News Around the State

Mississippi Children's Home Services Inducts New Members to 2009-2010 Board of Directors

Front row (left to right): Charlita Cloman, Adriane Louie and MCHS Board President Carol Biedenharn. Back row (left to right): Alfrado Donelson, Brad Maley, Barney Daly and MCHS Chief Executive Officer Chris Cherney. Not pictured is Helen Dalehite.

Mississippi Children's Home Services (MCHS) inducted new members to serve on the 2009 - 2010 Mississippi Children's Home Services Board of Directors.

New Board members serving a three-year term include: Adriane Louie, Regional Human Resources Manager for Precoat Metals in Byram; Alfrado Donelson, Attorney with Adams and Reese, LLP; Barney Daley, President, North Metro Region of Trustmark National Bank; Charlita Cloman, Vice-President and Community Affairs Manager for Regions Bank; Helen Dalehite, Broker for Portraits, Inc.; and Brad Maley, First Vice-President, Hinds County Retail Division Manager, for BancorpSouth.

Mississippi Children's Home Services Board of Directors oversees and conducts business matters on behalf of this statewide non-profit agency. Members from all over the state represent Mississippi Children's Home Services in issues related to the agency that serves abused and neglected Mississippi children, youth and families in need.

Adriane Louie, President of the Mississippi Children's Home Services Auxiliary and a new Board member, stated, "I am excited about being a Board member because it allows me to become even more involved with Mississippi Children's Home Services."

"Being on the Board helps me understand what happens 'behind the scenes' and how it impacts the long term goals of the agency," said Louie. "Through the involvement with the Board, I feel like I am making a positive difference in the community and contributing to the long-term growth and success of Mississippi Children's Home Services."

"I look forward to working closely with the new Board members, and we are very fortunate to have on such distinguished advocates for Mississippi children, youth, and families on our team," said MCHS Chief Executive Officer Chris Cherney. "Our new members are seasoned professionals, community leaders and volunteers."

Mississippi Children’s Home Services Presents Distinguished Friend of Children Award to Agency’s Volunteers

Accepting the MCHS Friend of Children Award are MCHS Auxiliary Members: Stacey Jordan, Jennifer Bracken, Cathy Hudgins, Pam Nail, Kristen Malouf, Candace Jones, Missy Ingels, Kathy Eure and Lauren Benner.

Mississippi Children’s Home Services (MCHS) presented the Mississippi Children’s Home Services Auxiliary membership with the 2009 Friend of Children Award. The award recognizes an individual or group for the endless commitment to the children served through the agency.

“Auxiliary members have impacted lives of our children through their acts of kindness, their servant hearts and their endless energy,” said MCHS Chief Executive Officer Chris Cherney. “While our Auxiliary members are a diverse group of women, they are united in their mission, to ensure that each and every child knows that they are safe and loved, and that someone truly cares about them and their well-being.”

The Mississippi Children’s Home Services Auxiliary was founded in 2004 to assist in fundraising and to create and carry out projects that benefit the children we serve. Each month, the Auxiliary members host a monthly birthday party for ARK and CARES program residents. In addition to birthday parties, the Auxiliary conducts a reading program for the children, as well as grooming and etiquette parties.

“Every female resident ages six to 18 experience an evening of being a Princess,” said Cherney. “Our Auxiliary members throw a Princess Party each year to help make our young ladies learn the importance of inner beauty. Former Mrs. World Pam Nail shares her story about the challenges she faced as a young lady in an abusive home setting and how she made the right choices in life.”

During the Princess Party, Cherney added, each participant is treated to refreshments and leave the party with beauty products, tiaras, boas and an experience they will never forget. The Auxiliary members also coordinate and raise funds through the annual Mississippi Children’s Home Services Wine Tasting and Silent Auction.

“Four years ago, our Auxiliary spearheaded the wine tasting event,” said Cherney, “and the results were impressive. This event went from netting approximately $10,000 a year to more than $70,000 annually. It continues to grow each year, and this feat would not be possible without their outstanding charisma and attitude about making this the premier wine tasting benefit in central Mississippi.”

To find out more information on becoming a part of the Mississippi Children’s Home Services Auxiliary, contact Kelly Bilbo at Kelly.Bilbo@mchscares.org or call 601-709-1251.

Mississippi Children’s Home Services Awarded American Red Cross Hurricane Recovery Program Grant to Address Mental Health Needs on Mississippi Gulf Coast

Thanks to an $866,633 Behavioral Health Grant from the Red Cross Hurricane Recovery Program, Mississippi Children’s Home Services, a statewide nonprofit agency, can now help put back together so many tattered lives of Gulf Coast children, youth and families torn apart by Hurricane Katrina.

The grant money will allow Mississippi Children’s Home Services to implement the MaxEd Program, a program aimed to target behavioral interventions according to each student’s individual need, in five Mississippi Gulf Coast schools: Bay-Waveland Middle and Bay-Waveland High School in Bay St. Louis; West Wortham Elementary in Gulfport; D’Iberville Middle School in D’Iberville; and Pass Christian Middle School in Pass Christian.

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, the children and families on the Mississippi Gulf Coast with mental health needs already faced significant barriers to mental health services, such as access to and coordination of care from qualified caregivers.

“Hurricane Katrina created an even greater need to serve at-risk communities,” said Laurie Heiden, Director of Education for CARES School at Mississippi Children’s Home Services. “Despite the deployment of an unprecedented number of licensed health and mental health professionals to address the emotional needs of survivors following the storm, many survivors along the Mississippi Gulf Coast did not seek the support they needed.”

The funding will be used to improve and sustain the overall mental health well-being of students, families and school staff on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Mississippi Children’s Home Services staff will provide MaxEd services through a specialized mental health team’s placement in each of these five schools.

The MaxEd teams will work to deliver direct clinical services to Mississippi Gulf Coast children identified by each school as having mental health needs. These clinical services will help children and youth who display behavior such as depression, anger management, bullying and other behavioral disorders.

Children with mental health needs will receive treatment through individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, crisis intervention and case management. The group of professionals will also work in conjunction with school districts’ teacher teams, mental health centers, and private organizations.

“The MaxEd program is a wonderful tool in that it provides students and teachers alike with the skills and support they need to create academic, intrapersonal and interpersonal success,” said Heiden.

The Behavioral Health Grant is an initiative of the Red Cross Hurricane Recovery Program that seeks to increase mental health clinical interventions and services in communities in southern Louisiana and south Mississippi, areas hardest hit by the 2005 hurricanes.

“We are pleased to partner with American Red Cross Hurricane Recovery Program to provide much needed services to the children and families on the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” said Chief Executive Officer Chris Cherney. “These services will strengthen our existing array of services that we provide in the Gulf Coast area.”

Shannon joins MCHS

Kelly Shannon has joined Mississippi Children's Home Services as Development Coordinator. She was previously employed as Special Projects Officer with the Mississippi Department of Health's Communications Office.

Shannon is a member of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi Central Chapter, where she has served as Service Project Committee Chairman and was awarded PRAM Central's 2001 Emerging Practitioner of the Year. She has a bachelor's degree in mass communications from Mississippi College, where she graduated with honors.

Mississippi Children's Home Services Fun in the Sun Giveaway

Mississippi Children's Home Services, a Mississippi Hospital Association member, is holding their annual Fun in the Sun Giveaway through August 6. The grand prize is a 2005 Red Mustang Convertible! Chances are being sold at $100 each. For more information or to enter, click here.