cornerst neA NEXUS NEWSLETTER

NOVEMBER 2014

IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE Cultivating Great Internal Customer ServicePracticing HumilityServant LeadershipUnderstanding a Family’s Hierarchy of Needs

Givingthe spirit of

from the corner office of the

Customer service is a term we generally associate with companies that sell goods and services. If we go to a coffee shop, we expect to get good customer service: the person behind the counter helps us place our order; then he or she completes it. If that server is pleasant, takes our order quickly, and delivers our coffee to us correctly, we feel we’ve gotten good service for our money.

But what happens when no money is exchanged? Do we see a coworker as a customer when he needs a financial report to finish his budget? Is a Clinical Director a customer when she asks to discuss a case with you? Is a Communications Coordinator a customer when he needs some pictures from your program’s field trip for his story?

Helping coworkers do their jobs better helps Nexus do a better job overall. Customer service is key to success, and internal customer service is key to exceptional external customer service. According to Entrepreneur magazine, “superior internal customer service improves morale, productivity, employee retention, external customer service, and, ultimately, profitability.” As Nexus staff, we are all both customers and

servers many times throughout a workday, and we need to remember to consistently treat each other with our Cornerstone Values of Honesty, Responsibility, Courage, Care & Concern.

Entrepreneur magazine offered these tips from a roundtable discussion on internal customer service. Use them regularly in your dealings with coworkers. See what a difference they can make.

Treat coworkers and other departments as your customers. Treat them like VIPs, not nuisances. Do whatever it takes to help. One day, your coworkers will return the favor.

View coworkers’ requests as opportunities to help Nexus reach its strategic goals. Build helpful and productive coworker relationships.

Exceed your internal customers’ expectations. Do things faster, better, easier. Follow through. Let your coworkers know they can count on you.

Say thank you. It means so much.

CEO“Your customer doesn’t care how much you

know until they know how much you care.”

–Damon Richards

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DaviD HutcHinson

“Leadership is INFLUENCE;

nothing more, nothing less.”

–John Maxwell

At our recent Annual Conference, I presented on a subject that I am extremely passionate about: Servant Leadership.

Many organizations, including Nexus, spend a great deal of time training staff to do the essentials of the job, but very little time raising up and training people to be true leaders. Leadership is an awesome responsibility, and I was very happy to spend some time addressing the subject with Nexus staff. Below are some excerpts from that presentation.

Servant Leadership has been around since 1970, when Robert Greenleaf first coined the term in an essay entitled “The Servant as Leader.” The key conclusion he made can be seen in the following quote:

“The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The best test is:Do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants.”

Servant leadership is not a soft approach to leadership. On the contrary, it is difficult. Accountability is a key component of this approach’s effectiveness. Leaders must be honest with the people they lead, and must hold them accountable when they are not performing well. They must also be open to hearing honest feedback.

Today, Servant Leadership is practiced by many major companies, including 35 of the top 100 Fortune 500 companies in the United States. The list includes Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, and Marriot.

Anyone who influences others can be a leader. Leadership is the ability to inspire people to action, to influence them to be the best they can be. Leadership is the combination of Skill, Influence, and Character.

The full definition of leadership is the SKILL of INFLUENCING people to enthusiastically work toward goals identified as being for the common good, with CHARACTER that inspires confidence.

Integrity and compassion are necessary components of character, as are serving and sacrifice. A true leader utilizes all of these elements through a lens of love.

In leadership, love is a verb. It is the act of extending yourself to others by identifying and meeting needs. It is an ACTION. It is a choice. It means seeking the greatest good of another person.

A leader must demonstrate the loving characteristics of Patience, Kindness, Respect, Trust, Giving, Honesty, Forgiveness, Commitment and Humility – qualities that are not unlike our Cornerstone Values.

Servant Leadership is hard work. It must be continually practiced and measured until intentions align with actions. It really is a matter of the will.

The Ken Blanchard formula for Servant Leadership says Intentions – Actions = Nothing Intentions + Actions = The WillMay we all aspire to become servant leaders wherever we are.

Operations Outlook

COO

NOVEMBER 2014 | 2

BrocK WolFF

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A Time for GivingSupporting the Nexus Mission

As the holiday season approaches, many people look for ways to give back through end-of-year donations. As a nonprofit, Nexus counts on donations to help purchase the essentials that youth in our care need and to provide those special things that make the holidays bright for all kids.

What better way to give back than within your own organization? In addition, when you give to Nexus, your donation is tax-deductible.

Each Nexus site has a number of ways for employees and donors to contribute to the Nexus mission, programs, and youth.

YOUTH WITHOUT RESOURCESYouth Without Resources helps fulfill the basic needs of youth on each campus. Donations help pay for medical treatment not covered by insurance, community college tuition, apartment security deposits, and caps and gowns for high school graduation ceremonies.

Fund money comes from personal contributions – much of it from employee contributions – either one-time donations or payroll deductions. If you are interested in donating, contact your site’s Human Resources department for registration information. Outside donors can also contribute to the Youth Without Resources Fund. Contact each site directly to make a contribution.

One-hundred percent of all contributions go directly to benefit the youth on campus.

ONLINE DONATIONSNEXUS WEBSITE You can make donations directly to one of our sites through the Nexus website: www.nexustreatment.org.

Each site homepage has a “Donate Now” button that will take you to a secure PayPal page, where you can enter

Ways to Donate• Contact your site Human Resources

Department to register for a one-time or ongoing donation to Youth Without Resources.

• Go online at www.nexustreatment.org or GiveMN to donate directly to a Nexus site.

• Contribute to Nexus CARES – A fund that benefits foster youth and families.

• Make a donation or volunteer time to the Crisis Nursery Serving Wright County.

• Sponsor a personalized pillowcase for a foster youth.

• Donate to the sites’ Wish Lists. Commonly needed items are listed below:• Gift Cards• Hygiene Products• Books• School and Craft Supplies• Coloring Books• Markers & Crayons• Playing Cards• Board Games• Outdoor Games• Sports Equipment• Toys

Internal Giving

Ways to Give

your donation information.

