Dear Friends:

It's that transition time, when we say goodbye to our visitors and turn to school schedules, changing light, and cooling temperatures. This transition can be hard on our kids; it always was on my own. Parents and teachers play an important role in helping them through the stresses of that autumn shift. How do we help children learn to weather such transitions in life, especially those who have had traumatic experiences? 

One answer may be the five skills of social-emotional learning, a concept I have just been exposed to as part of a regional task force working on behavioral and mental health challenges. These include self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These strike me as a good foundation for preparing any child for the world they will inherit. The five skills are increasingly part of school curricula and our task force is working to build awareness of the concepts and share specific examples of how to teach them at any age. 

Even before we put a name on them, the staff of CFS has been helping to build resilience in children and depending on our community to help in this effort. In this newsletter you’ll read about the good folks behind the backpack drive, a special foster/adoptive family, committed CFS employees like Kim Whitley, working behind the scenes to help kids. There's some exciting national coverage of our YouthWork program, too.

It takes all of them—and all of YOU. Thank you for all you do to help advance this good work.

Warmly,

Tim and Rhonda Simerson, long-time residents of Mesick, just celebrated 40 years of marriage. They live in a ranch-style home on a large property featuring an impressive garden, a small log cabin, chickens, and one cow. Inside their home, photos of their 18 children cover an entire wall. Five of these children are biologically theirs, and 13 were adopted from the hundreds they fostered over four decades. “There are all kinds of opportunities if you’re interested in helping children,” Tim explained from their dining room table. “We’ve lost track of all the kids we fostered. Some years we took in multiples, sibling groups, for a few months or as long as needed.”

The Simerson family is well known in the Mesick area, having worked at the school for many years. Tim, 59, is a school bus driver and Rhonda, 57, a custodian. For years, Rhonda coached girls’ varsity basketball, and was even a former assistant coach at Northwood University for women’s basketball. 

But family came first. “We raised our own five kids alongside the foster kids and it’s been really good,” Rhonda said. “It gives them compassion for others.” Most recently, the Simerson’s finalized an adoption at the end of last year. 

“Adopting kids has added to our lives,” Tim shared. “We have to keep busy. It keeps us healthy and keeps us moving. They now start their day with their dad on the bus,” he added, smiling. “Sometimes it’s with hugs, and sometimes pouting.”

The Simersons are active members of their church, Minar Bible, which  is just down the road. They speak openly of their faith, which brings them comfort through the stress of raising children, many of whom arrive with hurts that need to be healed. With unconditional love, the couple offers up all they have to better their lives. 

Tim and Rhonda make it sound easy, but they have faced challenges over the years. Some of the children they’ve fostered have had disabilities, cancer, and other serious medical concerns. 

Tim and Rhonda Simerson at their home. They say their joy in life and purpose is to help care for children in need. 

Some have gotten into trouble. Despite that, Tim says, “We’ve never met a bad kid. They act out because of their situation. It isn’t that hard if you give them structure.”

“In your life you have the humbling experience of realizing what we are here on this earth for,” Rhonda shared. “We want to serve. And our way of serving is by helping children.” Most of the Simerson’s grown children now have careers as teachers or pastors, are in law enforcement, or serve in the military. They are also proud grandparents to 21 grandchildren. 

Three of Tim and Rhonda Simerson's adopted sons visited their parents recently to celebrate their 40th anniversary. From left, Joshua, who works at Interlochen Arts Academy; Jeremiah, a Marine Corps veteran who drives a school bus and attends bible college; and Frankie, a Navy enlistee now in boot camp.

In celebration of our 85^th year, we are highlighting a few of our "veteran helpers.” Many of these staff members have dedicated their careers to helping others in times of crisis, challenge, and life transition.

Kim Whitley, Child Welfare Compliance Manager at CFS, has been serving children and families as a member of our team for 11 years. Although she first joined in 2011 as a foster care specialist in Harbor Springs, she took a brief 1-year hiatus in 2014 to work in another area. Alas, like so many other CFS staff (lovingly referred to as “boomerangs”) Kim found that she just couldn’t stay away for long. “I got a call from Dave Bitler, our former Child Welfare Director,” she recalls, “and he told me that they wanted to hire me for this new position of compliance manager. Even though I liked my new j​​ob and had great relationships with everyone there, the connection wasn’t the same. I just felt like I was punching a clock, and I was constantly waiting for someone to tell me that I wasn’t doing a good enough job, even though I was working really hard.” When Kim reflects on what’s different about CFS, she says that it feels like her home and family. “I have always felt supported by everyone at this agency, no matter what I’ve gone through. Be it work-related or personal, I've always been able to do what I need to do and then pick up where I left off.”

Kim explains that her job has two primary functions. The first is compliance, meaning she works to make make sure that the agency is in compliance with all the CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) standards and that, as an agency, we are following policies that we put in place for ourselves as well as updating them, revising as needed, and educating staff on the importance. “CARF accreditation is important, explains Kim, “because it helps CFS communicate to stakeholders that we hold ourselves to a higher standard. It also helps us make those things a priority, since we have to look at our policies and review them annually. The intention is to help us have some guidelines with which to hold ourselves accountable, which makes sure the agency is running smoothly and that we’re following the best practices possible to serve the community—practices which are proven to be in the best interests of clients and agencies.” 

The other part of Kim’s job is to provide technical support to our Child Welfare Specialists. She helps to make sure that everything in the system is completed accurately so that foster parents are getting reimbursed the correct rate for the children they’re caring for. 

Kim with her husband and daughters.

She makes sure that adoption, licensing and foster care staff know the rules they have to follow and how to follow them, since policies and procedures are constantly changing at the state level.

Since being back at CFS and taking on the role of Compliance Manager, Kim has not only been an invaluable member of the agency, but a friend and support to many. “I think that we have a really amazing team of humans,” Kim says. “I absolutely love my job and I feel incredibly fortunate to work here. I’m always busy, doing something different all the time. Having a career at CFS allows me to be a human being, not just a robot who needs to perform a function.”  Kim has had significant losses in recent years, but says that she never felt like she was being judged, criticized, or thought of as a failure at work. “Everyone knew what was going on and was really supportive.  I always felt that I could share what I wanted to, but didn’t have to share what I didn’t want to, and people would be there no matter what. I feel like I can be a real person at CFS, I’m not just an employee. I’m in this job till I retire.” 

We’ll hold you to that, Kim, and when the going gets tough, just take a look at these kind words from your colleagues and remember how appreciated you are! 

YouthWork partners with City Girls Farm and their Goats

Conservation grazing with goats to improve our national parks! Our AmeriCorps members are learning a ton from Amy at City Girls Farm and these furry friends are great for morale! We’re using the goats and helping them to remove invasive Autumn Olive on Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore without using harsh chemicals. Goats are good for the soul! It's a win-win partnership. Click to read the story.

Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan

3785 Veterans Drive, Traverse City | (231) 946-8975

3434 M-119, Ste F, Harbor Springs | (231) 347-4463

Pete's Place | (231) 922-4800

  cfs@cfs3L.org   |  www.cfsnwmi.org