Fueled by a passion to serve vulnerable children and families, Susanne Cole, President and CEO of Pittsburgh-based social services non-profit Pressley Ridge, has devoted her life to helping kids overcome challenges and reach their full potential.

Adopted at birth, Susanne knows her life could have taken a very different path if she hadn’t been chosen by a loving family. Her mother always instilled in her an admiration and respect for the decision made by her birth mother.

“I truly believe what my birth mother did was a gift,” Susanne said. “She unselfishly sacrificed raising me by herself to give me an opportunity for a better life than what she thought she could provide.”

Susanne was raised on the values of a good education and the importance of helping others without judgement, which led her to begin her career at Pressley Ridge after graduating from Marshall University in 1990. At the Grant Gardens residential treatment center, she and her fellow teacher-counselors worked to help youth gain the skills to overcome their behavioral and emotional challenges and return to their home and family.

Over the years, Susanne progressed through a number of roles with increasing responsibility at Pressley Ridge, including Executive Director of West Virginia and Virginia and Senior Vice President of Programs before relocating to Pittsburgh in 2008 to become Chief Operating Officer. In 2011, she was named President and CEO.

In addition to working with the board of directors to set the organization’s strategic direction, Susanne is responsible for ensuring success in serving more than 8,000 children and families each year. During her tenure as CEO, Pressley Ridge has seen a 43% increase in net operating revenue while reducing its debt by 72%.

Few CEOs can boast an entire career at one organization. The mission and spirit of Pressley Ridge are what has kept Susanne “doing whatever it takes to create success for kids and families” for all these years.

“I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to grow and develop my skills in a variety of different areas without ever having to leave a company I love,” Susanne recounts. “We are constantly exploring new ideas and innovation and finding ways to improve – this is what makes us a great organization that does outstanding work to support kids and families.”

Shaped by her childhood and the evolution of child welfare over the last three decades, Susanne strongly believes that children deserve to be raised in healthy families, and she leads Pressley Ridge with this goal in mind. Many of the organization’s 70 programs are geared toward preserving and strengthening families so children can remain at home.

This belief also led to Pressley Ridge’s recent expansion into Texas, where the state has adopted a community-based model of care to manage child and family services. Susanne’s expertise and drive for change earned her a seat on the board of directors for the National Center for Community-Based Child Welfare, which unites child welfare leaders to deliver community-based solutions and share information and resources to transform lives.

Susanne’s career path has provided her with a wealth of knowledge and experience that makes her a valuable resource and partner for other nonprofit leaders, policy makers and advocacy groups. In addition to the National Center for Community-Based Child Welfare, Susanne currently serves on the board of the Texas Alliance for Children and Family Services.

Susanne is genuine, down-to-earth and serves as an inspiration to Pressley Ridge’s 1,000 employees across seven states.

Tanya Johnson, Treatment Foster Care Program Director, has worked at Pressley Ridge for 10 years and is grateful for Susanne’s leadership. “Susanne can go from the boardroom to the classroom to the field, and she’s the same genuine, compassionate person. She’s gifted, talented and has a vision to serve. She sees and hears what the community needs and what we need to do better, then gets everyone together to make it happen.’”

Although 35 years is admirable enough, Susanne isn’t slowing down yet. She strives to find purpose and joy in each day and to positively impact on as many people as she can. As long as she can continue to achieve these things, her career will have been worth it.

“I am extremely proud of the work we do at Pressley Ridge and everything that has been and will be achieved to improve the lives of kids and families. I am grateful and honored to lead this organization and look forward to ensuring our mission continues well into the future.”

We R… thankful for our community’s support in raising funds to give families hope for their children’s futures.

We have recently received the following gifts towards We R… The Campaign for Pressley Ridge.

• Hillman Family Foundations: $250,000 towards the renovation of the Pressley Ridge Day School Pittsburgh, including technology and infrastructure upgrades.
• Edith L. Trees Charitable Trust: $175,000 in support of the new intellectual disability program at our Day School Pittsburgh, which will provide students with functional academics, physical education, art, music, daily living skills, community-based activities and pre-vocational skills.
• Allegheny Foundation: $750,000 in support of the reimagined Pressley Ridge Day School Pittsburgh and our commitment to providing a trauma-informed educational environment that creates success for our students and helps them transition back into public school.
• Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development:$500,000 grant for much-needed renovations at the Pressley Ridge Day School Pittsburgh.
• Massey Charitable Trust: $50,000 for the Day School Pittsburgh renovations.

With these gifts, in addition to funds received from MacKenzie Scott in 2022 and the support of the Pressley Ridge Foundation, we have proudly reached $14.5 million in funding for We R… The Campaign for Pressley Ridge.

Learn how you can join in our commitment to strengthening families through our trauma-informed programs and schools and therapeutic approach to foster care and adoption, visit www.werpressleyridge.org.

In March 2022, Susanne Cole, President and CEO of Pittsburgh-based non-profit Pressley Ridge, received what she thought was a SPAM e-mail stating that the organization was being awarded a $10 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Thankfully, Cole followed up on the message and learned that Pressley Ridge would be receiving the largest gift in their nearly 200-year history, completely unsolicited.

Considering the possibilities of such a gift, Susanne and the Board of Directors wanted to be thorough and meticulous in their planning. They undertook a deep-dive analysis of the social service sector to determine the best use of the dollars to sustain critical services for the future. Recently, the organization unveiled its new five-year strategic plan.

“This generous investment in Pressley Ridge’s mission has been instrumental in allowing us to build a strategic plan designed to enhance our ability to serve the increasingly complex needs of youth and families in our communities. The unrestricted nature of this gift has allowed us to thoughtfully develop a strategy for growth over the next five years,” said Cole.

