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PRESS RELEASE - Jacksonville, FL (21 January 2010)
Touchstone Village Opening A Grand Success
On January 21st, what started out with frightful weather ended up with storm clouds clearing in time for the grand opening celebration of Touchstone Village . And a grand event it was! Over 150 attended the celebration to hear a speech by Mayor Peyton via video. The attendees enjoyed the music of the UNF Jazz Ensemble, a DJ and food & beverage stations donated by some of Jacksonville 's best restaurants. The visitors were able to tour the entire campus that had staff and board members providing information about the program at each location. We continue to provide tours of Touchstone Village for those who were not able to make the opening event. If you are interested in touring the campus, please contact Donna Koncinsky at 904-805-0850 or email donna@ycc.org.
PRESS RELEASE - Jacksonville, FL (10 September 2009)
YCC staff with contingent of visitors from the UK on Touchstone Village construction site.
Visionary – Unique – A Potential National Model - Impressive
These are the terms being branded by visitors to the Touchstone Village campus currently under construction. Media coverage and word of mouth have spread the news about YCC’s newest and most ambitious project to help young people between the ages of 16-21 years transition to adulthood as productive citizens of our community. Within the past several months, we have hosted tours of Touchstone Village by youth-serving professionals from Gainesville , Tallahassee , Tampa , and Ft. Lauderdale , in addition to a cadre of local professionals from such organizations as WorkSource, Job Corps, and Children’s Home Society. The State Department also escorted a contingent of 5 professionals from the UK on a national tour of model programs. They reported that Touchstone Village was the highlight of their tour, and asked us to consider an exchange program. We invite you to visit our campus at 3015 Parental Home Road in Jacksonville . And we ask that you consider ways you can help us help these young people on our campus.
PRESS RELEASE - Jacksonville, Florida (10 September 2009)
Donna Koncinsky joins Touchstone Village
Donna Koncinsky arrived as the Program Manager at Touchstone Village having spent nearly two decades advocating for children and young adults in a variety of institutional and community settings. After receiving her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Maine and her Master's Degree in Child Development- Early Childhood Education and Leadership from Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts, Donna began a career as a Nationally Certified Child Life Specialist. In this hospital based position she worked to enhance opportunities for normalcy for hospitalized children by working as a member of a multidisciplinary medical team to meet the psycho-social, medical and educational needs of acute and chronically ill children and their families. In 2001, after seven years as a Child Life Specialist, Donna moved with her family to Ocala, Florida where she began her career in Mental Health and Community Based Care. Throughout this period of time she has held positions as a Mental Health Therapist, Senior Case Manager and Independent Living Specialist and has become keenly aware of the unique needs of at-risk and disconnected youth. Donna is deeply committed to improving opportunities for these individuals through programs that will assist them in obtaining the self sufficiency skills needed to achieve their personal, employment, and educational goals.
On a personal note, Donna lives in Jacksonville with her husband of 19 years. She enjoys spending time with her two grown daughters at such times as their busy lives permit. Donna is an avid equestrian and enjoys going to the beach, reading, and traveling to her native state of Maine.
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