Residential Care: Camp Grandma

 This year the Residential house got to experience something new this summer. We got to participate in “Camp Grandma”. As Yvonne Duff was researching activities for the summer, she came across this blog about these grandmas that would get their grandchildren one week for the summer. So they decided to all come together and do exciting and fun things the whole week.
So guess what? We decided to have our own Camp Grandma for the residents. For the most part, it was a mystery for them. One resident even thought that we were going down to southern Indiana to the actual Camp Grandma campgrounds. This caused a little hesitation, but as bits and pieces were told the excitement began to rise.

On Tuesday the day started off with a breakfast to get everyone moving. Then came the camp crafts, such as the birdhouses that each one built and custom painted. After we had lunch and loaded the vehicles, we were off to the great outdoors. Once we made it to our destination the team work and fun began. Everything was unloaded, with the residents joining in to set up the tents. They did an amazing job and got them set up quite quickly. Then it was time for what the excitement was building for: FISHING! From that moment up until it down-poured, everyone was having the time of their life. Yes, from 5:00 pm to 12:30 am the residents had a ball fishing! It was even said by one that it was the best time they’d had since being with us. At 5:00 am they were up and back at it again. It was so nice to see how they would cheer each other on when a fish, or turtle was caught. And how they didn’t hesitate to help each other take the fish off or if one had an issue with their pole, how they would jump in to help. Even though there were lots of activities planned for that evening, fishing trumped them all. We did set under the awning for a couple hours after the rain started and ate snacks, played a mystery game and just talked. They did get a couple hours sleep.

After fishing Wednesday morning we packed up and ate brunch at the house. Then it was off to get ice cream at Wilshire, and then to the pool. Camp ended Thursday afternoon with visiting a goat farm. Over 40 goats. They got to feed and even hold the little ones. Also, learning how to gather chicken eggs and even tried to catch a chicken. Well, let’s say they tried. And then once again, ice cream.

Even though we only had camp for 3 days, it was a full and eventful 3 days. The residents were so tired by the end. It takes everyone to make something like this happen. And we have a great team of staff that pulled this off. Thank you to each and every one of you! It truly was worth the work, can’t wait for Camp next year!

2026 Residential Care Kings Island Trip

The annual Youth Service Bureau trip to Kings Island was a blast! Once we arrived, we let the kids take the lead, with due guidance from veteran Kings Island goers like myself. We spent most of the morning bouncing between rides, taking pictures, and watching their confidence grow as they worked up the courage to try new attractions. Seeing their faces light up after each ride was easily the best part of the day.

We made sure to slow down occasionally, grabbing lunch together and finding a shady spot to rest. Those quieter moments ended up being just as memorable as the rides. It gave us a chance to laugh about funny moments from the morning and plan the rest of the day. By the afternoon, everyone was tired but still determined to ride as many of the rides as possible. The kids’ energy somehow held out longer than ours, but we managed to keep up. From the moment we arrived, we kept moving and made the most of our time, which gave everyone a chance to experience their favorites and try a few new ones along the way.

As the park came to a close, we hopped on a few more last-minute rides. The kids were exhausted but still talking about their favorite rides and moments from the day. The walk back to the car was much quieter than the excitement-filled trip in, with everyone feeling the effects of a full day of fun!

8th Annual Touch the Truck!

The Healthy Families staff proudly represented the Youth Service Bureau at the 8th Annual Touch the Truck event in Randolph County on April 11. The community was welcomed by beautiful weather, and more than 300 attendees throughout the day.

Healthy Families hosted a ball‑toss game for children, offering fun summer‑themed prizes such as goggles, floaties, and water toys. Staff also distributed cups – from a previous donation to the YSB – filled with candy and informational materials about the Healthy Families program.

Throughout the event, staff engaged in one‑on‑one conversations with families, sharing details about the program and the many benefits it provides. Overall, it was a successful and enjoyable day, offering a valuable opportunity to connect with the community and promote the impact of the Healthy Families program.

Healthy Families Christmas Parties

This holiday season, Healthy Families was excited to host a festive Christmas party that brought together families, laughter, and plenty of holiday cheer. With around 40 people in attendance, the event was a wonderful way to have everyone come together.

Families were welcomed with pizza, giving everyone a chance to relax and enjoy a meal. The kids were quickly distracted by all the fun activities waiting for them. Cookie decorating was a big hit, as children proudly designed their own sweet holiday treats. Another favorite activity was Christmas tree picture decorating, where kids could show off their artistic skills and take home a festive keepsake. There was also a snow ball toss game where kids tried their luck to win a candy prize. Everyone had a great time together as their children explored and played with one another.

To make the celebration even more special, Healthy Families was honored to give out Christmas baskets to families. These baskets were a small way to share holiday support and spread warmth and kindness throughout our community.

Healthy Families works towards connecting families with resources to help them continue to thrive and grow. We hope these events help our families find each other and find support within their community.

We are so grateful to everyone who attended and helped make this event memorable. We look forward to continuing to support and celebrate our families in the year ahead.