The new strategic plan focuses on advancing equity, strengthening families, and improving community-based care to support youth and families facing significant challenges. Key initiatives include being a national leader in foster care, expanding into kinship care, and increasing family preservation services. By 2029, Pressley Ridge aims to increase its impact and improve outcomes for thousands more children by being able to keep families together with increased supports.

The plan reflects Pressley Ridge’s commitment to adaptability and innovation, ensuring that vulnerable children and families receive the support they need to stay connected to healthy relationships and community resources. As the child welfare system continues to evolve, Pressley Ridge seeks to lead by example, creating a more equitable and family-centered approach to care.

“We recognize that for all children to thrive, our impact must extend far beyond the current scope of Pressley Ridge programs and services. By embracing this comprehensive strategic plan, we aim to seize opportunities to educate, advocate, and champion initiatives that enhance the system of care, ensuring that all children, youth, and families can benefit,” stated Cole.

The organization plans to raise an additional $25 million through a comprehensive fundraising initiative titled “We R… The Campaign for Pressley Ridge.” However, the $10 million gift from Scott serves as the catalyst for the plan, enabling Pressley Ridge to enhance its services to impact more youth and families while addressing systemic issues such as racial equity, which directly align with MacKenzie Scott’s giving priorities.

In 2019, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, vowing to give away more than half of her wealth over the course of her lifetime. Since then, she has donated a total of $17.3 billion in unrestricted gifts to more than 2,300 organizations. Unrestricted gifts support an organization’s overall mission with no specific requirements on how the money can be spent. Through Yield Giving, Scott conducts rigorous research to identify worthy non-profit beneficiaries that serve under-supported needs. Once the money is given, she trusts the organizational leadership to make decisions on how and when to spend the funds.

Unrestricted giving, although uncommon in philanthropy, can be transformational for non-profit organizations. Without constraints, organizations can be innovative with programming or choose to fund overhead costs such as staff recruitment, retention and training and purchasing necessary equipment. Most importantly, unrestricted gifts provide stability for long-term planning and goals. Fiscally strong non-profit organizations like Pressley Ridge, which is debt-free and foundation-backed, need the financial flexibility to develop and adapt program structures as necessary.

Susanne Cole hopes that more funders will consider following MacKenzie Scott’s example and begin providing organizations with funding without strict limitations. “MacKenzie Scott is an example for all of us,” Cole said. “Her generosity sets a high bar for other philanthropists. I’m grateful that she recognizes that nonprofits are doing incredible work and supports them in a way that allows for growth and innovation.”

Over the next five years, Pressley Ridge is committed to making strategic investments that not only address current challenges within the communities they serve but also lays a strong foundation for sustained future growth. Their vision is to build a more responsive, supportive, and effective child welfare system that keeps families together and ensures that every child has the opportunity to thrive within their own community.

After months of hard work and dedication, Texas Family Care Network finally moves into Stage 1 of Community-Based Care on November 1. In Stage 1, TXFCN will begin to provide foster care placement services in Region 5 while continuing to develop a service network in the community. The focus in Stage 1 is improving the overall safety and well-being of children in paid foster care while keeping them closer to home and connected to their communities and families.

Congratulations to the entire TXFCN team!

The 6th annual Pressley Ridge Sporting Clays Shoot was held on Monday, October 23rd at Highlands Sporting Clays. The event raised more than $44,000 for our kids and families thanks to our sponsors and supporters, including Saul Ewing LLP, Lamar Advertising of Pittsburgh, MassMutual Pittsburgh, UPMC Health Plan, Partlow Insurance Agency, Tucker Arensberg PC, and Ideal Integrations.
The winning team was from Saul Ewing LLP with J.P. Morgan Private Bank in 2nd place. High Gun went to Dan Bender, followed by Mike Brewster. Debra Gehm was the Top Female Shooter.
Thanks to all who joined us!

Visit our Facebook page for more event photos.

Colorado Department of Human Services has adopted our evidence-based Pressley Ridge Treatment Foster Care pre-service training curriculum as the required curriculum for the certification of all treatment and therapeutic foster care providers in the state.

Recently, four Colorado foster care certification staff became master trainers for the Pressley Ridge training curriculum making Colorado the first state to have master trainers who can train other professionals. Learn more in this article from the Colorado Department of Human Services.

Foster care has always been on the heart of Cami Teacoach. When she learned about the often sad condition of the spaces where biological parents meet with their children who are being cared for by a foster parent, she decided to do something about it.

As the founder of VolunTOTs, Cami spends her days coordinating volunteer opportunities for parents and their children. So, she knew there would be an army of helpers ready when the time came. She enlisted the expertise of Kara from Happy Lark Home Organizing and local realtor Melanie Marsh to spearhead the project, which became known as the Bridge to Home initiative.

For their first major project, Bridge to Home partnered with Pressley Ridge Allegheny County Treatment Foster Care to renovate the foster care visitation center on Pittsburgh’s North Side. After months of planning and soliciting thousands of dollars in donations, the team got to work. Dozens of volunteers came together to create an environment where biological parents can bond and have a stress-free visit with their children. Five rooms were completely renovated with fresh paint and new furniture and decor. The beautifully decorated rooms, which are named after one of Pittsburgh’s bridges, are each geared toward a particular age group and feature age-appropriate toys, activities, trauma-sensitive books and more.

For kids in foster care, visiting with their biological parents should be a time to bond and connect, and the space and atmosphere where that happens makes all the difference. Now, Pressley Ridge children and families have the perfect space to spend their time together.

