Methodist Children’s Home Adds Office to New Mexico
Q&A with Kimberly York, Director of MCH Family Outreach in Las Cruces
Kimberly York, Director for the MCH Family Outreach office in Las Cruces, N.M., has hit the ground running since she was hired at the end of May to launch services in our second New Mexico location. As the office space is being finished up, York has been spending her time learning more about MCH programs, spreading the word about our services and networking in the community to form valuable partnerships.
Las Cruces is located around 45 miles from MCH Family Outreach in El Paso, where York spent a lot of time preparing. York said the welcoming staff in El Paso have been a blessing to her as she begins her journey with MCH Family Outreach.
Q: What is your professional background?
A: I have been in the field of clinical social work for a little over 20 years. I have extensive experience working with children, youth and families from hard places. I have an undergraduate degree in social work from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, and two master’s degrees from Case Western Reserve University in social administration and nonprofit management. I also founded a nonprofit organization named SO WHO Enterprises, which is an acronym that stands for Serving Others While Helping Ourselves.
I consider it to be my ministry that encourages youth professionals and caregivers to develop a healthy balance between service to others and their own self care.
Q: What attracted you to this position opening a new office of MCH Family Outreach?
A: This position is aligned with my personal and professional values. At this point in my career, having sound leadership is very important to me. I would rather see a sermon than hear one. MCH intentionally takes good care of its staff, that’s huge for me. While it fits with everything else I have been doing professionally, it is also an opportunity for growth for me because I had never utilized Trust-Based Relational Intervention or Circle of Security techniques.
Q: What makes Las Cruces unique?
A: The overall culture of Las Cruces is very unique. While it is home to a large Hispanic and Mexican population, it is becoming more attractive to people from other cultures. A lot of retired people migrate to Las Cruces for its cozy lifestyle. It is also a unique community with regards to family structure – for example, it is common to see three to four generations living in one household. As a result of its expansion, the city and its people are becoming more progressive.
Q: What are some ways you see MCH Family Outreach making an impact in Las Cruces?
A: I definitely see that we can provide wrap-around services for families that don’t qualify for traditional services. For instance, some families may not qualify for social services because of their income. Ironically, many out-of-pocket service expenses prove to be too expensive for them. To me, the unintended consequence is these families tend to get overlooked and fall through the cracks. I appreciate that we will be able to look beyond those barriers and offer free services to families that don’t require the more intensive services, but still could benefit from some support. Kinship caregivers are a perfect example of this. Additionally, we won’t have to compete with other services in the area because we are designed to be an extension of supportive services. For example, some agencies only provide services for children ages 0-5. Beyond the limit of those resources however, a lot of caregivers may still need support. We will work closely with referring agencies to ensure a seamless transition for those families to MCH programs.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most in working with the community of Las Cruces?
A: In the nonprofit sector, being able to offer free services can be a challenge. Too often, valuable family support programs and services get cut due to decreased or complete loss of funding. We are blessed to be able to tell committed families that we are here to support them and it’s not based on grant funding. We look forward to building strategic alliances with existing service providers to strengthen families in Las Cruces. We are grateful that the Las Cruces community is greeting us with open arms.
Methodist Children’s Home Puts Down Roots in Killeen
Q&A with Amanda Volker, Director of MCH Family Outreach in Killeen
The furniture is in place and the paint is dry in the office, and Amanda Volker, director of one of the newest MCH Family Outreach offices, is busy making connections in Killeen and surrounding communities. Killeen is strategically located amongst several Central Texas communities that are home to a population of more than 300,000, made even higher with the population of nearby Fort Hood.
Although the Killeen office will initially offer the Nurturing Parenting program, Volker said Family Solutions and the Grandparents As Parents Program (GAPP) will be added as the
staff grows.
Q: When did you know social work was the career path for you?
A: I joined the U.S. Army in 2001 and served as an Army medic for five years. During my first deployment – to Iraq in 2003 – I would go to different towns and work with community clinics where we would share ideas, collaborate and assist in their local work. I learned a lot about culture and community and also learned that I really wanted to meet people where they are. That, I found out, is community social work. I knew I had found my calling and that is what I pursued after I got out of the Army in 2006.
Q: What attracted you to this position opening a new office of MCH Family Outreach?
A: My husband is in the military so we have moved around a lot in the last 10 years. This means that I have only been able to stay in a position for 1-2 years. Since my husband will retire from the military next year in Texas, we have been settling into this community. I wanted to find a place to put down roots with an organization that allowed me to expand my skills in community social work and empower people. When I saw the posting for the position and researched MCH, I knew I had found what I was looking for. As for opening a brand new office – well, I love a challenge!
Q: What makes Killeen unique?
A: Our location is great. The town started as a railway hub so we have easy access to bigger cities while still maintaining a “hometown” feel. The military base brings in wonderful diversity and gives the community a sense of patriotism and national identity. We also have fantastic recreational resources here with our lovely Stillhouse and Belton lakes and surrounding trails.
Q: What are some ways you see MCH Family Outreach making an impact in Killeen?
A: There is a wonderful social infrastructure here for us to connect to on Fort Hood as well as Killeen, Copperas Cove, Harker Heights, Belton, Temple, and other surrounding cities. I’m looking forward to building new networks with these wonderful people, organizations and resources to enhance services and support our community. I think it serves me well to have a military background, as I know the “talk.” Hopefully that will open doors for us as we connect with military families.
Q: From a local perspective, what is the significance of being part of a larger organization with the history of MCH?
A: MCH really walks their talk. For 126 years MCH has been fulfilling their mission and staying true to their core values. To be associated with and to work from such a platform of integrity really informs our work at a local level. It allows us to meet people where they are with compassion, competence, integrity, and respect, which allows us to serve in the best possible manner. •
New MCH Family Outreach offices in three locations
While Methodist Children’s Home enjoyed a busy summer opening new MCH Family Outreach offices in Killeen, Texas, and Las Cruces, N.M., a new office in the Bryan/College Station area will be fully operational in the late summer/early fall. Bryan/College Station’s progress and new director will be profiled in the next issue of Sunshine magazine.
MCH Family Outreach, Bryan
4001 E. 29th Street
Suite 108
Bryan, TX 77802
MCH Family Outreach, Killeen
3202 South W.S. Young Dr.
Suite 104
Killeen, TX 76542
MCH Family Outreach, Las Cruces
230 S. Alameda St.
Suite 201
Las Cruces, NM 88005
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