as CERT.
Anyone can become CERT certified. All that is required is completing a free online training course along with an eight-hour practical training course. Once certified, the individual can effectively assist emergency services personnel with activities such as, storm and flood rescue relief, fire response, and building 72-hour survival kits. With its focus on safety, CERT also teaches citizens to take care of their families and neighborhoods first, to ensure that everyone is safe in time of need.
The L.A. County Fire Department originally developed the CERT program in 1985 in response to a large-scale earthquake. During the peak of the 1985 disaster, emergency assistance response times extended to days, because of the flood of 911 calls. The Federal Emergency Management Agency launched the CERT program nationwide in 2003, after witnessing the program’s success in the Los Angeles area.
Peter Summerhawk is a Laramie county CERT training instructor who is very passionate about the program. “We have seen a lot of success stories,” said Summerhawk. “When the wildfires hit California, many people were saved due to CERT teams.” Summerhawk has been with the program for one year is also a member of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, and is cross-trained between both programs for better communication and coordination between emergency personnel and CERT trained citizens. He is confident that CERT teaches people to be self-sufficient during emergencies.
The CERT program is not limited to just adults. Many Boy Scout troops are taking an interest in the program and becoming certified. “Seeing young people take responsibility by stepping up and taking leadership roles, is very important,” said Summerhawk. Moreover, CERT also encourages large groups such as churches and schools to support the program. In many cases, these buildings become shelters during natural disasters and it is helpful that building administrators know basic skills to assist in doing so.
Laramie County’s CERT program mission statement is to “have the community better prepared for natural disasters.”
“Although our area doesn't experience the frequency of major emergencies or disasters, that other areas of the country or world experience, the better informed everyone is about the possibility of an event,” said Dave Thompson, CERT coordinator. “Getting themselves prepared to sustain themselves for 72 hours is perhaps the most important message of Citizen Corps and CERT. As of January 2009, 300 people have become certified in Laramie County.
For more information about C.E.R.T. or if you are interested in becoming certified please visit their FACEBOOK/MySpace pages or email at laramiecountycert@gmail.com. The public is also encouraged to attend a meeting which is held the last Thursday of every month at the City County Health Building located at 100 Central Ave. at 6p.m.
As a staff nurse at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center in the Special Care Nursery, Donna Moreland has a tremendous amount of experience with pregnancies and births. However, Donna began serving as a volunteer at LifeChoice Pregnancy Care Center in January of this past year, so she could enjoy serving expectant mothers at the very beginning of their pregnancy, not just at the end of the nine months. Caroline Merriman, Client Services Coordinator, said Donna is a very dependable and resourceful volunteer. She is never sitting around twiddling her thumbs, but jumps in to whatever task is at hand at the Center. Donna serves both as a peer counselor and in the material services side of care provided at LifeChoice.
When asked why she served as a volunteer at LifeChoice, she said she had been planning to do some volunteer service and wanted to find a spot where she felt she could really make a difference. Donna loves the opportunity to share her faith and provide encouragement to young moms who are often at a crossroads in their lives. Asking mothers-to-be what their plans are, how they feel about their pregnancy, what kind of support team they have going for them, and what options are available to them, are some of the areas covered in a peer counseling situation. If there is a negative pregnancy test, they can discuss facts related to sexually transmitted diseases, clarify misunderstandings regarding STDs, and encourage women to have strong, healthy relationships in their lives.
Donna also serves as a volunteer in the material services department. LifeChoice provides baby clothes from newborn to size 2T, formula, wipes, diapers, and maternity clothes. They also provide baby furniture as it is available. All of the material goods that are provided to moms and their children are through donations to the Center. When mothers come in to pick up material goods, Donna and the other volunteers ask them how things are going as parents and how their partners are handling the job of parenting. Referrals are available to CLIMB Wyoming for those interested in improving their job skills; parenting classes, educational opportunities and housing referrals are also provided. The staff and volunteers at LifeChoice try to provide tools and resources to help the young moms help themselves. Those in need of material services must make an appointment before coming to the Center to receive those services.
Donna really gets excited about working with the young moms and helping them at a critical time in their lives. She enjoys hearing the stories of single, young moms who are making great choices for themselves and their children. She told of a couple of young moms who came in recently and are attending college online, so they can stay at home and care for their small children. They are trying to make the best possible situation for themselves and their children. Their courage and tenacity in tough times is exciting for Donna to see. She said many of the young moms are really interested in wanting to learn more and take advantage of the opportunities that are there for them, so they can make a better life for themselves and their children.
Donna Moreland is a great asset to LifeChoice Pregnancy Care Center and also a great example of how one person can make a difference. If you are interested in being a peer counselor or helping in material services at LifeChoice, give them a call at 632-6323.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “Americans generate 1.6 million tons of household hazardous wastes (HHW) per year.” They also estimate that the average home tends to accumulate 100 pounds of HHW in the storage spaces such as closets, garages, and basements.