Supervised Visitation Facility – Grand Opening & Open House

A little over 2 years ago the Youth Service Bureau of Jay County, Inc. (YSB) was fortunate to have the opportunity to apply for funding through the Strengthening Youth Programs in Indiana initiative, a Lilly Endowment project. The YSB was selected to receive 100% of the funding that was requested which included funds to help with employee retention and recruitment, basketball court improvements at our Residential Facility, a new van for the Residential Program, a camera system for security and safety, and the creation of our Supervised Visitation Facility.

I am thrilled to announce our Supervised Visitation Facility is finished and ready to start serving our clients! We will be having an open house to celebrate the opening on September 18, 2025 from 12 pm to 5 pm, including a special ribbon cutting ceremony at 1:30 pm. The address for this event is 603 West Arch Street Portland, Indiana which is our main office. Please enter the event through the east doors of the main office. There will be food and refreshments available.

The creation of the Supervised Visitation Facility came about because of the need for safe, private, and adequate space for supervised visitations. Through our community based contract with the Department of Child Services (DCS) we provide a lot of supervised visitations. Many of these are conducted in the community, which while not ideal, is our only option many times. Community locations are often public places like parks and libraries. These spaces are typically great spaces, but do not provide the privacy that families need for these types of visits. Sometimes, conversations must be had in these visits that could be embarrassing to parents if done in public. Sometimes, there are safety concerns around the location. For example; a park close to a busy street where a young child could run into the street or a public space where someone could show up who has been court ordered not to.

Our new facility provides clients with a safe space as the yard is completely fenced in with a 6 foot high privacy fence. This not only provides the much needed privacy for the client, but also keeps the little children contained within the area while keeping any unwanted visitors out. The supervised visit building provides the same opportunity, but for the entire year. Going to the park is an option in the warm months, but when the weather is bad inside places where kids can run around and be kids during a visit is very limited and with no privacy. Our building provides ample space for kids to run around and play during a visit any time of the year.

The outside space consists of a play set with 3 slides and a climbing wall, swings, balance beams, a climbing turtle, a merry-go-around, a small sandbox, picnic tables, a basketball court, and a walking path. Our inside space includes a comfortable seating area, a basic kitchen area, a basketball goal, toys, and a large wide open area to run and play.

We would like to thank Muhlenkamp Construction, Hatzell Bros. Standing Seam Solutions, Moeller Door and Window, Denny’s Door Company, Fullenkamp Drywall, Bryan Sutton Painting, D & D Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning, Wabash Electric, Gabbard Fencing, KBL, and Serendipity Play Systems for helping to make this dream come to life.

We also want to give a very special thanks to the Lilly Endowment for creating this forward thinking, highly needed, initiative to help improve the lives of our youth!

Please stop by on the 18th of September to see the facility in person and let us tell you more about the work we are doing here at the YSB.

View Project Timelapse

Play Video

View Open House Flyer

YSB’s Sidewalk Project Complete!

We are very excited at the YSB for our fresh new sidewalks and our cross walk!

We would like to thank Matt Shauver and the Portland Street Department for their excellent work on repairing our sidewalks. For anyone with a sidewalk in dis-repair I would highly recommend reaching out to the street department and getting on their list for sidewalk repair. It is a great deal for the community as the city covers the labor expense and the property owner only has to pay for materials! Feel free to drive down West Arch Street and check out their work if you are on the fence about moving forward with a sidewalk project. I don’t think you will be disappointed!

We would also like to thank Matt and the Portland City Council for assisting us in putting in a cross walk. This cross-walk runs from our parking lot to the main entrance of our office at 603 West Arch Street. At the YSB we have a number of clients with younger children and having a cross walk at this location creates a much safer space for them to get to our office.

Photo Gallery

YSB Sidewalk – 1/3
YSB Sidewalk – 2/3
YSB Sidewalk – 3/3

Parking Lot Project Complete!

This project has been some time coming! I cannot adequately express how thrilled we are to finally have a nicer-looking and much safer parking area for our employees, clients, and visitors!

Part of the land that made up the existing parking lot belonged to Brenda Westbrook. With some help from Josh Atkinson, we were able to confirm that Brenda lives in Alaska and find contact information for her. I wrote Brenda a letter explaining what the YSB is all about including information directing her to our website. I let her know about our goal to improve the parking area and I asked Brenda if she would be willing to donate her part of the existing parking lot to the YSB. Brenda’s response to me came via email just days later. I was very excited to hear that she was open to doing that for us! Over the next few months, we worked through the process of transferring the land and finalizing the donation.

Once the transfer of the land was finalized we were in touch with KBL to give us a quote on what the renovation of the lot would cost. The quote was something the agency was going to be able to cover with Employee Retention Tax Credit dollars so we proceeded to have KBL put us on their schedule.

Work on the lot began on October 23, 2024. It was very distracting as there is something fascinating about watching heavy equipment operate, especially in the demolition phase of the project. I had to make myself get back to work several times. There were also some parking challenges for a while. Thankfully, KBL was quick and efficient in their work and the lot was completed by November 4, 2024, which was well ahead of the estimated project completion time!

We want to offer a huge thank you to everyone who helped make this project possible, especially Brenda and KBL!

