Christmas Concert Supports Shop With A Cop
A TIME TO GIVE THANKS
A Time to Give Thanks
As this Thanksgiving approaches, I am reminded of how fortunate I am to serve with such an outstanding group of people. The Parsons Police Department's officers, Dispatch personnel and administrative support staff are dedicated, hard-working, and committed to serving the citizens of our City. I encourage you to give them a friendly smile or a kind word to let them know you appreciate them as much as I do. I am truly fortunate to have them by my side.
As we struggle along as other police agencies in our region, in Kansas and across the country with trying to recruit and retain great staff, we need your help to recruit. If you know of a great candidate who is mission driven, has empathy and values helping as much as enforcement then steer that man or woman to our web site (https://www.parsonspd.com/employment ). As an award winning and nationally recognized police department we offer great career opportunities in the heartland of the Midwest where small town policing offers a more rewarding career than many large cities.
I would especially like to extend my sincerest appreciation to the residents of Parsons. Your efforts to enhance safety and cooperation with our office help make our City a great place to live and work. I am thankful for the assistance you provide through the crime tips hotline, website, and in person. I sincerely appreciate your commitment to the safety of our community.
My commitment to the citizens of this City has never been stronger. I will continue to work with you to improve the quality of life for each resident we serve. The support you've shown to me and the entire Police Department during 2021 has been overwhelming. I am very thankful.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Chief Robert Spinks
November is National Adoption Month
Hear My Voice!
Permanency and adoption stories, directly from us
NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH
We are the teens of the child welfare system, and we each have a story to tell.
For some of us, foster care has been our entire life, but in just a few years we may be aging out. The conversation of what's next will be key to us living a stable life-and we want to be included in those conversations!
This month we are raising our voices to share stories from our time in care. Although it's not always easy for us to talk about our experiences, we realize they help shape our permanency decisions. We've also learned that staying silent during these decisions can be much worse.
Hear Youth Voices
Are You Listening?
We are the experts of our lives, and we know what we want and need for our futures. We want to share our experiences to help shine a light on areas where we think engagement and the system can improve.
- Catherine Monet, shares things she learned over timeafter being adopted at age 21. "I think that one way to build this necessary trust is to invite youth to the table. Involve us in decision-making."
- When legal permanency wasn't achieved, Lil' Crystal Dernier determined what permanency beyond a home looked like for her. "These factors all helped me grow in finding permanency in an unconventional way and developing positive self-efficacy."
- Finding normal after moving into the eighth foster home at age 15, Annemarie was scared just how long she'd be welcome in her new home. But engaging conversations lead her to "feel comfortable enough to come to them and talk to them about problems."
- After spending 19 of her 25 years of life in foster care, Shay House became a child welfare advocate and believes People with First-Hand Experience Should be at the Forefront of Policy Reform. "I firmly believe that true expertise lies within one's own experience."
- After her nine siblings were separated into different foster homes and prevented from maintaining family relationships, Aleks was lead on a path away from-and back to-her siblings. "I suffer from individual and shared pain of guilt as I pursue my own life because many of my siblings are unable to do the same."
We'd love for you to share our stories with professionals, other teens in foster care, and prospective adoptive families to draw attention to the importance of conversations and engaging with us.
To read more: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/nam/youthvoices/?utm_campaign=nam21&utm_medium=email&utm_source=hearmyvoice110421
Child Welfare Information Gateway
US Department of Health and Human Service