So what constitutes HHW and what are we as individuals to do with our HHW? HHW are items that are ignitable, corrosive, toxic, or poisonous, they can be found in circuit boards, batteries, televisions, and many other obsolete items that we tend to dispose of or replace often in the common household. These items must be disposed of in a proper manner to preserve our environment. Currently, the City of Cheyenne accepts these items at its Household Hazardous Waste Collection Depot located at 220 North College Drive. Tattooine Electronic Systems is a primary processing facility for electronic waste that accepts and then recycles such materials. Tattooine is located at 6520 Hinesley Road. There are fees associated with the disposal services at Tattooine.
A local cooperative effort among several entities in Cheyenne is offering a unique opportunity to citizens in the area to properly dispose of these HHW. On September 12, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, the LDS Church Cheyenne Stake, KGWN CBS News Channel TV5, Traders Shopping Guide, Pioneer Printing, and the City of Cheyenne are coming together to sponsor a Hazardous Waste & Electronics Drop-off at Lowe’s, 1608 Prairie Avenue, from 9:00 am to noon. The event is the first for the sponsors but a city and county wide effort that has hopes of becoming a regular event and educational opportunity for the community.
According to John Peacock, Director of Wyoming Association of Churches, “The event is modeled on an ecumenical effort in Northern Michigan that we altered for our region. We hope that this Cheyenne event will eventually become a regional or even state event.”
Peacock also commented on the cooperative effort of both Churches, “Environmental issues are cutting across the denominational lines.”
Together the churches are working to provide an event that will aid in cleaning the environment in Cheyenne not only for today but also for the future of our children. The event preparation has offered a distinctive teaching opportunity as well for the youth of these churches.
It all started with the inspiration of the young children of St. Mark’s. The children painted reusable bags that were then sold as a fundraiser for the church. After talking to the children about the importance of recycling each child painted a bag. What the children painted inspired the adults of the church.
Anne Harris, Deacon at St. Mark’s, said, “The bags made us think of further ways we can clean up. The talent of the children inspired the creative ideas for the posters promoting the event.”
Each child was asked to paint a picture and with the help of a local graphic artist, the pictures were collaged into several different posters for the HHW event.
Harris added, “We are extremely proud that our young people thought up these posters from what they hear from adults.”
Many of the posters showcase a hand that one child painted. Harris added, “The hand is a religious symbol of healing. The use of the hand in the healing of the earth is very deep but I’m sure the child didn’t think of it in this way.”
The event which was spearheaded by St. Mark’s and the LDS Church, would not be possible without the cooperation of the City of Cheyenne Solid Waste Department which will be there for the event to transfer items dropped at Lowe’s to the City’s transfer station.
Dennis Pino, the Director of Solid Waste for the City of Cheyenne, stated, “This event is a great way to inform the people of how to take care of hazardous wastes. It also serves as an opportunity for us to get the information out about our transfer station that people can use at any time to dispose of these items. This is a great way to get the information out.”
The LDS President Craig Whitehead added, “Corey Rutledge approached us and asked us to participate and we are pleased to do all we can to help and look forward to partnering with St. Marks. We will have 50 to 75 young men and young women participating with their adult leaders and parents.”
Volunteers associated with both Churches have been very active in the community promoting the event. The youth from both churches have distributed posters throughout town and the adults will be giving of their time the day of the event, all in the effort to promote proper disposal of HHW in the Cheyenne area.
Around Cheyenne Magazine would like to recognize Maria Sierocki as June’s Volunteer of the Month. Maria is a Wyoming native, has lived in Cheyenne since the 1960s and has been an active member in our community for as long. She has enormous energy and is passionate about numerous issues effecting veterans and disabled adults, education, languages, and much more. Her primary objective in all that she does is to build knowledge since, as we all know, knowledge is power. Technically “retired” from teaching, Maria hasn’t slowed her involvement in numerous organizations, Boards, and volunteer and service opportunities.
A veteran, Maria served in the Army as the secretary/assistant to a Colonel who was a historian of the Counter Intelligence Corps. Her military and personal travels (to Australia, England, Europe, Spain, Chile and Argentina, to name a few) gave her many opportunities in diversity and language learning. Maria has traveled to most Spanish-speaking countries and is fluent in Spanish. She also has a working knowledge in the romance languages, such as Italian, Portuguese and French. Currently, she is teaching herself German. For years, Maria taught English to military wives and she is a past president of the American Legion Auxiliary Post 2. Maria thoroughly enjoys the time she spends volunteering at the Veterans Administration hospital.