GIVEMN Our Minnesota sites – Gerard Academy, Mille Lacs Academy, and Kindred Family Focus – are all part of GiveMN, an online giving forum for Minnesota nonprofit organizations, schools, and causes. Simply go to www.givemn.org, enter one of Nexus’ Minnesota site names, or type “Nexus” in the search bar to choose the program of your choice.

NEXUS CARES Kindred Family Focus has a few unique giving opportunities to benefit Minnesota youth in need.

Nexus CARES benefits both foster youth and foster families who need assistance with uncovered expenses, such as clothing, eyeglasses, hearing aides, and braces for foster youth. Funds also help pay for activity fees for athletic and academic clubs, and school events like prom and graduation. This past summer, one foster family even used funds to take their foster kids on a their first ever trip outside of Minnesota.

To donate to Nexus CARES, contact the Nexus Corporate office or Kindred Family Focus.

CRISIS NURSERY SERVING WRIGHT COUNTY The Crisis Nursery Serving Wright County is operated by Kindred Family Focus. Giving your time or money to the Crisis Nursery provides telephone help lines, emergency child care, and other support services at no cost to Wright County families in crisis. To donate or volunteer, contact Jill Gatzke at jgatzke@nexus-kff.org.

PERSONALIZED PILLOWCASESA Kindred Family Focus volunteer has begun making personalized fleece pillowcases for foster youth. With funds provided by individual donations and Nexus CARES, foster children get pillowcases embroidered with their name and featuring their favorite color, sport, or character. Contact Kindred Family Focus if you’d like to sponsor a personalized pillowcase for a foster youth.

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Other Ways to Give Your Time or Talent

Nexus offers many ways for you to get involved throughout the year. We are always looking for sponsors and donors for events like golf tournaments, graduations, family fun days, field trips, auctions, a Tool Bash, and more.

Additionally, our youth appreciate a special meal for the holidays and gifts on holidays and birthdays.

If you want to help, please contact one of our sites directly to discuss ways to get involved.

Mille Lacs Academy Jeremy Janski: 320.532.4005

Gerard AcademyDamien Londino-Green: 507.433.1843

Onarga AcademyArlinda Zaucha: 815.268.4001

Indian Oaks AcademyBobbie Ruyle: 815.802.3700

Woodbourne CenterSarah Weissman: 410.433.1000

Kindred Family FocusLorie Gratke: 763.271.1670

Crisis Nursery Serving Wright CountyJill Gatzke: 763.271.1674

Family Partnership

A Family’s Hierarchy of NeedsDr. Michelle K. Murray, LMFTDirector of Clinical Services

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a psychological theory that describes human motivation. The central premise of Maslow’s theory is that an individual’s most basic level of needs must be met before one is able to desire, or focus their motivation around, meeting secondary or higher-level needs.

Basic level needs include physiological needs like food, water, breathing, sex, and sleep. Second level needs include personal and financial security, health and well-being, and having a safety net against illness or accidents. According to Maslow’s theory, our physiological and safety needs must be met before we can focus on meeting our needs for love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.

In much the same way, a family must have their basic physiological, safety, and security needs met before they can attend to higher-level needs and demands.

If a family is worried about food, housing, clothing, and employment, they will have a more difficult time focusing on their child’s behavior.

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Therefore, if we want to truly engage families and help them meet their children’s needs, we must first ensure they can meet their own basic needs of safety and security. Once those basic needs are met, families will be able to attend to the complex therapeutic processes that focus on emotional and relational needs.

Although Nexus does not have the resources to directly provide families with food, shelter, and employment to families in treatment, we can design processes within our services to help connect families to essential resources within their communities.

This next year, we will work to become more familiar and connected with community resources in the communities in which our families in treatment live. These connections will also help Nexus establish relationships and partnerships between our sites and the communities in which we serve. The result will be a wider range of resources to help families in need.

Several of our sites have already begun the process of developing such awareness and resource development. In particular, Stephen Johnson, Aftercare Coordinator at Mille Lacs Academy, and Allyson Taylor, Aftercare Transitioning Social Worker at Woodbourne Center, have begun to compile community connection resource lists.

Stephen and Allyson have offered to help other sites design the tools necessary to make similar connections in their vicinities. Please feel free to contact them directly for assistance: sajohnson@nexus-mla.org; ataylor@woodbourne.org.

Stay Connected

NOVEMBER 2014 | 6

Stay Connected to NexusJoin Us on Facebook and LinkedIn

Becky SchedinDirector of CQI and Research

This CQI Corner looks at one example of CQI in action at Onarga Academy. We talked with Jamie Kozma, Clinical Director, and Steve Greenlee, QI Supervisor, on their efforts to boost return rates for Family Satisfaction Surveys, and what they are doing with the information.

Throughout Nexus, we constantly seek feedback from youth and stakeholders to better understand their experience with the care we provide. One way we gather feedback is through Family Satisfaction Surveys (FSS) that family members of youth fill out while their child is in our care and at the time of discharge. These surveys help us understand families’ experiences, gather their opinions of our teams, services, and facilities, and identify areas of strength and improvement.

While these surveys are used across Nexus, gathering information from families can be challenging for a number of reasons. Many youth do not have family who are regularly involved with their care, and finding a person to speak with can be difficult. Others have family who live far away and are not often available. Combine these factors with the many other responsibilities and limited time that our staff has, and it becomes clear why getting good return rates can be challenging.

When Jamie Kozma became Onarga’s Clinical Director in 2006, she began supervising Onarga’s family therapists and all related activities, including Family Satisfaction Surveys. She noticed that return rates for surveys were consistently low. They only received a return of about 30-40% of surveys. After talking to her teams about the challenges and issues contributing to the low return rates, they decided on a new approach.

Jamie started by creating a tracking spreadsheet that listed all youth in Onarga’s care and due dates for each youth’s Family Satisfaction Surveys. She then started sending out due date reminders to therapists and supervisors. When a survey came in, it was checked off. If a survey was overdue or missing, she sent out additional reminders to therapists and supervisors.

“I knew we had to improve the return rates, and that it was essential to keep everyone invested and involved. I started sending out reminders

and updates, using humor; I would include jokes, pictures, whatever I could find.”

