The Carl and Alleen McKinney Charitable Trust donated $24,000 to Youth Bridge to support the new Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) Program.  The funds will be used to remodel the clinical offices at the Benton County Shelter for the MST staff.

“We’re very grateful that the McKinney Chartitable Trust has chosen to donate to Youth Bridge this year,” said Dr. Nancy Hairston, Development Director at Youth Bridge. “They do so much for Benton County and we’re glad they are willing to help families who work with our program.”

MST is a unique, comprehensive program for young people who are prone to severe defiance and mood swings.  MST therapists are available 24/7 to work with families in the home, school, and other areas as needed.  Therapists provide a complete assessment of youth in the context of their families, seek to understand the “fit” between the child’s problems and the factors that contribute to them, focus on helping parents build supportive social networks, address the needs of the youth more effectively, and emphasize long-term change that families can maintain after the program ends.

To learn more about MST, contact the MST supervisor at 479-409-4970.

YOUTH BRIDGE CELEBRATES FIRST JUVENILE DRUG COURT GRADUATE

Adrian Sieber utilizes Youth Bridge counseling, JDC supervision to complete program

FAYETTEVILLE—Adrian “A.J.” Sieber celebrated being the first graduate of the Washington County Juvenile Drug Court (JDC) on Thursday, Aug. 19.  Adrian was joined by his family and members of the Washington County Juvenile drug court as he was dismissed from the program by the Honorable Judge Stacy Zimmerman.  Everyone celebrated with a cookout and cake afterwards.

Lori Parker, A.J.’s JDC appointed counselor at Youth Bridge, is very proud of his success.

“I am so proud of AJ,” said Ms. Parker. “He worked very hard to complete this program and that is not easy. This is a seven to eight-month program.  The client and their family are required to attend five to six hours of treatment a week. AJ and his mother did this with a positive attitude. I think that had a lot to do with his success.”

Judge Zimmerman congratulated Adrian and cited his enthusiasm and discipline for his success.

“It didn’t take much on my part because Adrian was 100 percent compliant and committed to working the program,” said Judge Zimmerman. “His mother was also very supportive.  He’s the first graduate and I’m very optimistic about the future.  We have four more on track to finish soon.  Youth Bridge does a great job counseling, especially Lori Parker.”

Youth Bridge works with the Washington County JDC by supporting the client and the family through the process of addiction recovery.  Substance abuse counselors assess at the problems a client is having and how counseling or therapy can help them and the family. Each client receives an assessment and intensive counseling each week.  Family therapy also takes place to help create a supportive recovery environment for the client that will reduce chances for relapse.  And for the first 12 weeks of treatment, clients participate in a Smoking Cessation group, which promotes abstaining from tobacco use.

The program fills the gap between outpatient and residential treatment, says Bryan Hubble, a Juvenile Drug Court Probation Officer.

“It’s very interesting to see the change,” said Hubble. “Sometimes it takes a minute but when they get it, it’s powerful. You see that they are complying not just to comply but because they understand.”

Ms. Parker believes the Washington County JDC program will ultimately help the client and the family in ways previous methods did not address.

“Before this program kids would be placed on probation for poor behaviors and drug and alcohol use,” said Ms. Parker. “Then if they continued to fail drug test or had any other problems, they would be placed in programs that may not include treatment. This program gives the client treatment, but also includes the family in the treatment, which is vital, if the client is going to be living with their family. Hopefully, with JDC, we can cut down on Department of Youth Services commitments and these clients will learn pro-social values and become productive citizens.”

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Youth Bridge is one of eight Northwest Arkansas charities chosen to participate in the 2010 charity ticket program for the P&G Northwest Arkansas Championship presented by Walmart. The LPGA Tour event will be held at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, September 6-12.

Between now and the tournament in September, Youth Bridge and the other participating charities will have an opportunity to sell weekly tournament ticket badges to the event, valued at $50 each, and will be able to keep 100 percent of the ticket proceeds. In addition, there is a special matching component to the program which provides the charities an opportunity to receive dollar-for-dollar matching funds once they reach a threshold level of 50 tickets sold.

Contact Nancy Hairston at 575-9471 or email development@youthbridge.com to get your tickets today!

To learn more, visit:  http://3wmagazine.com/2010/05/pg-northwest-arkansas-championship-announces-2010-lpga-charity-ticket-participants/.

HANNOVER HOUSE HOSTS FILM SCREENING OF “TWELVE” TO BENEFIT YOUTH BRIDGE
Joel Schumacher’s “Twelve” shows the consequences of teen drug use

Hanover House will hold a week-long showing of Joel Schumacher’s “Twelve,” a film about wealthy youth who become ensnared in the Manhattan drug trade, at Fiesta 16 Cinema in Fayetteville from Aug. 27 to Sept. 2.  They will offer $2 passes with all proceeds benefiting Youth Bridge.

Susannah Patton, Director of Publicity and Marketing at Hanover House, believes the film holds a strong social message because “it deals with teens and the struggles they face while trying to fit in, be accepted and deal with peer pressures. The film portrays the effects of substance abuse and violence on today’s youth.”