On the morning of February 3, 2023, the Bridge to Home team and volunteers came together with Pressley Ridge staff and friends to cut the ribbon and officially open the renovated Pressley Ridge Bridge to Home visitation center. The space will also be available to families in other Pressley Ridge programs, as well as the community.

Happiest of holidays to you and yours from everyone at Pressley Ridge!

​The Pressley Ridge Organizational Performance Department

recently published an article on suicidality among at-risk youth receiving behavioral and mental health services in the community. Using Pressley Ridge data collected from the C-SSRS (suicidality screener) and CATS (trauma screener), the Organizational Performance Department collaborated with a team of international researchers to investigate prevalence and risk factors for suicidality among at-risk youth.

“Correlates for Suicidality Among At-risk Youth Receiving Community-Based Mental Health Services” was published in the Community Mental Health Journal and found that sexual abuse was a significant predictor of suicidality. Impulsivity was a significant predictor of suicide attempt only. Other notable findings include that the prevalence of suicidal ideation is double that of the general adolescent population, and the prevalence of suicide attempt is triple that of the general adolescent population.

Read the full article here.

Pressley Ridge was a proud sponsor of the Family Focused Treatment Association

Conference held in New Orleans last week.  Mike Kaelin and Jen Benner (External Training), and Bri Hancovsky, Kimberly Lohrfink and Amy Strickler (Organizational Performance) shared research and exciting updates on our Treatment Foster Care Pre-Service Training Curriculum.

Pouring rain didn’t stop 1,500 people from coming out to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium this past Sunday for the much-anticipated return of Ice Cream Fundae. Under the shelter of umbrellas and hoods, kids and adults alike enjoyed 12 flavors of Graeter’s Ice Cream dished out by our generous sponsors, including Huntington Bank, Henderson Brothers, Highmark

, UPMC Health Plan, Lamar Advertising and many more. Highmark’s Community Campfire S’mores took home the People’s Choice Award for favorite flavor.

We want to thank everyone who volunteered at, purchased tickets for or spread the word about Ice Cream Fundae. You helped us to raise $103,000 for our kids and families!

For more event photos, visit our Facebook page.​

Students at the Pressley Ridge School for Autism and the School for the Deaf are excited to provide the Wake up Pressley Coffee Shop. The concept began as a rolling cart several years ago, and when the new school was built, a dedicated space for the shop was included in the design.

There was a long hiatus due to the pandemic, which started just a few months after the new school opened. Recently, the shop has been able to safely re-open to serve pre-packaged snacks and single-serving beverages.

Students of all educational abilities can participate in the shop. In addition to working on vocational skills, the experience is particularly beneficial to students who use devices and/or use sign language to communicate. Some students are working on social skills and can practice those skills as a greeter or as a customer associate. Others use their strengths to accurately fill orders and keep the stocked shelves in order.

Donations from staff are used to keep the shop well-stocked. While no money is exchanged, purchases are counted by using a punch card marked in increments of twenty-five, which helps students learn real life counting skills.

If you’d like to support the Wake Up Pressley Coffee Shop, donate here.

(Donation Designation: Other; Note: Coffee Shop)

On March 15, donors and community stakeholders joined President & CEO Susanne Cole and newly appointed Board Chair Tisha Germany for the Spring 2022 Insider Series. During this 30 minute web conversation, Susanne and Tisha discussed Pressley Ridge’s 2022-2024 Strategic Plan. You can view the event recording above and contact info@pressleyridge.org if you have any questions or would like more information.

Pressley Ridge’s strategic plan ensures that our organizational priorities meet the diverse needs of our ever-evolving clients. The urgency of this plan matches the dynamic environment brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and its cascading effects on the communities served by Pressley Ridge.

Three themes emerged which helped shape the plan: prioritization, consistency of approach to services, and centralized direction. The end product is a strategic plan that is data-informed, future-focused, and actionable.

The following strategic priorities will be the focus of Pressley Ridge (FY2022 – 2024):

Racial Equity

Racial equity is just one part of racial justice, and thus we will work to address the root causes of inequities, not just their manifestation. This includes the elimination of policies, practices, attitudes, and cultural messages that reinforce differential outcomes by race or fail to eliminate them. We will continue to advance data-driven strategies, employ racial equity principles, and hold true to our commitment to continual evaluation, assessment, and transformation throughout our organization.

Workforce & Leadership Development

We must ensure that our organization can continue to meet our present workforce needs, as well as grow to meet future demands, with a highly skilled, diverse and culturally competent workforce to handle the complexity of clients we serve. We must also create an internal pipeline of job-ready candidates to assume supervisory and leadership roles within Pressley Ridge as opportunities present.

Clinical Mastery

We will ensure our services and practitioners can meet the increasing complexity exhibited by the children and families we serve with the most effective and consistent clinical interventions. We will also ensure that we have the highest quality of clinical supervision for the continued advancement of skill and knowledge, while being responsive to the ever-evolving community and programmatic needs.

Financial Health

Pressley Ridge will meet our obligations, withstand temporary financial challenges, and plan for our growth and future needs by maintaining a strong cash position, generating consistent surpluses from operations, maintaining acceptable debt ratios, deriving revenue from a diverse pool of sources, and providing for capital project funding.

Business Development

We will strategically position ourselves for growth by evaluating mission-aligned expansion and acquisition opportunities which return the highest margins, while most efficiently delivering impactful outcomes where there may be gaps in services in communities. We will also actively seek opportunities for coordinating care model expansion in states looking for managed care solutions, and mergers and acquisitions with complementary organizations or in desirable geographic locations.