Response rates improved gradually with this new approach, but rates really started to improve when Onarga included Satisfaction Surveys in a Key Focus Area (KFA) for the year. The goal was to improve distribution and return rates of the FSS. Their approach was a contest between programs to see which could get the best return rate.

“The contest and attention we paid to it really energized programs, and we saw a positive impact almost immediately,” Kozma said. “Having that friendly competition and offering a reward as well as having everyone focus on it really made it important and kept the issue at the forefront of everyone’s attention, which was crucial to success. We also tried to make the reward meaningful, with the winning program’s milieu being covered by administrative staff

I Can’t Get No Satisfaction (Surveys)Onarga Academy’s Experience in Gathering and Using Family Satisfaction Surveys

CQI Corner

7 | NOVEMBER 2014

quarters of 2014 show a 100% return rate – the result of tremendous effort and teamwork.

“We’re looking forward to doing more with the data and thinking about how this information aligns with a family’s level of involvement throughout services and their internal family satisfaction and communication dynamics with one another, as well as change in the data over time.” Kozma said.

“In trying to make sense of the data being returned on surveys, we are taking a strengths-based approach and identifying what families are consistently pointing out that we do well,” Greenlee said. “We recognize that our greatest opportunity for distinguishing our agency from competitors is to develop our strengths. One-hundred percent of family respondents indicated that they feel Onarga Academy is a safe place for their child to do treatment, that there are sufficient opportunities for visits and contact, and that our facilities are clean and attractive. We are currently focusing on these areas within our strategic planning workgroups.”

“We’re very pleased with what we are learning, and are proud of ourselves and our progress, and plan to keep up the good work!” said Kozma.

We’ll look at other examples of CQI in action across Nexus in future issues of the Cornerstone. If you have an idea or any questions, please contact Becky Schedin, Director of CQI and Research at rschedin@nexustreatment.org.

for a shift. In addition, they got a commemorative plaque and a pizza party. We also began sharing the information from the surveys with teams–both to celebrate compliments and remarks that were shared by families, as well as to monitor areas of concern.”

In addition to the contest, Onarga also tried a variety of new and persistent approaches to gather responses.

“We started out with just the family therapists being the ones to collect the surveys, but eventually broadened it to include supervisors, as well as QI,” Kozma said. “We were able to get more people beyond the therapists involved in collecting the survey information, and could be more persistent, which was a huge help. Having other staff who were able to follow up with families was really helpful, and also allowed us to come up with guidelines and training for everyone on how the process works.”

Onarga continued to brainstorm new approaches and designed ways to streamline the process. Regular reminders began going out to staff well before survey due dates approach. But that only solved part of the problem.

Steve Greenlee, QI Supervisor, recalled, “We still noticed there were struggles with reaching certain family members and getting them to return written surveys (i.e., “Oh, I forgot it at home,” or “I’ll be sure to mail it in,” were common responses with these families). Because of confidentiality issues, it was tough to reach families who we didn’t see on site. We were finally able to figure out a way to gather electronic information securely using a HIPAA- compliant solution. We can now receive electronic responses from families that we would not have otherwise been able to reach.”

The electronic solution was responsive to families’ needs and allowed them to complete their survey on- site, which reduced paper forms and eliminated later manual data entry.

The result of these efforts has been remarkable—return rates for discharge Family Satisfaction Surveys were 43% for the first two quarters of 2013, and grew to 81% in the last two quarters of 2013. The first two

CQI Corner

NOVEMBER 2014 | 8

Live Well, Everyday

Beat the Winter BluesBefore the cold weather and gloomy days get you down, use these tips to make this a happy and healthy winter.

Embrace the season. Relish in winter’s pleasures; hot cocoa, holiday lights, and fun winter activities. Always dress for the weather. Sure, stuffing yourself into a parka can make you feel like the abominable snowman, but staying warm is a surprising secret to feeling merry.

Get your group on. Bears may hibernate all winter, but we humans weren’t built for that. In fact, socializing is a very powerful spirit-lifter. Make time each week or each day to have a “buddy moment,” whether it’s grabbing lunch with a coworker or taking a class with a friend. Establishing get-together routines are also great; make dates with your friends and family, or join a local club.

Winterize your workout. Low temps make it tough to stay motivated, but exercise helps boost your mood and can keep you happier throughout the season. Brave the elements if you can; research shows outdoor activity creates more feel-good endorphins than indoor exercise; if the weather is too harsh, do an at-home routine or keep an exercise DVD handy.

Eat happy. Resist fatty, sugary comfort foods. Highly refined carbs and sugar can wreak havoc on blood sugar levels, which can leave you feeling cranky. Some comfort foods, however, can double as healthy pick-me-ups, especially if they contain nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, good carbohydrates (think whole grains and vegetables), protein, and B vitamins.

Rise and shine. Waking up to a brighter bedroom can help you feel happier all day. Leave curtains and blinds open, or put lamps on a timer to switch on a few minutes before your alarm sounds.

Lighten up. Exposure to sunlight is a powerful way to lift your spirits. Go for a walk when the sun is out, but make sure to bundle up. You can also swap out some light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) that have color temperatures around 4,000 degrees Kelvin. These bulbs mimic sunlight better than incandescent bulbs and give off some of the feel-good benefits of natural sunlight. Try putting CFL bulbs in high-traffic areas of your home, such as in the kitchen and family room.

When we think about wellness and health, we often focus on two major parts: healthy eating and physical fitness. But wellness is so much more than that. Wellness also encompasses our emotional, spiritual, intellectual, social, and occupational health, according to the National Wellness Institute.

Introducing these lesser-acknowledged parts of wellness into our daily activities is essential. A new wellness practice focuses on humility. Humility is often negatively interpreted and seen as synonymous with low self-esteem. However, Webster’s dictionary defines humility as the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people: the quality or state of being humble. That definition encourages us to look at humility in another light.

Humility is growing in popularity as companies seek leaders who can recognize and exemplify this trait. Why has humility in leadership become so desirable? According to Doug Guthrie and Sudhir Venkatesh of Forbes, humility can “be a powerful tool for leaders – actually increasing legitimacy.” When practiced regularly, the authors say, humility can help “build a culture that actually increases solidarity, innovation, openness to change and many other positive features of organizational life.” The authors go on to say that leaders who show humility by taking responsibility for an error instead of blaming someone else quickly gain the respect and admiration of their team. “By admitting you are wrong, by taking blame, you will have a group of more committed followers.”

