Monday, April 25, 2005
Eleven local people will be honored at today's annual banquet.
WARREN -- Trumbull County Children Services will host its annual "Rising Up and Moving On" banquet today to recognize clients and families who have prevailed over great adversity and worked together to help their children.
Rising Up and Moving On awards will be presented to Larry and Lori Langley of Boardman, Richard Voorhis and Darlene Mariacher of Beaver Township, Allan and Sandra Poe of Lordstown, and Charles and Amy Peddicord.
Service to Children awards will be given to Joseph and Carla Dean, both teachers in the Niles city school system, and Kevin D. Stringer, founder and president of the Korey Stringer Community Fund in Warren.
The banquet will be at noon at Aulizio's Catering and Banquet Center, 4395 Youngstown Road S.E.
The Rising Up and Moving On awards are a reflection of two success stories.
Working together
Two years ago, the Poes took in two foster children -- Jordan, 1, and Missy, 5 months.
The Langleys, the children's maternal grandparents, began visiting the youngsters at the agency, and their maternal great aunt and uncle, Mariacher and Voorhis, soon requested to be included. The children thrived, and after months of visits, the foster family and the children's relatives became friends.
The Poes adopted the children in January, with the Langleys, Mariacher and Voorhis attending the court hearing. "The teamwork efforts of these families have made the children's experience much easier," the agency said in a statement. "Jordan and Missy are happy and well adjusted."
Depression defeated
The second success story concerns the Peddicords, who came in contact with children services after their daughter, Aspen, was born less than two weeks after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. With husband Charles in the Navy and the family's future uncertain, Amy began suffering from severe post-partum depression. After Charles returned from deployment in June 2002, the family moved to Ohio to be closer to family.
With Amy still suffering from depression and unable to find a proper environment for Aspen, the couple placed their daughter into temporary foster care. They got her back in about a month.
Amy become pregnant with a second child and, because of the previous bouts with depression, the couple decided to place both children into foster care. Gaia Storm Peddicord was born Oct. 1, 2003.
Six months later, after Amy underwent extensive mental health and medical treatments, the girls returned home.
Amy said she has fully recovered from depression and described the family as "very strong and happy."
"We would not hesitate to call children services in the future if we needed assistance or advice. We all worked together to make this family whole.''