Children's Village teens graduate from Dale Carnegie program

Twelve at-risk youth who are in the Oakland County Children's Village residential treatment program will graduate from the Dale Carnegie Teen Program today at the Children's Village Training Center, thanks to the vision of Brother Rice High School student Aaron Danish and the generosity of rock legend Bob Seger and his wife Nita. The teens, whose ages range from 13-16 years, will step outside their comfort zone and give inspirational speeches to those invited to attend.

"Aaron and the Segers together have improved the likelihood that these 12 teens will succeed when they complete the Children's Village residential treatment program," Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said. "I'm grateful for their generosity."

Danish, who took the Dale Carnegie Teen Program course then became a volunteer graduate assistant, recognized how valuable these skills would be to at-risk teens. Danish approached his mother, Dr. Myra Danish, a Children's Village Foundation board member, about bringing the program to Children's Village. Together, they sought out the Segers for their support who didn't hesitate to fund the program.

The Dale Carnegie Teen Program has three main benefits, according to the younger Danish. First, "is to build self-confidence, overcome fear and shyness, and maintain a positive attitude. Then, to learn how to manage stress and focus in times of challenge, so you make better choices. And last, to build interpersonal skills, communicate better and develop leadership skills," Danish said. "If kids don't have strong family or community around them in their teenage years, how else would they learn these skills?"

Dale Carnegie Instructor Kathy Tosian taught the course to eligible teens at Children's Village earlier this month Seger and his wife Nita, who are not attending the graduation, wrote the following statement about their support of the program:

"It's an honor to be a small part of bringing this Dale Carnegie Workshop to Children's Village. Our son is taking the course and we saw the benefits after the first class! Thank you Kathy Tosoian-you're amazing-and thanks to Myra and Aaron Danish for presenting this opportunity to be involved. These kids are part of our future and we're more than happy to help."

Children's Village is the Oakland County's residential facility for children and youths who are in need of out-of-home services. Youth are placed in Children's Village by court order or by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Children's Village provides residential care and comprehensive treatment services for youth and their families. To learn more about Children's Village, go to OakGov.com/Village.

The Children's Village Foundation provides funding for extra-curricular educational programs as well as special projects and activities. The foundation is made up of volunteers from the community and every dollar raised has a direct impact on the children. For more information about Children's Village Foundation, visit CVFoundation.com.

Published: Fri, Jul 29, 2016