Maria taught elementary, junior high and high school grades for thirty-three years until she made the decision to retire last year. She holds a degree and certifications in Education K-6, Spanish (Bi-Lingual) K-12, English as a Second Language K-12, and she mentors University of Wyoming students pursuing an ESL endorsement. Maria was honored as the Cheyenne Teacher Education Association’s Junior High Teacher of the Year in 1995-96. She is a life time member of the National Education and Wyoming Education Associations. Maria began teaching professionally in Rock Springs and immediately recognized the necessity for children and adults of various nationalities, of which there were many, to learn functional English and there was really no venue for this at that time. In fact, students who were not fluent in English were sent to the library to engage in such activities as coloring during many classes, specifically language arts! Maria got backing from other educators and administrators to provide this much needed instruction and immediately attained full inclusion for students whose primary language was not English. Maria and one of her daughters are creating a new program known as “Spanish Now in the Workplace!” She plans to go on-site to places of employment where individuals need a crash course in functional foreign languages to assist them in their jobs. Instead of using an interpreter or translator, the objective of Maria’s program is to empower the individuals by providing them with basic phrases such as, “I need….”
Maria is planning to have a sale with all of the teaching supplies she has purchased over the years and with the money she is going to send books to Dominica, a small island nation in the Caribbean Sea. The schools there are in need of books to start a library. She anticipates her first installment of books to hopefully depart for Dominica in the middle of July.
She was a community volunteer for a program entitled “Right to Read” in which she taught reading to adults with learning disabilities. More recently, Maria has assisted “participants” to work on their goals through Love, Care and Dignity, a day and residential habilitation program providing in-home support for adults with disabilities. She loves going bowling, to lunch, and engaging in other activities with participants.
Maria serves as Secretary of the Cheyenne Police Department Advisory Board, American Legion Girl's State Choir Chairman, is a member of the choir at Holy Trinity, UPLIFT Board Member, and she has been a Girl Scout leader. With the Women Veterans, she is a Field Representative for the WIMSA (Women In Military Service for America) Memorial Foundations, Inc. She was a campaign manager for Mac McGraw, House District Number 41 Representative to the Wyoming Legislature. Maria also wears a Lobby button and sits in on anything that pertains to veterans and education during legislative sessions.
This dynamic and vibrant woman is the quintessential volunteer! She is tremendously positive and is able to find humor in absolutely everything. She embraces diversity and involves herself with individuals, organizations, and committees in need of a voice, assistance, and information. Thank you, Maria Sierocki, for everything you do and congratulations for being selected as June’s Volunteer of the Month.
REACHING BEYOND OUR COMMUNITY: Compassionate Care without Cash By Karen Mackey
You can’t turn on the radio, television, or Internet today without hearing something about the need to address the healthcare concerns of our nation. It is a debate that can range from thoughtful to over-heated in minutes. Here in Cheyenne, an organization has been faithfully addressing a big part of this need for the last nine years.
The Cheyenne Community Clinic (CCC) is a free primary care healthcare service that serves the low/no income, uninsured, and unintitled residents of Laramie County. People who have fallen between the cracks in the healthcare industry are served and helped by the CCC. These people are the most vulnerable residents of our county. The majority of them have chronic health issues such as diabetes, asthma, COPD, high blood pressure, and the need for non-emergent care is significant.
In 2000, the CCC began as a result of the efforts of members of various community agencies, and medical representatives joined the CCC Advisory Council to guide, support, and promote the clinic operations.
The CCC is a “free” clinic operated mostly by a volunteer force and member of the National Association of Free Clinics. Our success depends on the continued support and financial contributions of the Laramie County community.
Today the clinic serves over 1000 citizens of Laramie County. In 2008, CCC had 1,967 patient encounters serving 427 patients on a regular basis. We currently have 2,676 active patients; this year, the clinic has filled 2,600 prescriptions. The clinic is currently located at 2506 E. Fox Farm Road and College Drive in a modular building supplied by Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.
The operations of the clinic are as follows: the clinic offers a Tuesday night free clinic by appointment and typically sees 20-30 patients with an average of six or seven being new patients.
A Diabetic clinic is held every other month on the first Tuesday of the month an average of 15-20 diabetics, Type I & Type II, attend every month.
The scope of the services includes primary healthcare; immediate and long-term prescription assistance (through on-site pharmacy vouchers and enrollment into the Prescription Assistance Program); referrals for X-rays; laboratory tests; limited dental and vision; diabetic education and support and referrals to both medical and non-medical resources.
Patients are interviewed by a volunteer social worker so they can be referred to other community agencies and services to meet other needs. They also ensure that redundant services are not being used.
Many of the patients of the CCC are employed individuals who work where health insurance is not an option, cannot afford health care insurance, or have been turned down by insurance companies.
