| 480/585-3535 | Keys to Excellence, Inc. | Christmas, 2004 |
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BEYOND THE NINE DOTS:
The Polar Express--Believing is Seeing and Hearing Your Holiday Spirit Christmas When I was 8 years old, I asked my mother, "Is there really a Santa Claus? Peggy says he doesn't exist." My mother hesitated and said, "Santa Claus is the spirit of Christmas in your heart." I thought, "Oh no! There really isn't a Santa Claus." My 8-year-old self just wanted some reassurance for one more year. In my adult years, I have come to realize how wise my mother was in giving me a belief that would last the rest of my life. How is the Spirit of Christmas in your heart? The Lesson of the Polar Express Late one Christmas Eve after the town has gone to sleep, the boy boards the mysterious train that waits for him: The Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives, Santa offers the boy any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the harness of the reindeer. The gift is granted. On the way home, the bell is lost. On Christmas morning, the boy finds the bell under the tree. When the boy shakes the bell, it makes the most beautiful sound he and his sister have ever heard. His parents lament that the bell is broken. For you see, only believers can hear the sound of the bell. The last page of the book reads, "At one time most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even my sister Sarah found one Christmas, she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe." If you want to hear the beautiful bell, perhaps you need to renew your power to believe in the Magic of Christmas. If so...CLIMB ABOARD THE POWER EXPRESS. The first Stop is Imagination St. What is your vision of how you would like to experience the holidays - with love, with inner peace, with joy, with the ability to feel the excitement of opening the best gift of all - your heart? If you can't believe it, you will not see it or feel it. Only you can give those gifts to yourself - regardless of circumstance, people, or events. You can imagine yourself as a master of inner Magic. Second Stop Electric Ave. Many of us get derailed from the Power Express by creating a personal Power Outage. You may be stressing yourself about the right gifts, eating too much food, too many family and relatives, blowing your budget, and commercialism. These are great ways to derail yourself and miss the Magic. Throw on the STOP tool and get yourself back on the Magic track. Third Stop the Healing Path. Sometimes our hearts are so wounded, it is challenging to think about Magic. Hold this heart gently, ask for help, put your heart in the hands of a Higher Power, and practice Forgiveness - Unit 9 on the Power Express. Last Stop Possibility Place. Time to catch your connection to your personal holidays, 2004. It has all the potential to be the most loving, peaceful celebration you have ever created. Just believe. Hey, did you just hear the most beautiful bell?
Joy, Peace, and a Prosperous 2005!
What Else Is Possible?
The Columbia Dept. of Health and Human Services implemented KIV last fall. Facilitator Melissa Simonson has been doing KIV "STAR" classes with groups of teens in Portage, WI. Melissa and her team are great resources if you want to know how to entice teens into learning and sharing in groups. She has sent me several letters from male and female participants with touching commentary: "I am getting passing grades in school now and am in a sport." "I learned how to deal with anger and not to cut myself down." "I have caught myself Gatekeeping a lot." "I learned not to give up in sports, not to give up on a test, not to give up at all." "I now ignore a kid I used to fight with," "I didn't like STARS because I didn't think it would help me. After a few groups, I started using it and it helped. Now I go to bed and get up on time for school." These comments remind us that the role of a Facilitator is to keep the class safe, meaningful, and fun and not to judge who is "getting it." We remind you that the letter on page 109 in the Participant Manual can be copied and mailed by the Facilitators to our offices. We would love to share your stories. Congratulations Melissa, HHS staff, and the students of STARS. PREPARING NJ REBEL MENTORS
For the third year, Phyllis had the opportunity to prepare 60 teenagers enrolled in the REBEL (Reeducating Everyone By Exposing Lies) anti-tobacco program sponsored by the New Jersey Comprehensive Tobacco Program. Each year, youth attend the REBEL Tobacco Learning Institute, a three-day conference offering 150 youth information and training in various advocacy strategies. The Mentor Program was designed by Keys, Inc. to prepare youth to teach secondhand smoke information with kindergarten, first, and second grades using stories prepared by Scholastic Inc. We extend our appreciation to Janis Mayer-Obermeier, REBEL Director, and the Bratton Consulting Services, conference coordinators, for a delightful training experience. Getting Around the Rocks!West Virginia Master Facilitator Recertified In early June, Shauna Jones joined Phyllis as a co-facilitator for the RESA IV Facilitator Training in Summersville, WV. Originally certified in March 1997, Shauna has earned recertification every two years since that time. She is a dynamic trainer, and more importantly, she has integrated the concepts of KIV into her way of being an amazing woman and professional teacher. KEYS TO INNERVISIONS TRAINING EXPANDS THE NETWORK!WEST VIRGINIA RESA IV Administrator Barbara Taylor secured a grant for KIV implementation for the schools in the Summerville area. In June, Phyllis Antonelli and Shauna Jones trained Facilitators pictured with Barbara, back right.  