The Beacon

Published by:  Bethesda Day Treatment Center, Inc.

 ...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good

deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5:16

January 2006                      Vol. 10 Issue #1    

From the President’s Desk…

This month’s feature article is written to honor and esteem a very important individual.  Mr. Max Bingaman has served as a Director on the Board of Bethesda Day Treatment Center, Inc. since March of 1988.  After 17 years of service, regretfully Max has made the decision to resign from the Board.  He has served faithfully as one of the very first Directors.  We couldn’t let this monumental occasion pass without paying special tribute to a man who has meant so much to so many of us over the years.

Board of Directors

  Joseph Pugliese

  Chairman

  Jerilyn Keen

  President

  Timothy Gage

  Director

  Fred Martin

  Director

  Robert McCormack

  Director

  Mary Tiffin

  Director  

  Collette Benner

  Secretary

  Gene McCarty

  Treasurer  

 Advisory Committee

  Jerilyn Keen

  Scott Constantini

  Stephen Gaito

  Michele Nixon

  Jennifer Napp

  Don Coleman

  Connie Shoop 

  William Rossnock

  Joseph Talarico

  Dr. Elizabeth Ciaravino

  Thomas Bell

  Agent William Weber

  Larry Weidman

Those who know him regard Max as a very successful businessman, wonderful father and Christian servant.  He is the President of Bingaman and Son Lumber, Inc.  Max and his father, Carson, incorporated in 1968.  The corporation has grown from one facility in Kreamer, PA to three locations in Pennsylvania with 220 employees and customers throughout the United States and 24 other countries.   

In 1986 Max drafted the following mission statement for Bingaman and Son Lumber.  It continues to be the guide and example of the business ethics Max has transmitted throughout the company for years.  

“Behind every endeavor that we put forth, there is always an objective.  When Bingaman & Son Lumber, Inc. was formed as a company, certainly one of the objectives was to make a profit.  Undoubtedly, it is the deep conviction of company owners that we must have an even greater objective that is far more important than any other; that being to glorify God in what we are doing.  Certainly God’s word to man is very clear, that whatever man does is to be done for God’s glory (1 Corinthians 10:31).  We certainly need to be successful financially, but above and beyond this, we must fulfill that task, using God honoring principles as our guide.  May every future endeavor of this company be to uphold that important objective.”  

We have been honored to have a man of Max's integrity serve on our Board as a guiding helm for so many years.  He has a sincere dedication to serving God.  He is very involved at the Winfield Baptist Church and has been a Sunday School teacher for 30 years.  He previously served as a Deacon and is currently an Elder for the church.  He is not only a devout Christian, but also a devout family man.  Max and his wife, Martha, have 5 children and 19 grandchildren.  They are very involved in their children's lives.  They host a large family luncheon almost every Sunday after church.  Max and Martha are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this month.  We congratulate them both and wish them many more wonderful years together.  Besides enjoying his family time, Max also enjoys working on his farms.  He raises high quality beef cattle and now has almost 100 head of cattle.  His greatest form of relaxation is spending time with his family at his summer cottage in Canada.  

Max has also been actively involved in his community and has served on many Boards over the years.  He is a founding member of the Pennsylvania Family Institute.  The Pennsylvania Family Institute is a research and education organization devoted to restoring traditional family values to our state and nation.  They produce policy reports, promote responsible citizenship and work to promote unity among pro-family groups.  Max and Martha have been recipients of their "Family of the Year" award.  Their dedication to their family has been featured in several of the Focus on the Family publications.  They also appeared with Dr. Dobson on his radio program.  Max believes in family values and the importance of prioritizing those relationships above all else.

In addition to serving on the Bethesda Board, he has also served on the SUN Bank Corporation Board, the Sunbury Community Hospital Board, the Midd-West School Board, the PA Forest Products Association, and the Child Evangelism Fellowship to name a few.  We are certain that he has made an equally important impact in each of these organizations as he has at Bethesda.

At the annual holiday celebration in December, Max was honored by Chairman, Joe Pugliese on behalf of the other Board members, the staff and hundreds of clients and families he unknowingly touched over the years of his service.  Mr. Pugliese presented Max with a plaque as a token of our appreciation.  Below is the inscription from the plaque:

On behalf of the Board of Directors and all of our employees, we thank you Max for your countless contributions, guidance, leadership and wisdom over the past 17 years.  Your gentle spirit has touched so many lives and we are fortunate to have been a part of your life.  You will be fondly missed by the Board of Directors and the entire agency.

Board of Directors at the Holiday Celebration in December.  