Typically patients are between the ages of 19 to 65. Patients must provide verification of income or head of household tax returns and must prove residency in Laramie County. Patients must not be eligible for Medicare, Medicaid, and have no medical insurance or prescription coverage.
Besides the obvious of providing medical care to people who would probably go without or be able to provide only a portion of their own healthcare, having a “free clinic” in Cheyenne lessens the strain on the community. For example, many of the people who are patients at CCC do not have a primary care provider and without the clinic would have to resort to using the hospital emergency service or other emergency care services, thereby adding a financial strain on family budgets. While the CCC follows the national guidelines of serving individuals up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, more than 85 percent of the patients fall well below 100 percent.
The clinic focuses on the immediate healthcare needs of the patients, while encouraging preventative measures that can increase one’s overall health outlook.
The CCC is staffed mainly by caring volunteers. The CCC volunteers are practicing and retired medical doctors; nurse practitioners; nurses; interns/externs; medical assistants; Certified Nursing Assistants; social workers; physician’s assistants; pharmacists; pharmacy techs and clerical helpers. The Clinic is staffed by only four paid positions: a full-time director, part-time nurse manager, part-time office coordinator, and a part-time pharmacy technician. The rest are professionals and involved citizens who donate their time and service.
The clinic adheres to a Formulary of low-cost, mostly generic medications, which are appropriate for most of the conditions treated. CCC utilizes companies with programs that pre-package our Formulary medications at a fraction of the average price which allows the clinic to better manage inventory and budget.
Patients are enrolled in a Prescription Assistance Program. Through this program, patients receive many of their medications directly from the pharmaceutical companies at no cost to the patients, the clinic, or the community. To date, over 250 CCC patients have received over 2,784 prescription exceeding $1,670,265.
As a member of the National Association of Free Clinics and affiliations with other professional groups, the clinic is able to receive additional donated medications and supplies free or at a significantly reduced price.
Medical referrals, medical transcriptions services, lab tests, x-rays, dental care, eye exams, and other essential services are provided by the medical community as in-kind gifts or at a reduced fee paid by the CCC.
A variety of financial supporters give to the clinic and in essence this funding determines the amount of services the clinic continues to provide.
The CCC prescription medication program is the clinic’s biggest expense. “We are able to purchase medications at a reduced rate; however, they are still a staggering portion of the budget,” stated clinic director Murray Lou Rex. Insulin costs $85 to $125 a vial and around 70-100 vials are given out each month. Advair inhalers are $180, and the CCC dispenses 20-30 month. In partnering with the centralized pharmacy, CCC is able to send patients for medications that are not carried. The Centralized Pharmacy is for all of Wyoming and receives their medications through donation, whereas the CCC receives some donations yet purchases the majority of its medications.
Contributions from corporate, faith-based, and private community citizens are greatly appreciated.
As the country continues in the debate and mechanizations of a health care dilemma and how to solve it, there is a group of people busily and quietly going about the business of helping answer that question for the health of our own community.
REACHING BEYOND OUR COMMUNITY: Job Corps By Jennifer Cruz
You can’t turn on the radio, television, or Internet today without hearing Job Corps is the nation’s largest career technical training and education program for students ages 16 through 24. It is a U.S. Department of Labor program, established in 1964, that provides 100,000 students per year with hands-on training in America’s fastest growing careers. And the best part? It’s provided free.
Job Corps is geared toward individuals between the ages of 16 and 25 that are US citizens or legal residents. Applicants must meet income requirements as well. The great part about the program is that participants receive financial assistance while learning.
So what is Job Corps? It is a hands-on career technical training program that works directly with employers to assist the student in learning skills directly related to the job. The hands-on experience applies education to real-world business. Participants earn a high school diploma or GED while gaining career technical skills. In addition, participants earn money for each month they participate in the program.
Job Corps students have access to on-center health clinics, and some centers even provide special programs for students who are single parents. All the services offered are an effort to keep the student healthy and happy while participating in the program and promoting growth and development.
At the end of the program, Job Corps assists the student to develop interview skills, finalize resumes and search for a job.
Nationally, Job Corps offers over 100 different careers to choose from.
There are 118 Job Corps centers nationwide; there are eight available to individuals in our Region.
Montana – Kicking Horse, Trapper Creek, Anaconda North Dakota – Quentin Burdick Utah – Clearfield, Weber Basin Colorado – Collbran South Dakota - Boxelder
To apply, simply call the Admissions Counselor, Jennifer Cruz to set up time to discuss the program. Call 307.632.3657 or email cruz.jennifer@jobcorps.org. For additional information visit Job Corps on line at: http://recruiting.jobcorps.gov.
