August Newsletter

Aug 20, 2024

In This Issue:

Memorial Walk: September 21

The FamilyMeans Center for Grief & Loss invites you to our annual Memorial Walk for Hope & Healing. Join us as we remember loved ones lost, celebrate their life, and heal together as a community.

The event includes a brief program of remembrance, walk around Bennett Lake, memorial ceremony, and time for quiet reflection. The Center for Grief & Loss presents this event for the 13th year. We believe in the importance of coming together as a community to find hope and healing through grief. We hope you can join us for this special event!

September 21, 2024 | 9am
Central Park - Lexington at Jaycees Shelter
2540 Lexington Ave N, Roseville, MN

Free to Attend! Registration Required. Suggested donation of $20 per individual to support the work of the Center for Grief & Loss. Donations can be made on the event page.

Register Here

Caregiving & Aging Hosts Nature Memories Open House

On July 30th, FamilyMeans Caregiving & Aging hosted our annual Nature Memories Open House at Belwin Conservancy in Afton. This event was the culmination of a 4-week nature-based Community Connection series. Community Connection, our dementia empowerment group, is designed for those with early stage memory loss to explore new things and break stigmas. This group had spent the previous 3 weeks attending sessions at Belwin Conservancy, enjoying naturalist and artist led activities, viewing birds and bison, and spending time in nature while participating in conversation and connection with those in the early stages of dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

The Open House consisted of live music and spoken word by Andrea Stern, harpist, and Zoe Bird, poet. The poetry Zoe read was created in collaboration with the Community Connection participants over the last few weeks (see one of the poems below). Guided nature walks and nature immersions were offered for those wanting to go bird and pond watching and to learn more about the plants and flowers growing at Belwin. Watercolor painting was offered with artist Anne McFaul-Reid with many gorgeous pieces of art being created.

Earlier this summer, John Nguyen from the Star Tribune wrote an article on the nature memories sessions with Community Connection. Check it out HERE!

School Supply Donations Received from Local Organizations

Living Healthy Washington County and The United Way of Washington County-East held campaigns to collect school supplies to support local youth. FamilyMeans Youth Development participants ages 5-18 were fortunate to be recipients of these supplies at two separate events in August.

On August 8, Landfall residents gathered for a community resource fair to prepare for the start of the school year organized by Living Healthy Washington County and the City of Landfall. FamilyMeans joined together with nearly 20 other agencies to share important resources with individuals and families. From school enrollment information and career opportunities to mental health resources and general health information, there was something to support everyone at this event! Youth in the community received back to school supplies funded by Living Healthy Washington County, preparing them for a successful school year. Guests also enjoyed delicious food and ice cream!

During this event, dancers from Kaloulli Ketzalcuatique performed traditional Aztec and Nahuatl dances. Celebrating the rich history of the Latinx community through song and dance was a great way to welcome the changing season. FamilyMeans received funding from the Minnesota State Arts Board to bring Kalpulli Ketzalcuatlique to the community through the arts organization COMPAS.

On August 20, a similar event was held at our Cimarron Youth Center to support the families of this community! With support from the United Way of Washington County- East's Stuff the Bus campaign, families in this community also received back to school supplies to help prepare them for a successful year! Volunteers and donors from Community Thread and The United Way of Washington County-East helped make these donations possible, and FamilyMeans Cimarron Youth Programs and Lake Elmo Elementary/Stillwater Schools helped bring ice cream, resources, and community together.

Beware! Financial Scams on the Rise

Scam Alert Financial scams happen every day and affect people of all demographics. The Federal Trade Commission reports that consumers lost more than $10 billion to fraud/scams in 2023. Whether it be a call targeting a vulnerable adult or an unsolicited message with links, scammers will use what ever tactics they have in order to gain valuable information.

Scammers often target people who are struggling with debt or credit due to their vulnerability. This could include debt assistance scams, credit repair scams, debt collector scams, and more. Our team at FamilyMeans Financial Solutions advises everyone to use secure connections, stay informed, don't act immediately, and never give financial information to someone you didn't expect to be contacting you.

If you are searching for support, FamilyMeans offers free counseling to those who need help with debt repayment, budgeting, and money management skills. Our Certified Consumer Credit Counselors take the time to thoroughly understand the situation and provide recommendations and options. Visit our website or call 800-780-2890 to speak to one of our team members!

Additionally, The Better Business Bureau has a great resource called Scam Tracker that us a free tool anyone can use to report suspected scams or look up potential scams.

Back to School Anxiety Support

s we prepare for the upcoming school year, your child may begin to feel anxious and overwhelmed. Parents can play a vital role in easing this anxiety and helping to make the back-to-school transition an easy one.

Here are 5 tips from FamilyMeans Counseling & Therapy on how to support your child this fall:

Let them talk: Make yourself available for your child. Let them know that they can talk to you about how they are feeling, without judgement.
Don't get frustrated: You might feel like anxiety your child has is irrational, but to them, it is not. It is important not to brush off or ignore these feelings. Stay open, listen, and do not show them frustration.
Spend quality time: Spend time together doing something fun. This will cheer them up and make them feel like they are not alone in their struggles.
Teach ways to cope: Encourage your child to recognize when they are feeling anxious. Then teach them ways to calm that anxiety. Some ways to do this are: take deep breaths, focus on something they can control, or find someone they trust to discuss feelings.
Praise accomplishments: Recognize when your child overcomes an anxiety inducing situation. Be proud of them, and show it!

FamilyMeans School-Based therapists are available to help your child through whatever challenge they are facing. Parent and family therapy sessions are also available. Visit our Counseling & Therapy page or call 651- 439-4849 to get started.

Join us for Townie Tuesday on October 8, 2024!

The FamilyMeans Next Generation Council is hosting Townie Tuesday at Lift Bridge Brewing, Stillwater, on October 8th from 4pm to 8pm! Come support families in the St. Croix Valley! Enjoy delicious food and drink from Lift Bridge and the Smug Pug Food Truck, enter to win raffle baskets, and get to know others in the community. There will be yard games and kid's activities so bring the whole family!

$1 of every pint (including rootbeer) supports FamilyMeans programming! All donations will be matched dollar to dollar by Andersen Corporation.