Bennington Museum has been fortunate in the past months to have some supplemental help for our volunteer crew on the George Aiken Wildflower Trail. David Reyes, Case Manager of the Seall program in Bennington, tells more about their history and involvement with the Museum below.
Prior to 2010, Seall Inc. (204 Depot) was a residential treatment facility that housed up to 13 residents who were all in DCF (Department of Children and Families) custody. We had a work program where this writer took up to seven residents at a time into the community to teach them good work ethics and how to work as a team.
In February 2010, DCF parted ways with the old residential program. Today we run four programs: 204 Depot, which holds up to 8 teenage males 12-17 years old; 206 Depot Street, a 3-bed facility for more acute teenagers 12-17 years old; The Girls Adolescent Program (GAP) that serves five female residents ages 12-17 years old; and the 208 Depot Street transitional house that will house up to two male residents ages 18-22 to work on their independent living skills and their transition into society as adults. All of the programs except for the 208 program focuses on short term stabilization.
Several months ago we were contacted by Jackie Marro from the Bennington Museum trail volunteer corps asking if there was any way we could help re-mulch and clear weeds from the walking trails behind the Museum. Even though we no longer have a formal work crew as part of our program, our executive director Jim Henry, reached out to me to see if it was at all possible to help out.
The difference between the old residential program and the short-term stabilization of today is that we had the residents for a much longer time and knew them well enough to determine how they would behave and follow directions in the community. The residents we have now do not stay long. They are just here to stabilize their behavior until they go to their next placement. This makes it much more difficult to determine how a resident might act when in a public setting. At the time when Jim contacted me we only had four residents, but I felt confident that the residents we had would be appropriate in the community. We were able to do the work and the boys did a fantastic job.
For some of these residents it is their first time in custody and away from home so they are very scared. Others are very personable and have a great sense of humor about the situation. In all cases, we mentor them during their time here and provide structure and stability in their lives. Community service opportunities like helping out the Museum trail crew can play a big part in that.
Although we can’t always help out as much as we’d like to, we try to accommodate our community neighbors as much as we can.
-David Reyes
Jackie Marro adds a note of gratitude for their service:
We have had a wonderful experience with the boys from the Seall Program. They have helped us move mulch to the paths, cut back invasive plants, weed, and even shoveled out gravel that washed from the upper driveway into the drain pipes at the entrance to the trail. The boys are a pleasure to work with and their councilors are incredible. It is inspiring to see a social program work so well for the boys and for us. We can't thank them enough for the work they have done and the work they will continue to do for us on the Aiken Trail In the Hadwen Woods at Bennington Museum.
To learn more about the trail visit our website, and to volunteer on the Museum trail crew send an email HERE.
