Author Archives: mindspike


Fox 6 “a resale store that means more”

Brian Kramp from Fox 6 checked out a resale store that means more on Tuesday, January 12th. It’s REPURPOSE! What makes this store special? Have a closer look. REPURPOSE is a not-for-profit resale shop managed by St. Charles Youth and Family Services, Inc. Located in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood. REPURPOSE offers an array of high-quality donated and repurposed items including small household furnishings, select office furniture, gently used clothing, and unique gifts.

See full Fox 6 video here

ST. Charles 89th Anniversary

St. Charles celebrates 89th anniversary by putting the community first and feeding 800 at-risk families.

Nonprofits often celebrate their anniversaries by hosting a dinner in honor of the milestone and raising monies for traditional programming. However, 2009 has been no ordinary year. Instead of hosting its own dinner in honor of the agency’s 89th anniversary, St. Charles Youth & Family Services is raising money and collecting food so 800 struggling families will have a holiday dinner of their own. To learn how you can join St. Charles in making this important goal a reality for 800 families, please click here.

St. Charles on WTMJ’s Morning Blend

Two teens participating in the FOCUS program were featured on WTMJ 4’s popular local news magazine, The Morning Blend.  The FOCUS program is an innovative and highly successful alternative to juvenile incarceration initiated by Milwaukee County in 2003.  The teens talked about how the program is making a positive difference in their lives.

The teenagers were accompanied by Eric Meaux, Milwaukee County Delinquency & Court Services Division Administrator, as well as St. Charles’ President, Cathy Connolly. In addition to being interviewed, the youth performed a song in conjunction with Figureheads, a widely acclaimed musical group that helps youth express themselves positively through hip hop.

St. Charles CEO joins State & County officials

St. Charles CEO joins State & County officials in making national best practice presentation on reducing minority youth incarceration.

Cathy Connolly joined Lindsey Draper, Wisconsin Disproportionate Minority Contact Coordinator, and Eric Meaux, Milwaukee County Delinquency & Court Services Division Administrator, in making a presentation at the 2009 Annual Spring Conference of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice in Arlington, Virginia.  In the presentation before a joint session of the Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Committee and State DMC Coordinators, Messrs. Draper and Meaux and Ms. Connolly described the FOCUS program and how it has directly contributed to a significant reduction in the incidence of Milwaukee County youth of color being confined to secure detention.

To review the presentation, please click HERE.

St. Charles CEO co-present at Illinois Conference

Wraparound Milwaukee Director & St. Charles CEO co-present at Illinois Conference.

St. Charles CEO Cathy Connolly and Bruce Kamradt, Wraparound Milwaukee Director, co-presented at an Illinois conference with the theme, Meeting the Challenges of an Evolving Residential Role.  Ms. Connolly and Mr. Kamradt focused their presentation on helping residential providers of purchasers of services understand both the challenges and opportunities of re-engineering residential treatment.

St. Charles CEO keynotes at Virginia Conference

St. Charles CEO keynotes at Virginia Conference; co-presents with Jericho Resources, Inc.

As the Commonwealth of Virginia prepares to make sweeping reforms in its service delivery system for youth and families, Cathy Connolly, St. Charles CEO, served as the keynote at a gathering of over 100 professionals representing children’s services organizations, state government agencies, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.  In addition to the keynote, Ms. Connolly co-presented “A Strategic Planning Approach to Transformational Change” with William Martin, President of Jericho Resources, Inc. The presentation offered step-by-step advice on making the transition from residentially based services to community-based and in-home service delivery models.

For more information, please click here:  http://vafamilyconnections.com