BERLIN– Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services, Inc. has been a staple of the community for nearly 40 years, providing mental and social health care to people of all ages.
Last year WYFCS served more than 1,100 people in Worcester County with specialized programs including Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Strengthening Adolescent Girls with Education and Support (SAGES), Berlin Youth Club and Family Connections.
Brigitte Southworth is the director of the CASA program.
“We screen and train volunteers to advocate for children that have been abused and neglected in Worcester County,” she said. “And we’re always looking for volunteers.
“My goal (with CASA) is to serve all of the children in Worcester County who are in the court system, which actually we have met that goal right now,” Southworth continued. “We’re serving 100 percent of the kids in the foster care system as of this summer, which has been my goal since I started here six years ago.”
SAGES works with 7th and 8th grade girls identified as at risk.
“That could be failing grades, behavior issues, early experimenting with drugs or sex,” said Lauren Mathias Williams, a therapist who heads up the SAGES program. “They get referred to us through the school system or by the families who express concern. We saw that there was a need that those girls didn’t have those services and we continue to see a need.
Williams would also like to launch a boy’s program covering the same age demographic.
“There’s a lot of change that happens in that 7th and 8th grade range,” Williams said. “There’s a lot of need in the community, and we’ve been working to get the resources together for that. It’s an important goal for us.”
Berlin Youth Club offers free activities to children ages 6-11 including field trips, arts and crafts and nonprofit work. Recently the club made dog ties for the Humane Society, sent care packages to cancer patients and wrote Christmas cards to soldiers.
Maria Cusimano is the Resource Coordinator for Family Connections, a program that helps Worcester County residents navigate available resources.
“Our motto is ‘a hand up – not a hand out,’” said Cusimano. “We provide resources for anyone in the community who needs assistance – whether it be getting school supplies, paying an electric bill – anything, really.”
The general counseling program includes individual, group, marriage and youth counseling. Insurance covers most claims, and a sliding scale and funds from United Way cover additional costs.
“With that program we serve people from all areas from all counties,” said Williams. “We have seven or eight clinicians right now, and each of them have a little bit of a different specialty.”
WYFCS also offers meeting spaces for organizations engaged in educational, cultural, intellectual, or charitable activities under their program “The Ray.”
“That’s open to pretty much anyone in the community,” said Cusimano. “It’s free to other nonprofits. If someone wants to hold a training session or a class – the Board of Education hosts GED and English as a Second Language classes – they can come and use The Ray. We have a conference room, and organizations like the Girl Scouts come one night a week and use it.”
The nonprofit also offers free daycare to their clients.
Last year WYFCS, a 501-c nonprofit, received 58 percent of its funding from grants and contracts, along with 30 percent from program fees, seven percent from contributions and fundraising and five percent from the United Way. Major financial support was provided by the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Town of Berlin, the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore, Maryland Department of Human Resources, National CASA, the Town of Ocean City, Worcester County Commissioners and Worcester County’s Initiative to Preserve Families.
Southworth said continued funding is essential in order for programs like CASA to meet their goals.
“We can only serve a certain amount,” she said. “If an abundance of children come into the system we’re not going to be able to serve them. It’s always a battle that we don’t have enough volunteers or enough funding.”
“As a nonprofit funding is always the first thing on our minds, so we’re always trying to secure our funding so we can continue to meet the needs of the community,” Williams said.
Individuals or groups can donate online, by mail or in person, with donations directed to individual programs as well as the entire WYFCS umbrella.
WYFCS is located on 124 North Main Street, Suite C, in Berlin. For more information call 410-641-4598 or visit www.gowoyo.org.
Last year WYFCS served more than 1,100 people in Worcester County with specialized programs including Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Strengthening Adolescent Girls with Education and Support (SAGES), Berlin Youth Club and Family Connections.
Brigitte Southworth is the director of the CASA program.
“We screen and train volunteers to advocate for children that have been abused and neglected in Worcester County,” she said. “And we’re always looking for volunteers.
“My goal (with CASA) is to serve all of the children in Worcester County who are in the court system, which actually we have met that goal right now,” Southworth continued. “We’re serving 100 percent of the kids in the foster care system as of this summer, which has been my goal since I started here six years ago.”
SAGES works with 7th and 8th grade girls identified as at risk.
“That could be failing grades, behavior issues, early experimenting with drugs or sex,” said Lauren Mathias Williams, a therapist who heads up the SAGES program. “They get referred to us through the school system or by the families who express concern. We saw that there was a need that those girls didn’t have those services and we continue to see a need.
Williams would also like to launch a boy’s program covering the same age demographic.
“There’s a lot of change that happens in that 7th and 8th grade range,” Williams said. “There’s a lot of need in the community, and we’ve been working to get the resources together for that. It’s an important goal for us.”
Berlin Youth Club offers free activities to children ages 6-11 including field trips, arts and crafts and nonprofit work. Recently the club made dog ties for the Humane Society, sent care packages to cancer patients and wrote Christmas cards to soldiers.
Maria Cusimano is the Resource Coordinator for Family Connections, a program that helps Worcester County residents navigate available resources.
“Our motto is ‘a hand up – not a hand out,’” said Cusimano. “We provide resources for anyone in the community who needs assistance – whether it be getting school supplies, paying an electric bill – anything, really.”
The general counseling program includes individual, group, marriage and youth counseling. Insurance covers most claims, and a sliding scale and funds from United Way cover additional costs.
“With that program we serve people from all areas from all counties,” said Williams. “We have seven or eight clinicians right now, and each of them have a little bit of a different specialty.”
WYFCS also offers meeting spaces for organizations engaged in educational, cultural, intellectual, or charitable activities under their program “The Ray.”
“That’s open to pretty much anyone in the community,” said Cusimano. “It’s free to other nonprofits. If someone wants to hold a training session or a class – the Board of Education hosts GED and English as a Second Language classes – they can come and use The Ray. We have a conference room, and organizations like the Girl Scouts come one night a week and use it.”
The nonprofit also offers free daycare to their clients.
Last year WYFCS, a 501-c nonprofit, received 58 percent of its funding from grants and contracts, along with 30 percent from program fees, seven percent from contributions and fundraising and five percent from the United Way. Major financial support was provided by the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Town of Berlin, the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore, Maryland Department of Human Resources, National CASA, the Town of Ocean City, Worcester County Commissioners and Worcester County’s Initiative to Preserve Families.
Southworth said continued funding is essential in order for programs like CASA to meet their goals.
“We can only serve a certain amount,” she said. “If an abundance of children come into the system we’re not going to be able to serve them. It’s always a battle that we don’t have enough volunteers or enough funding.”
“As a nonprofit funding is always the first thing on our minds, so we’re always trying to secure our funding so we can continue to meet the needs of the community,” Williams said.
Individuals or groups can donate online, by mail or in person, with donations directed to individual programs as well as the entire WYFCS umbrella.
WYFCS is located on 124 North Main Street, Suite C, in Berlin. For more information call 410-641-4598 or visit www.gowoyo.org.