1998 . . . What a Year!

Last year was a very special one for everyone at Rosalie Manor. As you may have noticed, we have updated the look of our newsletter to reflect the changes that have occurred. In September, we changed our name to Rosalie Manor Community & Family Services as it better reflects our role as a social service agency. We also added a program, Safety Services, in which we work in conjunction with the Child Welfare Bureau. Through Safety Services we provide families with services such as basic parenting assistance, home management, substance abuse counseling, protective payment and social-emotional support. Our most exciting accomplishment in 1998 was celebrating 90 years of service.

On September 24, 1998, we celebrated this milestone with a dinner at the Italian Community Center. We were thrilled to have best-selling author and poet Dr. Maya Angelou as a keynote speaker, and TMJ 4's Mike Gousha as the emcee for the evening. From the minute Dr. Angelou stepped on stage, she captivated the crowd of more than 450 with a song, and continued to mesmerize us with her poetry and stories of her childhood. One of the most poignant statements Dr. Angelou made was that we are all "composers." She stated that we have all helped people compose their lives. In doing so, we have helped them control the confusion, which is what a composer does. She continued to explain that to be a composer, one must have tremendous courage. Courage is key because without it, it would be difficult to be consistently kind, generous, and merciful.

It was an honor for us to have such a renowned speaker, especially since her life as a young woman parallels the lives of many of the families we serve. Mike Gousha explained that one of the similarities is Dr. Angelou was an unwed mother at the age of 16. Dr. Angelou agreed with this and stated that we are all more alike than different. "Everybody wants healthy children, every body wants to love someone, and everyone in the world wants safe streets."

In addition to the moving words from Dr. Angelou, we also honored an individual and a group who are special to Rosalie Manor Community & Family Services. The Program Support Award was given to Congressman Tom Barrett. Congressman Barrett has supported us in our efforts to expand our pregnancy prevention program, Families United to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. In 1986, Congressman Barrett helped us gain continued state funding when the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Board was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union to cut off funding to Rosalie Manor on the issues around separation of church and state. Since that time, Congressman Barrett has helped us gain two 5-year demonstration grants from the Federal Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention and Programs. It is this support that has allowed many more youth to participate in Families United to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

The second award, the Rosalie Jette Spirit Award, was named after the foundress of the Misericordia Sisters, the order that founded Rosalie Manor. This award was given to the Misericordia Sisters. While most of the Sister's work is now centered in Canada, their spirit lives on in the institutions and agencies they founded, in the men and women working in places like Rosalie Manor Community & Family Services, and in many others who have come to know and live the spirituality of the Misericordia Sisters.

The evening was a wonderful success, and we raised more tban $19,000. Thank you to all who attended and who helped make our 90th Anniversary special.