Humility isn’t just for leaders, we see it in all kinds of people and positions, like the employee who goes above and beyond but does not call attention to him/herself for recognition. We see it when an anonymous donor doesn’t feel the need to be recognized for a generous gift. Humility is even found when we admit that we don’t know the answer.

Be Humble, Be HappyUsing Humility to Create Stronger Relationships

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Be Humble, Be Happy

• There are three magical words that can produce more peace of mind than a week at an expensive retreat: “You are right.” Try it.

• If you catch yourself suddenly preaching or coaching your listener without their permission, ask yourself why you feel the need to impose your point of view on the discussion. Perhaps your correction or instruction is a reflection of your own need for prominence.

• Seek others’ input on how you are progressing along your leadership path. Ask, “How am I doing?” It takes humility to ask such a question. And even more humility to consider the answer.

• Encourage the practice of humility in your company through your own example. Share credit for successes with others, and reinforce the ethos of humility for your constituents. Consider mentoring or coaching emerging leaders on this key attribute of leadership.

Guthrie and Venkatesh of Forbes state that when we are open to the idea of being wrong and when we truly believe that another path might be better, we become more creative and innovative.

People who practice humility tend to take more risks, explore more paths with unknown outcomes, and, in terms of leadership, build better organizations. The ability to embrace humility and publicly acknowledge errors is a profoundly powerful link between authenticity and the success of an individual and organization.

Bruna Martiniuzzi, author of The Leader as a Mensch: Become the Kind of Person Others Want to Follow, says the benefits of humility include “being in a state of non-pretense. It improves relationships across all levels, it reduces anxiety, it encourages more openness and, paradoxically, it enhances one’s self-confidence. It opens a window to a higher self.”

In Don Emerson Davis, Jr. and Joshua N. Hook’s article, Measuring Humility and Its Positive Effects, humility is identified with benefits that strengthen social bonds. That’s especially important in relationships where conflict or differences could threaten the security of the relationship, such as in a marriage, a therapist/client situation, or a supervisor/supervisee position.

“Something interesting happens, too, when we approach situations from a perspective of humility; it opens us up to possibilities, as we choose open-mindedness and curiosity over protecting our point of view,” says Martinuzzi. “ We spend more time in that wonderful space of the beginner’s mind, willing to learn from what others have to offer. We move away from ‘pushing’ into ‘allowing,’ from insecure to secure, from seeking approval to seeking enlightenment. We forget about being perfect, and we enjoy being in the moment.”

Martinuzzi offers many suggestions on practicing humility. A few are listed below:

• There are times when swallowing your pride can be particularly difficult. It’s times like that when any intentions of humility can fly right out the window. Its easy to get engaged in a contest of perfection and wills, with each side trying to best the other. Next time you find yourself in that kind of no-win situation, consider trying this strategy: Just stop talking; allow the other person to have the limelight. You’ll discover there is something very liberating in stepping back.

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mille lacs acaDemy

Mille Lacs Academy

New Trails Group Home Celebrates Remodeling CompletionThe Home Opens its Doors to the Community

After 11 years of operation, the New Trails Group Home (NTGH) got a facelift. The facility recently underwent a floor-to-ceiling remodeling project. Walls were painted, tongue-and-groove pine paneling was added to the stairwell walls, and flooring was replaced.

To celebrate completion of the project, NTGH hosted an open house on October 27 for friends, neighbors, local community professionals, members of the Mille Lacs Academy (MLA) Community Advisory Committee, State Representative Sondra Erickson, County Commissioner Dave Oslin, and Lisa Fobbe, a member of Senator Al Franken’s staff. Upon arrival, guests were offered a variety of New Trails-related information and a small fall gift bag filled with goodies. NTGH youth mingled with guests and showed them around the home, which was decked in autumnal colors and décor. The atmosphere was fun and relaxed, and guests enjoyed tasty hors d’oeuvres, treats, and punch.

The New Trails Group Home was established in 2003 and serves up to 10 youth at a time. It offers transitional support to youth who have successfully completed treatment at MLA. The program facilitates continued growth during the final phases of treatment and helps prepare youth for a successful return back into their home communities.

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< Tongue- and-groove paneling was added to the stairwell.

Guests enjoyed a festive and colorful spread. >

^ The house was decorated with an autumn theme!

Walls got a fresh coat of paint. >

Fall Happenings

Fall Happenings

Welcome, Paula! MLA Hires a Second Clinical Director

Paula Minske joined Mille Lacs Academy (MLA) on October 13 as the facility’s second Clinical Director. She was previously employed with Anoka County, where she supervised mental health and waiver staff.

Paula hails from North Dakota and moved to Anoka, MN, when she

was just two years old. For the past 16 years, she and her family have made their home in Zimmerman, MN. In her free time, she loves to travel, spend time outdoors, and fish. In fact, Paula once landed a 180-pound Marlin while fishing in Los Cabos!

Paula received her undergraduate degree in Criminology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. After college, she went to work with Volunteers of America (VOA) as a residential counselor. During her 15 years with VOA, Paula enjoyed working with boys and girls, ages 10-18. She gained valuable experience in several roles during her ascent to Program Director.

After a long and successful run at VOA, Paula decided to pursue her Master’s Degree. She enrolled at St. Cloud State University and earned a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy (LMFT) and Community Counseling. She then took a job with Sherburne County, MN, as a Therapeutic Foster Care Social Worker. She describes the work as an intensive role in which she worked with a small caseload and met with clients multiple times each week.

Paula’s move to MLA enables her to continue working with kids and provides a good match clinically. In working with our youth, she believes that creating a solid relationship “goes a long way.” Paula has a background in Trauma-Informed Care (TIC), as well as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She will work primarily with the Castle Program (ages 13-16) and Safari Program (ages 14-19, special needs).

Director’s ReportWe are very excited to introduce our newly developed MLA short-term program as an additional treatment alternative for counties throughout the state.

