Fall Newsletter - The York Centre - for children, youth and families

Fall 2014
11225 Leslie Street , Richmond Hill, ON L4S 1N5
905-887-5896
From the Executive Director
Although my words cannot do true justice to my message, I would
like to start off by recognizing all of the hard work and dedication
that our staff, Board Members and volunteers have brought to The
York Centre — not only in the last year but over the past 30 years of
our history. I am so pleased to announce and proudly acknowledge
that our investment in our clients, community and staff, coupled
with our level of setting the highest clinical standards have been
recognized by the Canadian Centre for Accreditation with our score
of 100% across all standards. Our passion and dedication in
serving the clients of York Region is unwavering and has truly
helped to shape The York Centre into a place of reprieve and
support for the hundreds of clients we serve every month. We are
recognized as an agency of individuals that “walk the talk”, as we
place our relationships and the needs of our clients above all else.
On a separate note, this year continues to bring the hope of many
system-wide, and York Centre-specific, transformational changes
which we are facing with both optimism and excitement. We have
had some preliminary, yet positive, system discussions with the
management team of Kinark Child and Family Services (Lead
Agency under the Ontario Government’s Moving on Mental Health
transformation initiative). We look forward to supporting them with
the challenging task of building a comprehensive children’s mental
health service delivery system within The Region of York. This
system promises to deliver more timely and effective, more easily
accessible and collaborative child and youth mental health services
across the service delivery system.
The York Centre is implementing a few new initiatives as we
continue to strive for excellence in meeting the needs of our clients.
With the help of some very committed staff, we are working on
adopting and/or developing evidence informed creative solutions to
improve children’s Executive Functions and thus their ability to selfregulate. As an agency, we
recently received a donation
of $2,000 to implement a
IN THIS ISSUE
DrumFIT program within our
Page 1 A note from the ED;
day treatment setting. We
25th Christmas Concert.
have introduced The Zones
of Regulation program with
a fantastically favorable
Page 2 The CYW Placement
response from both our
Students; The Zones of Regulation
young and older clients. We
group; Terry Fox Run; COMPASS.
have formalized plans to
launch the Kids Skills
solution focused program in
Page 3 Outstanding Accreditation
Ontario with the support of
Results!
Ben Furman, a Finnish
Solution Focused
Page 4 Community Outreach and
Psychiatrist and the
Student Artwork
mastermind behind this
novel approach.
www.theyorkcentre.ca
25th Christmas Concert
Our 25th Anniversary
Christmas Concert will be
held on Sunday, December
21, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. at
Unionville Alliance Church.
For tickets, please call
905-887-5896 or 905294-5230 (evenings).
It is hard to believe that what started as a one-time event to
help fund the purchase of new portables at The York Centre
has become a signature event and a tradition for 25 years in
York Region.
The generosity and kindness of world class performers, the
loyalty of our patrons and support from the community is what
has made this event possible. More importantly, this support
has allowed The York Centre to continue and enhance the
amazing work done with children and their families who are
struggling with mental health issues.
As we celebrate our 25th concert we reflect back and thank the
many performers who have made this event possible over the
years:
Michael Burgess; Jackalyn Short; Karen Burke & Toronto Mass
Choir; Mark Masri; Paul Frey; Maureen Forrester; Msgr. T. B.
Armstrong & St. Michael's Choir School; Doug (Dr. Music) Riley;
Elmer Iseler and the Iseler Singers; Mark Dubois; Catherine
Robbin; Kevin MacMillan; Elizabeth Turnbull; Quarteto Gelato;
and Alexa Wing.
Also, numerous and highly acclaimed Choirs including:
Toronto Children’s Chorus; Bach Children's Chorus; Canadian
Opera Children's Chorus; Boys Choir of St. James; Orpheus
Choir of Toronto; Young Singers Choir; Upper Canada
Children's Chorus; Toronto Classical Singers; St. Patrick's
Youth Choir; York Region Children's Chorus; and York Region
Staff Singers.
And many outstanding orchestras including: Toronto
Sinfonietta; York Symphony Orchestra; Toronto Symphony
Youth Orchestra; Gemini String Quartet ; Markham Concert
Band; Amaro String Quartet; and Toronto All-Star Big Band.
(continued on page 2...)