President Keen, Bob McCormack, Tim Gage, Joe Pugliese, Max Bingaman, Mary Tiffin, and Fred Martin.

From my heart to yours,

Jerilyn

Jerilyn A. Keen, M.A.

President

News from our Administrative Office…

Happy New Year!  The Administrative staff are keeping busy as ever now that the new year is upon us.  Before too long we will be getting ready for camp and with that means nice warm weather!  We are fortunate that the winter hasn't been too bad so far and hope that famous groundhog has some good news for us!  The Administrative staff  sure do not miss the snowy hill in West Milton!

Now that our DPW inspections are over, we change gears in preparation for our upcoming inspection of our Drug and Alcohol Program by the Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs.  Thanks to Collette Benner, Michele Nixon, Michelle Finck and the D&A staff for their assistance in making sure staff files and the facilities are ready for inspection! 

Bethesda Highlights

We continue to move forward to get our Day Treatment Program approved by the Office of Medical Assistance Program.  We have trained our Drug and Alcohol staff in the procedures for MA billing of the drug and alcohol services and the process seems to be going well.

President Keen conducted an Experiential Group Counseling Training on January 11th with 11 of our staff in attendance.  This training provided a realistic approach to holding effective groups with our clients to get to the heart of their issues.  Thanks, Jeri!

This is “What’s Happening” at Our Centers…

Bloomsburg:  The AEP staff continue to work diligently to make the AEP an educationally sound program.  We extend our appreciation to George O’Rourke and Jason Campbell for their efforts.  The Bloomsburg staff congratulate fellow staff member, Shelby Scott for receiving the Caught in the Act of Caring Award.

Honesdale:  The Honesdale team continues to stay committed to each other and the clients.  We would like to welcome Gina Mavromatis to the Honesdale Center.  Gina came on board as our new drug and alcohol counselor/caseworker.  Welcome!  The AEP and Day Treatment Staff have been working hard in keeping the norms high due to the new referrals to the program.  Program Manager Steve Rizzo extends his appreciation to all his staff for the hard work and effort they put in each day.  Great job, gang! 

Lehighton:  The AEP continues to grow and staff are working very hard to successfully normatize all the students.  The staff are doing an awesome job!  The AEP students have been reading The Chronicles of Narnia for English.  Many of the students were able to see a private showing of the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the Lehighton Cinema.  Thank you, Miss Ruth, for organizing this class trip.  

Lewistown:   The Lewistown Center continues to run well as the staff and students look forward to the year 2006.  The AEP continues to offer electives for the students to get them involved with the community, including cleaning up parks in an effort to make a difference.  Program Manager Rob Walter has been in contact with the PA Fish and Game Commission in order for the students to help stock trout.  The cooking class will be making baked goods to take to local nursing homes to cheer up the elderly residents.  Day Treatment clients continue to conduct community service at a local church with handing out fruit and can goods to families in need.  Congratulations to Andrea DeArment on the birth of her daughter, Kynzlee Danae on January 31st.  She weighed 7 lbs, 13 ounces and was 19 inches long.  Best wishes!

Group Home - Middleburg:   The group home staff continue to build a positive rapport with the referring agencies being represented at the home.  The group home recently hosted Beth Hauck from Northumberland County Juvenile Probation.  The residents are working their way through the Independent Living Curriculum provided through a Title I grant.  Thanks to Business Manager Stacey Kifolo for her efforts in acquiring this grant!  The residents are making plans to assist with the Bike-for-Bob Bike-athon again this spring to benefit rails to trails.  This event is in memory of Dr. Bob Bernstein who’s life was taken when he was hit riding his bike.  The residents continue to help out at the soup kitchen at the St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church as part of their community service efforts.  The staff welcome Michael Napp to the group home as their new Case Manager.  We congratulate Jon Gamble, Case Manager, and his wife Beth on the birth of their daughter, Ava Sophia, on January 30^th.  This little gal weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces and 18 inches long.  Best wishes!

Milton:  Program Manager John Dunne congratulates his staff on their successful DPW inspection.  All of you did a tremendous job.  Keep up the great work!  The teaching staff in the AEP continue to keep the students invested and interested in their classes.  The Science class recently conducted an experiment on gravity that involved a Ford mustang.  The Life Skills class recently cooked up a delicious breakfast as part of their curriculum.  As aprt of their community service, several Day Treatment clients helped out at the Milton Chamber of Commerce preparing a newsletter that is mailed out to local businesses.  Clients also helped unload a truck of donated food at the Hand-Up Foundation.