We are also happy to report that our middle management group is back at full complement, with the recent hire of a clinical supervisor for our youngest boys’ Ship Program. With the last of this middle management leadership coming on board in early December, and with both clinical directors now “at the helm,” we are eager to see this group work to strengthen our trauma-informed care, family partnership initiative, and customer service. Additionally, we will be implementing Language Choice Therapy as another communication tool in working with our youth, beginning with a pilot in our oldest boys’ Navigators Program.

MLA hosted its Fall Treatment Graduation on October 11. While graduation is always a very moving and inspiring event, it was even more so this year as, for the first time in MLA’s history, our keynote speaker was a 20-year graduate of MLA. His words of wisdom, encouragement, and hope left all of us inspired and hopeful for the future possibilities that await each of our youth and all of us who care for them.

MLA’s New Trails Group Home Open House had a wonderful turnout, including several elected officials from local, state, and federal levels of government. Our youth and staff gave wonderful tours of our newly renovated home, which received rave reviews by all.

Our annual MLA Holiday Open House will be held on Tuesday, December 9 from 4-7 p.m. Plan to join us!

We wish you a wonderful holiday season, filled with much joy and peace.

NOVEMBER 2014 | 12

Paula Minske New Clinical Director

Jan Gibson TalbotExecutive Director

gerarD acaDemy

Gerard AcademyBeyond the Bully

Bullying is the use of force, threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively dominate others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. It’s been the subject of many recent articles, and news stories. Now, thanks to Austin’s local public television station, KSMQ, it is also the subject of a new documentary, entitled Beyond the Bully.

Gerard Academy was a sponsor of the documentary, which aired locally in October and is now available on public television stations across the state. “We’ve talked about providing social value as an organization, and supporting the production of Beyond the Bully was one way we could do that,” says Executive Director Brent Henry.

President and CEO of KSMQ, Eric Olson, says, “Having Gerard’s support was a morale booster for the team that put this together. Knowing that there was local support from an organization that deals with mental health issues every day is a big deal.”

Beyond the Bully is a documentary that provides an up-close look at how school districts, youth organizations, and students themselves address the topic of bullying.

Hosted by longtime television personality Robyne Robinson, it looks at more than just identifying what bullying is; the program helps kids understand what they can do to prevent bullying when they see it happen. Beyond the Bully shares programs that work, empowers bystanders to stand up, and calls out offenders. It also addresses some of the effects that victims experience.

Olson got interested in the subject of bullying after reading a book on the topic by Dr. Sally Kuykendall and seeing the theatre project AWARE in Rochester, MN, both of which are featured in the documentary. But it was also personal experience that drove him to produce the program. “I remember those feelings of isolation and loneliness when I was in school, and I felt that we could offer kids resources and tools in order to help them. It’s important that kids know that there are choices.”

In fact, the importance of choices is brought home in the program, as one Southern Minnesota family shares how bullying led to their daughter’s suicide. “It’s heartbreaking,” says Olson, “but, unfortunately, not uncommon.”

“Supporting KSMQ and this program fits perfectly with our new mission statement: ‘Strengthening Lives, Families, and Communities Through Our Cornerstone Values,’” says Henry. “We couldn’t be more proud to be associated with it.”

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An Inspiring Autumn

Director’s ReportLife Coach Tony Robbins said, “The key distinction that will set you apart from the field is a commitment to mastery.”

Gerard Academy is committed to giving our staff the opportunity to become masters of their craft. The youth and families we serve deserve the best that we can be and the best we have to offer. This commitment to excellence and mastery has motivated us to offer our staff National Residential Child & Youth Care Certification through the University of Oklahoma. Ten of our staff have been selected to become certified trainers and will be trained on our campus by instructors from the University. Our staff-certified trainers will then train all of our Youth Counselors. At the completion of this training, each Youth Counselor will have the opportunity to become a nationally certified youth care worker by the University of Oklahoma. The University says this certification process “means your staff will maintain a common knowledge base and residential care philosophy with consistently high values and practices. And certification means recognizable proficiency to placement organizations, licensing and accrediting agencies, funding sources, and the community at large.”

And what is the benefit to the Youth Counselor? “It clearly denotes the skills you have learned, and it is a commonly understood measure of your knowledge and achievement. The certification process can provide confidence in your ability for you and the people with whom you work. More important, it will benefit the children and youth in your care.”

I am excited to bring the University of Oklahoma’s training and certification to Gerard Academy. Jack Welch, former GE CEO, said, “The team that fields the best players wins.” Bringing this training to our campus is a statement that we are committed to having the best players, and demonstrates our dedication to being a Premier Provider.

NOVEMBER 2014 | 14

Brent HenryExecutive Director

Kid President Inspires GerardBrad Montague created Kid President in 2012 – a character developed to give kids a voice and showcase their inspiring ideas.

Montague’s brother-in-law, 10-year-old Robby Novak, plays

Kid President in the online videos (www.kidpresident.com). Novak has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease, but despite his condition, creates high-energy videos and encourages viewers to take part in challenges that can help change the world.

As Kid President, Novak introduced Socktober, a challenge to get more than 2 million people to donate socks to local shelters during the month of October. He wanted to “prove that even the smallest acts of love, like donating a pair of socks, can make a big difference in the lives of our neighbors who are homeless.”

Lynn Smithwick, Clinical Supervisor of Gerard’s Cherbourg unit, saw Kid President’s challenge and wanted to get involved. “The girls [of Cherbourg] wanted to give back and help others that are less fortunate. We discussed that there are over 600,000 homeless people in the US, most being children, and it really struck a chord with them. The girls readily accepted the challenge to bring a sock drive to the whole campus.”

Gerard staff and youth donated 273 pairs of socks during Socktober; and when one young man went home on a visit, he

specifically purchased socks for the drive. The girls of Cherbourg hand-delivered the socks to the Dorothy Day House, a homeless shelter in Rochester, MN. Dorothy Day Board President Ray Ostfeld said, “It is a great joy to see so many young people care about the homeless and to

work hard to help them. We have a big need for warm socks in the winter, and this sock drive will help us a great deal.”

