Day of Service: Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy

Martin Luther King, Jr, the slain civil

rights leader, once said: “Life’s most

persistent question is, ‘What are you

doing for others?’”

Laraway Youth & Family Services’

staff embraced this question, marking

the federal holiday with a day of service

on campus. Blankets were crafted for

children in shelter. Cards were written

and games were created for seniors in

assisted living. Toys were made for dogs

waiting to be adopted. These and other

March 2016

Board Members

David Bergh, President

Anne Smith, Vice President

Sarah Squirrell, Treasurer

Kyle Senesac, Secretary

Matthew Baughman

John Connell

Rick Holcomb

Mary Moulton

Greg Stefanski, M.Ed.

Executive Director

offerings of goodwill honor Dr.

King’s legacy.

Laraway actively engages youth

in service projects. You can find our

young people assisting at the local

food shelf, walking dogs at the

animal shelter and, now, personally

delivering staff-crafted items to

local social service agencies.

Giving back teaches all of us

gratitude. This is the work of

community building.

Natural Supports

Special Educators. Behavioral

Interventionists. Science and Math

Teachers. Case Managers. Land

Steward. Licensed Psychologists.

Laraway is fortunate to be staffed

with highly experienced professionals

from a wide variety of backgrounds.

The expertise they bring to work each

day means our kids and families

receive some of the best educational

and treatment supports in this state

and beyond.

Time has shown that our kids

benefit greatly from increased

connections with natural supports

such as family, friends, coaches and

volunteers from the community. The

combination of professional and

natural supports can be very powerful

in getting through difficult situations.

Consider the example of requiring

surgery- I want the best professional

to perform the surgery, but I want my

closest natural supports to visit me at

the hospital and bring me soup when I

get home. It’s the combination of

professional and natural supports that

leads to the most effective healing.

Please consider how you might

support our work with kids and

families. We’re seeking professionals

to fill staff and foster parent vacancies

and we now are offering wonderful

volunteer opportunities.

Happy Spring- hope to see you at

the April Jam Session in Hyde Park!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Greg’s Letter

A Day of Service

Thank You to Supporters

Have a Back-up Plan

Celebrating Duncan Tingle

Empowering Youth

Strengthening Families

Building Community

SAVE THE DATE!

Jam Session & Desserts

Benefit for Laraway Crisis Fund

Friday, April 29th

7:00 p.m.

2nd Congregational Church

28 Prospect Street

Hyde Park, Vermont

$10 Donation Requested

For more information:

Kstamper@Laraway.org

(802) 635-2805 x 106

Businesses / Organizations

Donald P. Blake, Jr., Inc.

Brock & Brock, PLLC

Butternut Mountain

Farm

Charlmont

Coal Headwear

Concept 2

Costco

Craftsbury Outdoor

Center

Deb’s Place

Ebeneezer Books

First Congregational

Church, Morrisville

Forget Me Not Shop

Great Outdoors

Hannaford

Hello Gorgeous

Hoagies-Morrisville

House of Pizza

Jay Peak Resort

Jimmz Pizza

Johnson Hardware &

Rental

Judevine Maple Farm

Lamoille County

Sheriff’s Department

LCYC

Lenny’s

Light Logic

The Mill Foundation

Morrisville House of

Pizza

MSI

Northern Highlights

No School Snowboard

Shop

Oblio

Paine’s

Pick N Shovel

Piecasso

Pizza on Main

Price Chopper

Red House

RG’s Turning Heads

Ross Environmental

Rotary Club of Newport

Shaw’s General Store

Smugglers’ Notch

St. John’s in the Mts.

Stowe Family Dentistry

Stowe Mercantile

Tangles

Turtle Fur

The Bagel

Tops-Hardwick

Vermont Arborists

VFW-Morrisville

Wheel House Designs

Wider than the Sky

In Memory of

Jim Thompson

Robert Anderson

Dave & Betty Brown

Robert & Nancy Comolli

Patricia Connor

Denise & Jim Daignault

Sandra & Walter

England

Margaret Fanning &

David Cate

Shaun & Laurie Fielder

Scott Fortney

Karen Gordon

Patricia & Max Gray

Roberta & Gary Hamblin

Denise Keefe

Lori Lacroix

Virginia & Jennifer Milne

Jason Owen

Pamela Perry

Raymond & Lorraine

Roy

Taylor-Pelletier Family

Chuck & Betty Welch

Mary & Walter Wells

BCEMS

Elmhill, Inc.

John Fricke &

Associates

Wildcat Busing, Inc.

In Honor of

Cat Gallagher

Amena & Philip Smith

Jane Kennelly

Christina Kluckowski

Jennifer & Elm LaPoint

Lori & Paul Ledak

Janice Lovell

Suzanne & Tom

McDevitt

Larry & Mary Ellen

McGee

Lucinda & Jeff

McKechnie

Lisa & Valar Mihan

Ken Moore

Sid & Marian Nichols

Meg & Jamie O’Brien

Jollie Parker

Judyth Pendell &

Warren Azano

Dan Regan & Judith

Mathison

Nick & Pat Racheotes

Casey & Howard

Romero

Barb & Mike Sadowsky

Patricia Schwarz

Sarah Squirrell & Chris

Piatek

Anne P. Smith

Shap Smith & Melissa

Volansky

Brenda Snow

Theresa Snow

Richard Spanier

Kermit & Hazel

Spaulding

Katherine Stamper

Robert Stearns

Greg & Jennifer

Stefanski

Kay Stephenson

Karl & Rose Strohmaier

Rhonda Stuart

Duncan & Nancy Tingle

April Tuck & Ronald

Carter

Jarod Waite

Lee & Sharon Weltman

Sen. Rich Westman

David & Peggy Williams

Sue Wisehart & Howard

Duchacek

Page 2 THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS!

