BY KEN FRANCIS, STAFF WRITER

 

 

At the last county board meeting, three individuals received awards.

 

Crystal Mely was nominated for the Adult Foster Care award by Ashley Olinyk, who described how Mely made a big impact.

 

Mely started licensing in 2016. She started with a client for respite care and it turned into a long-term care situation. She works with all types of clients and doesn’t turn away when they have difficult pasts, said Olinyk, and she is able to open up her home to help clients succeed and work towards their goals.

 

She has been a positive influence on many clients who have been in her home and continue to stay in her home. She provides a warm and positive environment, motivates all the clients do to their best in the home and assists them with any needs. 

She works with professional and family guardians and has been able to coordinate meetings, provide feedback on how things are going and always thinks about the positives to help the clients grow.

 

She has taken her clients to apply for jobs in the community to increase independence and has gone to interviews with them to support the clients. 

 

She also takes all the clients out into the community to activities related to what they are interested in.  She is always looking at participating in new activities with her clients by taking them to the YMCA, music in the park, movies, fishing and restaurants.

 

She also takes online classes to learn more about mental illnesses to build her knowledge. 

 

Jessica Moos was nominated for the Child Foster Care award by Julie Mlsna.

 

“I had the pleasure of working with Jessica Moos several months ago, when our agency was seeking an emergency placement of a young little boy,” said Mlsna. “She responded quickly to the initial placement call and was en route to the hospital before this worker could blink.”

 

Moos was ready and willing to provide necessary care for the minor child and do whatever was needed to ensure safety and well-being. She greeted the minor child with a nurturing, attentive approach and modified her work schedule to attend any necessary doctor appointments, follow up appointments and supervised visits between the minor child and his father.

 

She worked with the father and minor child to ensure visits were consistent and contact occurred. She was willing to meet the father in his community as transportation was a barrier. 

 

“Although the requests and schedules were challenging, Moos never complained and went over and beyond for the best interest of this little guy,” said Mlsna. “In all the years of doing this work, I have never had a parent thank me for placing their child in foster care. This father did. He thanked me for choosing “the perfect one”.

 

She recognized the little guy in placement needed socialization and developmental follow up. Within days of placement, she had the child enrolled in daycare and socially he was advancing. Within a month, his is language improved, his motor skills and physical appearance were night and day. 

 

Moos attended doctor appointments and celebrated the successes of weight gains, meeting developmental milestones and most importantly, supporting the father/child’s relationship. She would provide telephone updates to the father, meet with father during supervised visits to share parenting tips ideas, observations and suggestions. 

 

“Although she is new to our agency, her actions spoke of a seasoned foster provider and one who truly defines, what placement of a child should look like,” said Mlsna.

 

MayKaylee B. was nominated by Social Worker Kelly Hildre for Foster Child of The Year award.

 

MB, a 17-year old junior, entered foster care last year. Despite the mental and emotional challenges of moving into a foster home with people she’s never met, changing schools, having to make new friends and grieving the loss of her family, MB has continued to thrive.

 

She is an exceptionally intelligent, kind, warm-hearted young woman with an astoundingly bright future ahead of her. A National Honors Society member, MB has consistently maintained a GPA above a 4.0 in honors and college level classes.             In addition to an impressive academic rigor, she has maintained a part time job  and taking seasonal jobs when available as well. She has exhibited strong skills in money management, future planning, self-advocacy and motivation to prepare herself for adulthood.

 

She hopes to become a criminal attorney some day and fearlessly met with assistant county attorneys Tracy Harris and Victoria Powell to learn more about her options moving forward. 

 

She plans to attend PSEO classes her senior year at Elk River through Anoka Ramsey Community College then hopes to move on to St. Thomas University after obtaining her high school diploma.

 

“Beyond her obvious academic and vocational strengths, I would love to bring attention to a lesser known strength of MB’s: her drive and determination to obtain emotional health and wellness” wrote Hildre. “MB has struggled with depression and anxiety for the better part of her adolescence and it has gone largely untreated until she moved into foster care.”             

 

Despite a fear of stigma, she has taken all recommendations from her mental health providers with grace and is willing to try just about anything to help manage her mental health better.

 

“I can’t say enough about this delightful young woman and the endless possibilities for her as she enters adulthood,” wrote Hildre. “The sky is the limit for MB, and she is determined to shatter any barrier she encounters.”