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CCU U I UCUS Volume 16
Number 6
2003 Annual Excellence Award Winner Announced
by Cheryl Nelson, PW Administrator
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May 18th - May 24th was National Public Works Week. During National Public Works Week each year, the Public
Works Department announces the winner(s) of the Annual Excellence Award.
I am pleased to announce that the 2003 award winner is Roxan Noble. Roxan is the Secretary at the Ithaca- Tompkins
Regional Airport. Roxan was recognized for her contributions not only to the Airport, but also to the Public Works
Department. She exemplifies the words "team player" in every sense. Her wit, patience, abilities, desires to help others,
and cheerful attitude toward her work and her life are an inspiration to all that meet her.
Roxan, while not working at the Airport, is very involved with her family (especially husband Kevin, and daughter
Britney), her friends, and her community. And, if that wasn't enough, she also is working on her degree in Business
Administration from TC3, and was recently inducted into the honor society there. In her "spare time," she and Kevin
enjoy cruising on their motorcycle.
Congratulations, Roxan!
REPORT
F1
FROM
THE COUNTY
ADMINISTRATOR
By Stephen Whicher
THERE WHEN YOU NEED THEM
It was a great afternoon and I had managed to take part of the day off due to a doctor's appointment that went
unusually promptly. The weather was great — clear skies, low humidity, and cool. One of those perfect Upstate New York
spring days.
Inspired by the weather, I decided to begin the arduous task of replacing the flagstone walk to my front door. Fifteen
minutes into the task I began to recognize that the job had been a lot easier ten year ago. A short while later, my
neighbor walked down the drive calling for "Finn." One of their many dogs, I presumed. When she came closer it was
apparent that she was very distressed. She asked if I had seen Finn and explained that she had only taken her eye off
him for a few minutes. In a very casual manner I stated something to the effect that one or more of the dogs often
wandered over to my place and that she should not worry since they always come back on their own. She looked at me
in astonishment and exclaimed "Finn is my son."
We live in a rural area of the County, surrounded by hundreds of acres of woods, ponds, swamps, and miles of paths — a
beautiful area, if you are not missing a twenty-two month old son. For the next half hour, my neighbor, her husband,
and I searched. We began our search close to the house and slowly expanded outward including a dreaded walk through
the swamp and around the pond. The boy's father even ran a mile or so off the path into the woods. We were sure that
we had searched thoroughly as far as a small boy could wander. It was time to call 911.
A very reassuring voice on the other end told me that help would soon be on the way. The State Police were the first to
respond, followed shortly by several Deputy Sheriffs. A few moments later Undersheriff Randy Haus arrived and assumed
the coordination role. His calm and reassuring leadership was a good counterpoint to our increasing anxiety. As many
more police began to arrive, Randy explained that a missing child calls for an all -out response. It soon became apparent
that the task of searching possibly hundreds of acres was going to require more people, and the call went out for fire
department and search and rescue assistance. Soon the were literally a hundred or more friends, neighbors, and
emergency responders from all over the County searching the woods. Four -wheel drive all- terrain vehicles soon appeared
and the State Police brought in a helicopter.
Three hours into the search with light beginning to wane, I began to fear the worst. Hope was rekindled when a small
boot was found on a remote path deep in the woods. Not long after, a neighbor who had decided to search a path
beyond the search area discovered Finn. Soon the radios were crackling with the news that Rnn was cold and a bit
frightened, but otherwise fine.
When I managed to make my way back to the road where the command post had been set up, I was struck again by the
overwhelming response that our professionals and volunteer emergency responders had mustered. It is wonderful to
know that these fine people will be there when you most need them. When I managed to get a moment of Randy's time
to thank him, he summed up the effort succinctly, " It is nice when it turns out well."
Many of us waited for the ambulance to return from picking Finn up from the other side of the hill. After a round of
applause when the reunited parents and son emerged, everyone packed up their equipment and headed down the hill.
Soon all was quiet again. Only the tire marks on the soft shoulders attested to the response brought by a call for help to
find a small boy lost in the woods.
2
Meegan S. Teeter and S
stands for See ya!
Well, it is sad, but in less than a week I will be no longer employed
with Tompkins County. In shortly less than the three years that I
have been employed in the Purchasing Department I have been
act pregnant and on maternity leave twice. My other unofficial title
has been the "Fashion Coordinator of the 2 floor, Old Jail" — and
my favorite hobby has always been (and will continue to be) —
: ~ ti giving everyone I love a hard time and some I don't love! After I
leave, I will be staying home with my family (and looking for
d employment in Cortland County), but I will indubitably be busy
■ raising my 2 children (My daughter Jordan is 18 mos. and my son
Jacob is 7 mos. - see I told you I was busy) and spending my "free
time" settling into a new home in Cortland County where my
• significant other, Jamie, is a Cortland County Corrections Officer.