Success Story - Jennifer Cruz:
Hello, my name is Jennifer Cruz. I’m the Admissions Counselor/Career Advisor for Job Corps serving Cheyenne and southeastern Wyoming. Along with that title, I am proud to say that I am also a Job Corps graduate. Let me tell you a little bit about my story.
I was born and raised in Cheyenne by parents who worked hard to provide the best life they could for me. I had what I guess anyone would call a “normal childhood”. I played sports, and was very active with school and church activities. When I was a teenager, my family and I had lost someone very important in our lives. That loss seemed to be the trigger to a deep depression that I would struggle with throughout my high school years. I had a lot of friends. Some were good, and some not so good. I did the party scene where I eventually experimented with drinking and drugs, among other things that I am not so proud of. I got into some trouble, but always seemed to bounce back with little consequences. I finally graduated from East High School in 1999.
I decided to take some time off and work instead of going to college right away. Most of my friends, however, did leave for college. Since they were gone, I was associating myself with people who were extremely bad influences. By this time, I pretty much gave up on the idea of college, but I was smart enough to know that I could not survive on $6.50 per hour and keep up with this lifestyle forever.
I started looking into different educational options, and had remembered a friend of mine going to this place called Job Corps a couple of years earlier. I had no idea what it was, but thought I’d look into it. When I sat down with my Admissions Counselor, and got information on the program, I knew that this was the place to help me get back on track and “start over” on my life and my future.
It was August of 2000 when I left for Weber Basin Job Corps in Ogden, Utah. It was my first time ever leaving home, and I didn’t know what to expect. When I arrived on center, I was immediately in culture shock. I wanted to leave, but when I considered the alternative to what I would be coming back to; I decided to see this experience through all the way. Getting over the homesickness and getting used to all the rules was not an easy task. I managed to get so much more than I ever expected. By the time I graduated in January 2002, I had accomplished not only life skills, leadership & vocational success in Business Technologies, but I managed to gain my confidence and self respect. It was truly the best time of my life, and without a doubt, the best decision I have ever made. I will always be truly grateful to Job Corps.
REACHING BEYOND OUR COMMUNITY: The Wyoming Children’s Society Building Forever Families By Sylvia Hackl
One call changed my life. One call on a snowy January night changed everything forever. One call brought the incredible news; our daughter had been born.
That one call from Carol Lindly, Executive Director of the Wyoming Children’s Society, remains as clear in my mind today as it was over 12 years ago. That phone call is but one of thousands of contacts with adoptive parents made by the staff at Wyoming Children’s Society throughout its 98-year history. Since its founding in 1911, the agency has demonstrated its commitment to children by finding permanent, loving adoptive homes for almost 5,000 children.
History of the Wyoming Children’s Society
The Wyoming Children’s Society was founded in 1911 to serve orphaned and homeless children, as well as young pregnant women. The Society was a member of the National Children’s Homes Societies established to address the needs of increasing numbers of orphaned children, particularly in populated cities such as New York. As orphaned children were sent across the United States on “orphan trains,” Children’s Home Societies began to expand into the Midwest.
Wyoming Children’s Home Society was originally founded to assist homeless children and unwed mothers at a time when social mores denounced unwed motherhood. For many years the Society served as an orphanage housing children and women. With the advent of foster care, the Society closed the orphanage and focused on providing services to unwed mothers and facilitating adoptions. Wyoming Children’s Home Society thus became Wyoming Children’s Society.
Wyoming Children’s Society Today
The Wyoming Children’s Society is the oldest non-profit adoption agency in the state. Located in Cheyenne, the Society provides birth parent and adoptive services throughout the state. In addition to the Cheyenne-based staff who work in the historic Crook House on 21st Street, the Society has caseworkers in Casper, Laramie, Rock Springs, and Jackson. The Society has also been licensed by the Russian Ministry of Education since 2001 to place orphaned children with American families – one of only 39 agencies to hold this accreditation in the United States. As a result, the Society has worked with families throughout the country, and has placed over 500 orphans with loving adoptive parents.
As a leading private child welfare agency committed to improving the lives of women, children, and families, the Wyoming Children’s cooperates with many agencies in the process of providing services to children and pregnant women, including the Wyoming Department of Family Services (which licenses the Society as a child-placement agency), the Casey Family Program, the public health department, the judicial system, public and private schools, medical providers, residential treatment facilities, and other child welfare agencies throughout Wyoming.
The agency’s mission is to advocate for children in need of permanent, loving families, to build healthy families through adoption, and to serve birth parents, children and adoptive families with integrity.
Services Provided
The Wyoming Children’s Society has four adoption programs: infant adoption; the adoption of orphaned children from Russia; international adoptions; and waiting child adoptions – adoption of children currently residing in foster care. Regardless of the country of their birth, however, all the children have one thing in common: they want a “forever family” to call their own.
