We here at Gateway would like to express our gratitude for the overwhelming community response during this holiday season. Not only were we able to provide many of our clients with Christmas gifts, we will also be able to continue providing counseling, shelter, and employment and educational assistance to youth in the greater Lansing area thanks to your support. We would again like to thank everyone who donated their time or money this year, and we wish you a very happy 2010!

If you would like more information about what Gateway accomplished last year, please read our 2009 Winter Newsletter

Gateway is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the position of Direct Care Worker. Direct Care Workers work at the Kevin Moody Youth Home and supervise and assist clients in learning independent living skills.

If you are interested in joining the Gateway team, please email your resume and cover letter to info@gatewayservices.org or fax to (517) 351-4094.

For more information, and to view the full job posting, please visit our employment opportunities page.

Gateway would like to thank Okemos High School for their yearly fundraiser, A Touch of Class. For the last 12 years, groups of Okemos High School seniors and juniors have planned their school's Touch of Class Lunch and to date they have raised over $35,000 for Gateway Community Services.

The seniors and juniors dress up in tuxedos and prom dresses to escort and serve fellow students who purchase a ticket for a seat at a table clad with white linen. The school gets local car dealerships to loan them a "classy" car which becomes the focal point of the gymnasium. The planning committee is always a collaborative effort between seniors and juniors so that the following year, those juniors (who would then be seniors) take the reigns and plan it with some students a year younger so that the event is perpetuated annually.

The planning committee once again did a fantastic job this year, and we would once again like to thank them for their efforts. To view pictures of the event, please visit out pictures page.

The Towne Courier has written an excellent article about the event, which can be viewed here.

On Wednesday November 4th Gateway Community Services participated in "Your Story and Mine: A Community of Hope", a traveling art exhibit put together by Advent House. The art show consists of works by current and former homeless people, and, after leaving Lansing City Hall, will travel around the state of Michigan to highlight the growing problem of homelessness across our state.

Gateway's submissions came via participants in our Violence Intervention and Prevention Project, run by coordinator Jen Loforese. To learn more about the VIPP, please click here. To view pictures from this event, please visit our pictures page. Thanks again to everyone who participated in this event and made it possible.

Congratulations to Thomas Rossana for being named Gateway's Employee of the Month for December! Thomas has been commended for his dedication to his clients, his strong work ethic, and his teamwork with his fellow co-workers. To read more about why his co-workers voted Thomas Employee of the Month, click here.

Due to some recent internal changes, the Crossroads Information Meetings have been moved to Mondays at 4:00 pm.

This week's meeting will still take place on Wednesday, November 4, but subsequent meetings will occur on Monday afternoons. The first Monday meeting will be held on November 9.

If you are interested in any of Gateway's programs, please come and attend a meeting. These meetings serve as the first step to admittance into many of Gateway's programs. As always, the meetings and services are free, and anyone may attend a meeting. Meetings are held at Gateway's administrative offices, located at 2875 Northwind Drive, Suite 105. For more information, please call our offices at 517-351-4000 or email us at info@gatewayservices.org.

Congratulations to Lindley Arnold for being named Gateway's Employee of the Month for November! Lindley has been commended for his willingness to pick up extra shifts and cover for his co-workers, his dedication to his ILS clients, and his overall leadership abilities. To read more about why his co-workers voted Lindley Employee of the Month, click here.

The Lansing State Journal has written a great article about Gateway's upcoming Street Outreach Program.

"E.L. agency aims to find, help homeless teens in area"

This program will allow Gateway to expand its services and provide assistance to more at-risk and homeless youth in the tri-county area. We would like to thank the Lansing State Journal for its support, as well as the support of other community organizations and individuals. If you are interested in helping Gateway, donations and volunteers are always appreciated.

Homeless teenagers in the Ingham, Eaton and Clinton County region will soon be receiving special attention from Gateway Community Services as it launches a "Street Outreach Program" as a result of receiving a three year $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The grant will enable Gateway to expand its current services and provide counseling, crisis intervention, case management and emergency housing to youth ages 12 to 21 who are homeless, or having difficulty because of an unstable family environment.

"The Street Outreach initiative will enable us to make an aggressive effort in both urban and rural settings to find homeless youth and assist them in stabilizing their lives and help them avoid becoming victims of sexual abuse, criminal activity or other behavior that can be detrimental to the youth and the community in general," according to Jennifer McMahon, Gateway's Director of Programs. "Youth homelessness is a community problem," according to McMahon. "Youth are likely to engage in negative activities as a result of both peer pressure and survival need. Though peers can provide friendship, support, and a sense of community, negative peers can introduce youth to risk-taking and even destructive behaviors."

Gateway's new Street Outreach Program will attempt to connect with these youth that might not otherwise seek out our services. It is our hope that by bringing help directly to youth on the street, instead of waiting for them to come to us, that we will be able to serve more at-risk and homeless youth with essential services.

Gateway would like to thank the East Lansing FedEx Kinko's Print Center for their recent donation to our Violence Intervention and Prevention Project. The FedEx Kinko's Print Center donated over 100 boxes to the VIPP for the student Shadow Box art therapy project.

We are very thankful for this and other donations which we receive. If you are interested in making a donation, please visit our donations page for more information.