I will miss the WW Club on Thursdays and Viva! on Fridays . I
will also miss all of the great people I have worked with and I
know that I will keep in touch with many of you — some
friendships I have made will be life lasting. Thank you and
Goodbye.
Coming
DOG DAZE of Summer! Soon: 'Around the County
Send pictures of your - A profile of a County employee
pets to the County each month
Corridors Editorial Board.
Pics will appear in August Each month County Corridors will feature a
issue!! profile of an employee along with his or her
picture. Do you know of someone who
stands out because of the quality of their
O work, has an interesting personality, is able
to handle difficult situations in a unique
LS Q k� manner, has an exciting hobby, or is
amazingly kind to others? These are only a
l I, few reasons you may wish to profile someone
you know.
If you know of a County employee who you'd
WANTED: like to profile, please submit the form on
the next page to County Corridors, c/o
Interesting summer vacation Michelle Pottorff, TC Legislature. If you
articles!! Take lots of have any questions, contact Linnett Warner
pictures and send to County at 273-6632.
Corridors!
3
What's New at the County Youth Bureau
Submitted by Kris Bennett, County Youth Services Dept.
For one thing, our name! When the County Legislature voted to change its name as part of
revisions to the County Charter, our name changed, also. We became the Tompkins County Department
of Youth Services, or County Youth Services for short. The change should help reduce confusion
between us and the Ithaca Youth Bureau, located at Stewart Park.
While our name has changed we are still committed to promoting the healthy development of all
Tompkins County youth, ages 0 - 20, into caring and competent adults. We work in partnership with
state and local governments, schools, private agencies and community volunteers to create and support a
comprehensive system of programs and services for youth. Some programs help youth learn how to find
and keep jobs or build social skills. Some help reduce risk behavior that might otherwise lead to costly
foster care or a PINS petition. Others work with youth facing risk or danger because of homelessness,
pregnancy, school failure or other barriers to self- sufficiency. In 2002:
• 2,053 youth were served in 14 programs operated by agencies supported by State and
County funding from County Youth Services. Nancy Zook monitors the work of programs like the
Ithaca Youth Bureau's Big Brother Big Sister Program, the Learning Web's Youth Outreach
Program for homeless and transient youth and the Day Care Council's Teen Pregnancy /Parenting
Program.
• 3,527 youth participated in programs that were offered locally by municipalities. Janice
Johnson and Karen Coleman work with local community groups that plan and fund youth programs
for those least likely to be in school or sports programs. (Program examples: Dryden Youth
Services' Primitive Pursuits Program, Trumansburg/ Ulysses' Big Friend /Little Friend, Caroline's
Youth Craft Market)
• 4,004 youth participated in Recreation Partnership Programs. Ten municipalities and the
County belong to the Partnership. By sharing costs, broader access to a wider variety of services
can be offered than any single municipality could offer on its own. (Examples: Kiwanis Baseball,
Cass and Stewart Park Camps, Totspot)
• Summer Camp Guide - In addition to managing our office, our contracts and our budget,
Theresa Albert compiled the annual Summer Camp Guide which can be seen at our newly updated
website.
• Planning - Kris Bennett and Nancy Zahler guided our needs assessment for 2004 -06. We
conducted 6 community forums in various parts of the County to gather local residents' feedback
on the strengths of local youth and communities and the challenges confronting them for the
future. (See our website for some of what we learned:)
• Coordination - We worked with over a dozen planning groups to address emerging issues and
collaborate on solutions. (Examples: Coordinator, Runaway and Homeless Youth Network,
Coordinator, Community Drug Task Force, Co- chair, Youth Employment Council)
If you would like to learn more about youth services in Tompkins County, please contact us at
274 -5310 or visit us at www.tompkins- co.orq /youth .
4
Employee Profile Form
Name of Employee: Submitted by:
Department of Employee: Years of Service:
Job Title of Employee:
Brief Job Summary:
Personal Interests / Hobbies / Family:
Additional Information:
Place photo
of employee
here.
5
Foster Parent Recognition
by Shelia Chace, Supervisor, Social Services Homefinding & Adoption Unit
Imagine a world in which the concept of "family" is turned on its head, a world in which you are forced to pack your few belongings
and move to a new home and a new family. Most of the time you are not making the move with your brothers and sisters who are
being placed in other foster homes. And imagine for a moment that you are the new family taking in a child who is confused, rootless
and likely angry. Very little imagination is required if you are one of the 556,000 children in foster care in the U.S. or one of the foster
families who open their hearts and homes to children in desperate need of stability.
May is designated National Foster Care Month — a time when the spotlight shines on the children and teens, the foster families and the
dedicated child welfare professionals who make foster care work. The foster care "system" is only as good as the people who choose
to be a part of it. As more Americans begin to feel responsible for children who are in foster care and their families, the system will
become better and better.
