News: 2008 Archive

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Yo Puedo Participants Present Community Briefing on Underage Drinking

(Grand Rapids, MI) --- Local youth participating in national youth-directed movement to reduce alcohol problems recently conducted research to understand perceptions among peers about underage alcohol use.  This unique peer-to-peer research was administered by youth taking part in a movement called “Take It Back”.  The movement includes more than 350 youth groups from 49 states who will simultaneously hold youth-led community briefings in March to share their research findings. 

The local participants in the movement, from the Yo Puedo program of Life Guidance Wellness & Prevention Services, present the results of their research conducting in Grand Rapidsat a Thursday, March 6 community briefing at the Hispanic Center of West Michigan.   In addition to Yo Puedo participants, the community briefing panel will also include Denise Hebert, a prevention specialist from Network 180, and Eduardo Sánchez from Grand Rapids Public Schools.  The Hispanic Center of West Michigan is located at 1205 Grandville SW in Grand Rapids, Michigan

According to utakeitback.org, “Take It Back is not an organization, a program or a curriculum. It is different from a group or an organization. It is a movement.  It is about shaking the public consciousness. It is about pulling back the curtain, lifting the rug, opening the window – getting to the truth behind the connection between youth and alcohol.”  The Take It Back Community Briefings are sponsored by FACE – Resources, Training & Action on Alcohol Issues, a national nonprofit organization.  The Take It Back movement is driven by facts like these:

• Each day, more than 5,400 kids in the United States under age 16 take their first drink (2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUHlatest.htm)
• Each year, more than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 to 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape (Hingson et. al., 2005, http://www.utakeitback.org/Issue/Statistics)
• In the US alone, alcohol kills more kids than all illegal drugs combined (National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2003)

Yo Puedo, which translates to “I can” in English, is a program of Life Guidance Wellness & Prevention Services.  The program has provided empowerment and wellness services to Hispanic/Latino youth at no charge to the program participant for 20 years in Grand Rapids.  In 1995 the program received a national award as an Exemplary Program for prevention programming SAMHSA (Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration).  Life Guidance Wellness & Prevention Services is a part of Proaction Behavioral Health Alliance, a collection of nonprofit organizations. 

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Yo Puedo Celebrates 20 Years of Helping Hispanic Youth Say ‘I Can’

(Grand Rapids, MI) --- The youth-enrichment program began with the vision to make life meaningful for all people.  Yo Puedo, which translates to “I can” in English, is a Wellness and Prevention program of Life Guidance Services that began providing wellness education services to local Hispanic/Latino youth in 1998.  Now celebrating 20 years of service, Yo Puedo will look back at the success of some of its past graduates while looking forward to the bright future of the next group of graduates.

A 20th anniversary graduation on Wednesday, June 25 at Central High School in Grand Rapids will feature remarks from Grand Rapids Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Bernard Taylor and a keynote address from former Yo Puedo graduate, Tom Almonte.  Almonte is the President of the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (WMHCC), an organization established in 2003 to meet the needs of the growing Hispanic business community in West Michigan.

Forty nine students who completed the program over the past school year will graduate at the 6:30pm ceremony.  Nearly 1,000 youth have graduated from Yo Puedo over the past 20 years. 

The Yo Puedo program focuses on strengthening a positive cultural identity, developing life skills, and service learning.  “Some of the values, attitudes, and beliefs as defined by the program include the importance of recognizing individual self-worth, believing that there is no limit to personal development, acknowledging cultural and ethnic roots, and stressing family as a primary source of learning and strength,” explained Patti Warmington, Director of Wellness & Prevention Services. 

The program, which received a national award as an Exemplary Program from SAMHSA (Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration) for prevention programming, is offered at select schools in cooperation with Grand Rapids Public Schools, area colleges and universities, and other collaborative partners.  A recent gift from the Sebastian Foundation of Grand Rapids is supporting the program over the summer, providing high risk Hispanic youth with the opportunity to work on a garden project.

Life Guidance Wellness & Prevention Services are part of Proaction Behavioral Health Alliance, a collection of nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the lives of individuals, families, and communities. 

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Related links: 

Life Guidance Services http://www.lifeguidanceservices.org/wellness.php

Proaction Behavioral Health Alliance www.proactionalliance.org

SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention www.prevention.samhsa.gov

20th Annual Yo Puedo Graduation

It was a night to celebrate. It was a night to honor the accomplishment of learning new skills to be able to carry on in life.

Middle and High School Hispanic students gathered to hear from those who went before them. Their message was one of encouragement and hope. Keynote speaker Tom Almonte (pictured here), a graduate of Yo Puedo, reminded the graduates that “The people you have around you can determine your future. If you don’t have them now, go out and find them”. Helen Kramer, Director at Life Guidance Services, congratulated the families and the community that supported the graduates.