Given Youth Bridge’s efforts helping teenagers battle substance abuse, Patton says donating the proceeds seemed appropriate. 

“Hannover House chose to partner with Youth Bridge because we wanted to be able to help out an organization that deals with at-risk youth,” said Ms. Patton. “We know how important it is for teenagers to have a support system and a safe haven. We feel that Youth Bridge is a crucial asset to the community by providing these services to teens and their families.”

Youth Bridge has achieved much success working with teenage substance abusers through outpatient and residential programs. Substance abuse counselors work with young people to identify their problems, control addictive behaviors, and build a positive future, free from substance abuse.   Saima Chauhan, Youth Bridge Residential Substance Abuse Tx Director, is happy to see members of the business community reaching out to young people in need.

“Addiction has affected our community long enough and it is time we, as a community, make sure that our youth no longer destroy their lives because of drug addiction,” said Ms. Chauhan. “Youth Bridge has helped empower youth to embrace recovery and find the strength to see the true beauty that lies in their hearts. It takes a village to raise a child and at Youth Bridge we know we must be the voice of the unheard suffering addict. We could not do this alone and thanks to Hanover House the message of the suffering young addict will be heard.”

Based on the controversial Nick McDonnell novel, “Twelve” follows high school dropout turned successful drug dealer White Mike (Chace Crawford) in New York’s Upper East Side. Business is booming when all of the kids are home from boarding school and everyone has money to blow. Mike leads a double life, concealing the truth from his childhood friend Molly (Emma Roberts) while his supplier Lionel (Curtis Jackson, aka 50 Cent) pulls Mike further into the world of the Manhattan drug trade. Mike’s two lives begin to collide when his cousin is brutally murdered on an East Harlem playground and a new drug, twelve, emerges as the recreational drug of choice.

A bold portrait of indulgence and tragedy among privileged teenagers, “Twelve” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and was be released to theaters nationwide by Hannover House on August 6. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will distribute the title on DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Video-On-Demand and other non-theatrical media in early 2011.

Hannover House is a full service media company, specializing in the production and distribution of feature films onto the DVD format for the North American retail marketplace. Encouraged with the company’s steady growth in the DVD arena, Hannover House expanded into theatrical distribution in 2007, with an impressive slate of films growing each year.

Founded in 1963, Youth Bridge helps at-risk and disadvantaged youth become strong, responsible adults through our in-house or outpatient programs.  Our services include transitional living facilities, substance abuse treatment, family counseling, parenting skills, and much more.  We accept Medicaid, Medicare, and AR Kids First as well as private insurance.  Our coverage area includes provide a wide variety of services to Washington, Benton, Madison, Carroll, Baxter, Boone, Marion, and Newton Counties. 
For more information, visit:  www.12-themovie.com, www.youthbridge.com, or www.hannoverhouse.com.

The Baum Charitable Foundation has donated $1,500 to Youth Bridge, Inc.  The funds will support the Youth Bridge Transitional Living Program (TLP), which serves homeless teens, both male and female, between the ages of 16 to 22, who have no support network/system, and/or the education, skills and economic resources necessary to reach self-sufficiency. 

“We’re very pleased that the Baum Charitable Foundation chose to support our transitional living program,” said Dr. Nancy Hairston, Development Director. “This program is very important as we work to help at-risk youth become productive adults.  We appreciate any support that our community can provide.”

Youth Bridge has three Transitional Living Programs at present.  The first is the Fayetteville Junior Civic League Transitional Home for 18-21 year old males and females.  These young people can stay in the program for 18 months or until they reach the age of 22.  The housing consists of a comfortable home that has room for eight.  When clients graduate they can be placed into the HUD TLP program that consists of 10, two-bedroom apartments nearby.  The youth Transitional Living Program is the RHYTLP Copper Creek House.  This program is for eight young women, ages 16 to 17, which require supervision in achieving independence.  These young women can stay in the program up to 18 months, or if they reach the age of 18, they may transfer into the RHY TLP or HUD TLP.  In 2009, TLP served a total of 101 young people.  The HUD program helped 20 single mothers gain independent living skills and become responsible adults.

While participating in this program, youth agree to work towards acquiring skills that will allow them to live successfully on their own while becoming positive members of society.  They are assessed for needs and a case plan is constructed outlining expectations and goals decided on by the case manager and client.  The program provides classes on an individual and group basis that focuses on a range of issues such as money management, housekeeping, educational/vocational training, and job etiquette.  Clients are placed in a two bedroom, two bath apartment. Case Managers are on-sight during the week and on-call 24/7 in case of emergencies. 

Donations are essential for Youth Bridge to provide a wide variety of services to Washington, Benton, Madison, Carroll, Baxter, Boone, Marion, and Newton Counties.  Volunteer opportunities are also available for any interested individuals or groups.

Founded in 1963, Youth Bridge helps at-risk and disadvantaged youth become strong, responsible adults through our in-house or outpatient programs.  Our services include transitional living facilities, substance abuse treatment, family counseling, parenting skills, and much more.  We accept Medicaid, Medicare, and AR Kids First as well as private insurance.