There are countless opportunities for you to make a difference in the lives of the children in foster care here in Tompkins County.
There are also countless reasons people /families avoid thinking about becoming foster parents /families. But new foster families are
desperately needed. Every jurisdiction in the nation is suffering from a shortage of foster families. More and more children need you
to care about them and their families.
Children in foster care feel more secure and are likely to do better in school when they are able to stay in the same community where
they are growing up. The simple truth is that the more qualified foster parents there are in the U.S., the easier it will be to ensure that
children can remain in their own neighborhoods and schools and to keep siblings together in foster care. Make your own
neighborhood a welcoming place for kids in foster care — call us to find out how you can help.
Being a foster parent is not the only way to have an impact on the life of a child in foster care. You can be a mentor through any one
of several agencies, or support foster youth in college and vocational school. You can offer a teenager job training or a job, a place to
stay, a computer or mentoring. You could contact the Village at Ithaca project. This is a group of folks dedicated to helping young
people become healthy adults. Get involved: No foster child should lose relationships in the community in addition to being removed
from the home.
When was the last time you read a positive story about a child in foster care who was succeeding in school or in life? When was the
last time you read a profile about a foster family opening its doors and hearts to children who desperately needed them? And when
was the last time you read about a family successfully getting their children back, because of the hard work and care of a foster family.
National Foster Care Month honors the more than half a million children and youth in the U.S. foster care system and the hundreds of
thousands of foster parents who care for them.
Take a few minutes to call the Homefinding /Adoption unit to see what you can do. Consider sending some thank you cards, coupons
for free pizzas, or new toys to the agency for distribution to foster families and the children they care for. Recently we received a
donation of handmade quilts for infants entering foster care. Take a few minutes to learn more about the foster care system at any of
the following websites: www.ocfs. state .ny.us, www.casey.org /cnc, www. cwla. org, www.nfpainc. org, nysccc.org, and
www.fostercareinfo.org.
Urge our local media to tell the whole story of foster care in our community. For every story about a child in foster care whose life
ends in tragedy, there are thousands of stories of children being raised in loving, nurturing foster homes. Demand to hear those stories
too.
As part of National Foster Care Month, Social Services honors foster parents (some of which are your fellow County employees) with
a recognition dinner and requests donations from the community to fund the annual event. This year's dinner was held on May 30th at
the Clarion University Hotel. Many foster parents were recognized for years of service at the event. Roger Sibley of the Franziska
Racker Centers was guest speaker. There was good food, good conversation and most importantly, recognition of the vital service
these families provide to our community.
Help us change the perception that children in foster care are the responsibility of someone else. They are our children; their well-
being is dependent on the willingness of our entire community to care for and about them. Together we can help make a difference.
Tompkins County Homefinding /Adoption Unit
Judy Voorheis 274 -5266
Tim Stephenson 274 -5615 '41,
Nalani McKenna 274 -5285 •
Shelia Chace, Supervisor 274 -5259
r,:10 Y °°'h °tiS ° Tompkins County Social Services recognizes the following
businesses, employers and community members who generously
If Tha , f ,' + • donated funds, gifts or their time for the annual Foster Parent
" Rec
nk you to everyone involved in recognizing and supporting
the dedi cation nition. of these families who open their hearts and homes
4 to children and families in times of need.
May is National Foster Care Montt
Advanced Dental Technology Ithaca Police Benevolent Association
Affiliated Psychological Consultants Ithaca Ramada Inn Airport
Alternatives Federal Credit Union Ithaca Stove Works
Baker Travel, Inc. Town of Ithaca
Bill Cooke, Inc. Kimball Real Estate
BorgWarner Charles H. Kring, DDS
Cayuga Medical Center Lansing Residential Center
CFCU Community Credit Union Liberty Resources
Citizens Concerned for Children Ludgate Produce Farms
Clarion University Hotel Mental Health Clinic
CSEA Local 855 Merrill Lynch
Dispositional Alternatives Program Andrea J. Mooney, Law Guardian
Crystal sDay Spa Orthodontic Associates
Catherine Diana, MSLO Orthopedic Surgery & Sports Medicine
Dryden Family Medicine P &C Foods, Cayuga Mall
Eagle Envelope Company Patten sJewelers, Inc.
Ehrhart Propane Gas Dr. Francis T. Piliero
Cynthia Elberty, DDS Dr. Joseph Piskorowski
F &T Distributing Company, Inc. Pleasant Valley Electric
Family & Children sServices Salvation Army of Ithaca
James W. Fey, DMD, PC Southside Community Center
First National Bank of Groton Staples Office Supply
Fontana. sShoe Sales & Repair State Farm Insurance -David Mooney
Forest City Lodge #180-IBPOE of W State Farm Insurance -Lee Newhart
Fraternal Order of Eagles Target
George Junior Republic Time Warner Cable
Glove House, Inc. Tompkins County Legislature & Admin.
