HOBART - In a conference roomfilled with donations, Great PlainsYouth and Family Services staff mem- bers form assembly lines to help pro- vide for families in need.
HOBART - In a conference room filled with donations, Great Plains Youth and Family Services staff members form assembly lines to help provide for families in need.
A long roster of children is cross referenced with school supply lists, and inventory is taken off the shelves as workers enthusiastically fill backpacks.
Each one is then tagged and placed along the wall with all the others. A final check is done to ensure students have what they need for the first day of school, and one-by-one the children’s names are highlighted on the roster.
As costs increase, more families have become unable to purchase all their students’ school supplies. According to a 2016 article published by the National Education Association, nationally, school supplies for elementary students was about $200 per student; middle school and high school students’ costs were between $330 and $375 apiece.
Between 150 and 200 Hobart students will receive their backpacks through Great Plains Youth and Family Service’s annual “Fill the Bus for an A+” campaign.
Through grants and collaboration with civic groups, members of the community and local retailers, the organization creates ways to stretch donation dollars in order to cover more needs.
The staff is grateful that the community has been very giving, and donations have not decreased. However, the demand for the backpacks outweighs donations. Within a few hours, GPYFS had received more phone calls and applications for backpacks than they could provide. In a Facebook post, staff members notified the community that the window for backpack applications had been closed.
COUNSELING SERVICES
By focusing on communication, problem solving, anger management and emotional regulation skills, the organization helps youths work on social skills to create a positive lifestyle for more than 100 at risk children ages 5 -18.
Individual, group or family counseling services are offered in conjunction with the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs(OJA), Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), Oklahoma Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR), Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS), and the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET).
GRANDPARENTS
More and more, the organization is noticing grandparents are needing services. Ex-ecutive Director Kody Suanny explains that, for whatever reasons, she has seen more grandparents who are raising school-age grandchildren.
“They (the grandparents) need to be able to help their grandchildren just as if they were their own,” she said. “They’re taking full responsibility in caring for those children.”
According to AARP’s 2018 Grand Facts report based on the estimates projected from the 2010 U.S. Census: In Oklahoma “100,213 children under age 18 live in homes where the householders are grandparents or other relatives (10.8% of the children in the state.)”
While there are countless reasons why children live with their grandparents, after more than 14 years with GPYFS, Suanny has seen case after case and believes addiction is the leading cause for the rise in grandparent headed households.
“The opioid addiction - there is a trickle-down effect; adults choose that life, and their children suffer. Children need mental health services; they need coping skills on how to deal with these families who choose that lifestyle.” While its main funding comes from grants, contracts and subcontracts, the 40-year-old organization is governed by an eight-member board who works closely with civic groups, local businesses and individuals to provide counseling and positive lifestyle services to promoteoverall community wellbeing.
DIAPER, CLOTHES CLOSET; GIFTS OF HOPE
Although “Fill the Bus for and A+” has become quite popular, it is not the only community event the organization hosts. At Christmas time, its annual Gifts of Hope is held to provide gifts to children of families in need. Once again, staff members get together to fill the wishes of many local children. While donations are welcome anytime, each November, the staff kicks their campaign into high gear on National Give Back Day held the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
With the Diaper and Clothes Closet stocked with diapers, children’s clothing and other baby needs, GPYFS is also helping birth, foster or adoptive parents provide for the children. Suanny and the staff appreciate all the donations and support the community has provided to get the Closet filled.
Diaper and Clothes Closet and Gifts of Hope are not funded by grants but only through help of the community. Suanny is thankful for the community’s generosity, and through a team effort the staff puts into each event.
EXPANSION
In November 2018, the organization has expanded services into Jackson, Tillman and Harmon counties, partnered with the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs. A satellite office was openedin Altus in December. With those three counties added, GPYFS is now able to better serve most of southwestern Oklahoma.
For more information, contact Great Plains Youth and Family Services at (580) 726-3383 or online at www. gpyfs.org.