Longtime supervisor retires after 34 years of service

August 29, 2019

Noah Fraley has several memory books that tell the story of his 34 years of service to children and families in Richland County.

FTM Facilitator Noah Fraley is retiring after 34 years of service to Richland County Children Services RCCS. Noah’s mission is simple, to make a difference in the lives of abused and neglected children.

“I never imagined I would be working for the agency for 34 years. This job has made me a better dad, husband and man,” Fraley said. “This is a tough  profession but it’s been a rewarding one.”

Noah believes his humble beginnings prepared him for his career.

“I was raised by a single mother and we were poor. She loved our family and kept us on the right track,” Noah said.

Noah began his career working in the Agency’s former Blymyer and Downs Group Homes. After the homes closed, he moved to the main office working in a  variety of areas including community service programs, independent living and being one of the first to start the Family Team Meetings (FTM).

In 2010, his was promoted to supervisor of Family Conferencing.

Noah has several memory books in his office that tell the story about his amazing journey in child welfare and the lives he’s touched. 

“I enjoyed my time working at the group homes. I worked various shifts and it didn’t seem like a job it felt like home. We did fun activities like taking the kids to Lake Erie for a week to go camping. Building relationships was the key to being able to meet the needs of the kids we served,” Noah said.

Some of the issues these teens faced included chemical abuse, failure to find permanence in a family or incarceration. Throughout the course of his career, Noah has helped hundreds of older adolescents successfully transition into adulthood and out of juvenile court and child protective services.

“I created what I call a Master Copy Book that contains a collection of useful lessons and tools that I’ve used to help our teens become stable and productive adults. I’ve had kids that went to college to achieve their goals. Those are really good memories,” Noah said.

The Master Copy Book includes a structured daily program, including school and recreational activities and developing effective communication skills.

Noah is proud of the work he has accomplished over the past 34 years. He believes that self-care and taking steps to  prevent burnout are important  and are the keys to his longevity with the agency.

 “Taking care of yourself is important. You can’t go home thinking about your job. You have to feel good about the things you did and the  decisions you made. Believe in yourself and what you do. You can’t take care of  anyone else if you’re not taking care of yourself first,” Noah said.

As he starts a new chapter, Noah plans  to travel with his family and spend time at the lake.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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