On October 13, the employees of Valley Youth House came together at Camp Fowler for our annual staff retreat. This is always a great day for staff to come together to talk about what we have achieved in the past year and our vision for the next year.

To start off the day, welcoming remarks were made followed by remarks from Tom Harrington, President and Chief Executive Officer of Valley Youth House, sharing with everyone the plan for how VYH will continue to be a leading agency for our youth and their families. Speeches were also given by other members of the leadership team including Lisa Weingartner, Senior Vice President of Independent Living & Emergency Services, Lehigh Valley and Northeast Region, Allison Moore,  Senior Vice President, Southeast Programs, Pat McGarry, SVP Prevention, Child Welfare & Children’s
Behavioral Health Services, Ken Klein Director Independent Living, Terri Mento, Director of HR, and other staff members.

The morning activity was “Escape to Camp Fowler”, in which teams were sent on a scavenger hunt full of puzzles and tasks. The teams worked together to complete all the tasks and shared some laughs over the frustrating and amusing challenges.  This activity helped strengthen the bond between teams within the organization and initiated new friendships between teams.

Directly following the activity was a staff luncheon, complete with a  variety of cook-offs including, mac and cheese, chili, salad and desserts. All of the food was made by staff and everyone was given the opportunity to taste test and vote for their favorites. The afternoon included more fun bonding activities such as Family Feud, a Volleyball Tournament, Crafting Stations and a Kickball Tournament. The day was a great success and demonstrated the camaraderie shared between the staff at Valley Youth House.

To view photos from VYH Staff Retreat 2017, click here.

To apply for a position at VYH, click here.