Hello Friends:

The holidays are upon us! This season always seems to sneak up on us and is gone just as fast. It is also a great time to reflect on all of the many reasons we have to give thanks. I am extremely grateful for a hardworking and dedicated staff who are so passionate about serving our community. I am also thankful to our many community stakeholders and partners who work right alongside of us to make a difference in the lives of children and families in Fairfield County. 

In this edition of the Job & Family Services e-Link, we feature National Adoption Month, the annual Job Fair, a CSEA Success Story, Foster the Future information, and our Holiday Donation Drive. These are just a few examples of the many things we are up to this time of year. 

I hope you enjoy our Winter e-Link and from our family to yours, we wish you a very happy holiday season. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or feedback. 

Take care and stay safe,
Corey Clark
Fairfield County Job and Family Services Director
November was National Adoption Month
November is National Adoption Month, a month set aside to raise awareness about the urgent need for adoptive families for children and youth in foster care. As part of National Adoption Month, agencies celebrate National Adoption Day, the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving. Each year, Fairfield County Protective Services works with Fairfield County Juvenile court to create a local adoption event, whereby children’s adoptions are finalized and forever families are created. This year, three families and four children participated, along with countless staff and supportive individuals. The event was a great success. Below are some photos of this year’s event. Anyone wishing to learn more about adoption can call 740-652-7887 and ask to speak with a member of the Permanency Team.  
TRY THIS DELICIOUS RECIPE
Grandmas Monkey Bread

Ingredients:
  • 4 Cans of Buttermilk Biscuits
  • 1 Cup of Sugar
  • 1 ½ Tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1 Cup Butter (2 sticks)
  • 1 Cup of Sugar
  • 2 Tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1 Cup Chopped nuts (Optional)

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F
  2. Cut biscuits in quarter slices
  3. Combine 1 cup of sugar & 1 ½ tsp. of cinnamon
  4. Roll quartered biscuits in the mixture
  5. Melt butter and add 1 cup of sugar and 2 tsp. of cinnamon
  6. Layer biscuits in a greased Bundt (or angel) food cake pan
  7. Between each layer pour a little of the butter mixture and sprinkle nuts
  8. Once finished layering you will add the remainder of the butter mix on top
  9. Bake 40-45 minutes
CHILD SUPPORT SUCCESS STORY
The Fairfield County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) celebrated a success story earlier this month, as a family hardship was handled with compassion and a past-due child support payment of more than $5,000 was collected. The State of Ohio’s ROPAA (Reduction of Permanently Assigned Arrears) program enables local Child Support Enforcement Agencies, with the approval of the State of Ohio, to waive a portion of a support obligor’s past-due support balance in recognition of a verified personal hardship or medical disability that may have befallen that individual. The ROPAA program is limited to past-due support owed only to the State of Ohio, so a past-due balance owed to an individual support recipient is never compromised. 
 
In the aforementioned case, the support obligor’s tragic loss of a young child resulted in the obligor losing employment, enduring significant medical bills for her now-deceased child, and falling into depression. Time has passed, and the obligor is now fit to work and seeking a fresh start. Therefore, thanks to the ROPAA program, and based on the obligor making an immediate lump sum payment of $5,000 towards the past-due support, the CSEA eliminated an additional $5,000 in past-due support owed to the State of Ohio. As a result, the entire balance of the case ($10,000) was eliminated, and $5,000 in past-due support was collected and distributed to the State of Ohio. The $5,000 payment was the first payment made on this case in over a year, and the matter was largely unenforceable via the court due to the family hardship endured by the obligor. The common sense and goodwill engendered by the ROPAA program helps the CSEA build trusting long-term relationships with our customers, and ultimately enables us to better serve our local community.  
SANTA IS COMING! SANTA IS COMING!
For many older adults in our community and children in foster care, Christmas is a challenging time. Children, families, and elderly adults linked with Protective Services this holiday season need our help. 

The support in previous years from our Fairfield County community has been unbelievable, and we hope to be able to continue that support this year. Whether you choose to sponsor a specific child, family, or older adult, or simply contribute a toy or gift card, every little bit helps someone in need. This year we have added an online donation button to provide an easy, stay at home option to assist those in need. YOU CAN GIVE TO THE HOLIDAY DONATION DRIVE BY CLICKING THE "DONATE TODAY" BUTTON BELOW! 
 
If you prefer to do your own shopping and want to know more about providing a donation or sponsoring a child, family, or elder adult for Christmas, please contact Heather Funk at
740-652-7689 or email at heather.funk@jfs.ohio.gov.  
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Fairfield County Protective Services is in critical need of agency foster homes to provide caring, supportive homes for children who must temporarily live away from their parents. Presently, the agency has a high need for homes that accept teenagers and older youth for placement. Foster parents often work collaboratively with birth parents to assist in strengthening relationships, modeling effective parenting skills and providing support. Recent legislative changes have made it easier than ever to complete training requirements for working adults. You do not have to be a Fairfield County resident, married or own your own home, but simply able to provide a safe, caring environment for children. Please take a moment to watch the video below for more information, and contact us at 740-652-7887 if you would like additional information on how to begin your fostering journey today!   
Job Fair Success for Job Seekers
and Employers
This year’s annual Job Fair was held at the Workforce Center featuring 82 employers and more than 160 job seekers. Many area high schools participated in the event giving students the opportunity to explore jobs that will be available to them upon graduation. Their attendance at the Job Fair allowed them to meet local employers, provide resumes, and for many of them, their first experience with interviews. In the current job market, employers are increasing their efforts to target high schools as a recruiting source.

The Job Fair boasted a variety of employment opportunities from manufacturing and skilled trades to banking, healthcare, and food service. Meijer’s Administrative Assistant, Valerie Cocke had a good first experience at the event and commented, “I wanted to thank you for inviting the Canal Winchester/Lancaster Meijer Stores to the Job Fair that was held at the Workforce Center in October. The event was very well organized and JFS took such great care of the employers that attended. There was an abundance of applicants strolling through the event talking to prospect employers. I also enjoyed talking to the other employers who were at the event. We shared hiring ideas with each other even though we are competitors we were all there for a common goal. Lastly, it was a great opportunity to see inside the new Workforce Center. There are great things going on there!”

While the Job Fair is held once a year, JFS hosts onsite hiring events on a regular basis for local employers. Anyone who is interested in more information regarding these events can visit our website at www.fcjfs.org or call us at 740-652-7856.
GIVE UNITED LIVE UNITED
This year’s JFS United Way campaign has been extremely successful! We started with a Chili Kickoff Day where we raised more than $100 and kept the tradition going with “Touchdown Tuesdays,” raising $540. Every November we then have our Annual Breakfast and Basket Raffle. This year we raised more than $2,300! Wow, what a great year it has been. In addition to our annual fundraisers, we also have 47 employees pledging their Fair Share contribution back to the United Way. Staff here at JFS really knows what it takes to give back and help those less fortunate than us. We appreciate all efforts, made by our staff, to help families get on their feet and allow them to have a better life by partnering with United Way.