Updates from Looking Glass
The annual Looking Glass board meeting was held Wednesday, November 3rd at the Graduate Hotel in Eugene with a small gathering of in-person guests and board members. The event included a keynote speech by Fariborz Pakseresht, the Director of the Oregon Department of Human Services, and also a presentation of the Community Leadership award from Looking Glass CEO Craig Opperman to longtime supporter Senator James Manning.
Looking Glass Human Resources Specialist, Tiffany Rosman, and therapist Maiyra Espinoza, share tips for good self-care for anyone working in a high stress environment. This video was created for internal training purposes, but staff members want it shared more broadly as these tips may be helpful to other organizations. [VIDEO]
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week & Thank A Youth Worker Day… we’d like to celebrate our staff and say thanks for your hard work!
The Development Director, Tyler Mack & his assistant delivered Starbucks Coffee & Lochmead Ice Cream appreciation treats to Looking Glass programs as a way to say thanks to our staff and teachers on Thank A Youth Worker Day & Teacher Appreciation Week.
Looking Glass staff and teachers make a difference in youth and families lives throughout Lane County. Thank you for all that you do!
Thank you to Starbucks at Valley River Center & Dari Mart for the coffee & ice cream and helping us show our appreciation to our staff this week.
For the past 9 years, Ken Downing has been Center Point School’s Social Skills Development Teacher. Center Point School is an Oregon Department of Education registered private alternative school which offers academic services in a therapeutic environment for middle and high school aged youth with emotional, neurological, developmental, and/or behavioral challenges.
Ken received his degree in Behavioral Psychology with a minor in Philosophy and a 2-year music studies diploma with guitar emphasis from Utah State University in 1990. He can be seen using his guitar to teach during class, which has been engaging for youth.
For the past five years, Marielle Hart has taught at Riverfront School and Career Center, and currently serves as their education supervisor.
Marielle says that it is rewarding to support the kids when they are struggling and help them get the quality education and services that they deserve. When asked what her hopes are for her students, Marielle says, “The kids that we work with are so resilient. They are amazing. They deserve the world.” She wants them to know that they have the love and support of the Riverfront community.
Scott Wilson is the Program Supervisor at the Stepping Stone Program, a residential program that provides long-term treatment to male juvenile offenders, ages 12-18, with a history of family conflict, chronic delinquency, substance abuse, and poor school performance. Scott left behind a career in finance before joining Looking Glass, saying that he was unhappy in his previous line of work and wanted to accomplish something meaningful.
The Looking Glass residential program retreat took on a different look this year with staff members at each program wearing different colors and large, bouncy balls flying (or wobbling) around a kickball diamond as a new tradition was “kicked” off with a kickball tournament for the ages. In the end, Stepping Stone Program took home the gold (probably plastic really) trophy but fun was had by all.
The annual Looking Glass staff picnic event, held on Wednesday, August 28th at Alton Baker Park, included a recognition and “Guiding Light” award given to Pat and Paul Frishkoff, longtime board members and supporters. The “Guiding Light” award is given to longtime supporters and true advocates for Looking Glass programs and staff and none were more deserving of this award than the Frishkoff’s.
Looking Glass’ Cultural Awareness and Equity Committee (CAEC) provides a yearly scholarship to Looking Glass staff to further their training and education to improve cultural sensitivity in the care we provide our clients. Through a generous expansion of the scholarship fund, Alexis Yalon and Lindsay Fairchild were each granted $1,000 to go towards upcoming training opportunities.
The annual Looking Glass All-Staff Lunch & Awards gathering took place on Wednesday, May 15th at LCC with CEO Craig Opperman sharing organization updates and discussed the constantly changing landscape of youth and family services in Lane County and Oregon. The annual meeting begins with a touching appreciation of the length of employment of various program staff members, with the longest tenured staff standing and receiving heartfelt applause. Several awards were handed out as well.
For national Thank a Youth Worker Day, Franz Bakery generously donated over 100 boxes of donuts to Looking Glass’ over 250 staffers. Thank you to Franz and all our hard working staff for helping youth in our community.
