Happy New Year!

All of us at Scotty's House would like to wish you a safe, happy and prosperous New Year!
Beginning in January of 2011, there will be some exciting changes coming to our blog, as we welcome new contributors to our blogging team.
If you are not already our friend on Facebook, please consider joining us at http://www.facebook.com/scottyshouse. You can also find us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/scottyshouse.
See you next year!!

EAP Training Workshop

On Saturday, October 30th, Scotty's House Counselor, Alisa McDonald, hosted an Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Workshop. The event served as an introduction to the EAP program, and was attended by mental health professionals, agency heads, students, and equine professionals. If you are interested in learning more about our EAP program, please contact Alisa at 979-775-4695 or shcounselor@suddenlinkmail.com.

Burleson County Health Fair

On Thursday, October 28th, Scotty's House participated in the 4th Annual St. Joseph's Health Fair for Burleson County. The event took place at the Caldwell Civic Center. Hundreds of visitors filled the center to learn more about local health and service agencies in their community. We would like to thank our awesome Volunteer, J'wan P., for making our booth such a huge success. Look for us again next year!!!

Last Chance to Register!

Join us for our Introduction to Equine Assisted Psychotherapy training this Saturday, October 30th, from 10:00a.m. until 3:00p.m. Lunch and CEU's will be provided.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit Scotty's House Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Program.
For more information and registration, log on to www.indianoakseas.com and click on the "training" tab. You can also contact Alisa McDonald at 979-219-2217. We hope to see you there!

Our NEW Website is Now LIVE! Yay!!

It's here!! The moment we've all been waiting for.... **drum roll**......
Our NEW website is LIVE!
www.scottyshouse.org
After months of planning, our new website is now complete! We would like to thank Matt Purcell of Purcell Web Development for his wonderful talent, incredible patience and awesome generosity that helped make our site possible.
We will update our site weekly, so be sure to bookmark our page and check back often!

Harvesting Healthy Habits!

On Saturday, October 9th, Scotty's House Ambassadors participated in the 2nd Annual Robertson County EMS Health & Safety Expo in Hearne. The theme for this year's Expo, which was held in the Hearne High School gym, was "Harvesting Healthy Habits". Thanks to our incredible Ambassadors for representing Scotty's House: Monica A., Laney D., Mike L., Stephanie M. and Sherie R. You did a great job!

A Force for Good!

On Thursday, September 23rd, Scotty's House participated in the Community Service Fair during the 2010 Fall District 6 Student Council Convention at Bryan High School. This convention brought close to 500 of the top student leaders from high schools in the seventeen county Region 6 district to Bryan! The theme for this year's convention was "A Force for Good - May the Force Be With You!" The goal is to encourage leaders to see their student council as a force for change in their community. We would like to thank all the great students who stopped by our booth to learn more about Scotty's House, and how they can raise awareness of child abuse in their communities.

HOWDY VOLUNTEERS!!

On Wednesday, September 8th, Scotty's House attended the annual Fall Volunteer Opportunities Fair at Texas A&M University. This year's event was held in the Exhibit Hall of Rudder Tower. Students and Faculty were invited to visit the tables of local agencies to learn more about Volunteer Opportunities available in our community. Scotty's House Staff and Volunteers had a great time and we passed out tons of information about our agency and Volunteer Program. We want to say a special THANK YOU to our awesome Volunteers Meredyth B., Mike L. and Sherie R. for taking time out of their busy schedules to lend a hand at our booth. THANKS GUYS!!

Playroom Clean Up Crew

We would like to say a special THANK YOU to our amazing Volunteers who spend time each Friday cleaning our playroom. This week our Clean-Up Crew was Brittnie B., Deb B., Alaina J., and Mike L. THANK YOU!!!!!

Our Ambassador Program in Action!

On Saturday, August 21st, Scotty's House Ambassadors attended the annual Concerned Black Men's Back to School Celebration at Sue Haswell Park in Bryan. Ambassadors handed out tons of colors and coloring books, as well as information about Scotty's House and our services.
We would like to say a special "THANK YOU!" to our Volunteers Monica A., Debby H., Sherie R., and Marie S. You ladies did an awesome job!!

If you would like to join the Scotty's House Ambassador Volunteer Program, email scottyshouse@ymail.com or call Melanie at 775-4695.

Meet Our Newest Family Care Volunteers!

On Thursday, August 12th, Scotty's House welcomed six new Volunteers to its Family Care Volunteer Program! These Volunteers completed an eight-hour training course and will now work with our Forensics Team to provide services to the children and families that visit Scotty's House. Family Care Volunteers also help with supervision for clients at counseling sessions, as well as play therapy support for our counselors.

Our newest FC Volunteers: Carol B., Jamie A., Stephanie M., Mike L., Kim F. and Alaina J.

Do YOU want to make a difference in the life of a child? Call 775-4695 or email Scotty's House to find out how you can join our Volunteer Family.

Join Our Volunteer Family!!

YOU can make a difference in the life of a child!!

Scotty's House will hold its 2nd Family Care Coordinator Volunteer Training on August 10th, 11th & 12th from 3:00 to 5:30pm. If you are interested in becoming a Family Care Coordinator, or if you would like more information about our Volunteer Program, please email Melanie at scottyshouse@ymail.com or call 775-4695.

Family Care Coordinators welcome clients and their non-offending family members to Scotty's House. These Volunteers appropriately interact with families to provide comfort and support while maintaining client confidentiality. Family Care Coordinators provide supervision for clients of Scotty's House in a fun, child-friendly playroom or playground setting. In addition, Family Care Coordinators also provide supervision for clients at counseling sessions, as well as play therapy support for our counselors. These Volunteers must be available during the week, usually between the hours of 9:00am to 5:00pm. Family Care Coordinators are required to complete an interview process and training prior to participating in this program. All Volunteers must submit to criminal and CPS background checks.