Montoursville:  The Day Treatment program recently hosted an AIDS Resource representative to better educate the clients on the dangers of STDs.  The AEP teaching staff have recently acquired an office area to provide them a room to keep their curriculum and personal items safe.  The Be Challenged Program continues to run as scheduled.  The staff are excited about adding Sullivan County to their referral list.  The staff will continue to promote this program to other surrounding counties to expand the referrals. 

Sciota:  The Sciota staff continue to work as an effective team with both the AEP and Day Treatment programs running smoothly.  The Day Treatment clients continue to participate in community service at Burnley Workshop.  The AEP staff continue to keep the students invested in their learning activities and assignments.  We have highlighted some of the exciting activities being done in this month’s “AEP in the Spotlight.”  Check out that section of the newsletter for more details!  The staff congratulate foster parents, Dave and Pat Lockhart, on receiving the Quarterly Foster Parent Award for October, November and December of 2005.  We are blessed to have this family representing our Foster Care Program!

South Montrose:  Things remain busy and exciting at the South Montrose Center with the staff and students.  Some of the exciting things include the upcoming annual Chess tournament that kicked off Friday, January 27^th!  Stay tuned for the winners in next month’s newsletter.  The Day Treatment clients have also been working on Anger classes.  The Center is doing another fundraiser “Spare Change for Muscular Dystrophy” to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation.  The motto is “Every Cent Counts!”  In English, some clients have been studying and writing poetry and others have been learning about writing official business letters.  In Science, the students have been studying about water, waves and reflections.  The Biology class has been learning about fungus and how it grows and lives.  The Life Science students have been continuing to study the plant kingdom and classifying more plants.  In Government classes, the students watched National Treasure and have been studying more on the Constitution.  In Art, the clients have been working with sculpture clay and making figures to paint.  In their Life Skills class, the students have been studying about obtaining credit and watched a movie on the use of credit cards.  In the past few weeks, the students have been doing a series on bullying.  They watched a tape on bullying as well as the “Bowling for Columbine” video.  The students then participated in several activities focusing on bullying.  Keep up the awesome work!

Congratulations To…  

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH….

Welcome to our family…

Jesse Loubet, Community Monitor, South Montrose

Ethel Pentz, Community Monitor, Milton

Julie Bair, Teacher’s Aide, Montoursville

Gina Mavromatis, Drug & Alcohol Counselor, Honesdale

Eric Snyder, Teacher, Milton

Karen Heyler, Teacher’s Aide, Milton

Mark Robinson, Teacher, South Montrose

This month we are pleased to share some exciting activities being completed in the Sciota AEP.  The AEP staff are committed to invest the students in their learning!  We commend them for their efforts!  This group of staff no doubt is creative and hard working!  Please read on to hear about the great things that are happening.

Mr. Charney’s Reading group has worked on a variety of articles on current events, including Hurricane Katrina, the war in Iraq and the death penalty for minors.  They have also studied propaganda and irony by comparing and contrasting two different viewpoints on the same subject.  They have also worked on several poems, short stories and excerpts from novels.  Mr. Charney’s 7^th and 8^th grade Social Studies class has been learning about the American Revolution.  The 11^th and 12^th grade World History class has been studying the Renaissance period.

Mrs. Phinney’s Reading group has been completing Out of Nowhere and worked on many connected activities such as story books for each group of chapters, extra comprehension skills and an illustration of a scene from the novel.  Her 11^th and 12^th grade Physics class has done preparation work on phase and linear motion to go into Newton’s Laws of Motion.  The Environmental Science class for the 7^th and 8^th graders is working on pest control in Pennsylvania.  Many interesting posters are being generated by this group as well.

Mrs. Johnson’s Geometry, Algebra II, Biology and Earth Science classes are covering such varied topics as classification of triangles, exponents and powers, the circulatory system and rock classification.  Mrs. Johnson has also been very busy as a Special Education teacher and as a strong example of how the Normative System should work.

Mrs. Brown’s drug and alcohol education group has covered such topics as identification of opiates and amphetamines, the dangers of huffing and the statistics of drug use among teens.  She has worked extensively with the older students on anger management topics.

Mrs. Burrafato and Mr. Charney have developed several interesting art lessons ranging from snowflake winter decorations to architectural drawings using ratio and proportion.

Mr. Cimino has discussed preferences and profanity with his groups.  He also completed a study of how his current hip-hop students could be plugged into various jobs and how their personalities could allow them to be successful.  Also, his “Five Minute Mysteries” are becoming a favorite activity. 

Mrs. Stock is working with the 11^th and 12^th graders to prepare them for their SATs and the completion of the research papers required for graduation.