Barry’s grandmother knew she was facing something too big to handle alone. You may remember the story of Barry Franks from our 2016-17 Annual Report. Susan found Family Service of Roanoke Valley soon after she became the primary caregiver for her grandson. Now, she knows where to turn when life gets off track. Barry learned about healthy …
Steel tires play tight rope on timeworn tracks. Gears utter resistance. Empty towns and shadow-capped mountains pass by. Time fades. Days spent hopping tracks for thrills. Empty rails filled with promise of adventure. Meek stations standing ready. To carry me home. To carry me away. When I watch a train, I see industrial strength …
With huge thanks to Jill Hufnagel, Ph.D., Family Service of Roanoke Valley is proud to have presented Ignite: Leadership with a Purpose last week. Ignite is Jill’s local offering of the Adaptive Leadership concepts she taught through the Harvard Kennedy School. Jill took her early career as a counselor at Family Service and turned it into a lifetime of helping others …
Diane Huffman is quite possibly one of the biggest Mountaineer fans I’ve ever met. As a West Virginia University alumnus, I understand that sentence (and the beginning of this one) is dangerous while we are in Hokies’ territory. Diane and I accept the risks. Diane is a case manager for our Guardianship Program, where she is the …
Editor Update: The publication of this blog coincides with the tragic event in Parkland, Florida. While police officers receive formal training in crisis response, it is important for each of us to build our skills for engaging in meaningful conversations with neighbors, friends, and our children. Take a moment to watch this interview with Family Service’s …
Relationships are wonderful and difficult at the same time. People who enter their intimate relationship secure and confident within themselves are much better equipped to give that to one another. People who are basically confident and secure in their own separate ability to handle conflict do not readily fold when it occurs. Unfortunately, when one …
If you’ve been following Family Service for a few years now, you might already know Wes. He worked in the Teen Outreach Program® with us when he was an undergraduate working towards a degree in Sociology. The opportunity to be a mental health case manager in Washington, DC came up, and he had to take it. To the …
When I hear the statement “it’s okay to not be okay,” sometimes I’m really grounded by it. What I’m feeling has been validated and no one told me to just get over it. Or, worse yet, has offered advice when I really just wanted to rant. (The perks of working with so many social workers.) Other …
Hayleigh Bostic, an MSW Intern with your Youth Development program, has let her passion for helping others guide her into some interesting paths for a social worker. I’m talking about earning a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. After a thorough brainstorm of her career goals, going to graduate school for social work was the …
Continue reading “Youth Development Spotlight: Hayleigh Bostic”
Vickie Wessler cares for her adopted daughter and three foster children. Her husband works out of town, so she is essentially a single parent. The three older children have been in individual play therapy, but are not making progress. It’s difficult for her to schedule counseling appointments back to back with the children’s busy …
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