Greenstar Cooperative Market Trumansburg Central Schools
Stephen O. Hand, DMD Unity House
Holton sPharmacy Valley Manor LL G- Jim & Patricia Ray
HS BC of Ithaca Wegmans Food & Pharmacy
Ithaca Agway William Downing Associates
IACC Day Care Willow Run Foods
Ithaca Community Childcare Center
Community support and involvement makes a big difference! ,SV
For information about foster care in Tompkins County, call (607) 274 -5266. There are many ways
you can support youth in foster care in addition to foster parenting, to learn more, visit www.fostercareinfo.org
CLASSIFIEDS I Welcome Back:
I • Paula Herman and Loretta Bernal, Legal Unit,
For Sale: 1 Children's Services, DSS
For sale: GE electric stove, very good condition. $60. Call 1 898-9992. ` I Congratulations:
For sale: 2 Girl's 20" Bikes. New, 2 were ridden once, 1 • JoAnn Hardin and Amy Chaffee on their
never. All have coaster brakes, no hand brakes. Single speed & promotion to Supervisors, Children's Services, DSS
jazzy girl colors. Recommended for ages 6 -12 and can be used Geri Lockwood, Highway, on the birth of her
• with training wheels. Asking $20 ea. Contact Russ — 607 -275-
0321 granddaughter, Cheyanne Rosalee Hunt on May 25,
WANTED: Do you have one or more phones (corded or 2003, weighing 5 lbs., 5 ozs. Parents are Nicole and
cordless) that you no longer need? Also, wires that connect Bob Hunt.
the phones to the wall outlets along with the phones would
also be appreciated. Adult Protective Services can use them for
their clients. Contact Louise Tomei at DSS - 274 -5275. (No CLASSIFIEDS
cell phones please). Classified ads up to 25 words in length are free to County
Servi employees, retirees and their immediate families. Ads may
ces: be for any purpose, however personal ads will not be
Tioga Technical - Don't kill your computer! Let me help with accepted. No County addresses or telephone numbers may
troubleshooting, training, upgrades - whatever it takes to get be listed in your ad, however, we do need your full name
you and your computer working together again. Call James and County telephone number submitted with the ad in
Keegan at 273 -7957 evenings or weekends. case there are questions. Submit your ad to County
Corridors c/o Michelle Pottorff, Tompkins County
Tense? Stressed? Achy? Therapeutic Massage can put Legislature, Courthouse, Ithaca, NY 14850 via US or
relaxation and comfort back into your life. For an appointment interdepartmental mail or e to: mpottorff@tompkins-
or information call Richard Reed at 753 - 6383. co. org
Kinetic Performance — Custom racing carburetors parts, and NOTE:
racing fabrication. Call Dayton or Margo Umholtz at 277 If you would like to modify your classified or want to
6462 evenings /wknds or email KineticPerformance @theDirt run it again, you must re submit it!
forum .com or visit our website: www.KineticPerformance.net
DEADLINE: 1 TUESDAY OF THE MONTH
French Tutor — Call Sarah at 257 -3047. Please leave a Articles to be considered for the July 24 issue, must be
message. received by noon on Tuesday, June 1S Submit articles via
Goosa Arts - See our beautiful and affordable traditional e-mail as an attachment or on disk in any file format that is
Russian arts: nesting dolls, eggs, jewelry boxes, amber, etc. readable by Word for Windows '95. Send disk and hard copy
Alisa Mengel, 277 -2917, hours by appointment, 120 Linn St. to County Corridors c/o Michelle Pottorff, Tompkins
County Legislature, Courthouse, Ithaca, NY 14850. Please
include a contact number in case questions arise.
Welcome:
COUNTY CORRIDORS
• Crystal Buck, Planner, Tompkins County Planning Articles and opinion pieces for County Corridors are
Department, who began employment on May 12. selected by the Editorial Board based on their interest to
• Carrie Havey, Summer Intern for the Planning Tompkins County employees and retirees. They do not
Department. necessarily express the opinions of the Editorial Board.
• Jennifer Browne, Sr. Caseworker, Children's Material is solicited from current employees, retirees and
Services, DSS others. The Editorial Board reserves the right to edit
• Shannon Tiffany, Caseworker, Children's Services, submissions, except in the instance of copyright materials.
DSS EDITORIAL BOARD
• Todd Husick, Sr. Caseworker, CPS, Children's
Services, DSS Michelle Pottorff (Editor) TC Legislature
Iretta Ellis (Chair) Information Technology Services
• Joan Bertam, Family Worker, Children's Services, Liz Croop Department of Mental Health
DSS Katy Prince Health Department
• Dana Dexter, Carpenter, Facilities Division Linnett Warner Solid Waste Division
Geri Lockwood Highway
6