by admin on December 31, 2009
By Pat C.
As I walked into the main office for an interview with Dave Ginsberg, I saw him on the phone fulfilling his senior floor duties. He saw me and after waiting a few minutes for him to finish his phone call, we headed into the conference room for the interview.
There is the busy side of Dave that most students see, but after a few minutes into the interview I realized that Dave has another side to him that only the students and staff who are close with him have the opportunity to enjoy.
In 1983 Dave found himself using drugs and alcohol on a regular basis. He hated life and had a bad heroin addiction, so he admitted himself into a rehabilitation center on Long Island. The rehab helped Dave to get sober, but he had to leave and go elsewhere if he was to continue his sobriety. That other place was The Family Foundation School, formerly known as The Family.
At The Family Ginsberg got involved with his recovery by helping others and attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
After six months, Dave left The Family and went back to Long Island where he went to work and was paid a good salary. However, he drove back to The Family every weekend to share his experience, strength, and hope with newcomers. After traveling back and forth for several years, Dave was introduced to his wife, Joyce, by Roxi Losicco, a staff member here. He was offered a job at The Family in 1995 and worked here for two and a half years before he decided to move back to New Jersey and return to his old job.
However, he wasn’t gone long. Shortly after leaving The Family, Dave decided to come back. “I left the school because I wanted to get my pension from my old job. But [after a short time] I wanted to come back because it felt good to help people. I began to see that life isn’t just about making money,” he said.
Dave has worked at the school ever since. He is a staff in Wilson House, Senior Floor person, Director of Safety for the school, and he sponsors students in his house. He enjoys helping others, working with kids, and fulfilling the responsibilities the administration entrusts in him.
He has continued his sobriety since he became affiliated with the school 26 years ago. He said, “I have had to live one day at a time and only for the grace of God have I been able to stay sober.”
Unfortunately, Dave received some hard news a few months ago. He has a failing liver and is on a transplant list. Dave and his family have decided to leave the school in December and move to Florida where he has an opportunity for a liver transplant. He doesn’t want to leave the school, but he knows the move is the best thing for him.
“I am going to miss the students, staff, and all of the chaos that goes on here,” he said when asked how he felt about leaving. He says people ask him whether he falls into self-pity about the dangers of what could happen because of his health. He responds to these questions by saying, “The only time I get upset is when I know my 11-year-old son won’t have a father. I feel for the students who have lost parents because I know how devastated my son would be. But I have to realize that I have no control over what happens. All I can do is live for today and in the moment. I have to let God take control of my life. …Even through my heroin addiction I didn’t know what would happen. I hated life so I used heroin, and using heroin led me to getting sober and now I love life.”
by admin on December 30, 2009
By Sheila B.
The Family Foundation School as always promotes the spirit of excellence, especially where it applies to academics. That spirit has resulted in P.A.S.S. (Personal Academic Student Services), an idea that began with FFS Principal Annie Janauer.
The purpose of the new program is to make students available to tutor other students who are struggling academically. The tutoring takes place in the library because it is quiet and has the resources necessary for optimal research and study.
Tutors are scheduled to be in the library during most periods of the day. A struggling student, who is scheduled for a study hall, can now call the library to find out if there’s another student available to help in a particular subject.
FFS librarian, Roxi Losicco, is excited about P.A.S.S. “We have a lot of talented students in FFS. This is a great opportunity for them to share their talents with each other,” she said.
by admin on December 29, 2009
Erika C. Named Student of the Month at The Family Foundation School
By Turner L.
During lunch time circle-up on November 24, Lake House students were thrilled to hear that Erika C. was chosen as November’s Student of the Month.
“I use to look at the Student of the Month plaque when I was first here and thought, that will never be me. And I did not want it to be me. But today life is completely different,” said Erika in accepting her award.
Before arriving at the school on May 5, 2008, Erika’s lifestyle had consisted of drugs, alcohol, and lots of disrespect towards her family. At the beginning of her stay, she had no intention of doing the right thing and resisted changing. Nineteen months later, she has an RA pin, is passing her classes, and going to Mass regularly–things she never could see herself doing before. “I was so against changing, but when I let go of old ideas and decided to take advice from other people, that’s when my life started to change,” she said.
Erika has earned numerous responsibilities as a result of her new behavior and attitude around the school. She is in journalism class, helping her Family Leader, Chris Stein, produce The Family Times. She is looked to by others as an individual who can be trusted and relied upon. She will graduate in June 2010, and is applying to many universities.
“It is not really about the award for me. The school would be an extremely happy place if we were all praying for each other and putting other people before ourselves. I am just here to carry on that message,” said Erika.
by admin on December 28, 2009
The Family Foundation School Staff Member Dawne Possemoto’s Daughter Profiled in The Sunday Times
What do NBC’s “The Office,” Lackawanna College, and home-made handbags have in common? The answer is Jackson Township local Meegan Possemato. Meegan is the daughter of FFS staff Dawn Possemato. Because of her many aspirations, she was profiled by The Sunday Times in its November 29 issue.
Possemato graduated from the State University of New York at Oneonta where she majored in English. She currently spreads her knowledge by teaching at Lackawanna College’s New Milford Center. She also helps organize many events at Lackawanna, such as bike tours through local trails.
Besides being a teacher, Possemato works as manager of business development for an office supply company, One Point. She is renowned for her efforts to get the company mentioned in one way or another on NBC’s Scranton-set comedy “The Office.” She loves the show and hopes One Point can eventually make an appearance on it as a nemesis to the show’s Dunder Mifflin Paper Co.
During her free time, Possemato makes and sells her own handbags, called Meegan Bags. Her small enterprise, usually displayed at local craft shows, carries the slogan “Crafted from Vintage, Recycled and Agonized-over Materials.” She generally uses unwanted materials, taking them from ready for the dumpster to ready for the runway.
Student Honored
Lake House News