Thank you donors!

If your name was

inadvertently

omitted, please

contact

Katherine Stamper KStamper@Laraway.org

802-635-2805 x 106

Individuals

Jim & Jennifer

Adkisson

Lela & Donald Avery

Pat & Rich Albrecht

Matthew Baughman

David Bergh

Charles & Linda

Berry

Julie Bomengen &

Roger Murphy

Susan & Jeff Bond

Rev. Elise Braun

Suzanne & Gordon

Brown

Jake & Donna Burton

Susan & Tom Carney

John Connell

Jack & Melanie

Dennis

Rebecca Dennis &

Nate Perham

Everett & Melanie

Dickinson

Naomi Dumbleton

Paul & Mary Dupre

Idoline Duke

Charles & Pat Eyler

Betsy Field & Paul

Rogers

Maggie Flynn

Carl & Elaine Fortune

Sharon Fortune

Sally Fraize

David Goodman &

Sue Minter

Nancy & Jon

Groveman

Scott & Sally Johnson

Linda Jones

Ben & Joyce Judy

Dorigen Keeney &

Carl Powden

Franklin Kellogg

Will* stands out in a positive way, with a quick smile and handsome good looks. He looks you in

the eye when he talks to you. He has a strong work ethic. He is accepted to college. At age 18, he carries

a hard-won maturity, honed by difficulties he worked to overcome. He’s also a very talented artist who

draws and channels his creativity into producing lavish desserts in the kitchens of some of Stowe,

Vermont’s finest restaurants.

“I started doing art when I was five,” Will says. An elementary school teacher in Vermont’s

Northeast Kingdom recognized his talent, offering extra encouragement. His preferred medium is

pencil….or the tools of a pastry chef. His desserts reflect his careful hand and artistic flair. As an honor

student, Will has taken multiple art classes at the public high school he attends. He’s presently enrolled

in AP Art, a college-level course.

Issues at home, not of his own making, landed Will in foster care when he was 11. He came to

Laraway four years ago. He receives weekly community support services. Dan Stearns has been one of

his Laraway mentors since 2011.

“Will is a great artist,” Dan says. “He also has a strong interest in learning. He is open-minded

and an active learner. He chooses not to watch television, instead reading articles he’s interested in. He’ll

speak up when he wants something. He takes the lead, figuring out things for himself.”

Figuring things out includes finding and maintaining jobs in area restaurants since age 15. He

developed advanced skills at restaurant fry, sauté, salad and dessert stations. The exquisite dessert

pictured below is an example of Will’s work.

Navigating the college admissions process can be daunting for any teenager. Navigating as a

youth in foster care without traditional parental support can be even more daunting. Will found people

who could guide him. He made sure he took his SATs. He met crucial application deadlines. College

acceptance in hand, this GMO-skeptical teenager plans to study nutrition.

Will graduates from high school soon and will be moving out of state to attend college. He owns

a car, purchased with earnings from his restaurant jobs. The car is paid in full, insured and even has a

refrigerator.

“I have AAA,” Will says. “And I always have a back-up plan.”

Will understands the need to be self-reliant. He also possesses the wisdom to build positive

relationships with people who are strivers, like himself.

As Will prepares to leave Laraway, he offers bits of

wisdom for peers in foster care: Get a job. Find something

therapeutic to do (e.g., art, working, good conversation). Be

frugal. Focus on school. Steer clear of trouble.

Life is not a fairy tale. Youth exiting foster care face

significant barriers they must overcome. Fortunately, Will is

smart, motivated and talented…and, he carries a AAA

membership, an apt metaphor for the “roadside assistance”

we sometimes need on the highway of life.

*Name changed to protect confidentiality

Will: “Always have a back-up plan.”

Page 3 March 2016

MISSION

Providing opportunities for children and families to recognize their

individual strengths while supporting them to grow and contribute

within our communities

P.O. Box 621

275 VT Rte. 15 West

Johnson, Vermont 05656

Phone: 802-635-2805

Fax: 802-635-7273

E-mail: admin@laraway.org

www.Laraway.org

Laraway...It’s about the kids

“Duncan has been a

friend to our kids, a

mentor to staff and Board

members and an advocate

for our kids and our work

in the community,” said

Greg Stefanski,

Laraway’s Executive

Director. “Duncan’s

experience and energy

are powerful. Thank

you, for sharing!”

Duncan Tingle, pictured

at left with his wife Nancy,

retired from Laraway’s Board

following 10 years of

exemplary service. While

President, he guided us

through a successful capital

campaign to purchase and

renovate the magnificent

Johnson farmstead that is

our main campus today.

Duncan also served as

Treasurer, asking all those

really important financial

questions.

Duncan Tingle: Gratitude for fine leadership

Laraway is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to identifying and building on the strengths of

children and youth with emotional, behavioral and mental health challenges, through

alternative education, therapeutic foster care and public school based behavioral

intervention supports.

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