The Wyoming Children’s Society assists prospective parents with adoption preparation and education, pre- and post-placement support, and supervision through the adoption finalization process. What this really means is helpful, patient folks who help you with a mountain of paperwork, assist you through the home study, and smile and cry with you as your hold your child for the first time.
A vital part of the Society’s service is on behalf of birth parents, to whom the staff provides counseling and support. Helping birth parents make well-informed choices surrounding their unplanned pregnancy is key. Assistance is also provided with housing, food, transportation, and medical expenses. The Wyoming Children’s Society also offers training to professionals who work with women facing unintended pregnancies.
In addition to the “official” services, Wyoming Children’s Society hosts events for adoptive families throughout the year – times when families come together to see that there are many ways to build a family, and that love knows no boundaries. These events, such as the annual carnival and the summer picnic, demonstrate the mission of the Society more than can any amount of words.
Once a year for the past eight years, the Wyoming Children’s Society celebrates and commemorates its long and vital history of caring for children in Wyoming by holding a gala banquet featuring a gourmet meal, both live and silent auctions, and a program to support the Society. This summer’s event will be held on August 15 at Little America. It is open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend and support the work of the agency. For more information about the gala, please call the Wyoming Children’s Society at 632-7619 or 1-800-584-9384, or visit our website at www.wyomingcs.org. Your one call – to join us for that evening or for a lifetime – can help a child find his forever family.
A Snapshot of the Society
We Are:
Private, non-profit
Non-denominational
Statewide
Licensed by Wyoming Department of Family Services as a child-placing agency.
Funding:
75% from fees for services
20% from charitable contributions, including fundraising, wills, bequests, and donations
5% currently provided by a federal grant for infant adoption education.
Leadership: Our Board of Directors consists of 16 dedicated individuals representing a variety of sectors and profession throughout the state of Wyoming. Current officers are Ray Fleming Dineen, Psy.D. of Cheyenne, who serves as president; Joyce Surdam, Ph.D., vice-president (Laramie); Whitney Buckley, secretary (Wheatland); and Terry Mackey, treasurer (Cheyenne). Fifteen full and part-time hard-working staff members bring their talents and hearts to the daily work of the Society.
REACHING BEYOND OUR COMMUNITY: Malaria, Yellow Fever, Typhoid...Oh, My! By Kimberly Miller
A few months ago I was asked by my friend Angie if I would ever be interested in going on a Medical & Dental project to Peru, South America, to provide primary healthcare to remote communities along the Amazon River. My immediate response was “YES!” It would be an experience like no other. She told me they were leaving in less than eight weeks. Without hesitation, I booked my flight to Lima, Peru, scheduled my shots at the Cheyenne Health Clinic, and started to get all the supplies I would need to spend six days in the jungle. Dr. LeAyn Dillon from the Cheyenne Women’s Clinic was recruiting volunteers for this mission to the Amazon to help villages with general medical care. Many of the communities Amazon are inaccessible by road and therefore have little or no access to healthcare provision. The project we would be working with currently serves 126 village communities along the Amazon River.
In total, we had six volunteers from Cheyenne going to the Amazon: Dr. LeAyn Dillon, Dr. John Babson, Angie Beveridge, Melanie Dutremble, Kaiti Dillon (15-year-old daughter of LeAyn and Bruce Dillon), and me. This would be the fifth trip to the same region for Dr. Dillon. The trip was organized by VineTrust. “The Vine Trust is an international interdenominational charity with a vision to see communities transformed. They work to bring opportunity, health and hope to disadvantaged communities and marginalized people with a particular concern for vulnerable children. The Vine Trust and its volunteers have been working in partnership with local people in Peru for more than 10 years and focus their efforts in three river areas. This enables them to return every four months to each area, and is able to provide a meaningful health service for to up to 100,000 people (VineTrust.org).”
The six members from Cheyenne paid for our own trip including all flight costs, boat expense, shots and prescriptions, purchasing additional vitamins and pain relievers for the boat, etc.
Our trip began with a few days of fun to Cuzco, Machu Picchu, and some free time in Lima. We flew from Lima to Iquitos to begin our Amazon journey on May 3. Iquitos is located in the heart of the Peruvian Rainforest, less than four degrees south of Ecuador, and next to the left river bank of the Amazon River. Iquitos, with a population of 493,000 people, is the world’s largest city that cannot be reached by road (Go2Peru.com). Amazon weather is, needless to say, hot with an average temperature in May of 90 degrees and humidity relatively the same. Because the water was extremely high while we were there, we had to walk across planks while carrying our luggage over extremely dirty water and garbage to reach the area to meet our boat. I felt it was something people see on the television, not something they actually do!