If you are interested in learning more, you can view the full Strategic Plan here.

Pressley Ridge has achieved national accreditation through the New York-based Council on Accreditation

(COA). Pressley Ridge was first accredited in 2001 and has since achieved reaccreditation every cycle (4 years) since that time. This designation demonstrates the implementation of best practice standards in the field of human services. In a process that took nearly a year of preparation and the input of many staff members across the organization, COA evaluated all aspects of Pressley Ridge’s programs, services, management, and administration.

COA accreditation is an objective, independent, and reliable validation of an agency’s performance. The COA accreditation process involves a detailed review and analysis of an organization’s administration, management, and service delivery functions against international standards of best practice. The standards driving accreditation ensure that services are well-coordinated, culturally competent, evidence-based, outcomes-oriented, and provided by a skilled and supported workforce. COA accreditation demonstrates accountability in the management of resources, sets standardized best practice thresholds for service and administration, and increases organizational capacity and accountability by creating a framework for ongoing quality improvement.

To achieve COA accreditation, Pressley Ridge first provided written evidence of compliance with the COA standards. Thereafter, a group of specially trained volunteer Peer Reviewers confirmed adherence to these standards during a series of on-site interviews with the board of directors, staff and clients.

Based on their findings, COA’s volunteer-based Accreditation Commission voted that Pressley Ridge had successfully met the criteria for accreditation.

Pressley Ridge President and CEO Susanne Cole said, “Pressley Ridge is proud to once again receive COA accreditation. This achievement proves that our programs and services meet the highest standards in human services, and our kids and families can rest assured that they are being cared for in the best possible way.”

An endorsement of COA and the value of its accreditation process is reflected in it being named by the U.S. State Department as the sole national independent accrediting body under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption to accredit intercountry adoption service providers. In addition, COA is the only national accreditor designated by the U.S. Department of Defense to develop accreditation standards and processes for human service programs provided to military personnel and their families.

About Council on Accreditation

Founded in 1977, COA is an independent, not-for-profit accreditor of the full continuum of community-based behavioral health care and social service organizations in the United States and Canada. Over 2,000 organizations — voluntary, public, and proprietary; local and statewide; large and small — have either successfully achieved COA accreditation or are currently engaged in the process. Presently, COA has a total of 47 service standards that are applicable to over 125 different types of programs. To learn more about COA, please visit www.coanet.org.

Pandemic, Social Distancing, New Normal, Masks, Zoom – words that became all too familiar in our vocabulary this past year. Yes, this past year… I don’t believe any of us thought or could have predicted we would have a year like we just did. We will all remember the day we “temporarily” went to remote work or work-from-home status. The two-week mandate of business closures, no school, no traffic on the roads, when our favorite restaurants and places of business closed. That uncomfortable feeling of the unknown but hope that it would only be 2-3 weeks, then a couple of months, then 6 months, 9 months and now a year…

Many things changed over the past year, yet some stayed the same or even surprised us in a good way.  I know what you are thinking: what stayed the same and what was good about this past year? Well – here is your answer:

Pressley Ridge’s commitment to those we serve stayed the same and even grew if that is possible. Our mission to do whatever it takes for kids and families was accomplished and then some.

While everyone was dealing in their own ways with the pandemic, many people who were already facing challenges in their lives encountered even more strife. Loneliness, anxiety, job loss, and isolation impacted those who already struggled with mental health, discord, conflict, substance abuse, lack of support and more. We could feel the stress increasing at alarming levels, but in true Pressley Ridge fashion, our staff stepped up and found creative ways to continue reaching those we serve. As they dealt with their own uncertainty and family situations, they remained committed to our kids and families. No one would be left behind.

We immediately shifted our services to telehealth. Therapists stayed connected virtually to ensure continuity of care. In-person visits for our most vulnerable populations continued while following safety protocols. Teachers and school staff connected with students virtually for educational purposes, as well as for story time, and organized drive-by graduation and birthday celebrations. Food was delivered to families who needed additional support, and foster parents continued to reassure the children in their care that everything would be ok. Residential staff became teachers and counselors in the purest forms of these words providing encouragement and consistency in a time of turmoil.

We also learned a lot. We learned about flexibility, patience, grace, and creativity. We have a saying that in crisis there is opportunity

. Well, there were and still are many opportunities ahead. We realized that we can reach more people who need assistance through technology. We learned that the opportunity to serve others is a gift

. We recognize now that we are stronger than we think. We understand the importance of taking the time to stop and be thankful for things we perhaps take for granted like human connection, hugs, handshakes, family, friends and, of course, our community of health care providers, social workers, teachers and businesses. We have learned not to take things for granted and to celebrate life’s blessings no matter how big or small. So, even though this year has been extremely challenging, it teaches us the lesson that there is always an opportunity to grow, to learn, to find a bright spot, and to hope.

This year highlights the best of what Pressley Ridge does day in and day out every day of the year:

We do whatever it takes to help others get through life’s challenges and bring hope in desperate situations – no matter the circumstances. Our staff aren’t essential workers, they are miracle workers.

Susanne Cole
President & CEO

Rachel and Dave Meredith and Hannah and Jesús Origel have been foster parents with Pressley Ridge for several years, and on November 21st, National Adoption Day, they each welcomed a new child into their family.

While all adoptions are special, these adoptions are extra special because Rachel and Hannah are biological sisters! Not only did they each adopt a child, they also gained a niece and nephew and made their already big extended family even bigger.

