Ambassadors for Hope Spring 2022 Newsletter
Please help us give a big thank you and welcome to four new board members.
They are:
Christina Pfau Laney, Assistant Solicitor, Lancaster County
Derrick Burch, Community Engagement Director, The Mix
Angela Keen, Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator, Domestic Violence Services
Samantha Sweigart, Community Impact Director, Boys and Girls Club
We look forward to having their expertise and involvement in implementing the mission and vision of Ambassadors for Hope.
Community Liaison Update
These past few months have been extremely busy for Ashley! She was happy to attend Arizona State University's 4th Annual Children of Incarcerated Parents Conference this spring. She was inspired by all their speakers, and we hope to implement some of what we learned here in Lancaster County!
To continue our efforts in public education and advocacy, Ashley presented about Ambassadors for Hope to the Student and Family Resource Specialists in the School District of Lancaster and to two classes of students enrolled in a Sociology of the Family class at Millersville University.
The community liaison has been expanding our presence in the community by attending other events, such as Burrowes Elementary's Kindergarten Registration and a Contemporary Mystery Performance event put on by our friend Mr. Barry Kornhauser at Millersville's Office of Visual and Performance Arts.
The review of children's literature has been ongoing, and we are excited to say we are nearing the end of our assessment of books for middle school-aged children!
Finally, with the help of the wonderful Family Services Advocate at Compass Mark, Karlee Shambaugh, we were able to get five children registered for summer camp through our scholarship. Special thanks to Woodcrest Retreat, Lancaster Science Factory, and Lancaster Technology Camps for partnering with us!
We would also like to extend a warm welcome to our new Community Liaison!
We are saying goodbye to Ashley, our first ever community liaison as she moves on with her journey. Ashley has been wonderful and we are so grateful to have had her for the past year! She has done tremendous work over the past year and has provided so much support for children impacted by incarceration. As sad as we are to be saying goodbye, we are incredibly happy for her and wish her the best in her next chapter. Please help us welcome Tracy Rennecker into this role as she begins to get acclimated to the position. Hello!
I am extremely excited to serve as the new Community Liaison for Ambassadors for Hope! My predecessor Ashley did a wonderful job getting this position to where it is today, making for a smooth transition. I am excited to take it forward into the next phase as we expand and continue the work that Ashley started in helping identify and provide support and resources for the children affected by parental incarceration.
Family Services Advocate Update
Over the last couple of months, the Family Services Advocate Program has been receiving more referrals for case management services. Starting in March 2022, the Family Services Advocate, Karlee Shambaugh, was permitted to resume meeting in person with parents who are incarcerated at Lancaster County Prison. This means more services for children who have a parent in prison and more support for their caregivers as well.
Karlee continues to participate in the Lancaster County Reentry Coalition: Family Services & Reunification Impact Group, as well as collaborating with Ambassadors for Hope. With the funds that have been raised through Ambassadors for Hope, at least five children will be attending a week of summer camp at Woodcrest Retreat or Lancaster Science Factory. Funds from AFH also allowed Karlee to provide grocery store gift cards, diapers, and other necessities to families in need. She was also able to distribute several stuffed toy bears that have a voice recording to the child from the incarcerated parent.
Finally, Karlee finished the first cohort of EMPOWER, a community-based peer support group for children of incarcerated parents, who are in grades 6-8, on April 13, 2022. The next EMPOWER cohort starts on Thursday, May 26 from 5-7:30pm. This is a 6-week curriculum and will end on Thursday, June 30th.
Suggested Resources
Lamoille Restorative Center - "LRC is a nonprofit organization that upholds the dignity and resilience of individuals and families through restorative justice principles and programs." Learn more... Stay connected! Use the icons below to follow us on social media, to visit our website, and to contact Ambassadors for Hope via email.
Facebook | Instagram| ambforhope@comcast.net
Copyright © 2022 Ambassadors for Hope, All rights reserved.