Oak Hill Community Training Nancy Tissue of Fayette Plateau Vo-Technical Center realized a long-term goal. Trained in KIV several years ago, she set a goal to bring the curriculum to her Oak Hill community. She wrote a grant application and pursued funding for community- wide training and implementation in July. Participants included counselors from the alternative, middle and high school, probation, mental health, and employment training. Judith Hilinski, of Hudson City Schools, Ohio, was also trained as a Facilitator during this training.  Southern Appalachian Labor School Brenda Winter, WIA/YES Director, was trained as a Facilitator in the Oak Hill Training. She urged her director, John David, to sponsor an Empowerment Team Training for the SALS staff. In November, Phyllis facilitated this training. SALS offers programs in Housing and Education, Vista, Americorps, YouthBuild, WIA, and a full service Community Center with after school and senior programs. Also enrolled in this training were Tracy Thorne and Bobbi Monnett, Lewis County Schools, and Debra Tanner and Clara Marling of Clay County Alternative Schools.  DELAWARE AND NEW JERSEY In October, the first Keys to Innervisions Training in the state of Delaware was contracted with Children and Families First. CFF is a private agency that provides a myriad of services to state agencies. Susan Greenstein, administrator, coordinated the training which included CFF counselors and DYRS probation staff. Although Delaware is small in population, these participants created a large vision of what is possible in bringing KIV to youth across their continuum of care. We appreciate Susan's tenacity and Executive Director Alvin Snyder for offering staff and clients the empowering Tools in KIV.  Prevention Links Continues to Empower Union County and the NJPN Prevention Links, under the direction of Dianne Litterer, has sponsored trainings over the last five years, which have enabled hundreds of staff to be trained in the Keys to Innervisions curriculum. In September, Phyllis and Master Facilitator Mary Richter facilitated a training for 30 staff from schools and social service agencies. During the training, we bid a fond farewell to KIV coordinator Demisha Sheldon who is moving on to a new vision. We welcome newly hired Tamara Bailey. The training was a great way for her to start in this position. A special thanks to Amir Ballard who assisted with the marketing and planning of this training. Also, joining the New Jersey Prevention KIV network was NCADD of Middlesex County. It was an exciting three days of learning, networking, and celebration. 
ARIZONA Under the direction of David and Trish Cocoros, YDI provides residential treatment to male and female youth who span the diagnostic continuum. Since its start up, Keys to Innervisions has been an integral part of their treatment milieu. In November, YDI kicked off a facility-wide renewal with the formation of a Core Planning Team, a Facilitator Training for 30 staff, and the selection of six Master Facilitator Candidates. Phyllis and the staff had a rollicking three days. Pictured is a group of staff with their KIV theme poster.  Central Arizona Shelter Services - A New Possibility!
Three forces came together to enable a KIV training for CASS - Arizona's
largest shelter providing services to the homeless. Phyllis set the intention to
bring the curriculum to a wider network of service providers in Arizona.
Program Director, John Wall was willing to listen and consider this possibility.
In March of this year, Keys to Innervisions was implemented in the St. Patrick
Center - St. Louis' largest shelter service program under the direction of
Charlie Willingham. All that energy produced the CASS Empowerment Team and
Facilitator Training in October. John stated he had been looking for the right
program for his staff for 8 years, and he had finally found it. CASS plans to
continue staff training, to offer Possibility Parenting to the family program,
and teach the concepts to clients in their work and in educational programs.
Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness 11th Annual Conference
In mid-November, Phyllis had the opportunity to attend the conference and
present a three-hour workshop entitled, "Cynical and Burning Out? - Seeing
Yourself and Your Clients as Resilient Possibilities." A special thanks to Meggan
Medina, Executive Director for inviting Keys to Excellence, Inc. to
participate.
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