Ernest Akers and Debra Noles went above and beyond with
their efforts to get the toy drive started, and then following through on the
details to make a huge success! A special thank you to them and all who donated
as well as the HR department and business services because they donated an
abundant amount of toys.
The executive director of the Boys & Girls club was very
appreciative of the work that was put in, and most off all, for providing
holiday gifts to the children in Waco.
Capstone youth and staff distributed flyers around our
campus and also posted them on our dorms to promote the event. They also
developed a sign in sheet for donators to place their name and list how many
toys they have given.
To promote the toy drive, the youth also came up with the
idea of making the drive a completion for each department on campus. The
motivator: The winning department would receive lunch provided by the Capstone
team.
The Capstone program provides a unique environment targeted
to a youth’s specific needs. The program provides youth the structure and
interventions needed for safety, while allowing them some choices in their
daily programming activities and leadership opportunities, as well as a chance
to build upon the success they have demonstrated academically.
Capstone staff employ interventions to help youth develop
the motivation and skills necessary for managing their behavior and developing
alternative productive behaviors. This in turn allows progress in other areas
of their treatment program, such as job readiness and specialized treatment.
The ultimate goal for each Capstone youth is to achieve a
state of transition readiness, with a solid plan for community reintegration
and the skills necessary to achieve the long-term positive outcomes they set
for themselves.
The Capstone program, which has 8 youth in each program
cohort, is built around principles and practices focusing on the specific risk
factors that contribute to each youth’s maladaptive behaviors. The youths
reside together in one dorm, with two Juvenile Correctional Officers (JCOs).
The program addresses the youth’s individual risk factors,
especially those pertaining to skill development. It strives to help youth
reduce these risk factors while developing corresponding protective factors to
build long-term, internalized changes in behavior.