Helping at-risk youth and giving back to the community is something that was instilled in these sisters from very early on. More than 20 years ago, Rachel and Hannah’s parents founded Pine Valley Camp, a nonprofit camp that serves 120 at-risk youth each week throughout the summer. The camp is located on the family’s property in Ellwood City, PA, and Rachel, Hannah and their three siblings volunteered at the camp and were a big part of the daily operations. 

Nearly all of the siblings are involved in foster care and adoption. 

Hannah’s desire to help others came at a very young age, but her foster care journey began six years ago. In 2014, during the border crisis, she and her husband knew they wanted to help. Hannah’s husband, Jesús, is bilingual. When they became certified foster parents, they wanted to serve all children in need, especially unaccompanied immigrant minors who needed a bilingual family. The Origel family went on to foster a Hispanic youth from Guatemala and more than 15 other children over the last six years. 

After fostering Shania for a time, the Origels officially welcomed her to the family on November 21st. Shania joins the seven other children in their home – three biological, one adopted, and three foster youth, including Shania’s infant brother whom the Origels took in without hesitation upon his birth. 

Rachel also knew from a very young age that she wanted to help others, especially children in need. She and Dave have fostered several children over the past three years and currently have one biological child and two foster youth. Amontae, their newly adopted son, was the Meredith’s first foster placement at just two months old. Just like the Origels, they value the importance of keeping siblings together and readily agreed to foster his sister when she was born one year ago. 

While their adoption days didn’t include the typical courtroom ceremony, the Origel’s and Meredith’s extended families were able to join in both of the virtual adoption proceedings, and it was a happy occasion for all.

These families are an inspiration and have played a significant role in referring other families to Pressley Ridge, creating more homes for kids in need. The sisters feel faith, family and the support of Pressley Ridge has guided them through the process of fostering and has allowed them to help so many children. 

You can read more about the Origels, as well as the Reicharts, another sibling of Hannah and Rachel’s, in this article from 2017.

Join us for virtual conversation with other parents and meet Jessica Lampert, Education Liaison for the Hearing Center at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh

, to learn more about her role and the services she offers to families.

Monday, December 7th

6:00–7:00 p.m.

Zoom

To join the Zoom meeting at the time of the event, visit: https://zoom.us/j/97974275353?pwd=cS9IbkxrSjQ1d0krLzhLUk9NYVdEZz09.

In 2018, Sara and Joshua Glover became foster parents to a 13-day-old medically fragile infant. Special medical needs, doctor’s appointments and specialized care became part of their routine. Thankfully, the Glovers are trained foster parents through the Pressley Ridge Treatment Foster Care Program.  The program helps to provide a stable family life for infants and children up to age 21 who have been affected by trauma, and as a result, may have behavioral or emotional needs. Treatment foster parents are specially trained to support a child’s emotional and developmental needs and are continually supported by Pressley Ridge professionals who provide a caring network of support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

As with any foster care situation, the ultimate goal of Treatment Foster Care is to eventually place the child back with their biological family.  The Glovers nurtured and cared for the baby while staying in touch with his family through Pressley Ridge. Early on, it was undetermined whether he would eventually return to his biological family, but Sara and Joshua conveyed that the baby could stay with them as long as he wanted.  Forever, if need be. After two years of living with the Glovers, the decision was made for the child to become a permanent part of the Glover family through adoption.

The adoption was to take place in early 2020 just as the COVID-19 pandemic closed everything down. Though there was a slight delay in the timing to adopt their precious little boy, the process moved on as planned with some interesting restrictions.  The adoption proceedings would be virtual, with all meetings and hearings taking place via video conferencing.  In the end, the Glover family was thrilled for their son to officially join their family.

Now, the Glovers are a beautiful family with three children – two are biological, a boy and a girl, and their newest addition.  “We knew we wanted to have him as part of our family, but we also knew that the first goal was to try to help him go home,” said Sara.  “The Pressley Ridge Treatment Foster Care training helped prepare us for both, and kept us informed through the process. We are a multicultural family living in a wonderful Pittsburgh neighborhood reflecting our diversity, and we feel very blessed”, said Sara Glover.

We’re excited to announce that we now have VIRTUAL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES! We are so grateful to all our dedicated volunteers and  wanted to make sure that they could continue their efforts from a distance. From recordings to social media challenges, there are ways for everyone to get involved.

Online/Social Media Opportunities

Digital Advocate

Help Pressley Ridge increase our reach by being a digital advocate. Simply share our message across your social media platforms!

Market Research 

Complete online surveys to help us better understand our audience base. Topics from volunteer interests to social media audits and can all be completed online.

12 Days of Living Re-Education 

All Pressley Ridge services are guided by a common treatment philosophy called Re-Education (Re-ED), which focuses on the entire ecology of the child and family with the goal of building on existing strengths to bring about positive change. Give back to yourself, your community, and those you love through the Re-ED challenge. Each day focuses on a different Re-ED principle that you can apply in your daily life.

Digital Fundraiser

Host a digital fundraiser on your social media platform(s) to help raise funds for essential programs while also increasing Pressley
Ridge’s online reach. Set up a Facebook fundraiser or contact Kaitlyn Wolfe for more information.

Read to Students

Share your favorite books and stories from the comfort of your own home. Simply record yourself reading aloud for students to enjoy in class or at home. Contact Kaitlyn Wolfe for more information.

Career Development

Do you have a career that you love? Share your enthusiasm with our students through pre-recorded career presentations and/or
demonstrations. You can also help our students by providing resume feedback or answering career specific questions.

Personal/Skill Development

Help create a digital catalogue of things students can learn at home by recording your favorite hobbies. Whether it’s your favorite sport or best cooking tips, you can always inspire something new in a student.