Needless to say, Gerard’s Socktober event was a success thanks to the kindness of our youth and staff, and as Kid President says, “People who make the world better for other people are some of the best people.”

Kid President, Robby Novak, created a “Socktober” challenge to collect socks for homeless shelters.

The girls of Cherbourg hand-delivered collected socks to a homeless shelter in Rochester, MN.

onarga acaDemy

Onarga AcademyAuditorium Renovation Restores Original Beauty

After years of planning and a year of renovation, Onarga Academy’s new auditorium is finally a reality. Plans for a grand opening event are now in process.

Renewing the original beauty of the 80-year-old space and making improvements to enhance each guest’s experience was quite an achievement. According to Mike Tilstra, Administrative Director, “We now have a more accommodating facility for a multitude of functions.”

The seating capacity was increased to more than 230, and comfort was improved with better quality and spaced seating. The space was made more aesthetically pleasing, with the addition of new paint, floor coverings, lighting, heating, and air conditioning. And the facility was brought up to date with state-of-the-art technological advancements that included new audio/visual equipment and automatic blinds.

Many thanks to Facilities Technician Corey Matthews for the space’s physical transformation and IT team members, Lee Regnier and James Roth, for the technological improvements.

15 | NOVEMBER 2014

1. Before the renovation.2. Construction begins.3. Renovated auditorium

with new lighting and window coverings.

4. The new art deco seats.

1

2

3

4

The newly remodeled facility is more accommodating for a multitude of functions.

Director’s Report2014 has been a year of growth and success on the Onarga Academy campus.

Onarga Academy’s staff continues to impress with solid behavior management programming across the board resulting in record lows for UIR’s /restraints in 2014 (74% reduction from 2013). Kids are actively engaged in the treatment process as well as meaningful, structured, and fun activities. • The Grand Prairie School’s Behavior

Intervention team has worked quite well with the clinical team, teachers, and aides resulting in just 4 physical restraints within the school setting since January 2014.

• Our HR department staff has also worked diligently and aggressively to fill positions, a contributing factor to the overall process to help ensure program stability.

• Onarga Academy’s training department greatly assists behavior management success through the provision of a strong staff development curriculum.

• Nursing, Vocational, Food Service, Admissions & Aftercare, Foster Parents and TCI trainers – all play an important role with therapeutic outcomes, and productively engaging youth on this campus.

• Our administrative, IT, and maintenance staff excels behind-the-scenes to develop, support, and enhance our work environment.

As we enter into the holiday season, I am thankful for our talented and dedicated team members who are committed to Strengthening Lives, Families, and Communities Through Our Cornerstone Values.

Ambassadors of Excellence

Our Ambassadors of Excellence NomineesThis past September, Nexus recognized an Ambassador of Excellence from each site. Before selecting the 2014 Ambassador of Excellence for Onarga Academy, we nominated 10 candidates for the honor. We recognize each of them here for the amazing work they do!

Congratulations to all Onarga Academy Ambassador of Excellence Nominees!

NOVEMBER 2014 | 16

Dennis WileyExecutive Director

Gerald Rieken, Counselor

Sarah Slimmer, Case Manager

Janelle Bagley, Therapist

Bill Chivers, Grand Prairie School Teacher

Mark Zinger, Therapist

Woody Cowan, Vocational Specialist

Stacy Jewell, Training Coordinator

Sandra Krekeler, Grand Prairie School Principal

Steve Greenlee, Quality Improvement Supervisor

Sarah Thomson, Counselor –Onarga Academy’s 2014 Ambassador of Excellence Award Recipient

inDian oaKs acaDemy

Indian Oaks Academy

“I want you to burn our new mission into your minds and your hearts.”

That was the challenge posed by Executive Director Mike Chavers to every staff member and youth at the close of IOA’s first-ever Mission Week. “We want to strengthen not only our youth, but their families and communities,” said Chavers. “My goal is that every member of IOA understands the significance of our mission to strengthen lives, families, and communities through our cornerstone values.”

IOA held a week-long celebration, November 10-14, to introduce the new Nexus mission statement. Monday was Program Pride Day, with each program and department donning a specific color that was reflected in program sportswear, athletic jerseys, and program décor.

Tuesday was Mission, Vision, and Purpose (MVP) Day, and new MVP Committees (replacing former Key Focus Area committees) were introduced. Over 300 cookies –decorated with the new mission statement – were passed out to staff as they visited

recruitment booths for each MVP committee. At day’s end, almost 100 people had signed up for committee service.

Wednesday, staff wore their IOA gear in honor of Spirit Day. Awards were given for the oldest gear worn (including sportswear from 15 years ago), the oldest Tool Bash T-shirt, best integration of program theme, and more.

Even though the temperatures dropped below normal, Thursday morning was the start of our Mission Walk. Each Safe Harbor School classroom walked the route around campus during what would normally be their vocational class period. Programs and classes made banners for the walk, and gave back to the community by donating winter items to local charities.

Strengthening the Mission

17 | NOVEMBER 2014

Staff in IOA blue on Program Pride Day.

The MVP theme was everywhere on Tuesday.

Staff broke out their vintage IOA shirts for Spirit Day.

The Safe Harbor School Eagle made his debut during Mission Week.

Strengthening the Mission

Director’s ReportIndian Oaks Academy and Starfish Family Homes, (the new foster care arm of Indian Oaks Academy) are teaming up for the third annual “Spirit of Starfish Giving” holiday fund raiser, Dec. 5, 4-7 p.m., at the Quality Inn, 800 N. Kinzie Ave., Bradley, IL.

Prior to joining Nexus, Starfish hosted this successful annual event as its main fund raising effort. Indian Oaks Academy Executive Director Mike Chavers said, “We are honored to add our help to this exceptional cause.”

Starfish Advisory Board Chair, SueAnn O’Connor, and event organizers have been rounding up donated items that will be distributed as Christmas gifts for every foster child in Kankakee County. “Each year, many children in our county spend Christmas day hoping for that special toy or item they’ve been wishing for all year long,” explained O’Connor. “Many generous people work hard to help us provide gifts and toys that make their holidays memorable.”

