Vol. 15, No. 2 • May 2011

SaySo Update
We've Got a Lot to Celebrate!

by Lauren Zingraff, SaySo Program Coordinator
SaySo celebrated its 13th birthday at our annual “SaySo Saturday” conference. This event is held the first Saturday of March. This year we had 154 conference attendees who attended many workshops, including:

• “See What a Local Chapter Can Do,” by the Forsyth County SaySo Chapter
• “Alumni Connections,” by SaySo Alumni and SaySo Regional Assistants
• “NC Reach/ETV Overview” by Orphan Foundation of America and a SaySo Board Member who shared how the program is paying for her to attend college
• “Child and Family Team Meetings,” facilitated by two SaySo Board Members
• “National Youth Transition Database,” by a SaySo Board Member and Danielle McConaga, NC Div. of Social Services
• “GALs: Can You ‘Court Speak’?” by a SaySo Board Member and Kelly Andrews, NC Administrative Office of the Courts
• “LINKS for You,” presented by Guilford County LINKS Program
• An empowerment session facilitated by SaySo Board Members
• Two workshops exclusively for young men entitled “The Gentlemen’s Club,” presented by Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity.

New Board Members
On SaySo Saturday regional elections are held for the SaySo Board of Directors. The 2011-2012 Board Members elected by their peers are as follows:

Region 1: David R., Kelley T., Macey W.
Region 2: Sarah F., Shaquanda, Zenobia
Region 3: Corae H., Patrick Y., Tressina J.
Region 4: Mandi K., Erica F., Damonique
Region 5: Shanita G., Megan H., Sarah H.
Region 6: Roman R., Kalyn D., Sammi C.

The above youth will be serving along with continuing officers Marcella M. and Titianna G., and will join outgoing members in the SaySo Board of Directors Orientation and Leadership Retreat on June 14-16, 2011 in Pinehurst, NC.

SaySo Saturday serves as both our annual birthday party and yearly family reunion. We were excited this year to have special guests from Project Life who made the trip from Virginia to participate in the conference. Project Life is a partnership with Virginia’s Dept. of Social Services and United Methodist Family Services for youth transitioning out of foster care.

Birthday Cards were given and pictures taken with our local chapters. This year we also had thank you certificates and gift cards for our local chapters in attendance.

Youth (and several adults) enjoyed playing “Getting to Know All About You” BINGO in the morning and dancing to the “Cha-Cha Slide” at lunch. As SaySo Saturday continues to grow in size, we celebrated with TWO birthday cakes!

SaySo would like to thank all of the youth who came and celebrated our birthday with us. We would also like to thank all of the wonderful adult supporters who transported youth to the conference and helped us throughout the day. Special thanks to our workshop presenters and facilitators for their time, energy, and expertise.

We had a fun-filled and exciting day from start to finish and look forward to seeing many of you in March 2012 as we celebrate our 14th birthday!

Copyright � 2011 Jordan Institute for Families