Career Forum Answerer

Help Pressley Ridge students prepare to enter the workforce by providing honest feedback and answers to students’ most pressing questions.

To apply for these opportunities, please complete the Volunteer Application Form or contact Kaitlyn Wolfe

for more information.

More Resources and Videos

What Does Deaf Mean?

Nyle Dimarco, Disability Advocate, on International Day of Sign Languages

World Federation of the Deaf: International Week of the Deaf

National Association of the Deaf: International Week of the Deaf

United Nations: International Day of Sign Languages 

September 20-26^th

• Understand the difference between deaf and Deaf 
  • “deaf” is used to denote anyone with a hearing loss or someone with a hearing loss who does not identify as culturally Deaf
  • “Deaf” denotes a specific group of individuals who define themselves as culturally Deaf, typically people with a hearing loss who use American Sign Language
  • d/Deaf is used to refer to anyone in either group
• Get up to date with acceptable terminology 
  • Because of the negative connotations it can carry, “hearing impaired” is a term that is no longer accepted to describe this community. Instead, try using “Deaf or d/Deaf”, “hard of hearing”, or “hearing loss”!
• Learn American Sign Language (ASL) 
  • With many resources taking a virtual turn this year, it is now easier than ever to find ASL learning tools. One great resources is Gallaudet University, the first and only university specifically for d/Deaf and hard of hearing students. They offer videos and lessons for free here! If you’d like to learn about other ASL resources, let us know!
• Tune into our webinar TODAY (9/23) at 1pm to learn all about Deaf Sensitivity!
  • Click here to register! If you’re unable to catch it today, it’ll be up on MyODP.org under Trainings>Special Populations>Deaf Services in just a few days!

Content provided by Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing

Parents are struggling to make the best decisions for their families right now.

Between school, activities, services and everything else, it’s hard to know what to do.

Adoptive parents may be feeling particularly isolated without the support systems you once relied on. During a time when it’s needed the most, Pressley Ridge continues to offer Post-Adoption/Permanency Services to help you and your children grow stronger, including:

• Case Assessment

• Case Management/Advocacy

• Respite Support

• Family Support Groups

Telehealth services

are convenient and safe, and virtual support groups and discussions allow you to stay connected. Post-Adoption/Permanency services are available for any family with a legally adopted child under the age of 18, including kinship placement.

For more information on post-adoption/permanency services in Central PA, download the CPA Post-Adoption Flyer

or contact Nicole Commero at (717) 947-3713 or ncommero@pressleyridge.org

.

In response to the increasing need for support for families affected by opioid and other substance abuse, Pressley Ridge implemented the HOMEBUILDERS® model to provide intensive, in-home crisis intervention, counseling and life-skills education for families who have children at imminent risk of placement in state-funded care. In 2017, the program launched in Western Maryland through a grant from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission (MCHRC).

Building upon the successful outcomes demonstrated over the past three years, Pressley Ridge recently expanded the program to serve families in Central Maryland. This expansion is made possible through a grant of $420,000 from MCHRC and another grant of $110,000 from UnitedHealthcare as part of their Empowering Health Grant initiative, which is aimed at expanding access to care in Maryland and addressing the social determinants of health for uninsured individuals and underserved communities.

“This unprecedented environment has compounded challenges faced by Maryland’s most vulnerable residents and created further barriers to accessing the health care and services they need,” said Kathlyn Wee, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Maryland. “Our support of these organizations in Maryland through this UnitedHealthcare Empowering Health commitment will help provide critical aid and resources to the communities in Maryland that need it the most.”

Now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a significant need for this type of in-home treatment. Families eligible for services are those whose children are at an imminent risk of placement or those who are in placement and cannot return home without these vital in-home services. Risks for placement include children who are victims of abuse and/or neglect and those who have been exposed to risk factors such as substance abuse, domestic violence, mental health and/or other disabling conditions of the parents.

“The Maryland Community Health Resources Commission is thrilled to support the HOMEBUILDERS® program and Pressley Ridge,” commented Mark Luckner, CHRC Executive Director. “This program provides critical services for at-risk families impacted by the opioid crisis, and these services are more important now as our state navigates the impact of COVID.”

“Quarantine, job loss, distance learning and other pandemic-related factors have compounded the struggles of high-risk families. The HOMEBUILDERS® program allows us to go directly into the home to help families learn new skills and make better choices,” said Coni Grant, Pressley Ridge Executive Director of Maryland and Delaware. “I have seen first-hand the evidence-based results this program has garnered over the past three years in Western Maryland, and we are grateful for the support of our community partners to extend our reach to Central Maryland to meet a crucial need.”

The goal is to prevent children from being unnecessarily placed out of their homes by providing intensive, on-site intervention, in addition to teaching families new problem-solving skills to prevent future crises. The HOMEBUILDERS^®

 program removes the risk of harm to the child instead of removing the child from their home environment. The HOMEBUILDERS^®

 model will bring services directly into the home of identified families, making services accessible and consistent and outcomes more achievable.

I wanted to send this message sooner, but I sat at my computer for many days staring at a blank screen trying to think of the words I wanted to convey in light of the George Floyd tragedy. I am heartbroken, frustrated and angry to name only a few. I look at the screen, get up, leave the computer, come back and try again. And then I finally realize I truly have no words. But that is not acceptable. For us to combat racism, we all need to have words, to speak up, to act and to listen –  really listen –  to our African American colleagues, community members, kids and families. We have to do better than we have – it is not an option to stay silent.

