Building Families makes an impact

With Building Families Director Michelle Walters stepping down from her position at the end of this week, the organization’s board of directors is almost ready to approve a new hire for the position. Karl Helgevold, a member of the board and also a Wright County supervisor, said on Monday that they had interviewed three “tremendous” candidates, and had made an offer to one, which was accepted. The hire will be approved after a background check and physical.

In her last week, Walters wanted to make sure that the county supervisors had an update on the impact of Building Families’ programs. Walters, plus Angela Wesselink (Parent Connection director) and Tiffany Larson (Bee Inspired CAPP program director) gave the board a full report Monday morning.

Last year, organizations under the Building Families umbrella conducted 1,979 home visits to help provide support and offer help with parenting techniques. This year, that number rose to 2,094. Fully 288 children and 243 families are enrolled in HOPES and other parent programs, and close to 100 families have joined in the last year.

“We [also] had 80 group-based parenting socialization events,” Walters said.

Such programs include educational sessions at preschool parent nights, led by Wesselink, and other events created to give parents a chance to come together and discuss issues.

 

For the full story, see the August 3 edition of the Monitor.

Wright County Monitor

P.O. Box 153
Clarion, IA 50525
Phone: 515-532-2871
Email: news@wrightcountymonitor.com

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