March 2002, Volume XVII, Number III

Document Body Page Navigation Panel

Highlights

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INSIDE . . .

Calendar of Events ......Page 2
Mentor's Mentor ........ Page 3
From the Regions.........Page 3 

For Your Information . . .  

Mark your calendars! The annual CYS-Project Together Volunteer Recognition dinner, set for Wednesday, April 24, will be held at a new venue this year. The UCI University Club, housed on the beautiful Irvine campus, will be the site for this year’s event. An exciting evening is planned, so please be sure to save the date. Further information will be in the mail soon…

The 2002 Annual Day Use Passes for Orange County beaches and parks are available and can be obtained by contacting your volunteer coordinator. The annual passes are offered to mentors who regularly visit county beaches or parks on outings with their child or teen. The Day Use pass provides free entry to Aliso Beach, Capistrano Beach and Salt Creek Beach, in addition to numerous regional and wilderness parks. Please visit www.ocparks.com for a detailed listing of parks requiring entry fees…

Interested in learning more about mentoring or looking for new ideas or skills? Check out the online training for mentors available through the National Mentoring Partnership website at www.mentoring.org/training/TMT/index.adp. 

Volunteers Are Special! 

Going the extra mile for a smile 

"Anyone who gets Billie Cline as a mentor in the future will be very lucky to have her…although she may not be available for a while, because I plan to keep her!"

That emphatic statement, made by the 12-year-old girl Billie has mentored since September of last year, speaks to the dedication, generosity and caring of this veteran mentor.

According to the young teen, the two of them have never experienced a dull moment. Together they have made gingerbread houses and framed pressed flowers, gone out to lunch, enjoyed a few rounds of miniature golf and explored the Getty Museum. "When I need to get out of the house, she’s always there, once a week, to cheer me up," notes the young girl.

"Billie has been an exceptional mentor," according to the girl’s supervising therapist. "She is extremely kind and generous with her time…and is always willing to go the extra mile if it will make someone else happy." She added that when the young girl had surgery recently, Billie visited her in the hospital every other day, much to the child’s delight.

Although Billie’s current mentoring relationship has been going strong for more than five months, she is no newcomer to CYS-Project Together. Her first mentoring experience with the program was in 1990. Within a six-year period, she was matched with five different children. However, when the boy she was mentoring was placed in a residential home in 1996 and was no longer a CYS client, Billie continued her relationship with him by becoming a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer. She has remained close to this young man, and believes that he is a "great success story, although I may be biased."

Billie originally became a mentor to help a child experience the one-to-one child/adult relationship she so fondly remembers from her childhood. "I came from a large family and had a favorite aunt who used to take me on outings… I remember really enjoying that one-on-one experience. I wanted to be that (person) to someone else, ‘cause I know how important it was to me." "Plus," she added, " I have much more fun with kids than adults."

Daniele (Grigsby) Howard . . 3/2

Denise Howard . . . . . . . . . . 3/3

Kim Shreeve . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/5

Lorrie Grumbling . . . . . . . . . 3/8

Ami Redman . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/14

Viviana Paredes . . . . . . . . . .3/23

Elarian Anderson . . . . . . . . .3/24

Julie Daw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/25

Ashley Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/25

Robert Baker . . . . . . . . . . . 3/26

Trevor Persaud . . . . . . . . . .3/28

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Calendar of Events

The CYS-Project Together Calendar is a collection of affordable, fun, wholesome and interesting events that can be enjoyed by children, teens and adults. To submit an item for the calendar, please call (714) 796-0100.

Saturday, March 2
Santa Ana Zoo’s 50th Birthday Celebration

Santa Ana Zoo
1801 E. Chestnut
Santa Ana
(714) 836-4000

Help celebrate the Zoo’s 50th birthday with crafts, elephant express, storytelling and much more.

Time: 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Cost: Adults $4

Children $2

Saturdays, March 9 & 16
Sundays, March 10 & 17
Festival of Whales

Dana Point Harbor
Dana Point
(949) 496-5794

Celebrate the annual migration of the California Grey Whales through a variety of free and low cost events and activities emphasizing environmental education and responsibility.