Sending this message, there are lots of things I could repeat that others have said that are extremely meaningful and also comforting. I could write those words, acknowledge whoever said them and we could just move on… But, the fact of the matter is we can’t move on until there is tremendous change in our systems and communities. The fact of the matter is it’s not just George Floyd. Its Ahmaud Arbery. Its Trayvon Martin, Alton Sterling, and the list goes on…

We all want to ignore painful things in our life. It’s easier to turn our heads or to avoid things that make us extremely uncomfortable. We work with uncomfortable situations every day at Pressley Ridge, and what makes us a great organization is that we don’t run away from them, we run to them. It will be no different in this situation. We are not going to run away from racism or pretend it doesn’t exist—that is not who we are. We have to do more. We must take action, be part of the change and move our communities forward to stop racism.

As part of our current strategic plan, Pressley Ridge is dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion and, ultimately, impacting systems change. We are focused on institutional and structural racism, as well as unconscious bias, and how these affect our service delivery, program design, policies and hiring practices. Within the past year, hundreds of our employees—including everyone from executive and senior-level management to direct care staff—have participated in racial equity workshops with Dr. Joyce James helping us to lay the groundwork for a multi-year process. It is our hope that, in the end, the work we are doing will leave a lasting impact on those we serve, each other and our communities, as well as the social service systems of which we are a part.

We cannot move forward until all of us work to bring about the necessary changes needed to address racism, and we aren’t going to sit back and just think about it. We have a responsibility to the kids and families we serve, as well as with our foster parents, staff and communities, to let them know we stand with them against racism and we are doing our part to take action.

Susanne Cole
President & CEO, Pressley Ridge

Pressley Ridge, a leading social impact organization serving children and families with complex needs, announced today that its Treatment Foster Care Pre-Service Training Curriculum recently received designation as evidence-based through the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare. With more than 150 foster care agencies trained in this competency-based curriculum built on decades of research and experience, Pressley Ridge now has formal affirmation on the transformative impact that this treatment parent training has on the youth within their care.

“We are extremely proud that our training curriculum is now recognized by the California Clearinghouse as evidence-based,” said Susanne Cole, Pressley Ridge President and CEO. “Pressley Ridge has always taken its role seriously as a partner in the community, with a responsibility to make improvements in the field when necessary and share our knowledge to better support children and families through best practices. Our expertise in Treatment Foster Care, combined with the knowledge of what it takes to be a foster parent to support children who have experienced trauma, as well as other challenges, is what led us to develop this curriculum and share it with others.”

Pressley Ridge’s Treatment Parent Training is rooted in an understanding of how to change behavior, the importance of a strong relationship between the treatment parents and youth in their home (“working alliance”), and trauma-informed care. Treatment Foster Parents with Pressley Ridge serve as change agents for youth in their homes. Utilizing these competencies, Treatment Foster Parents are taught that youth’s behavior can change and the youth can learn skills necessary for effective living. The Pressley Ridge Parent Pre-Service training is now the only evidence-based Pre-Service developed specifically for treatment parents.

The goals of the Pre-Service Curriculum are to:
• Increase knowledge, empathy, and insight regarding treatment foster care, child development, trauma-informed care, and effective behavior management techniques
• Improve parenting skills for working with youth with behavioral and emotional issues
• Improve ability and commitment to succeed in their professional role as a treatment foster care parent

In 2010, Pressley Ridge began a collaborative research project with Easter Seals, collecting impact data on training effectiveness. A few years later, a similar study was completed with organizations in Michigan. Based on these and additional internal research projects, Pressley Ridge published numerous research articles, journals and studies that were submitted to the California Clearinghouse for review.

The mission of the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse is to advance the effective implementation of evidenced-based practices for children and families involved with the child welfare system. Due to increasing pressure from states and funding entities to use evidenced-based practices for treatment foster care – where few actually exist, this designation affirms Pressley Ridge’s commitment, capability, and depth of sound research to deliver services that produce positive outcomes for youth and families.

“We are thrilled to offer other organizations access to a quality, evidenced-based training that best prepares people to take this journey of becoming foster parents, while giving them the tools to improve the lives of children until they can return home or become adopted,” said Cole.

Visit these links for more information on Pressley Ridge’s Treatment Foster Care Pre-Service Curriculum

or the California Clearinghouse rating.

Pressley Ridge Delaware recently received a generous donation from the Redd Heart Foundation. The staff were able to deliver boxes of food to all 47 treatment foster families as a small gesture of gratitude for their dedication to our children during this challenging time.

Teachers and staff from Pressley Ridge School for Autism celebrated student Tony’s birthday with a drive-by parade. Seeing so many familiar faces brought joy to Tony and his family and to the staff members, as well. PRSA is looking forward to creatively celebrating more birthdays, graduation and the last day of school throughout the next month.

We are proud of the many employee heroes going above and beyond their regular duties to take care of the needs of our kids and families. In addition to virtually delivering the vital services families count on, staff are personally delivering food (generously donated by Bayer) to families in need. School staff are not only ensuring students get the individualized education they rely on, they’re also doing live book readings, hosting virtual game and movie nights and delivering care packages to families.

Join us in celebrating all of the heroes making a difference every day.

By Jeanni-Marie Williams
This article appears in the May 2020 issue of Child Guide Magazine.

An unplanned pregnancy would throw life off track for anyone, but a teenage mother would be even more vulnerable, especially those without a strong support network.  Pressley Ridge, a non-profit who has provided foster care services in the mid-Atlantic for almost two centuries, offers a program to help young moms and their children up to age four.  The Pressley Ridge Parent Child Foster Care (PCFC) program matches pregnant teenagers and young parents between the ages of 12-21 with nurturing and supportive foster parents who have received specialized training.  The foster parents equip the young mothers with skills to learn how to be great parents and ultimately transition successfully to independent living with their children.  Pressley Ridge oversees the program and provides assessments, clinical services, in-home support, and crisis intervention, as well as training and resources for the foster parents.  Parenting lessons are conducted within the foster home, and fathers are welcome to participate in the training.

