G.A. Family Services

G.A. Family Services and the Human Rights Commission are collecting food and water donations. These will be distributed to the community around the Buffalo Tops on Thursday, July 7.

Folks may drop off water and non-perishable food donations at the G.A. Family Services between 9am and 5pm. The drop off site is 210 Gustavus Avenue off Falconer Street in Jamestown.

For more information, contact Billy Torres at 716-720-3482 or Dan Groh at 315-806-0930.

The operation known as Gustavus Adolphus Family Services made the announcement on Friday, saying it had filed a 90-day closure plan with the New York State Office of Child and Family Services and state Education Department.

GA Family Services provides a variety of services to at-risk youth and their families. There are currently 60 youth attending the Learning Center, which serves students with emotional and learning disabilities. The closure will impact 100 employees considered “direct care and ancillary support positions” with the nonprofit youth service organization. The Post-Journal is also reporting that in mid-October, teachers at the Learning center had recently voted to unionize and join the New York State United Teachers union. But officials say that by October, discussions on the center’s future were already taking place.

The two centers are part of the Lutheran Social Services organization.

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Locally, GA Family Services in Jamestown is using the celebration as an opportunity to remind area residents of its Foster Care program and the ongoing need the local community has for foster care families.

We recently talked with GA Family Services Foster Care program family resource coordinator Kara Kloss to get all the details about the program and what residents should know, especially if they are considering sign up to become a foster family for a child or children in need.

Kloss also offered details about the Foster Care Program Open House, scheduled for Sunday, May 19 at Raymour & Flanigan (1001 Fairmount Ave., Jamestown) as well as the annual Eckloff Bakery Heart Cookie Fundraiser to benefit GA Family Services, happening during the first half of May.

The therapeutic foster care program of G.A. Family Services is an affiliate of Lutheran in Jamestown. The program serves youth and their families who are in need of care. Treatment includes residential, educational, therapeutic foster care and preventative services.

Anyone interested in adoption or becoming a foster parent can contact G.A. Family Services for more information at 708-6161 or GAFamilyServices.org.

Image from Google Street View

JAMESTOWN – Public art could soon be coming to the Washington Street Bridge Barrett Ave. connector  in Jamestown.

On Monday night representatives from GA Family Services appeared before the Jamestown City Council to share their proposal for a mural for the street wall at the Barrett St. Exit off of Washington St.

Billy Torres is group facilitator for the Accountability and Responsibility Program at GA Family Services. He told members of the city council that the organization is seeking a use of occupancy permit and a highway work permit from the state that would allow for the mural project to go forward. He said the organization is seeking an endorsement from the city council to secure both.

“We’d like to see if the city would have interest in supporting project and signing a partnership agreement, covering the annual fee of having the mural on the wall,” Torres said, adding that the city’s share of the cost would only be $1 while GA Family Services would cover the bulk of the cost, which he said is several hundred dollars.

“It’s 180 by 26 feet and we have numerous partners and everybody is excited about it. It’s a highly anticipated project.. we’ve gotten great feedback from the state,” Torres said. “If this were to happen the permit we’d only have a about five weeks to work on it.”

Torres also said that if permission is granted, the plan would be to commission a local artist to design a mural focusing on the four seasons of Chautauqua County, with GA students and other volunteers helping to paint.

The cost of the project would be covered by GA Family Services, along with support from various partners and volunteers. The any upkeep cost for the mural, once completed, would also be covered by GA Family Services.

Erica Garcia, GA Family Services Accountability and Responsibility Program Manger, said current community partners for the project include the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation, the Prendergast Library, Chautauqua Tapestry, SPOA, Jamestown High School, Jamestown Community College, SKF, and local churches.

In other news from Monday night’s meeting, Mayor Sam Teresi and City Development Director Vince DeJoy updated the council on an effort to secure state funding for a project to illuminate the Jamestown Riverwalk. The project would cost $400,000. Officials are hoping that 50 percent of the funding can be covered by the state’s Consolidated Funding Application program,  and the other half from local foundations. More details on that project will provided during the WRFA’s Wednesday morning news update.