Event supporters will “purchase” a gift from donated items on display that evening. They then have the option to include a handwritten holiday card and a photo-booth photograph for the foster child who receives the gift.

Volunteers, including youth from IOA, will be on hand to wrap gifts and oversee cards and photos. The night also includes an auction of raffle items, music and entertainment, snacks, refreshments and a cash bar.

Those interested in donating a gift or auction item can contact Monique Davis at Indian Oaks Academy at (815) 802-3700.

Mission Week also included a scavenger hunt with a questionnaire that tested how well staff knew their coworkers. Questions ranged from what three areas the MVP committees will focus on, to which staff member tried out for Jeopardy and met Alex Trebec!

The week wrapped up with a pep rally on Friday, where awards were given for the Mission Week competitions, and staff and kids entertained the audience.

NOVEMBER 2014 | 18

Mike ChaversExecutive Director

Youth made great Mission Week banners.

The Mission Walk:< Mission Week committee

members ready the registration table.

^ Below-normal temperatures didn’t dampen spirits at the Mission Walk.

Teachers Peggy Michalik, Scott Moore, and Juli Smith accompanied

their class on the walk. >

WooDBourne center

Woodbourne CenterRedefining Masculinity

“I ask you: How do you define your masculinity?”

So began the speech of former NFL coach Joe Ehrmann to the young men at Woodbourne. Ehrmann, former Baltimore Colts

coach and player, joined Woodbourne’s campus to celebrate Cornerstone Values Day.

Ehrmann played professional football for thirteen years, and was once named Colts Man of the Year. Most recently, he is featured in a video against domestic abuse that serves as required viewing for the NFL, and he also works with many NFL teams to educate them about such issues.

Ehrmann has founded two nonprofits with his wife, Paula: The Door, and Building Men and Women for Others. Building Men and Women for Others challenges ideas of masculinity and femininity, and works to redefine the roles of sports, coaches, parents, and athletes.

“24/7 we’re sent all kinds of misinformation on what it means to be a man and about our own value and worth,” said Ehrmann to the young men. He discussed what he called the fundamental lies of masculinity.

The lies, he said, are that one’s size, strength and athletic ability are related to being a man;

and that one’s masculinity relies on sexual conquest and financial success. “The lies of masculinity create a world of domestic violence and substance abuse.”

Ehrmann also said that men are socially influenced not to express themselves, which leads to more unhealthy behavior, like dependency on alcohol and violence. “The challenge for every man is to make sure your heart is related to your head,” he said. Ehrmann inspired the young men to figure out their own masculinity, and told them they are more than what has happened to them.

“None of us are hardwired; we can rewire ourselves every time we make a self-determination.”

Ehrmann described how the fundamental lies, and the lack of ability for men to express themselves, create a culture of shame. Men don’t feel bad necessarily for what they have done, but for who they are.

He offered up a new measurement for standards of masculinity: “I think masculinity first and foremost has to be defined by your heart – the capacity to love – and for relationships,” he said. “The second measure of masculinity is commitment to a cause.”

Ehrmann encouraged the young men at Woodbourne to mine their negative experiences for purpose. “Whatever life has dealt you, you can find meaning in it...and add value for other people.”

19 | NOVEMBER 2014

Guest speaker Joe Ehrmann and Woodbourne Case Manager Erika Johnson.

Inspiring Campus

Director’s ReportIt’s been a whirlwind of activity here at Woodbourne Center. There have been changes at every level within our leadership team throughout the year; however, we have skilled staff members that are up to the challenge of meeting the needs of the kids we serve. I firmly believe our staff will also successfully integrate families and the community further into our work.

Some recent happenings and future endeavors:• We welcomed Nexus Board members to our

campus in October. They toured the facility, met with leadership, and enjoyed the first performance from our Drama Club.

• Our Treatment Foster Care program was recently asked by the state to accept families to meet their needs for emergency placement options. Our reputation of doing excellent work with our families put us in the position to receive this opportunity. We will receive 10 families; each family will have a minimum of one child.

• We’ve formed a partnership with Morgan State University to provide community health resources for our youth in Treatment Foster Care, and possibly for the kids that we discharge. This partnership also provides an opportunity for some of our youth to get work experience with the university.

• We are in the process of closing our 90-day Children’s Diagnostic Treatment Center (CDTC) program. However, we look forward to the opportunities that this will bring. Our team is working hard to develop options for that space that will serve both our agency and the community as a whole. We are pursuing multiple exciting options that will provide us an opportunity to progress and expand what we do here at Woodbourne Center. I will keep you posted!

Drama ClubLast month, Woodbourne Center saw the inception of a Drama Club on campus, led by Unit Coordinator and experienced actor, Curtis D. McNeil, Jr. The Drama Club held a staged reading of their first piece, entitled Indigenous Minds. McNeil arranged the story and directed the piece.

The subject matter of Indigenous Minds did not shy away from difficult subjects. The play covered poverty, addiction, and struggling families, but ended on a positive note.

Indigenous Minds was a melding of different forms of media; the show combined original poetry, monologues from movies and films, and well-known rap, rock, and alternative music. Both staff members and students participated in the performance. All of the original content was poetry written by one Woodbourne Center youth. McNeil expects the next performance to be held around Christmas.

Welcome, Walt!We are happy to welcome Walt McCullough as Woodbourne Center’s new Business Office Manager.

Walt has nineteen years of experience in the management/finance/accounting fields, and holds an MBA and an undergraduate degree in Accounting.

Walt hails from Edgewood, MD. Before making his way back to the area, he lived and held executive-level positions in Tennessee and Alabama.

NOVEMBER 2014 | 20

Tony WilsonInterim Executive

Director

Kindred Family FocusNational Adoption Month

Children of all ages need permanent, stable, loving families. To focus public attention on that need, National Adoption Month is sponsored every November by the Children’s Bureau, in partnership with AdoptUSKids and Child Welfare Information Gateway.

According to the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), 539 Minnesota children were adopted from the foster care system in 2013. However, more than 100,000 youth in the U.S. foster care system still await permanent families.