Maria Navarro was one of 19 students with perfect attendance in this class of 50. She told me she learned “When to say no, but more importantly, why to say no”.  Congratulations to all Yo Puedo graduates!

Life Guidance Services Running in a New Direction

(Grand Rapids, MI) --- As an avid marathon runner and Ironman triathlete, Dan Fogel has never been one to run away from challenges.  His focus as a long distance runner is the run itself.  His goal is to constantly improve his performance.  Fogel brings that focus and drive to his new position as Executive Director of Life Guidance Services, a nonprofit behavioral health organization. Fogel’s dedication to improving results will be applied as he works with the staff at Life Guidance to improve lives.

Life Guidance Services provides outpatient counseling, wellness and prevention programs, and intensive outpatient treatment programs for those with substance use and co-occurring disorders.  The organization itself is also a “marathon runner”.  In continuous service since 1893, Life Guidance has provided more than 115 years of service to the greater Grand Rapids community.  A key to its enduring success has been Life Guidance Services’ ability to adapt its programming to meet the changing needs of the community.  Life Guidance Services is part of Proaction Behavioral Health Alliance, a collection of not-for-profit behavioral health organizations.  

“Life Guidance is one of the very few organizations that provide outpatient mental health services to the indigent and those with Medicaid insurance, making them part of the last mental health safety net in the area,” explained Michael Reagan, President of Proaction Behavioral Health Alliance.  “We are proud of our mission and the fact that this is the oldest and largest nonprofit organization providing behavioral health services to all in need, regardless of their ability to pay.  We are confident that Dan’s strong leadership skills and understanding of behavioral health issues will be an asset for us as we work together to strengthen the Life Guidance division of Proaction.” 

Fogel was promoted from his position as Director of EAC Employee Assistance, which is another division of Proaction Behavioral Health Alliance.  He has nearly 25 years of experience as a clinical social worker, including 19 years in the employee assistance field.  Fogel joined the EAC division of Proaction in 2003 and served as the Director since 2004.

“I am impressed with the dedication, expertise, and professionalism of the Life Guidance Services staff,” said Fogel.  “Very few organizations can boast having such a wide array of behavioral health services, including outpatient counseling, psychiatry, wellness and prevention, intensive treatment services, and employee assistance programs.  It is an honor to be associated with the outstanding group of individuals that make up its staff.  Their commitment to serving all who are in need, regardless of income or ability to pay, is truly inspiring.”

Prior to coming to EAC, Fogel was a Senior Staff Therapist at the Steelcase Counseling Center for 13 years.  Before that, he was a clinical supervisor for Family Service Association of Kent County, the predecessor to Life Guidance Services.  Fogel is also a licensed attorney and has served as a lawyer in the juvenile justice system in Cook County, Illinois and as a divorce mediator in Grand Rapids.

He volunteers his time to serve as the Chairperson of the Kent Regional 4C Board of Directors, and on the boards of Healthy Kent 2010 and Temple Emanuel.  He is the Chairperson of the Priority Health Behavioral Health Committee, a member of the West Michigan Regional Substance Abuse Advisory Council, and a member of the Greater Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Health Care and Human Resource Committee.

Fogel, who is a native of West Michigan, is married and has two sons.  His oldest son, Ben, recently graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in social work making him the third generation of social workers in the family.

Yo Puedo Garden Dedication

On August 6th, Yo Puedo dedicated their summer project. The project started with an empty lot used as a place for drug dealing, it was gang turf.  Yo Puedo decided to take back the land and turn it into a hands on teaching experience. The summer participants were taught how to garden and when their hard work is ready for harvest the neighbors who watched over the lot and even watered the plants will get some of it for their own table.

Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trusts/Fifth Third Bank Supports the Life Guidance Client Assistance Fund

It is the goal of Life Guidance Services, and all divisions of Proaction Behavioral Health Alliance, to turn no one away who needs our help.  A $15,000 grant from the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trusts/Fifth Third Bank was recently awarded to the Life Guidance Services Client Assistance Fund to help ensure that we realize this vision.  The first installment of the grant was recently presented at Proaction's corporate offices.  Pictured here is (l-r), Patrick J. Lonergan, Fifth Third Community Affairs; Dan Fogel, Life Guidance Services Executive Director; Michael Reagan, Proaction Behavioral Health Alliance President; and Cindi Welton, Fifth Third Vice President Charitable Management Services.  We appreciate Fifth Third's committment to improving lives in our community.