Our home for the next six days and five nights was aboard the Amazon Hope 2. The Amazon Hope 2 is an old Navy ship converted into a floating medical center for the Vinetrust Organization. Each ‘suite’ was approximately 5’ x 7’ with two bunk beds and three drawers for storage. The bathroom included an extremely small sink, toilet, and shower. A nightly rinse off was considered a shower and no hair styling was needed. We were served three meals a day which consisted mainly of eggs, meat and bread for breakfast, and chicken and fish with lots of rice for lunch and dinner.
On this journey of the Amazon Hope 2 we were welcomed by a staff of 12, including our captain, two cooks, one Peruvian dentist, several interpreters, and other essential personnel. Also aboard were four medical volunteers from the UK, and a dentist and his wife from Iowa. It was a fully staffed boat. The following day we made our way down the Amazon River towards Brazil and began our medical work. For the next five days we saw patients ranging from 18 days to 90 years old. During each day’s stop, we would set up clinics in cinderblock buildings and dirt floor huts in the villages. We would also see patients on the boat for medical and dental care. Because there were many medical personnel, we were able to visit larger villages and serve more than 200 people in one day. People were for a variety of reasons including colds and fevers, machete wounds, pregnancies, dentistry fillings and extractions, and some optometry in which patients could receive donated glasses. Each patient seen was given medication for malaria and intestinal worms before triage began. Our group had also purchased thousands of vitamins and over-the-counter pain relievers to add to the well-stocked pharmacy that is provided on the boat. Dr. Dillon knows that the vitamins will run out and the worms will return, but the visits the volunteers make to these villages offer a boost of health until the next boat arrives.
Our staff on the Amazon Hope 2 was extremely cordial and very helpful with interpreting things we did not know or understand. The staff would take us into the villages when time allowed and show us specific buildings, interesting fruit trees, farming areas, etc. On our last day in the Amazon we were in the village of Pucaurquillo. The village was a tribal with two different tribes residing there. They invited all of us to the community area which had a dirt floor and a thatched roof (also where we had set up the medical clinic), and presented us with tribal dances to thank us for coming to help their village. The local people also set up small spaces and wanted to trade or sell their handmade goods to us. Items included berry and bead baskets, blow dart guns, purses, backpacks, masks, artwork, and jewelry. The women wanted to trade us their local goods for our t-shirts or shorts that we had worn throughout the week. They really liked our flip flops and sandals, too! The villagers would also take soles (local Peruvian money) that they would use to buy rice and staples for their family.
To say this trip was amazing would be an understatement. Amazing is how the people of the Amazon survive without electricity, running water, television, comfortable beds and furniture, kitchens in which to cook, or toys for the children; but yet, they are a happy people. We were always treated with respect and got the feeling that the villagers were glad to have us visit them. We always felt safe during our time in the villages and enjoyed the people very much.
Another part of our trip, after we returned from Iquitos to Lima, was to visit a boys’ home. The boys’ home is part of the Vine Trust fund as well. “It is estimated that many thousands of children live on the streets of Peru’s capital city, Lima, and the Amazonian city of Iquitos. Life is tough and there are many dangers. But why do young people live on the streets in such numbers? There are as many reasons as there are street children. Lima has become a destination for child migrants who leave the countryside for the city in the hope of employment and a better life. Thousands of these children (mainly boys) end up living on the streets (VineTrust.org).”
“Every day in Lima, Iquitos and other cities in Peru thousands of children suffer from poverty, hunger, homelessness, disease, exploitation and sexual abuse. For many of these children, the basic human rights of protection and well-being are jeopardized by poverty, environmental degradation or insufficient health and social services. Children are uniquely dependent on the will and initiative of others for help. The local authorities, lacking in anything approaching the required funding, offer little help and it is very much left to charities to reach out and befriend the youngsters (VineTrust.org).”
The boys’ home we visited was on a busy street in the middle of Lima, Peru, in a brick building. The façade looked more like a business building than a place to live. Inside were a cement common area, kitchen, gathering area, and many sleeping rooms with up to eight bunk beds per room. The youngest boy at the home was Alonso; he was only five years old. The oldest boy was 19 and seemed to be a good caretaker of the younger boys. The boys were very excited to have visitors, and they all wanted to show off for us!
Our group had gathered donations of backpacks, t-shirts, caps, Frisbees, and snacks so that each boy would receive a gift from us. As they opened their new backpacks, we could tell they were extremely excited to have some new items of their own. They seemed to really like the Frisbees, so we had some very interesting Frisbee games in the common area. We hope that in some way our donation and time spent with the children helped brighten their day. I know they overwhelmingly brightened ours!
How can you help? Donations are always accepted, and you can personally support one of the team members on a future trip to the Amazon region or volunteer your time. If you would like to learn more about this project, please visit www.vinetrust.org or contact Dr. LeAyn Dillon at bldillontulsa@yahoo.com.
