Diakon Wilderness Center

Workplace stress can be a serious issueeven without a pandemic. Now, COVID-19 presents additional and unique mental health stressors, particularly for health-care and frontline workers, notes a new post on Diakon’s Many Voices. One Heart. blog. But work-related stress is also likely to affect you, either personally or indirectly, no matter your occupation. Disregarding your or a coworker’s stress is an option, but it’s probably not a good one." So what can you do? Diakon ...Family Life Services has some suggestions. To learn more, see the post at https://blog.diakon.org/supporting-colleagues-during-a-str/.

Dating back to as early as the 12th Century, Christmas carols have become an important part of our annual holiday celebrations. "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" is one of the oldest Christmas hymns to still get airplay. And much of the secular Christmas music we listen to today was adopted from music initially created for other purposes. They later became associated with Christmas in some way. Examples are Sleigh Ride, Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman and Winter Wonderland. Comment... below your favorite Christmas carol or song! #MusicMonday

We need your help this Giving Tuesday! Diakon’s Second Chance Fund helps youths overcome their past and turn their lives around through the hope you offer, providing the tools and assistance they need to realize their promise and become contributing members of society. Now more than ever, we need your help to sustain our Second Chance programs. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed an added burden on these youths and their families. ... Diakon continues to meet the needs of people of all ages, particularly our most vulnerable. However, the pandemic has presented us with new challenges: travel required to youths’ homes, increased digital and technological support for educational and emotional concerns and more families in need of support. Please help these youths and their families continue on the path to success! In fact, these programs generate motivation to succeed. Youths must make progress toward personal goals to gain the aid you provideso you know your support will make a meaningful difference. Your donation offers hope through: ~ Technology and internet access to provide young people with the ability to maintain their education and work-study and continue necessary counseling ~ Professional attire for job interviews for youths working toward financial stability ~ Meals and groceries for families via gift cards to replace missed meals typically provided through school lunch program participation ~ Virtual counseling sessions ~ Court-related financial obligations for those youths who are working through a poor decision and need to make restitution Please consider making a tax-deductible donation on our website at https://www.diakon.org/giving/second-chance-fund. #GivingTuesday #secondchance

Finding joy and thankfulness in continued service ... and ‘small places’ ... a message from Diakon President/CEO, Mark T. Pile, MSHA, MSW: Thanksgiving most likely will not seem the same this year. I think we all recognize that. If we travel outside our state, we may have to receive a COVID-19 negative test resultor self-quarantine for 14 days. If we stay at home, our guest list will probably be smaller.... Of course, we all recognize the critical need to stay safeand to keep family members and others safe as well. Even so, Thanksgiving will seem different, as much of 2020 has been different. We may even find it difficult to feel thankful at times. The advice we may have heard from a sports coach arises in such situations: We have to dig a little deeper, try a little harder. But that advice overlooks one important fact: All we have done to get through this unprecedented time ... and the positive impact we have had on others to make their world a little brighter. I am thankful as I remember that during the pandemic Children and youths have still been placed with forever families. Older adults have continued to receive compassionate care, even if their caregivers are shielded by masks, gloves and gowns. Families in crisis, perhaps as a result of job and income uncertainty, have gained the counseling and support they need, if virtually on occasion. Our services have continuously helped people for more than 150 years and nothing, not even pandemics, has interrupted that ministry. We have always dug deeper, tried at little harder, been on the front lines of care and serviceand succeeded in making a difference. That is certainly something for which we can be thankful! To all of our friends, supporters, board members, family members, residents, clients and certainly our very dedicated staff members, I hope the coming days are filled with lots of little joys. And thankfulness. My personal best wishes to you and your family.

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As a case manager for Pennsylvania, Sonia Lebron was accustomed to encounters with youths working their way through the juvenile justice system. In fact, she often helped them with issues such as employment and family relationships. But when she found herself in a different roleas the mother of a young person facing a legal issueshe had to change roles. It put me on the other side of the equation, she says. I had to stop being my job, stop being a case manager. I had to ...be a parent. Her son, considered a juvenile at the time, used poor judgment in a situation in which he was influenced by older peers. He was first assigned to a youth facility, but then transitioned to Diakon Youth Services’ Bridge Program in Lancaster County, which focuses on teaching self-discipline and accountability. In particular, he was able to take advantage of the predisposition program, which helps adolescents learn accountability and coping skills to successfully take steps toward young adulthood. The family’s challenge began with a car ride... https://www.diakon.org//diakon-youth-services-bridge-prog/