By the Numbers – MinnesotaIn Minnesota, as of September 1, 2014, there were • 804 children under state guardianship; • 513 kids in need of immediate adoptive

families; • 291 children in pre-adoptive families,

most with relative or foster parents who planned to adopt them; and

• 7 kids in long-term care by a court order.

The focus of this year’s National Adoption Month was “Promoting and Supporting Sibling Connections,” which highlighted the importance of sibling bonds for children’s development and emotional well-being.

Sibling connections are a “unique bond that is the longest relationship most people have – longer than a parent-child or spousal relationship,” says the Children’s Bureau. “Some research suggests that children and youth in foster care experience better outcomes when placed with their siblings, and that sibling relationships may promote resilience under adverse conditions.”

According to AdoptUSKids, agencies may use the term “sibling” as a “broad definition to embrace the traditions, faith affiliations, and unique family structures of various cultures and extended families. Therefore, ‘sibling’ can include those who share a birth parent or legal parent, step-parent and/or others who have lived together in a family and identify themselves as siblings.”

“Of the 513 children [in Minnesota] waiting for adoption, 61% of these children are siblings who need to be adopted together….Most have been traumatized during their critical developmental years. Many will need additional educational, medical, or psychological help as they grow toward maturity,” says Minnesota DHS.

“When children experience parental losses, neglect and abuse, they depend on one another to survive,” says AdoptUSKids. “In the absence of reliable parental care, children turn to siblings for support, leading to strong sibling bonds.” It goes on to say that siblings placed together helps alleviate the impact of separation and loss; having this connection offers continuity, support, and a sense of safety and security for children.

With the importance of sibling bonds in mind, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 requires states to make reasonable efforts to place siblings in the same foster home, kinship guardianship, or adoptive placement and to provide for frequent visits or other ongoing interaction between siblings who are not placed together. Yet, many states struggle to recruit families that are able to parent sibling

KinDreD Family Focus

21 | NOVEMBER 2014

National Adoption Month

Director’s ReportKFF is busy managing our current work volume and developing program strategies for growth.

Mission 21, our community partner that provides resources to child victims of sex trafficking, placed its first youth in our foster care program. In this partnership, KFF manages the foster care; Mission 21 provides community support to youth and peer groups, issues specific consultation, and promotes our work. I see this relationship evolving into community mental health supports, both for youth in our care and those placed in the community; southeastern MN counties show strong interest in these programs. Together, we held a foster home recruitment effort to find homes for this population.

Much is happening with our CTSS Certification and the credentialing with private insurance companies, so KFF is/will be able to provide skills/therapy to clients throughout MN. Our intent is to have mental health support services available to as many clients as possible; we recently started services in St. Cloud. We hope to bridge the service gap by providing support to foster youth and family upon discharge, offering post-adoption support, and reaching community families in rural areas where services are limited. This program is integral to both the Bridging and In-home Behavioral Supports models being developed with Dakota County. We are looking to fill more positions in the Mankato, Rochester, and Austin areas.

Our Monticello office has moved to a different suite, from #101 to #107, which allows us to consolidate all Family Focus accounting records with KFF. The Metro office is settled into their new office and recently sponsored both an open house and a lunch and learn on “Placement Stability for Foster/Adoptive Youth: What parents might expect and how professionals can support” by Jae Ran Kim of the University of Minnesota. Thirty people attended the presentation, and plans are in the works for another.

Our adoption growth is beyond expectation. With the new grant period, KFF has designated adoption workers who are oriented to the work and are actively engaged. Having a statewide presence allows us to provide service when other agencies are unable, given the distance.

Needless to say, these are exciting times for Kindred!

groups, and many children adopted from foster care are separated from their siblings every year.

As November passes, we continue to promote the goals of National Adoption Month, create awareness of the need for adoption for the children and sibling groups awaiting families, and celebrate the families involved in adoption. It is our job to encourage our communities to secure safety, permanency, and well-being for these children.

4th Annual Timber Dash

On the morning of October 4, more than 300 runners, walkers, and spectators assembled in the autumnal splendor of Lake Maria State Park for Kindred Family Focus’ annual Timber Dash 5k. Luckily, the runners were greeted with a bright and clear fall morning.

The Timber Dash raises funds for the Crisis Nursery Serving Wright County. With big thanks to our sponsors, donors, vendors, participants, and volunteers, this year’s Timber Dash raised more than $8,000 for the Crisis Nursery!

A special thanks to the staff at Lake Maria State Park for helping us with this event. Save the date for the fifth Annual Timber Dash – October 3, 2015. We hope to see you there!

NOVEMBER 2014 | 22

George HendricksonExecutive Director

Have an idea for a story? Contact Nancy Baldrica, Cornerstone editor nbaldrica@nexustreatment.org763-551-8671

Nexus: Strengthening Lives, Families, and Communities Through Our Cornerstone Values

Nexus is a national, nonprofit organization that helps youth rehabilitate and reintegrate through a continuum of diversified services from residential to in-home counseling.

Nexus offers residential treatment programs, group home living programs, transitional living programs, treatment foster care, inpatient acute psychiatric care, in-home counseling services, alternative to residential

treatment services, adoption, referrals to other treatment providers, and ongoing support to youth in our care.

The Nexus Family of Treatment Programs is a group of programsoffering diverse programs and services for children and families that is operated by Nexus, a Minnesota nonprofit corporation and its subsidiaries: Gerard Treatment Programs, LLC. While these programs are operated by separate and

distinct legal entities, they share an underlying adherence to the Nexus Cornerstone Values and Guiding Principles and enjoy the efficiency and economy of coordinated management functions.

Nexus locations include Mille Lacs Academy, Gerard Academy, Onarga Academy, Indian Oaks Academy, Woodbourne Center, and Kindred Family Focus.

Cornerstone is published bi-monthly by Nexus. All articles are copyrighted by Nexus. Reproduction of any part of this publication is prohibited without written consent.

Editor: Nancy Baldrica 505 Highway 169 North, Suite 500 Plymouth, MN 55441-6447

Corporate: 763-551-8640 Editor: 763-551-8671 nbaldrica@nexustreatment.org www.nexustreatment.org

www.nexustreatment.orgLike “Nexus: A Family of Treatment Programs” on Facebook and LinkedIn to get updates!