For a calendar of activities, visit: www.dpfestivalofwhales.com.

Time: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Cost: Many events are free

March 10
UCI Wind Ensemble

Winifred Smith Hall
University of California at Irvine
(949) 824-2787

Daniel Katzen conducts.

Time: 8:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

Monday, March 11
UCI Percussion Ensemble

Winifred Smith Hall
University of California at Irvine
(949) 824-2787

Theresa Dimond conducts.

Time: 8:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

Sunday, March 17
Youth Expo 2002

Santa Ana Stadium
Corner of Flower and Civic Center Drive
Santa Ana
(714) 571-4274

Entertainment and information for youth 8-21 years of age on opportunities, activities, camps, jobs, colleges and more.

Time: 1:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

Wednesday, March 20
New Computer Music

Winifred Smith Hall
University of California at Irvine
(949) 824-2787

UCI students will perform computerized music.

Time: 8:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

Saturday, March 23
Peter Rabbit Egg Hunt

Discovery Museum of Orange County
3101 W. Harvard Street
Santa Ana
(714) 850-9452

Listen to the classic tale of Peter, then search for eggs in the beautiful gardens of the Museum. Springtime crafts and games round out the afternoon. Light refreshments will be served.

Time: 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

Cost: $8

Monday-Saturday Now!
Youth Track and Field Team Registration

Any Santa Ana Recreation Center
(714) 571-4254

Kids of all ages may sign up for A.I.M. (Athletics In Motion). Four track meets will be conducted at Santa Ana College.

Time: 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

Monday-Saturday Now!
Girls Youth Softball Registration

Any Santa Ana Recreation Center

(714) 571-4254

Girls, ages 5-14, may sign-up for this great American past time.

Time: 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

There's more than one way to hug a child ...

The wonderful support provided by many local businesses and organizations is deeply appreciated by the staff of Children and Youth Services (CYS) and CYS-Project Together. Your generosity allows community resources to become an important asset in the therapeutic process. Each month, we extend our thanks and give recognition to our caring donors.

Acapulco Mexican Restaurant, Long Beach

Camelot Golfland, Anaheim

Gorman Framing & Art Gallery, Costa Mesa

Mimi's Café, Tustin

Pfizer Foundation, Princeton

Ruby Restaurant Group, Newport Beach

Salamon Art, Inc., Fountain Valley

Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia

Statek Corp., Orange

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Projects Corner

Mentor's Mentor

Dear Mentor’s Mentor:

Recently I was matched with a 13-year-old. Since it has been a long time since I was 13, I could use some help planning outings that are fun and appropriate for her age. Although I have lived in Orange County for several years, I am sometimes at a loss for inexpensive activities that will also give us an opportunity to get to know each other better. Any suggestions?

Mentor

Dear Mentor,

The following information was provided by Billie Cline (please see cover story), a longtime CYS-Project Together mentor who says that she is "never at a loss for fun things to do." She is happy to share her outing ideas with other mentors.

This is a great place to visit when you begin a match. park on the inland side of PCH in the lot and take the tunnel under the highway to the beach. Some days they have tours of the old cottages, like the one where "Beaches" was filmed. There are tide pools where we found lots of tiny shells. We also collected wild flowers on the walk back to the car. Our plan was to press and dry the flowers and place them in frames during another outing together.

On the second Saturday of each month, the employees dress up in costumes. Throughout the mission, there are craft displays and demonstrations of authentic Mexican cuisine being prepared.

The hands-on sea life tank is a major attraction. There are several fish and other aquatic life to study, and helpful personnel are available to answer questions.

This has always been one of my favorites. There are so many things to do, so it is a good place for more than one outing. You can park on the island, explore the shops, and take the ferry over to the peninsula to visit the fun zone. The fun zone has an arcade, and rides, like a Ferris wheel and bumper cars. While at the fun zone, look into taking a harbor cruise and learn about the famous Balboa residents of long ago…like John Wayne and Shirley Temple. A walk down the Newport Pier is also fun, and at the end is Ruby’s Diner, where in the summer, you can eat on the roof and sometimes view dolphins playing in the ocean.

