TASC News--2004 Archives
Winners' Circle Pays Tribute to the Year's Best and Brightest
(CHICAGO) For the last eight years, Winners' Circle has provided a supportive environment for ex-offenders, their families, and allies to meet together and encourage ongoing recovery.
Recognizing that peer interaction and leadership is key to the program's success, Restoring Citizenship, the TASC program that coordinates Winners' Circle, each year honors participants and community members whose commitment to the program has been exemplary.
Seven such individuals were honored at the annual Winners' Circle Holiday Celebration, December 14, 2004.
Angenola Seawood, an active member of the Winners' Circle Leadership Group, was named Female Role Model of the year. Male Role Model of the year honors went to Michorn Thompson, who helped form a new weekly Winners' Circle meeting at Bethel New Life Community Center.
Winners' Circle New Member of the Year Awards were presented to Rebecca Williams, Cleveland Carpenter, and George Wallace for the promise and enthusiasm they have shown for the cause of staying clean and crime free.
Honored with the Community Involvement Award were two individuals representing organizations that have publicly championed the cause of recovery and restoring citizenship throughout the community. The recipients were Donna Howell of the Illinois Department of Corrections and Mildred Riley, Executive Director of Bethel New Life Center.
Congressman Danny K. Davis and TASC Vice President Peter Palanca were on hand to present the awards after opening remarks from TASC Health Services Administrator Cherie Hunter and Restoring Citizenship Project Specialist Jerome Collins.
TASC in DEA Museum's Traveling Exhibit
(NEW YORK) A Drug Enforcement Agency exhibit showing the role and impact of illicit drugs on society includes contributions by TASC, Inc. of Illinois.
Currently in New York City's Times Square, the exhibit is scheduled to travel around the country during 2005.
The display showcases the process by which drugs are created, distributed, and consumed; the physical and neurological changes caused by drug addiction; the damage that drugs wreak on individuals, families, and communities; and, in the portion of the exhibit to which TASC contributed, ways individuals can access treatment and achieve recovery.
TASC Earns Three-Year CARF Accreditation
(CHICAGO—October, 2004) When human services providers want to verify and demonstrate that their programs meet the highest possible standards for quality, client satisfaction, and accountability, they turn to CARF, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. And for the second time in as many attempts, TASC, Inc. of Illinois has met or exceeded the independent accrediting body's exacting standards.
After a rigorous review process, CARF gave TASC high marks across the board and granted accreditation for the next three years—the longest period possible.
"We strive for excellence in all of our programs and services," TASC President Melody Heaps said. "And external assessments such as the CARF accreditation process help us to ensure we're doing the best job we can for our clients and for the state of Illinois."
The CARF survey process included reviews of administrative and client records statewide, as well as interviews with clients, treatment providers, funders, and others affected by TASC service delivery.
CARF is a fully independent non-profit organization that began accreditation services in 1966. According to its Web site, "The mission of CARF is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through accreditation that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served."