New Building Update!

Whew! Things are really moving along at our new building!

Here's an update on all of the amazing progress:

Our new drive way is coming along nicely.

We have a roof - with shingles!!

Plumbing! Yay for plumbing!

More plumbing in the medical rooms.

A/C & Heating Ducts

More A/C & Heating.

The Electricians have been busy!

Be sure to check back often for more updates.

2nd Annual Children's Charity Walk a HUGE Success!

Scotty's House would like to thank all of the wonderful members of MOMS Club for their hard work and continued support of Scotty's House. The 2nd Annual Children's Charity walk was a HUGE success!! We appreciate all of the amazing support of our community.
THANK YOU!
For more information and photos, please visit the Children's Charity Walk blog at
http://childcharitywalk.blogspot.com/

Thank you to MOMS Club for all these great photos of the event!

New Building Update!

Wow!! Construction on our new building is really moving along... and we are so excited!! We expect to be all nice and comfy in our new home by early fall.

Thanks to Shannon Hernandez for these recent photos:

Volunteering is Good for Your Soul... AND Body!!

So, you've heard it before.... Volunteering is good for your soul. But it turns out, Volunteering is actually great for your health, too! Below is an article from "Making a Difference" (the e-newsletter from VolunteerMatch.org). Take a peek!

Volunteers and the Health Benefits of Service
The health benefits of volunteering have been reported before, but much is still unknown about the causal relationship between giving time and personal health. Does volunteering make you healthier, or do healthier people volunteer? Should service be prescribed for those with cancer or chronic illness? Are there health benefits to volunteering that working for pay cannot provide?

That picture is a little clearer thanks to a report VolunteerMatch released with UnitedHealthcare. The new UnitedHealthcare/VolunteerMatch Do Good. Live Well. Survey [pdf]provides compelling evidence that volunteering not only enhances volunteers' physical and mental health but also strengthens relationships between employers and employees.

Among the key findings:
* More than 68% of those who volunteered in the past year report that volunteering made them feel physically healthier.
* 29% of volunteers who suffer from a chronic condition say that volunteering has helped them manage their chronic illness.
* 89% of volunteers agree that volunteering improved their sense of well-being.
* 73% of volunteers feel that volunteering lowered their stress levels.
* 92% of volunteers agree that volunteering enriches their sense of purpose in life.
* More than three-quarters of volunteers who participate in service activities through work report that they feel better about their employer because of the employer's involvement in their volunteer activities.

So, get healthy and make a difference in the life of a child - Volunteer today!!! Call or email for more information about Volunteering with Scotty's House. 979.775.4695 or scottyshouse@ymail.com.

Our Volunteers ROCK!

It's no secret.... We have the BEST Volunteers here at Scotty's House! They are an amazing group of hard working, dedicated and extremely talented people, and we truly appreciate all the wonderful things they do for our agency. So, to show our gratitude, we held a "Volunteers ROCK" Sock-Hop for our team on Wednesday, April 28th. We enjoyed tasty burgers grilled by none other than Scotty's House's own Nick Canto and there were dreamy coke and rootbeer floats for dessert. There was plenty of great 50's rock-n-roll music and a whole lot of hula-hooping. Well, there was a whole lot of "trying" to hula-hoop...

Scotty's House would like to thank all the fabulous Volunteers that make our agency so successful. You are so special to us, and we adore each and every one of you. THANK YOU!!

~Melanie

For more photos from our Sock-Hop, visit our Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Scottys-House/146705754463

Local Library and Bookstore Displays

The theme for this year's National Library Week was "Communities Thrive @ Your Library". Since April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, Scotty's House partnered with several local public libraries, as well as local bookstores to present book displays highlighting happy families, healthy relationships and strategies to avoid child abuse and domestic violence. Book displays were assembled at the Bryan, College Station, Navasota and Caldwell public libraries. In addition to the library displays, book selections, along with agency brochures and bookmarks, were displayed at both Hasting's bookstores (Bryan and College Station) and Barnes & Noble's Bookstore in College Station. We encourage all of you to check out the displays through the end of April.

Book display at the Larry J. Ringer Public Library, College Station.

Book display at the Clara B. Mounce Public Library, Bryan

Book display at the Harrie P. Woodson Memorial Library, Caldwell.

~Melanie

25th Annual 'Rock the CASA' was a HUGE Success!!

THANK YOU to all the wonderful runners, walkers, organizers and volunteers that helped make this year's 'Rock the CASA' 5K such an amazing success!! The women of Kappa Alpha Theta held the 25th annual 5k run/walk on Saturday, April 17th and presented Scotty's House and Voices for Children with a check for $37,000!!! WOW!!

Thanks to Ashley McCollum for the great photographs!

~Melanie

New Ambassador Volunteers!

Our new Ambassadors! Karissa Johnmeyer, Andrew Wipke, Deb Harper,

Sherie Ruter, Laney Dennis & Monica Arredondo

On Thursday, April 8th, Scotty's House welcomed six new Volunteers to its Ambassador Program. Scotty’s House Ambassadors are responsible for representing Scotty’s House at health fairs and other related events by distributing materials and answering questions about our services. Ambassadors may also deliver presentations to various civic groups on behalf of Scotty’s House in order to educate and inform the community about our services. Ambassador Volunteers are required to attend orientation and complete a two-hour training class.
You'll be seeing our awesome Ambassadors out and about in our community soon!

~Melanie