I recently had the honor of speaking with Jewel Clark who has served passionately as a dedicated foster mom with Pressley Ridge for over 20 years.  While Jewel originally began her service fostering teenagers, she has switched to participating in the PCFC program.  Not one to shy away from teenagers, Jewel was quick to say how she feels the young moms are the easiest group to foster, and she would like to dispel the myth that teenagers are difficult to assist.  Jewel says when they are approached with love and sincerity and realize they are in a safe environment with consistent rules, the young mothers open up with trust and become family.  In Jewel’s case, she mentions that it also helps that she has a strong, supportive family of her own.  Jewel’s daughter and grandchildren have welcomed the young mothers into the family and even enjoy their company on large family annual vacations.

From someone who has walked in the shoes of a single-parent herself, Jewel has a lot of empathy for the young mothers and recognizes their struggles.  Jewel prepares them to have skills in all areas of life.  She has helped some finish high school and graduate, while others she has taught how to drive.  Basic parenting skills are key to the program, but independent life skills are also critical.  Jewel mentioned that sometimes it feels like cramming for a test because there are numerous teachable moments while the teens are in her care.  Teenagers with no experience budgeting, grocery shopping, laundry, housekeeping, and meal preparation are taught all of these skills within Jewel’s home.  Once they have learned the skills, she assigns them regular chores, and she mentions that even though she helps them, they are helping her too.  In addition to coaching and supporting the young moms, Jewel also fills in with babysitting so the young moms can attend classes to finish their educations.  Lastly, Jewel sets a great example as an adult the teenagers can look up to.  She is honest and shares life experiences with them to help shape them into strong adults with good reasoning and decision-making skills.  Jewel mentions she never sets a rule or tells the young moms “no” about something without having a discussion about why and the consequences of bad life choices.

For Jewel, the biggest indicator of success, as well as the biggest blessing, is to see the young moms stop living in fear and learn how to be great, independent parents.  When they arrive at her home, the young moms worry and cry a lot.  They are wary and uncertain.  But Jewel establishes ground rules and respect up front, and then she just keeps offering love until they feel safe and at home.

There is a need for foster homes for the PCFC program in Western Maryland.  Jewel said she would encourage anyone considering fostering to not hesitate and just go for it.  She finds the work incredibly rewarding, and as a bonus, she said she has even more grandkids than her biological ones.  Becoming like a second mom to the young mothers, Jewel has created long-term family ties with moms who have transitioned out of the program.  Even living independently, they still come to Jewel for love and advice, and she affectionately reminds them, “I will always be your mama.”  The rewards of seeing the young mothers have success in life is greater than anything else Jewel could imagine.  She mentioned there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing her hard work with them turn into their building and maintaining strong families.  The young moms are also very appreciative of the work Jewel has done.  They leave her house grateful for her nurturing and the accomplishments she has helped them achieve.  Jewel recommends putting yourself in the shoes of a scared teenager who has a weak support system.  If you can maintain that empathy, as well as compassion and patience, the fostering of young mothers is incredibly successful.  As Jewel said at the end of our interview, “I love what I do.  Life is better when you love what you do.”

In the autism world, we always say that there are no two cases of autism that are alike, and recently I’ve come to find that there are no two days of social distancing that are alike either.

Several days each week, students from the Pressley Ridge School for Autism spend time volunteering at local businesses. Our wonderful community partners help the students learn valuable life and vocational skills. At Alioto’s Restaurant & Sportsbar, they help to clean menus, pre-portion foods and even make meatballs and the occasional pizza.

25+ companies and numerous individuals in our communities helped to make the holidays a little brighter for more than 1,200 children. Our sincerest thanks to the following companies for granting the wishes for our children this year.

Henderson Brothers Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP Amcom Office Systems Michael Baker International American_Eagle Saints John & Paul Parish Treesdale Golf & Country Club MetLife Eat’n Park Cloud Adoption Solutions

 The Waters of Wexford

 Mike‘s Carwash ProLink Staffing Target Willow Med Spa and Salon Book Mark’et & Antique Mezzanine Fox’s Pizza Den in Oakland, MD St. Mary’s Orthodox Church Morgantown, WV Stevens Engineers & Constructors Gamma Mu Nu Chapter Lion’s Pride Restaurant Red Lion Controls OWL Chiropractic C.S. Davidson, Inc. Syncreon MKT Duct GGS, Inc. Stonybrook Family Restaurant Kiwanis Club of Greater York

We are grateful for those who have trusted us to help build stable, healthy families and for the communities who have invested in our mission. We wish you all a happy Thanksgiving!

Dion Inge, Treatment Coordinator in Delaware, has been selected as the 2019 Fay Mosle Generosity Award honoree. After having spent 13 years in foster care, Dion became a social worker to make a difference in the lives of kids in similar situations. In the past year as a Treatment Coordinator, he has made a tremendous impact on the youth, families and staff with whom he works.

Dion was chosen as the honoree of this inaugural award for his natural ability to relate to the youth he serves and the generosity he demonstrates. In addition, Dion is the co-founder of OurBoys,OurMen, a nonprofit mentoring organization to support young minority males from 10-24 years of age with the goal of defeating stigma and stereotypes through educational and social skill groups and experiences.