Meg Dockery-Cremins (center) presents a $30,000 check to Guidance Center Executive Director Andrew Malekoff and Director of Development Lauren McGowan.
On July 18th, the Welcoming Club of Garden City presented North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center with a check for $30,000. The donation was the result of more than a dozen events the club held during the 2017-2018 season, all of which benefited the Guidance Center. Just a sampling: a Halloween fair, Santa Christmas brunch, several movie nights ,and a fashion show.
One of their flagship fundraising events was held on May 15th as the Welcoming Club of Garden City hosted their Spring Soirée at the Garden City Hotel. The event featured fabulous boutique shopping, getting-to-know-you games, a Garden City trivia contest, great raffle prizes, and a delicious buffet.
“It was a fun and fabulous night that allowed the ladies of the Welcoming Club of Garden City to come together with old friends and mix and mingle to meet new ones in a chic and festive atmosphere,” says Meg Dockery- Cremins, president of the Welcoming Club. “The Spring Soirée was the culmination of a year’s worth of family, couples, and ladies events to benefit North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center. The wonderful vendors and community sponsors provided fabulous prizes which enabled us to make a generous donation to the Guidance Center, which we view as a critically important organization in the community.”
“We are so grateful to the members of the Welcoming Club of Garden City for making us the beneficiary of their events for this season,” says Lauren McGowan, director of development for the Guidance Center who, as a Garden City resident, also chaired the Philanthropic Committee for the Welcoming Club. “The funds that they raised will go directly to our core mission of helping Long Island children and their families who are in need of mental health or substance use care. We could not do our work without generous donations from community-minded organizations like the Welcoming Club.”
Children, like chickens, need a few minutes to settle down. Above: Ethel, Margaret, Betty and Tori make the lawn furniture their perch. (Photo by Christy Hinko)
It’s a common refrain heard in classrooms and at dinner tables all across the country:
“Why won’t you just sit still?” Sometimes, with kids who seem especially hyperactive, there is an all-too-quick leap to giving the “problem” a psychiatric label and pulling out a prescription pad.
Although I’m a clinical social worker by training, I find that alternative sources of knowledge (what some may refer to as old-fashioned common sense) sometimes fit best. Here’s an example:
I recall a meeting with my colleagues regarding a newly formed after-school program for teenagers.
A shared frustration was getting things started on time. After some conversation, it became clear that the kids eventually settled down, but it always took more time than the
adults deemed necessary.
One of the women, my longtime colleague Dr. Nellie Taylor-Walthrust, an alcohol and substance abuse counselor and pastor, asked her colleagues, “Did any of you ever live on a farm?” They all signaled that they hadn’t. She smiled knowingly and responded, “Well, I did. And when you grow up on a farm you notice certain things.”
She went on to explain, “I’ve been watching closely, and in the afterschool program I’ve noticed certain behavior by a number of the youngsters each time they come to the group.
Whether they arrive early or after the group has already begun, they perform a certain ritual before connecting more consciously with what is going on in the group. It goes something like this: They move the chairs several times, place certain objects—coat, sweater, book bag—in a certain position on or near the chair, collect objects from their pockets or begin to crumple paper and place it in the waste basket, and so on. When confronted about their distracting behavior, they often reply, ‘OK, just one minute,’ meaning that they hadn’t quite completed their settling-in process.
“After weeks of observation, I was reminded that I had seen chickens perform similar rituals before laying eggs. I often wondered why they didn’t simply walk in, lay their eggs, and walk out. But instead, they would survey the nest, scratch and peck some more and sit down again. This behavior continued until they felt settled in. When the process was interrupted, I observed, they would start the ritual all over again. Now, I’m not suggesting that some youngsters are like chickens, but there seems to be a similarity in their need to release a certain amount of energy in order to focus on the task before them.”
Nellie’s “down home” observations captured the essence of the young people’s waking moments. The milling process seemed to be a normal resistance brought on by the daily residue of feelings either about home or school, perhaps intended to sidestep the work at hand.
For most kids, milling is a natural and normal process to be respected and left alone, as opposed to a manifestation of a disorder or some form of pathology. The kids eventually settled down and attended to task, as did the chickens.
This tale of the chickens had a soothing effect on Nellie’s colleagues, whose patience increased as a result.
What does this story about restless kids and chickens preparing to lay eggs mean? Sometime a kid is just a kid. That’s not to say that, for some, careful examination, diagnosis and specialized care are necessary and should be sought.
But for the others? Well, sometime they’re just being chickens. I mean kids.
Andrew Malekoff is the Executive Director of North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center, which provides comprehensive mental health services for children from birth through 24 and their families. To find out more, visit www.northshorechildguidance.org.
Meg Dockery-Cremins, center, presents a $30,000 check to Guidance Center Executive Director Andrew Malekoff and Director of Development Lauren McGowan. (Photo courtesy of North Shore Child and Family Guidance Center)
The Welcoming Club of Garden City presented North Shore Child and Family Guidance Center with a check for $30,000 on July 18.
The donation was the result of more than a dozen events the club held during the 2017-2018 season, all of which benefitted the Guidance Center. Just a sampling: a Halloween fair, Santa Christmas brunch, several movie nights and a fashion show.
One of their flagship fundraising events was held on May 15 as the Welcoming Club of Garden City hosted their Spring Soirée at the Garden City Hotel. The event featured fabulous boutique shopping, getting-to-know-you games, a Garden City trivia contest, great raffle prizes and a delicious buffet.
“It was a fun and fabulous night that allowed the ladies of the Welcoming Club of Garden City to come together with old friends and mix and mingle to meet new ones in a chic and festive atmosphere,” said Meg Dockery-Cremins, President of the Welcoming Club. “The Spring Soirée was the culmination of a year’s worth of family, couples and ladies events to benefit North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center. The wonderful vendors and community sponsors provided fabulous prizes which enabled us to make a generous donation to the Guidance Center, which we view as a critically important organization in the community.”
