In the spotlight today is an organization that has been helping children in need for over 160 years. St. Aemilian-Lakeside has grown from an orphanage for children of victims of cholera to an organization that helps troubled youth grow into self-sufficient adults. They also help potential foster parents get connected with the kids that need them and provide continuing support for both of them.
We recently spoke with President and CEO Teri Zywicki about how their services help children and families overcome difficult backgrounds and build healthy futures.
Here Teri talks about how they're using new techniques called trauma-informed care to help young children relax enough to be able to talk about some of the things that have happened to them:
In this piece Teri shares a story of how those techniques helped a young girl who was having outbursts and tantrums up to 60 times a month. They found activities that she already enjoyed doing, so she'd be more likely to use them on her own:
St. Aemilian-Lakeside is always on the lookout for adults that want to be positive influences for the children they work with. Adults can become foster parents, mentors, tutors or simply let a young adult come with them to work for a job-shadowing day. Listen for details on how you can get involved.
This year, we ask you to adopt one or two organizations that connect with you. Want to get involved with St. Aemilian-Lakeside? You can start with their website. Or try their main phone number at 414 463 1880.