Accredited through the Canadian Centre for Accreditation
Charitable No.: 12999 5817 RR0001
Fall 2014
Page 2
(...Executive Director’s note continued from page 1)
We are offering parents of children ages 0-6 the evidence informed
Bounce Back and Thrive training to help children to develop resilience. An Emotionally Focused Treatment group for couples, Hold
Me Tight, is proving to be a huge asset to our spectrum of group
and individual treatment services.
In closing, I would like to thank our Staff, Board of Directors, Volunteers and Community Partners for continuing to make The York
Centre a place of comfort and care to those individuals and families
with the highest levels of need within the Region of York. I look
forward to writing my next newsletter report and highlighting for you
all what we continue to accomplish as an agency focused on doing
the best that we can to assure positive treatment outcomes.
Dean Rokos, Executive Director
The CYW Placement Students
“The York Centre was our first choice for placement because of the
opportunity to work as part of a highly skilled multi-disciplinary
team. Children’s mental illness is so complex and understanding
the role Child and Youth Workers (CYW) play in the therapeutic environment was very important to us. The York Centre provides an
open and encouraging atmosphere to enhance our learning and
personal growth for which we are grateful. It is a privilege to work
at The York Centre with so many passionate individuals that model
teamwork and dedication and this experience will serve as an incredible foundation for our future careers.”
Terry Fox Run
On Wednesday October 1st, the students of both the Children and
Youth programs participated in our annual Terry Fox School Run/
Walk. The goal of our Terry Fox Walk is to teach students about
Terry’s character, dedication and sacrifice as well as to raise awareness and funds for his cause. The York Centre participates in the
Terry Fox Run because everyone
at our Centre, the students, the
teachers, the child and youth
workers, and the support staff
have somehow been touched by
cancer. Terry Fox is a Canadian
hero who represents perseverance, integrity and selflessness,
all of which we want to encourage in our York Centre community. All monies raised through
this event are sent to The Terry
Fox Foundation in Toronto to further the cause of cancer research.
We are very proud of our contribution to cancer research. Over the
years, almost $7,000 has been raised by the students at The York
Centre for cancer research. This year’s top fundraisers were
Braidynn (CP) and Liang (YP).
COMPASS
Community Partners with Schools
2014-15 Update
COMPASS is a vital and much needed service that brings mental
health supports for children and youth to their school, home or community. Many children or youth and their families experiencing mental
health concerns find it difficult to approach a mental health agency
for help. The ability to access these services and supports in an environment where they are comfortable opens the door to the help they
need, when and where they need it.
In partnership with the York Region District School Board and the
York Catholic District School Board, services are delivered through a
collaboration of four mental health service providers consisting of The
York Centre for Children, Youth & Families, Blue Hills Child & Family
Centre, Kinark Child & Family Services and Family Services York Region. COMPASS counselors are assigned to provide services and supports to specific schools in four York Region quadrants.
This year, COMPASS is pleased to announce the appointment of Neil
Walker as the COMPASS Manager, joining the team of 4 COMPASS
Supervisors and 14 counselors. Neil brings over 30 years of experience managing and directing intervention programs and facilitating
successful collaborative partnerships. Two new COMPASS counselors
have joined the Blue Hills Child & Family Centre team. Welcome to
Daisie Auty and Erin Thornton.
The demand for COMPASS counseling and support is growing every
year. Parents, teachers and students themselves identify a mental
health concern and referrals are made via the Student Services Department.
Zones of Regulation group
When my CYW started The Zones of
Regulation group I thought it was a
horrible idea. I already knew that it
was ok to be happy, sad, angry or
frustrated. Then I learned that a
piece of the group is about being able
to learn and try new strategies.
Sometimes they won’t always work
but sometimes they might. I have
learned that if something is going
right continue doing it and if something does not feel right, that it is ok
but it’s about how to deal with it
that’s important.
New Defibrillator
In September of this year we submitted an application to receive a donation of a Defibrillator through the Mikey Network and a few weeks
later we were fortunate to receive this donation. A Mikey is a Public Access Defibrillator (PAD), also called an Automatic External Defibrillator.
An AED is a portable user-friendly electronic device that automatically diagnoses potentially life-threatening heart rhythms. If the AED detects
a problem that may respond positively to an electric shock, it permits a shock to be delivered to restore a normal heart rhythm. There is a
device for adults and for children. We have several staff recently trained in the use of a Defibrillator. The defibrillator is located in our reception area.
Special thanks goes out to Linda Sone who was able to encourage a member of the donation committee to select The York Centre for this
donation. Linda had been helping The York Centre through a variety of fundraising events such as the Family Picnic and the Christmas concert for over 15 years. Thank you Linda!
