Quarter Ending: December, 2017

The Chesapeake Helps! Program during this quarter continued to explore opportunities to reach our two populations: families of incarcerated and opportunity youth.

During the first quarter, we produced a rack card for each population and distributed to the following agencies: Department of Social Services, Community Services Office, Health Department (both main building and Nielson Center), Chesapeake College, QAC Detention Center, QAC Sheriff’s Office, Liberty Building, other members of the coalition team (Healthy Families, Family Navigators, CommUnity Mentoring, Achievement Mentoring. Local Care Team)

Distributed rack cards in both English and Spanish to Judy Center and Family Support Center.

Distributed additional rack cards to Department of Juvenile Services and both branches of the Queen Anne’s County Public Library.

Met with Samantha Parker from Betterway.  This is a new endeavor to produce a platform where one might find transportation through accessing a website.  One would pay for this service.  They plan to begin by offering information on medical transport in January, 2018.

Continue to outreach through the following agency and program activities.

Joined and attended the Bayside Hoyas Board.  This group is interested in working with youth in QAC.  The mission is to promote academic excellence, positive character development and civic responsibility among secondary school age-youth and young adults in Kent and Queen Anne’s Co. 

Multicultural Proficiency Committee

Sunday Suppers (sub-group of Multicultural Proficiency)

Children’s Council

Character Counts Advisory

Village of Queen Anne’s

Local Care Team

CommUnity Mentoring-also joined as mentor.

Suicide Prevention Committee

Continued hours at the Haven Ministries Resource Center which is located at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Centreville, MD.

Continue to do research about all possible transportation solutions available in Queen Anne’s County.  This includes those agencies/businesses/individuals providing transportation at a cost or those providing transportation at a low or subsidized cost.

The information will include:

Agency/Business/Individual providing services name, address, and contact information.

How to access service.  Estimate cost for use.  This will be based upon comparison of same parameter such as miles driven.  Limits on use.  Best reasons to use specific service.

Continue to add to Chesapeake Helps website with appropriate resources.

Challenges:  Even with meeting with many agencies and programs within the community, it has been difficult to reach the two populations.  Plan to address families at the Head Start Program in Grasonville in January, 2018.

Case Vignette: 

Coordinator contacted the Pupil Services Counselors at the Board of Education.  A student’s name was given to contact whose mother signed out the student for home schooling.  Contacted the mother twice within the month and she informed us that she was ill and would call back when she felt better.  She has not returned the call.  Final contact will be made after 90 days.  If no response, case will be closed.

Toured the County Detention Center with Warden Lamonte Cook.  Informed him we are looking to assist those parents incarcerated and asked for assistance to outreach. During the tour, the Warden explained the various duties performed by the officers and that a large amount of their time is transporting people to other locations. He explained that the incarcerated are from multiple counties.  I contacted the Warden afterwards to ask the best process to contact those individuals preparing to be released.

Met with Resource Staff at American Job Center (Workforce Investment Board) to ascertain if any of their clients who are not successful in their program could be referred to the CommUnity Mentoring Program.  Rack cards were given to pass along to their training staff to distribute.