PJ Corwin
YSB Director

Project Timelapse

Play Video

B.A.S.E. Program Awarded Randolph Community Foundation Grant

We are extremely grateful to the Randolph Community Foundation for the grant award of $2,500 which is funded by the EDP Renewables Charitable Fund ($1,500), the James and Linda Noffsinger Fund ($500), and the David and Lisa Jennings Charitable Fund (($500). These funds will be utilized specifically for the B.A.S.E. school program for the 2024-2025 academic school year to purchase needed clothing items such as shoes, personal hygiene items, recreational games/therapy, food items, and art/misc. items.

Due to this generous contribution, we project that 45-55 youth attending the B.A.S.E./Alternative school program will be positively impacted this academic school year. Each student will be given a personal hygiene kit around Christmas time that can be utilized throughout the year. Other items will be given throughout the year based on need, participation in ongoing counseling, and for students who progress through phases in the program through attendance and positive behavior.

Staff also work with students in the program to purchase food items, demonstrate safe food preparation, and increase life skills in cooking/cleaning. Students will often come in without proper footwear, in some cases they are completely worn down or are not the right size because it was handed down to them by someone else. Students without proper footwear can obtain shoes through the use of these grant funds. Youth often need additional food items due to not having consistent meals at home. Funds will be utilized to purchase these food items. Funds will also be utilized to purchase additional indoor/outdoor games that will allow students to learn new games, interact and cooperate with others, and develop strategies. Funds will be utilized for art/STEM items that allow youth in the BASE Program to practice positive interaction with others, demonstrate social skills, practice art techniques, demonstrate their creativity, and utilize problem-solving and reasoning skills.

Thanks so much to the Randolph Community Foundation for investing in our youth and helping make a positive impact on students in Randolph County!

– Chris Dubach
B.A.S.E. Program Manager

Winter Heating Safety – Healthy Families Blog

heating-fire-safety-handout-pdf

Click Here to Download

Free Heating Fire Safety Pamphlet

Provided by U.S. Fire Administration

Healthy Families wants to present our community with information on heating safety as temperatures drop. During the colder months, there are heat-related risks like fire, carbon monoxide poisoning, and other health hazards. Heating safety is paramount for young children who may get hurt if the proper precautions are not taken.

If you plan to use a space heater, make sure to keep any fabrics or flammable items at least 3 feet away from the heater to lower the risk of a fire in your home. Always plug your space heater directly into an outlet in the wall, as power strips and extension cords are likely to overheat and cause a fire. When using space heaters and kerosene heaters, make sure that they have an automatic shut-off when tipped over. This is important for homes with children or pets that are likely to bump into the heater. Refueling of kerosene heaters should always take place outside when the heater has cooled to avoid pollutants in your home.

Fireplaces are likely to have embers or sparks that escape, so placing a screen in front of the fireplace is important in preventing a fire. Make sure to extinguish the fireplace each time you leave the house and place ashes in a metal container at least 10 feet from your home. If you heat your home with a wood stove or fireplace, do not burn paper in them, put the fire out before you leave, and make sure to have your chimney inspected and cleaned yearly. Furnaces should also be inspected on a yearly basis.

If you have any concerns about fire safety in your home, contact your local fire department for advice and assistance. Here, you can find the contact information for each fire department in Indiana: https://ivfa.org/directory/. To protect yourself and your loved ones, staying vigilant about heating safety is crucial. We hope you stay warm this holiday season, but do it safely!

Homebased Blog – Family Preservation

The Youth Service Bureau has provided Home-Based Family Services since 1994. Home-Based Family Services are intervention services that work with families involved with the Department of Child Services or juvenile probation. A wide variety of services from Parent-Aid, Casework, Therapy, Supervised Visits, Family Preservation, and Parenting Assessments help preserve intact families and support families as they seek reunification. We provide strength-based and trauma-informed services that help build family resiliency to assist our clients in reaching their greatest potential.

In 2020, Indiana’s Department of Child Services implemented a new model of working with families. Family Preservation Services was designed to work with families that DCS believes could safely care for their children in their home with the assistance of appropriate services. Family Preservation Services are utilized with families to keep the children in the home without removing them from the family’s care. These services are referred to one agency that will assess the family’s needs and implement all services for the family. This allows for consistent and wraparound services for the family.

YSB has provided Family Preservation Services since July 2020. We have provided this service for 41 families in 6 counties over the last 4 years. We implement at least one evidence-based practice with the family which includes: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, the 123 Magic Parenting Curriculum, the STEP Parenting Curriculum, and the Seeking Safety Substance Use Curriculum. We provide an array of services, such as individual and family therapy, resource needs, housing, employment and budgeting, parenting skills, behavioral and coping skills, domestic violence coping skills, substance use coping skills, services for home conditions, and educational skills. Over the last 4 years, we have seen success stories of families being able to stay together, work through addressing their needs, and be able to continue after the case has closed with maintaining the skills they have learned. We are excited to continue providing this service to families in Jay, Delaware, Randolph, and Henry Counties.

-Katie Helm
Homebased Director