Professional Partner of the Month: Kathy Minnich
"Kathy digs deep to find something that is working within family systems that is positive and builds upon that. She finds the ‘hidden treasures’ in everyone. She recognizes those treasures sometimes before the client does."
- Jody Nace, Assistant Superintendent, Northeastern School District
"Kathy has been extremely dedicated in making The Second Mile’s programs, especially the Challenge Program, available to her students. She refers them, helps get them to camp, and then executes a very important part of the process – the follow up."
- Karen Zawitkowski, Director of Programs, The Second Mile
Kathy Minnich is an elementary school social worker in the Northeastern School District (York County) who works mostly with disadvantaged children and their families, but also with anyone in need of help, including staff. She also serves as a community mobilizer for resources, and in effect, does whatever is necessary to benefit the families in her district. For the incredible services she provides to so many students, families, and colleagues, The Second Mile salutes Kathy Minnich as its June Professional Partner of the Month.
If you happen to be browsing through the dictionary around the letter “C,” perhaps you’ll see Mrs. Minnich’s picture at “compassion,” “commitment,” or even “connection.” Dr. Jodi Nace, a former principal in the same building with Kathy, and now Assistant Superintendent in the Northeastern School District, offers this snapshot:
| | "Kathy organizes a Christmas project every year that involves feeding and providing presents to hundreds of children. She has this way of connecting with our staff in such a way that Christmas miracles are performed every year for these children. People see the great work she does, and they in turn want to make her project successful. It is unbelievable to see how much she not only personally gives to these families, but how much she coordinates to make sure every child gets what they ‘want’ for Christmas. As the district’s social worker for grades K-6, Kathy works 24/7, making home visits, taking families to appointments, working through conflicts, taking lots of calls at home, taking Moms out to lunch that are struggling, and is just a support to SO many people. This includes not only our district families, but staff members as well. Her circle of influence is IMMENSE, and she has touched the lives of hundreds of people. I have never met anyone who had the level of empathy she possesses. It is endless. She has the capacity to care like I have never seen in anyone." |
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These glowing words might be the definition of “ideal school social worker,” yet the full picture painted by Kathy’s co-workers gets even richer. They describe her as someone who draws a crowd of children because of her ability to make each and every one of them feel special. Kathy remembers the names of their parents, siblings, and other details of their lives, often after many years. In essence, Kathy Minnich has an incredible gift in which she can make others feel listened to, understood, respected – essentially loved unconditionally – for who they are.
Philosophically, Kathy looks for the “hidden treasures” in everyone as Dr. Nace noted above. Even in families that are really struggling to function, Mrs. Minnich tries to strengthen them by nurturing the positive, and looking for creative solutions to even the most difficult problems. Because she’s so effective at listening and understanding the issues, and then in marshalling any needed resources, Kathy quickly gains the respect of her clients – they know she genuinely cares. She also holds her clients accountable for their actions, helping them grow personally. A true advocate for children and youth, Kathy will go to any lengths necessary to find the needed help in any situation.
In terms of working with outside agencies, Kathy collaborates whenever possible in order to provide more services to her families. Certainly her work with The Second Mile would serve as an example of the extra steps she’s willing to take to help these kiddos. Not only has Mrs. Minnich referred many children to camp, but she faithfully works to find or provide transportation herself, and then follows up with the children during the school year to help monitor goal-setting and community service projects. Kathy describes how The Second Mile fits in with her efforts:
| | "The Second Mile serves many positive purposes in my work. It is a wonderful motivator for the children who have been privileged enough to be past campers. They work all year to be certain they earn their trip back. Additionally, the Second Mile is a great way to recognize children who are achieving in spite of the difficulties that they may face. It is also because of the Second Mile that I stay in contact with many of my kids as they grow up and enter the secondary school grades." |
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While Kathy sees benefits from The Second Mile, this agency views her as an ideal collaborator who makes great referrals, always putting the children first.
So what motivates her to keep moving forward? Certainly the satisfaction she feels from making an impact in the life of a child, and from the respect she feels from her community. Kathy also cites how privileged she feels to work in a school district that puts the children first: “I am surrounded by top notch professionals from the top down. I absolutely LOVE my job!” Dr. Nace sees Kathy respond very positively from working with teams to develop plans that work for kids, and seeing those plans come to fruition, knowing she had a part in it.
Unfortunately, school professionals are continually dealing with new challenges in their work with students and families. Kathy sees one of the most significant ones as the constant battle of fighting the culture in which we live: “Our children are so surrounded by negative information and working towards keeping kids focused on positives can be hard.” But fight she does as she always looks for the positive, whether in a child, a family system, or in the circumstances.
When not performing her excellent work for Northeastern School District, Mrs. Minnich undoubtedly takes the same positive outlook home with her, where she says she feels blessed to have such a wonderful family. This family includes her husband, who is a Principal in the same district, and their two children, Mya Katherine (age 3) and Max Riley (age 2). For all she does to improve the lives of others, The Second Mile is proud to recognize Kathy Minnich as June’s Professional Partner of the Month.
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