NEWS RELEASE

The Saginaw County Association of Retired School Personnel (SCARSP), the local chapter of the Michigan Association of Retired School Personnel (MARSP), held its first monthly meeting for the 2015-2016 fiscal year on Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at the Hellenic Banquet Center in Saginaw Township. There were 193 members in attendance. The Saginaw County Association of Retired School Personnel (SCARSP) is the local chapter of the Michigan Association of Retired School Personnel in Saginaw County and has over 900 members.

SCARSP members received an Overview of the Effects of Trauma On Children by the Saginaw Max System of Care. The guest presenters for the month of October were Keva Clark, M.ED, Family Involvement Coordinator for Saginaw Max System of Care and Kelley Blanck, LMSW, Technical Assistant and Training Coordinator for Saginaw Max System of Care and Mental Health Consultant to Saginaw County Community Mental Health Authority (SCCMHA). They enlightened the membership on “The Effects of Trauma on Children—Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma: An Overview”. Even though there were 8 Modules in this curriculum, the presenters gave the membership a brief overview of awareness, challenges, myths to avoid, what trauma means, how to respond to traumatic stress, how children respond to trauma, how the brain forms connections, invisible suitcase, how to be an emotional container, and building a safe place while staying connected and taking care of yourself. They stated that we, the community and educators, could be advocates for children who have experienced some form of trauma in their lives. The membership also learned that children bring their traumas with them into our homes, neighborhoods, and schools—basically everywhere they go. Many retired teachers and other school personnel stated that this information would have been very helpful to them in their classrooms and school settings.

The Saginaw County Association of Retired School Personnel meets monthly from October through June and updates its membership regarding changes in Health and Pension Benefits. Program topics are presented at each meeting in regards to local, state and federal legislation; health and medicine; schools/youth/education, and community.   SCARSP also supports various charitable organizations and provide scholarships to graduating seniors from Saginaw county high schools who plan to go into the field of education as well as college students pursuing a degree in the field of education.

The Michigan Association of Retired School Personnel is the largest State Organization of retired teachers, administrators, secretaries, bus drivers, etc. in Michigan.   MARSP is the premier advocate for all retired school personnel and ensure that member’s voices and views are heard in Lansing. MARSP and local chapters are also reaching out to active educators in order to keep everyone informed regarding educational, health, and pension issues. For more than 60 years, MARSP has been the only organization totally dedicated to promoting and supporting the rights and needs of retired public school personnel and serving as their legislative voice.

Today, MARSP has more than 100 chapters in Michigan, Florida, Arizona, Colorado, Tennessee and Texas. MARSP has more than 45,000 members in Michigan and throughout the U.S

The Guest Speaker for the November 18^th meeting will be Tina Bennett of Exceptional Horseback Riders of Saginaw County. In addition, there will be a special presentation from Central Michigan University’s School of Medicine discussing an opportunity for retired teachers to become standardized patients. Working as a Standardized Patient (SP) provides a unique opportunity to be involved in shaping the medical education of tomorrow’s physicians and health professionals.

If interested in attending SCARSP meetings and be on the cutting edge of receiving viable information, please contact Sue Umphrey at (989) 401-2783 or email her at susieu@chartermi.net for reservations. For membership information, you may contact Loretta Wittkopp at lewittkopp@gmail.com or Linda Sanborn at linda.sanborn@gmail.com