Diakon Wilderness Center weekend program receives $10,000 grant

Boiling Springs, Pa. (Tuesday July 12, 2016)

The Weekend Alternative Program, a Diakon Wilderness Center-based service, has received a $10,000 grant from the Alexander Stewart, M.D., Foundation. 

The grant, in effect from July through June of 2017, will support Weekend Alternative Program services for teens from Franklin and Cumberland counties in danger of reoffending or dropping out of or losing ground in school. The program’s focus is on helping the youths become successful, contributing members of their communities.

The grant represents the fourth year the local foundation has supported Diakon Youth Services programs for at-risk teens.

Designed as an alternative to expensive out-of-home placement or as a first response for youths who have begun to head down the wrong path in life, the Weekend Alternative Program operates from Friday through Sunday at the Diakon Wilderness Center near Boiling Springs, allowing the youths to remain at home during the week while receiving therapeutically beneficial services on the weekends, a time when negative peer influence can be great.

Over 10 weeks, youths in the program rotate through a series of specifically designed program options that include counseling, community service activities, drug and alcohol awareness education, and the Diakon Wilderness Center’s adventure-based activities including hiking, canoeing, rock climbing and caving, all designed to build teamwork and self-respect. The program uses evidence-based practices such as “motivational interviewing” to provide a foundation in achieving “points for success” focused on education, competency skills, family, responsibility, and achievement of goals.

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For further information, please contact:
William Swanger, M.A., APR
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries
(717) 795-0308
E-mail: swangerb@diakon.org