Somerset Home for Temporarily Displaced Children
Jeffrey Fetzko, ACSW, LSW, CFRE
Vol. 8, No. 7, April 1, 2010
The Executive Director's News is published every two weeks, and is specifically written for the employees, board of trustees and friends of the Somerset Home.
This issue and past issues are available on our web site at http://www.somersethome.org/main/pages/employee_newsletter.htm.
Health Insurance Reform
After nearly a century of trying, and after more than a year of extensive debate, the President signed into law a health reform bill that brings down health care costs for American families and small businesses, expands coverage to millions of Americans and ends the worst practices of insurance companies. I have two summaries available:
Ethicon Exec Joins Somerset Home Board
Reprinted from the Courier News - March 23, 2010
Somerset Home for Temporarily Displaced Children has named Nikkia Miller-Blakes of Somerset, N.J. to its board of trustees. The nonprofit agency provides a safe haven and support services to abused, neglected and homeless youth.
Miller-Blakes, senior manager of IT sales & marketing at Ethicon, Inc., in Somerville, brings a wealth of business experience to her new role.
“I have been fortunate to have family, mentors and role models who have contributed to my success, so I understand how important they can be in the lives of youth,” she said. “I hope my ideas and skills will help make a difference.”
Miller-Blakes has a bachelor's degree in computer information systems from Hampton University in Virginia and an M.B.A. from Pace University in New York. She has also completed leadership programs at Harvard University, Smith College and Babson College.
In addition to her business acumen, Miller-Blakes brings experience in other community service projects, including Big Apple Basketball, an organization that uses basketball to help young people with their athletic, educational and life-skills development.
And as a truly hands-on volunteer, she was part of a team who pulled a 93,000-pound Boeing 737 across the tarmac at Newark Liberty International Airport to raise $20,000 for the Special Olympics of New Jersey.
According to Somerset Home Executive Director Jeffrey Fetzko, “In this difficult economy, we're happy to have strong business leaders like Nikkia help us expand our services to the vulnerable youth in our communities.”
Somerset Home, incorporated in 1970, is dedicated to meeting the needs of abused and neglected youth. The non-profit corporation provides six programs for adolescents and their families: Brahma House crisis intervention program; Passages, My Place and Whitney House transitional living programs; Pathways independent living skills program; and Street S.M.A.R.T. street outreach program.
NJACYF 2010 Conference
"The Child as a Whole: Piecing Together the Partnership Puzzle"
As always, thank you all for your continued hard work on behalf of our youth.