Fall 2014
Page 3
Outstanding Accreditation Results
The Board of Directors is very pleased to announce The York Centre’s outstanding accreditation results; 100% on all Standards!
Accreditation provides an external review of an organization’s operations. Standards address all aspects of the organization including
governance, management, programs and services.
...from the Accreditation team
...from the Parents
“The accreditation review team from the Canadian Centre for
Accreditation reported that it was particularly impressed by:
“The York Centre staff are….
 “the staff and leadership of The York Centre
...like
 A dedicated staff team at all levels
 The passion, dedication and pride in each of their roles
 The relationships that have created a caring and supportive
OXYGEN—giving us the support we needed,
when we needed it and gradually pulling that back
in a way that prepared us for the real world
organization
 The welcoming, respectful environment extended to all clients
 The parents’ expression of sincere appreciation for
…understanding...of our unique circumstances
...of our personal barriers and limitation
the professionalism and quality of service and most
importantly—how impactful service has been on
their families”.
The review team also commended the organization’s:
 “collaboration with the community partners in coordinating a
service approach that is supportive and mindful of concerns
presented by youth and families
 Implementation of a diversity and community-need lens when
...of our cultural restrictions
...truthful and honest in a respectful way that is worthy of our trust
...very helpful with explaining and communicating
and including us in treatment planning
reviewing its programs and staffing needs
 Building an evidence-based culture in service of a diverse
population
...encouraging ...us to stand up for ourselves
 Collaboration with several partners to deliver evidence-based
...us to value ourselves
programming with seamless access to support.
...from the Board
“The Board of Directors greatly appreciates the key roles that
Dean Rokos, Executive Director, Mary Beth McLeod, former
Executive Director, Chris Bouchard, Clinical Director, and the
entire York Centre staff played in achieving the outstanding
results on the accreditation review. We sincerely thank the staff
for the care, commitment, respect and professional expertise
which characterizes their work with children, youth and families
and enables them to experience well-being and optimal health.
Together, the attainment of all accreditation standards and the
amazing parent testimonials are strong indicators that The York
Centre excels in fulfilling its Mission to improve the mental
health of children, youth and families by providing the highest
quality preventative, therapeutic and educational interventions
developed together with families and community partners.
The York Centre looks forward to contributing our expertise to the
combined excellent resources of our community partners, as we
move forward with Kinark’s capable leadership, to provide a
seamless system of highest quality child and youth mental health
services in York Region.
Noreen Lee, Chairperson
…flexible
when they can be but firm and
challenging when they have to be”
“They meet us where we are at in order to take us
to the next level”
“They gave us hope and a foundation
to continually fall back onto”
“They helped us avoid hospitalizations”
“This place saved our lives”
Page 3
Page 4
Fall 2014
Community Outreach
The York Centre’s Community Outreach initiatives constantly strive to improve the relationship skills of the Children,Youth and Families of
York Region. We deliver programs to students and parents promoting Mental Health, bullying prevention, self regulation and how to be
Cybersmart. Since the year 2000 with the support of United Way York Regions we have reached over 31,000 individuals. If you would
like more information regarding our programming go to our website www.theyorkcentre.ca and click group services. If you or anyone you
know is the target of bullying, speak to a trusted adult and report. Both school boards have a Report It section on their webpage. You
can also report to Crimestoppers www.1800222tips.com or www.cybertip.ca
Bruce Johnson, Community Outreach
Student Artwork
We are pleased to have added an Art Therapy component to our menu of clinical interventions. Art therapy is a non-threatening, nonintrusive vehicle that helps our children and youth to symbolically externalize their difficult and overwhelming feelings. Through their
drawings , children project their unresolved feelings, etc. into their artwork, and gain control over them while maintaining a comfortable
distance.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - YES! I want to support The York Centre’s mental health programs and services!
 $500
 $250
 $100
 $75
 $50
 $25
 Other $____________________
 My cheque is enclosed  Credit Card (VISA ONLY) _________________________
Expiry Date:
Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________
City: ____________________________________ Province: _____________________ Postal Code: ________________
Thank you for your generous support!
Receipts will be issued for gifts of $25 or more
If you wish your donation to remain anonymous, please check here 
The York Centre for Children, Youth & Families
11225 Leslie Street, Richmond Hill L4S 1N5
Telephone 905-887-5896
Charitable Registration Number 129995817 RR0001

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