“Maybe I should take a few bottles over to Grand River Brewery?” This was the question Steve Holda posed to his fiancée Tina Ryan in late spring of 2021. After almost 30 years of brewing beer in the kitchen of his home, Steve had honed his craft. But this latest experiment resulted in the best beer he’d ever made---a cranberry-orange pilsner. Steve shares with a chuckle, “I don’t even like cranberries!” By day, Steve puts a different form of expertise in motion as the Chief Financial Officer of Starfish Family Services. With a long history of leadership roles, landing at Starfish means Steve can also be part of the mission to strengthen families to create brighter futures for children---something he is very passionate about. Born and raised in Jackson, Michigan, Steve hoped Grand River Brewery (GRB) might be willing to hear him out on (and even taste!) his cranberry-orange pilsner. So, off he went. He was introduced to GRB’s owner, Justin Dalenberg, and master brewer Wyatt … [Read more...]
Starfish blog: Committed to mission, fully vaccinated . . . Thank You!
Today I offer my profound gratitude for Starfish employees and their commitment to become fully vaccinated---THANK YOU! I am so proud of our teams and their unwavering support for mission. This means Starfish can keep our doors open for children and families who need our services and steadfast allyship now, more than ever. (Starfish CEO Ann Kalass) The COVID-19 pandemic has uprooted our ability to connect with friends and family, often chipping away at our daily rhythm, increasing isolation, and pulling children further away from educational and health milestones. On October 1, 2021, Starfish Family Services announced a Covid vaccination mandate for our employees with a November 12 deadline to participate. Since the pandemic first arrived in Michigan, Starfish has been committed to doing everything possible to keep our employees, children & families, and communities safe. From mask-wearing, to handwashing, to social distancing, to screening tools, to increased … [Read more...]
Starfish blog: Committed to continued COVID safety
Since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic first arrived in Michigan, Starfish has been committed to doing everything possible to keep our employees, children & families, and communities safe. How to keep people safe during such uncharted times has been a continuous learning experience---especially since no two days during the pandemic have been the same. One constant is that Starfish is dedicated to consistent, timely, and transparent communication with our community as part of our response management. To stay informed, visit and bookmark our COVID & Our Community page. Decisions based on data We leverage data and health-expert guidance in making all decisions. COVID case and testing data is posted three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays by Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. It steers our course as we make purposeful adjustments to our protocols. For example, the below is from October 13, 2021. The average number of new confirmed cases … [Read more...]
Starfish blog: Back-to-School Prep
Created by Brianne Twombly, LMSW, IMH-E III---Manager of Trauma-Informed Care at Starfish Family Services. Bri has over ten years of specialized experience in the treatment of childhood trauma and toxic stress. Download the PDF. Bonus PDF: Back-to-School prep for older children. Visit the Starfish YouTube channel for corresponding videos created by Alice Santa, MSCP, TLLP---Trauma Informed Care Specialist. … [Read more...]
Starfish blog: Creepy Crawly Bug Hunt
"Bug Hunt" is a great way to get your children outside and interacting with nature. Plus it's an educational and FUN activity that can help develop math skills (like counting) and science skills (observing and investigating). It also helps little ones get over any fears of "icky, creepy, crawly" things. Insects found in their yard, playground, or park are mostly harmless to humans and are necessary to our ecosystems. All you need: Bug Hunt checklist (printable below) or you and your little ones can draw your own checklist of bugs typically found in your yard/park on a piece of paper.Crayons/markers. How to hunt: Start with some safety ground rules! Explain that children should be finding bugs, not touching them (to avoid any potential bites/stings or allergic reactions).Be curious about where you investigate! Start with flowering plants that are at a little one's eye level. They are basically blooming hotels for buzzing insect. Then move down to ground levels (exposed … [Read more...]
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