The Exchange Club of Springfield, Ohio met at Wendy’s Restaurant as there were no rooms available at Wittenberg.
Our guest speaker was Richele Shepard from WellSpring. It was a very informative meeting for those Exchangites present as Richele spoke of several of WellSpring’s efforts to assists families in the areas. According to Richele, the Springfield community has a demonstrated need for the Families and Schools Together (FAST) program. FAST is a school-based, collaborative, family-focused program designed to increase the self-esteem and improve the school performance of at-risk elementary school children by supporting the natural strength of the family unit. This innovative, proven program involves parents in circles of support so they can more easily help their children succeed. The target population includes children ages four to nine that exhibit multiple behavior problems in school. The program builds up protective factors against school failure, violence, delinquency, and substance abuse. FAST program goals include teaching good parenting skills, reinforcing the value of a social support system to combat social isolation that is often a link to breakdowns in parenting, and reinforcing the connection between the child’s parent and school