“We are so grateful to the members of the Welcoming Club of Garden City for making us the beneficiary of their events for this season,” said Lauren McGowan, Director of Development for the Guidance Center who, as a Garden City resident, also chaired the Philanthropic Committee for the Welcoming Club. “The funds that they raised will go directly to our core mission of helping Long Island children and their families who are in need of mental health or substance use care. We could not do our work without generous donations from community-minded organizations like the Welcoming Club.”
NEIMAN MARCUS PARTNERS WITH LOCAL CHARITY FOR LADIES’ NIGHT OUT
Roslyn Heights, NY, August 2, 2018 — North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center held its 5th Annual Ladies’ Night Out event on Thursday evening, July 19th, at the beautiful Neiman Marcus Garden City store. This marked the second year in a row that the Guidance Center partnered with Neiman Marcus in an event that offered exceptional beauty services and raffle opportunities to the women of our local communities and also raised awareness of the programs and services offered by the Guidance Center.
All proceeds from the event will support the Guidance Center’s mission to provide help and healing to children and families dealing with mental health issues and to combat stigma and discrimination. Guests savored delicious small bites from NM Cafe and sipped unique bubbly libations while they were treated to brow shaping and makeovers by Neiman Marcus makeup artists, along with blow-outs and hair styling from Manhasset salon nuBest.
Guidance Center Board President Nancy Lane shares a laugh as she receives her makeover.
Carol Marcell, a member of the Guidance Center’s Board of Directors, brought her mother Joyce Bruno and two of Bruno’s friends. “This was the second time my mom and I attended Ladies’ Night Out, and she didn’t hesitate to accept my invitation once again and to bring along her friends,” says Marcell. “We got our hair blown out by a charming young man from nuBest. And all of us loved looking at the clothes, jewelry and shoes at wonderful Neiman Marcus!”
“Neiman Marcus Garden City is very proud to be a supporter of the North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center,” says Doris Wilshere, Vice President, General Manager at Neiman Marcus, Roosevelt Field. “It is our corporate philosophy to support and give back to our local community, particularly with organizations that are centered on children and family. Since our opening in 2016, we have been an ongoing partner with the Guidance Center and will be for the future. We look forward to a growing partnership.”
“The Guidance Center is grateful to the philanthropic team at Neiman Marcus,” says Nancy Lane, Board President. “The events we hold at the store are very special.”
About Us:
As the preeminent not-for-profit children’s mental health agency on Long Island, North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center is dedicated to restoring and strengthening the emotional well-being of children (from birth – age 24) and their families. Our highly trained staff of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, vocational rehabilitation counselors and other mental health professionals lead the way in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, training, parent education, research and advocacy. The Guidance Center helps children and families address issues such as depression and anxiety; developmental delays; bullying; teen pregnancy; sexual abuse; teen drug and alcohol abuse; and family crises stemming from illness, death, trauma and divorce. For 65years, the Guidance Center has been a place of hope and healing, providing innovative and compassionate treatment to all who enter our doors, regardless of their ability to pay. For more information about the Guidance Center, visit www.northshorechildguidance.org or call (516) 626-1971.
Just a few months after celebrating six years of sobriety, singer Demi Lovato recently relapsed, overdosing on drugs, possibly opioids. As of this writing, she is hospitalized and, though expected to make a full recovery, still in serious condition.
The misuse of prescription medications such opioids has been a top concern for parents in recent years. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, prescription drugs are misused and abused more often than any other drug, except marijuana and alcohol.
Of course, prescription drugs aren’t the only problem. Adolescents are using drugs such as marijuana, Ecstasy, heroin, inhalants and more in alarming numbers.
Teen Drug Use—The Stats
According to the Monitoring the Future project, among 12th-graders during 2017, the drugs that were most reported for lifetime use were:
Alcohol – 61.5%
Marijuana – 45%
ANY illicit drug other than marijuana – 19.5%
ANY prescription drug – 16.5%
Amphetamines – 9.2%
Tranquilizers – 7.5%
Hallucinogens – 6.7%
LSD – 5%
Ecstasy – 4.9%
Inhalants – 4.9%
Among 10th-graders the 2017 results were:
Alcohol – 42.2%
Marijuana – 37%
ANY illicit drug other than marijuana – 13.7%
Amphetamines – 8.2%
Inhalants – 6.1%
Tranquilizers – 6%
Hallucinogens – 4.2%
LSD – 3%
Ecstasy – 2.8%
Cocaine – 2.1%
Finally, among 8th-graders in 2017:
Alcohol – 23.1%
Marijuana – 13.5%
ANY illicit drug other than marijuana – 9.3%
Amphetamines – 5.7%
Inhalants – 8.9%
Tranquilizers – 3.4%
Hallucinogens – 1.9%
Ecstasy – 1.5%
LSD – 1.3%
Cocaine – 1.3%
There are several factors that put your teen at a higher risk of abusing drugs and alcohol, according to Regina Barros-Rivera, Associate Executive Director of North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center. “Kids and teens who are experiencing depression, anxiety, ADHD or a trauma such divorce, abuse or neglect are more prone to experiment with drugs,” she says. “They’re also at greater risk if there is a history of substance abuse in their family.”
Kathy Knaust, Clinical Supervisor at our Leeds Place location in Westbury, says parents should start educating their children when they are young. “One of our main goals is to help build a strong relationship with the parent and child early on,” she explains. “Parents should be aware of the extreme importance of the fact that they are role models to their children. When they help model appropriate responses to stress, disappointments and challenges in their own lives, their children learn to do the same.”