Although this is designed primarily for younger children, teens can also have a good time on the rock climbing wall, earthquake booth and bed of nails. There is limited parking, so we park at the end of the Main Place Mall and walk over.

There are places EVERYWHERE, and it is always fun.

Santa Ana Zoo

If you don’t want to go all the way to the LA Zoo, there is always the little one in Santa Ana. It is small and does not have exotic animals, but it can be a fun afternoon. They often have special events planned.

You get some of the fun of Disney without the exorbitant expense. There is a candy factory where you can watch them make candy. There is also a "build a bear" store where you can make your own stuffed animal.

Going to the movies does not always encourage interaction or discussion. I think it is better to rent a movie and watch it at home. Kids love to be able to pick out their own movies (with your approval). Also, how about picking up some Jiffy Pop popcorn? It is great fun! Most kids today have never seen corn pop on the stove.

Throughout the year, there are many festivals to attend. Here are three I never miss:

• Garden Grove Strawberry Festival
  This is held every year during the Memorial Day weekend. The parade is on Saturday morning and runs from 9th and Chapman to Euclid.
   

• City of Orange International Street Faire
  Held during the Labor Day weekend at the traffic circle in Old Town Orange, this annual event features foods and entertainment from countries throughout the world.
  

• Scottish Games / Orange County Fairgrounds
  Scottish festivities and games, including dance competitions, games of strength, and bagpipe music, are held on Saturday and Sunday during the Memorial Day weekend.

(Editor’s Note: Further information on many of the activities described above can be found on the web or by checking the calendar sections of the local newspapers.)

North Zachary Blount

Emily Lazalde

East  Mara McClain

Rosa Diaz

South Costa Mesa 

Gretchen Haugen

Wendy Flanigan

Amber Schubert

Dolores Guintu

South Laguna Julie Daw

 

Aspen/Tustin 

Jasmine Khoo

Holly Gardner

Pamela Lynch

South Costa Mesa

Donna Goodman

Ann Hanson

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The Back Page

Exploring the web can be a great activity for mentors with teens. The Orange County Public Library (OCPL) website, www.ocpl.org., features several "cool" sites that may help a teen with homework, and provide other useful information teens might enjoy. Many of the 27 OCPL branches have computers with internet access, and an OCPL card is all that is needed to access this and other library resources. For further information, visit the website or call the OCPL headquarters at (714) 566-3000.

Children and Youth Services/Project Together CYS / Project Together Newsletter March 2002 Vol. XVIII, No. II 

Published by: County of Orange Health Care Agency/Behavioral Health Services
405 W. 5th St., Suite 436 Santa Ana, CA 92701
(714)796-0100
 www.ochealthinfo.com/behavioral/cyspt

Sharon Modaff, Service Chief I
Nancy Robins, Program Supervisor I
Martha Murphy, Editor

Volunteer Coordinators
Central ................................... Martha Murphy ............ (714) 796-0100
Central ....................................Peggy Evans ................. (714) 796-0117
East ....................................... Veronica Chavez ............(714) 480-6756
North ......................................Sunney Shin .................. (714) 577-5422
South/Costa Mesa .................. Jonathan Schiesel ...........(714) 850-8444
South/Laguna ..........................Lee Boon ............ ..........(949) 499-5346
West ............................................................................. (714) 896-7570
Aspen/Santa Ana ............. ......Adrienne Davalos ............(714) 565-2830
Aspen/Tustin ...........................Ken Cornwell ............ ....(714) 508-1919

The Health Care Agency/Behavioral Health Services/Children and Youth Services provides mental health treatment for emotionally and behaviorally disturbed youth and their families throughout Orange County. CYS-Project Together is a volunteer mentor program for CYS children and teens. The program also offers supportive resources to clients and families to assist them in achieving treatment goals.

County of Orange Health Care Agency
Behavioral Health Services/Children & Youth Services
CYS-Project Together Highlights
405 W. 5th Street, Suite 436
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Address Correction Requested

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