Woman aims to break the cycle

Fundraiser held to make summer fun for kids in county’s care

NILES -- As the school year ends, students' thoughts turn to amusement parks and summer vacations.

Monica Groves, co-owner of Sons of Italy No. 2874, wants to make sure that children living at the Trumbull County Children Services Timothy E. Schaffner Residential Center have the same summer adventures as other area children. So on Saturday, Groves and her husband Jim hosted a Break the Cycle, Make a Difference for the Kids fundraiser at their club.

A basket raffle, 50/50 raffle, bocce tournament, lemonade stand, and a pasta and meatball dinner all helped raise money for the children to take a two-day trip to Cedar Point.

Each year, the children living at the residential center choose what the staff calls a summer celebration destination. For the second year in a row, they chose Cedar Point.

"The kids went to Cedar Point last year, but because of a storm, they were only there for half a day. They asked me if they could go for two days this year. One day would be at the waterpark and the other day would be at the amusement park," said Nikki Hazlett, Trumbull County Children Services residential administrator.

"We have 17 children right now and we can take up to 24 children on the trip," said Marilyn Pape, executive director of Trumbull County Children Services.

The agency provides transportation, meals, entry tickets, games, hotel and chaperones for the trip.

The fundraiser was a family affair for Groves. Her daughters, Christina, 9, and Lizzie, 6, wanted to help, so they had a lemonade stand with all of the money going to the fundraiser. Jim Groves oversaw the bocce tournament while she made the red sauce for the pasta and meatballs dinner that was sold during the event.

Volunteers ran different areas of the fundraiser. Niles Middle School eighth-grade soccer team members Alinah Salamah and Adalyn Sprague sold 50/50 tickets while Bob Burke, a Sons of Italy member and Newton Falls resident, was in charge of the basket raffle tickets.

"Anything I can do to help the kids and to help with this event I will do," Burke said.

At the April 16 Trumbull County Children Services recognition luncheon, Groves received the Sister Jean Orsuto Service to Children Award for the annual Christmas party that she has planned and hosted for the past nine years for the children of the residential center.

"We so appreciate Monica, she is always looking for the next thing that she can do to help the kids," Pape said.

Groves also mentored a child aging out of TCCS. She helped her explore different career paths and helped her find a position in her choice of culinary field.

Groves said she wants to make a positive difference in the lives of the children in the residential center and this fundraiser was an additional way for her to do that.