Click on the graphic above to see a video from our 2025 Cool Kids Read campaign.
Thank you to Frosty and Christina Burns of the Schmidt Family Restaurant Group for helping us distribute free books during this year’s Cool Kids Read campaign!
The Kiwanis Club of Portsmouth hosts its annual Cool Kids Read service project in partnership with Shawnee State University. Cool Kids Read, first launched In the fall of 2021, was developed and implemented to promote literacy to second graders in Scioto County and encourage them to get excited about reading. We currently serve eight schools in seven districts.
The participants are members of the Kiwanis Key Clubs at Clay, Portsmouth, East, Wheelersburg, West, Green, and Notre Dame high schools as well as Builders Club members from Notre Dame and Circle K Club members from Shawnee State University. These are all service clubs sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Portsmouth.
Our most recent campaign in the spring of 2025 provided free books to more than 500 second-grade students at eight elementary schools. Kids who attend our Kids Day event on September 20, 2025, will also receive free books.
On April 26, 2023, the Kiwanis Club of Portsmouth received an award fromServeOhio through the Ohio Commission on Service and Volunteerism for our Cool Kids Read program. The award came with a $1,000 grant to support the continuation of the program.
The ServeOhio Awards, made possible through support from the American Electric Power Foundation, recognize outstanding people, groups, and initiatives in each region of Ohio who make great contributions to their communities through service and volunteerism.
Our guest speaker this week was Tammy Moore Morton, Director of the Scioto County Job & Family Services office. She spoke about elder abuse, which impacts individuals aged 60 or older. Our local office receives more than 30 referrals every month. Sadly, much of this abuse occurs at the hands of family members.
Exploitation is the #1 type of elderly abuse, followed by self-neglect, neglect, and physical abuse. Women are victims more often than men, and older adults without family or friends nearby are often exploited, as well as people with dementia. Fire is also a risk, as many fatal fires in the state are caused by people smoking while they are on oxygen. A simple $4 thermal fuse coupling that will fit on the hose and turn off the oxygen is a lifesaver for these individuals.
June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. SCDJFS will be participating in this day by wearing PURPLE on Friday, June 13, to bring awareness to the challenges that this vulnerable population faces. What can you do? Observe, listen, and check on your elderly family and neighbors. Report suspected abuse, neglect, and exploitation by calling 1-855-Ohio-APS or 1-855-644-6277.
In other news: - The department's five child support investigators collected $8.3 million for kids in Scioto County in 2024, and August is Child Support Awareness Month. - JFS is working with Community Action on the Dads Matter program, a fatherhood initiative. - In April, JFS was providing public assistance (cash, food, and medical support) to 17,251 people in the county. There were nearly 30,000 Medicaid recipients and 711 cash assistance recipients. The criteria for cash assistance are stronger, and recipients can only receive it now for a total of 36 months. - Our county JFS won a Top award from the state. They have a 95% response rate to SNAP requests (higher than the state average), and their fraud department has recovered over $100,000 over the past year for fraudulent use of SNAP cards. -- There are currently 223 children in custody, nearly a 50% decrease from when JFS took over Children Services three years ago. However, placement costs are astronomical, especially for special needs children. - JFS is working with eight other counties in Southeast Ohio to establish a wellness campus in Gallia County, a 16-bed facility where children can go for short-term stays. - JFS is working with Community Action to establish a child advocacy center where abuse cases can be discussed and investigated in a safe space, and supervised visitation will be provided.
Cool Kids Read
Click on the graphic above to see a video from our 2025 Cool Kids Read campaign.
Thank you to Frosty and Christina Burns of the Schmidt Family Restaurant Group for helping us distribute free books during this year’s Cool Kids Read campaign!
The Kiwanis Club of Portsmouth hosts its annual Cool Kids Read service project in partnership with Shawnee State University. Cool Kids Read, first launched In the fall of 2021, was developed and implemented to promote literacy to second graders in Scioto County and encourage them to get excited about reading. We currently serve eight schools in seven districts.
The participants are members of the Kiwanis Key Clubs at Clay, Portsmouth, East, Wheelersburg, West, Green, and Notre Dame high schools as well as Builders Club members from Notre Dame and Circle K Club members from Shawnee State University. These are all service clubs sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Portsmouth.
Our most recent campaign in the spring of 2025 provided free books to more than 500 second-grade students at eight elementary schools. Kids who attend our Kids Day event on September 20, 2025, will also receive free books.
On April 26, 2023, the Kiwanis Club of Portsmouth received an award from ServeOhio through the Ohio Commission on Service and Volunteerism for our Cool Kids Read program. The award came with a $1,000 grant to support the continuation of the program.
The ServeOhio Awards, made possible through support from the American Electric Power Foundation, recognize outstanding people, groups, and initiatives in each region of Ohio who make great contributions to their communities through service and volunteerism.
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Our guest speaker this week was Tammy Moore Morton, Director of the Scioto County Job & Family Services office. She spoke about elder abuse, which impacts individuals aged 60 or older. Our local office receives more than 30 referrals every month. Sadly, much of this abuse occurs at the hands of family members.
Exploitation is the #1 type of elderly abuse, followed by self-neglect, neglect, and physical abuse. Women are victims more often than men, and older adults without family or friends nearby are often exploited, as well as people with dementia. Fire is also a risk, as many fatal fires in the state are caused by people smoking while they are on oxygen. A simple $4 thermal fuse coupling that will fit on the hose and turn off the oxygen is a lifesaver for these individuals.
June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. SCDJFS will be participating in this day by wearing PURPLE on Friday, June 13, to bring awareness to the challenges that this vulnerable population faces. What can you do? Observe, listen, and check on your elderly family and neighbors. Report suspected abuse, neglect, and exploitation by calling 1-855-Ohio-APS or 1-855-644-6277.
In other news:
- The department's five child support investigators collected $8.3 million for kids in Scioto County in 2024, and August is Child Support Awareness Month.
- JFS is working with Community Action on the Dads Matter program, a fatherhood initiative.
- In April, JFS was providing public assistance (cash, food, and medical support) to 17,251 people in the county. There were nearly 30,000 Medicaid recipients and 711 cash assistance recipients. The criteria for cash assistance are stronger, and recipients can only receive it now for a total of 36 months.
- Our county JFS won a Top award from the state. They have a 95% response rate to SNAP requests (higher than the state average), and their fraud department has recovered over $100,000 over the past year for fraudulent use of SNAP cards.
-- There are currently 223 children in custody, nearly a 50% decrease from when JFS took over Children Services three years ago. However, placement costs are astronomical, especially for special needs children.
- JFS is working with eight other counties in Southeast Ohio to establish a wellness campus in Gallia County, a 16-bed facility where children can go for short-term stays.
- JFS is working with Community Action to establish a child advocacy center where abuse cases can be discussed and investigated in a safe space, and supervised visitation will be provided.
Stay updated on Scioto County JFS online at www.sciotocountyjfs.com/ or follow them on Facebook-- Scioto County Job & Family Services. ... See MoreSee Less
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