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DARTMOUTH YOUTH COMMISSION Present:
Lorraine Gagne, Valerie Alves, Gale Schultz,
Bonnie Escobar, Alyson Vacation: Debra Brejcha and Tony Martin AGENDA Welcome
newly appointed Commissioner Mr. John Coleman Swanson (his friends call him
Jay.) Approval of Monthly
Minutes Meeting dated June 25, 2003 Old
Business:
1.
Appointment with Mr. Normand Ouellette, representing the Saint Jean the
Baptist service organization, who will present a donation to the Dartmouth Youth
Commission Gift Account. (Please
note: At the request of our guest, a Chronicle reporter will be
present for a story and picture. Mr.
Gagne, Executive Administrator, has also been invited at Mr. Ouellette’s
request for the photo op.) 2.
Discuss article that appeared in The Chronicle regarding Dartmouth Girl
Power! 3.
Review budget account. Minutes Kevin welcomed newest member, Jay Swanson,
to the Youth Commission. Introductions
were made. Kevin reported that Alison Nastanski has
left the Commission at the end of her term.
If her scheduling in the future allows her more time, she may decide to
apply for reappointment to the Youth Commission. Approval of June 25, 2003 Minutes:
Valerie Alves made a motion to accept the minutes of June 25, 2003.
Alyson Bellora seconded the motion.
Voted unanimously.
After a brief
discussion Ms. Schultz and Ms. Gagne volunteered.
Ms. Schultz will be the Chairperson and Ms. Gagne will be the
Vice-Chairperson.
Old Business: DartmouthYouth.com
Page 1 of 5
Kevin informed newer Commissioners that reviewing all links on our Web site was done when the site was first launched. In the coming months Kevin indicated that he hoped Commissioners would be willing to re-check all the links again. ·
There is no final copy at this time. Report
from Kevin regarding the status of the “Fund Administrator Guidelines
draft.” ·
Kevin stated that the changes that were discussed at the June 25,
2003 meeting have been made to the draft. Report
from Kevin regarding the status of the “Guidelines for Application to the
Glaser memorial Fund.” ·
Kevin reported that the changes that were discussed at the June
25, 2003 meeting have been made to the draft. Discuss
the option of pledging a certain amount to be paid quarterly by donators. ·
This will be discussed at the next scheduled meeting when Tony
Martin can offer his suggestions. Report
from Kevin on Dartmouth Girl Power: ·
Kevin reported that he and Kimberly Hebert, DMS Prevention
Specialist, and Joanne Jaber, a senior intern at UMass Dartmouth, have been
working together to get this program started.
The program will be for girls in grades six, seven and eight.
Twelve girls will be registered for the first fall session.
Dartmouth Girl Power will run from October through the end of December.
A second group will begin near the end of January with 12 new girls.. Kevin stated that his wife has
graciously agreed to create graphics and various forms for the new group. The Chronicle
recently ran an article on the new “Dartmouth Girl Power” group.
As a result of the article, Kevin received approximately 15 calls from
parents (and several girls) who are interested in having their daughters attend. Kevin will fill the 6th grade slots from his client lists and Ms. Hebert will fill the 7th and 8th grade slots. Page 2 of 3 Kevin stated that he received a call
from a reporter at The Standard Times who would also like to write an
article about the new group. · Kevin reported that he is involved in five support groups: 1. Banana Splits (grades 2 & 3) 2. Banana Splits (grades 4 & 5) 3. Teen Group 4. Dartmouth Girl Power 5.
Caring Tree Support Group (For grieving families, sponsored by Hospice
and the Dartmouth/Fairhaven Visiting Nurses Association.) Kevin asked Commissioner their
opinion on the pros and cons of charging an application fee for group members.
Modest fees would help offset the cost of purchasing snacks and drinks,
etc., which in the past has come from the Youth Commission’s regular budget
and gift account. Kevin stated that
frequently parents donate food and beverages. Overall, the Commissioners did not
favor this idea. They expressed
concern that some of these children’s families are experiencing financial
struggles and we don’t want to deter them by charging a fee.
Kevin thanked the Commissioners for their input and stated that he also
felt the same way but thought that the idea should at least be considered. Valerie Alves stated that Heidi
Gotlib from the DMS parent group might be willing to make a donation to help
defray food, drink and supply costs. Valerie
will contact Heidi and ask if the DMS parent group would be willing to make a
donation. Kevin stated that our expense budget
is $1500.00. Last year it was
$1800.00. Old
Business from the floor: There was no old business at this time. Youth
Advocate’s Report: ·
Kevin reported that this has been a challenging late spring and
summer for him due to Betty Ann’s illness. He has taken a total of three weeks sick leave, three weeks
vacation and 3 personal days. He is
looking forward to school beginning, reconnecting with clients and getting back
to a routine workweek. ·
Kevin told Commissioners that he recently informed Mr. Michael
Gagne, Executive Administrator, that the transmission on his town vehicle is
starting to fail. · Gale asked Kevin how it worked for him last school year with the location of the new high school. Kevin stated that it worked out fine. Last year Kevin worked his schedule to be at the high school most days from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM to meet with clients. He also visits the lunchroom as teens ate whenever possible. Page 3 of 5 As in the past, when the High School
was next door to Town Hall, he felt it was important to be visible during
lunchtime so that teens could approach him as needed.
Kevin stated that he intends to follow the same format again this year. Kevin stated that Principal Dimery
has a small office reserved for him at the high school. ·
Ms. Schultz asked Kevin what his involvement is with Middle School
children. Kevin stated that he
usually sees elementary and middle aged clients after school. New
Business: Appointment
with Mr. Normand Ouellette: ·
Kevin stated that Mr. Ouellette would not be presenting a check to
the Dartmouth Youth Commission Gift Account this evening.
The Chronicle was unable to provide a photographer this evening.
Also, Mr. Gagne, who was asked to be present for the donation, was unable
to attend the meeting. ·
Alyson Bellora asked for a few minutes of the Commissioners’
time to discuss a personal issue. She
stated that her 8 year old son, Garrett, has cystic fibrosis and needs a double
lung transplant. Her family will be
reaching out to the community for financial support. Alyson stated that a committee has been formed; “Friends of
Garrett” and Kevin graciously volunteered to be the Chairman. Kevin
stated that there are many talented and skillful people on the committee.
There will be a Web site formed by the committee called
FriendsofGarrett.com. Kevin
mentioned that on October 29th, a wine and cheese benefit to raise
funds for Garrett’s expenses that are not covered by insurance, etc., will be
held at the Hawthorne Country Club from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.
Tickets are $25.00. Kevin
stated that although this is not Youth Commission business, he felt that it
should be brought to the Commissioners attention as a point of information. Kevin would like permission from the Commission to use the
Youth Advocate’s telephone number for this worthy cause. Valerie
Alves made a motion to allow the Youth Advocate’s phone number to be listed as
the primary number to receive phone calls pertaining to “Friends of
Garrett.” Jay Swanson seconded
the motion. Voted unanimously. Review
Budget Accounts: ·
Ms. Gagne made a motion to accept the budget accounts for July
2003 and August 2003. Jay Swanson
seconded the motion. Voted
unanimously. Page 4 of 5 The next
meeting of the Dartmouth Youth Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, October 1,
2003 in Room 314 of the Dartmouth Town Hall at 7:00 p.m. Ms. Gagne
made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr.
Swanson seconded the motion. Voted
unanimously at 8:45 p.m. Page 5 of 5 |