As a drug-free workplace, MCS is proud to honor the 15th annual National Drug-Free Work Week from October 16th to 22nd. This annual public awareness campaign highlights the importance of a drug-free workplace and encourages workers with alcohol and drug dependency to seek help.

“I am proud that Manatee Children’s Services is committed to providing a safe, healthy working environment for our employees and our Drug Free Workplace Policy is one of the best tools we have to ensure that,” Debbie (MCS HR) said.

MCS Human Resources Manager, Debbie Ostrander, shared that in addition to ensuring employee safety, having a drug-free workplace is also shown to exhibit lower rates of absenteeism and turnover, as well as higher productivity.

The TRUTH prevention program at MCS educates youth ages 10-17 in Manatee County to help raise awareness of healthy relationships and boundaries and assist youth who might be in abusive relationships.

To help break the cycle of domestic violence, BRIC Parenting Specialists at MCS educate caregivers about the emotional effects children experience after witnessing abuse and how to avoid negative behaviors such as forcing children to choose sides and/or become “spies."

MCS wishes all kids in Manatee a very safe and Happy Halloween!

The MCS Insider: October 2023 - mailchi.mp/25e6a5742403/a…

Please mark your calendars for this year’s Giving Tuesday and help us meet our goal of $50,000 to give our Child Protection Team a new home through the “Welcome to Our House” initiative.

Want to learn more about our mission and our work? We’re offering tours in November and would love to show you. Please send us a private message or email [email protected] to book a private or small group tour.

facebook.com/donate/6521590…

Please help us ensure all children have gifts for the holidays by submitting your sponsorship form, available at the manateechildrensservices.com homepage, or making a gift through our Facebook fundraiser at: facebook.com/donate/2705083… Thank you in advance for all you do!

Thank you to our MCS Holiday Project sponsors who have given the children we serve a reason to smile this season. Many more have continued to step up, so stay tuned!

We are so grateful for our generous community who continue to step up for the children we serve through the 2023 MCS Holiday project!

Congratulations to the MCS Employee of the Year: BRIC Parenting Coach, Julie Smith. For the past several years, Julie has gone above and beyond to help families in the reunification process as well as her fellow employees. We are lucky to have you, Julie!

Wow! What a difference our community has made in helping us reach our $50,000 to begin transforming our campus through "Welcome To Our House." For more information on our project, visit manateechildrensservices.com/case-for-suppo…

Happy New Year and welcome to 2024! Please see our January edition of "The MCS Insider" to read about our Holiday Project recap, latest news, and more. canva.com/design/DAF4xaX…

The five minutes you spend making your call and asking your colleagues, family, and supporters to do the same can pay off in services to children for months to come. Please post/repost, share, and tweet/retweet our social media posts on this effort. nationalchildrensalliance.org/voca-fix/