REACHING BEYOND OUR COMMUNITY: Central Wyoming Crisis Intervention Team By Donald F. Heiduck
Some of the largest mental health facilities in the United States are our jails. In a mental health related crisis, law enforcement officials are typically dispatched to deescalate and problem solve the situation. “Mental health related” refers to any emotionally charged event in which one or more individuals is experiencing significant functional impairment due to a clinically diagnosable mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, anxiety disorder, addiction issues, or other emotional disorders or as a result of a developmental disability. Roughly ten percent of calls to which officers respond involve someone with a mental illness. Unfortunately, many of these individuals wind up entering the Criminal Justice System rather than the mental health community for treatment. In fact, approximately 40% of individuals suffering from a serious mental illness will be arrested in their lifetime. “The criminalization of people with mental illness is a systems problem and the only way to fix it is to bring all the parts of the broken system together to find a solution” (National Alliance on Mental Illness publication).
Cheyenne citizens, Maria Sierocki and her daughter, Kathy Sierocki-Keynon, in partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Wyoming/Casper and the Cheyenne Law Enforcement Advisory Committee, on April 22, 2009 brought to our community an informational presentation about the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT). CIT can accurately be considered a pre-jail diversion program to prevent individuals with a mental illness from ever entering the criminal justice system and to redirect them to the health care system. Memphis introduced the first Crisis Intervention Team in 1988 after the tragic shooting by a police officer of a man with serious mental illness. Known as the “Memphis Model,” CIT has become a vital component to the community's demand for safer first responder crisis services and it has spread throughout the country in more than 35 states. CIT provides law enforcement-based crisis intervention training for assisting those individuals with a mental illness, and improves the safety of patrol officers, consumers, family members and citizens within the community. “Crises are about people, about our community, our families, our friends, and our loved ones. CIT is built and founded on principles of dignity, understanding, kindness, hope and dedication” (CIT, 2007).
The Crisis Intervention Team is much more than just training for law enforcement; it is a network of community individuals and organizations. Vital to the program are family members, consumer advocates, peer support organizations, EMTs, homeless services, city and county governments, volunteer citizens, professional social workers and psychologists, local law enforcement agencies, local mental health and substance abuse providers, and partners from the criminal justice fields (judges, lawyers, probation, and court staff). Other groups should also be included; in attendance at the CIT presentation in Cheyenne were representatives from: counseling centers, Cheyenne police department and sheriff’s office, American Medical Response – paramedics from Emergency Medical Services, the state health department, case managers for the developmental disabilities waiver program, teachers, community citizens and consumers.
Presenters, Sgt. Chris Hadlock and Sgt. John Becker, were from Natrona County law enforcement. The Central Wyoming CIT program was designed in 2007; Casper has a successful CIT program that has trained officers, detention officials, street operations officers, nursing staff, DARE and school officers, and emergency intake facilities, such as hospitals. Emergency dispatchers identify the nearest available CIT Officer to respond to the psychiatric crisis event. Their goal is to have 25% of their officers trained. Officers participate in 40 hours of intensive and comprehensive training to identify mental crisis and safely diffuse situations, NOT diagnose mental illness. Trainings are designed to equip stakeholders with a full understanding of the complexities and differences that exist between mental health care and law enforcement. The trainings are modified to meet the needs of each community; for example, Cheyenne has a large veteran population unlike other Wyoming communities. Trained advocates provide consumers and family members with support, information about resources, referrals for treatment, and empathy. Not all people can be effective CIT officers, but the information taught is also used during non crisis intervention team related situations; the training makes better officers as it emphasizes building rapport, non threatening non-verbal communication, active listening skills, problem solving tactics and safety, and a reduction in hands-on responses. Since the implementation of CIT, Casper has documented decreases in repeat calls, unnecessary arrests, use of force, officer injuries, consumer violence and the use of restraints in emergency rooms, and a decrease in the engagement of SWAT teams, all of which require financial resources. Officers have found that consumers are recognizing the CIT pin on uniforms and are more willing to talk with law enforcement personnel when they are in need. With the involvement of mental health service providers, consumers are also being educated about how to speak to officers of the law.
One in four adults, approximately 58 million Americans, experience a mental health disorder in a given year and of those, millions remain untreated or are under-treated for their conditions (obtained from www.nami.org, May 23, 2009). Collaboration and real community involvement is required for the success of crisis intervention teams to improve the safety of individuals experiencing a psychiatric crisis. The presentation made in April was a starting place for Cheyenne to network and bring CIT to our community. One Cheyenne officer has volunteered to go to training in Casper. If you would like to become involved or attain more information about mental illness and CIT, you can contact Maria Sierocki at 632-5906 or go to the following web sites: www.nami.org or http://cit.memphis.edu.
