Southborough youth services reports outreach push, Winter Wishes moves to cash donations; personnel pay items set for Oct. 27 special town meeting

Sarah Mikas, director of Youth & Family Services for the Town of Southborough, told the Youth Commission on Oct. 14 that the department is focusing this fall on reconnecting with schools, sustaining prevention programs and ramping up outreach and fundraising for its Winter Wishes program.

The director said the department is “sharing out Encompass's most recent newsletter” and working with Trendline, a consulting firm conducting a community needs assessment. She described outreach visits to local schools (Woodward, Niri, Algonquin, Trottier and Finn), weekly contact with residents at Colonial Gardens and a plan to place staff at events such as trunk-or-treat and the town’s bib pickup for the Gobble Wobble race.

The community-needs presentation is scheduled for Nov. 4 and will begin at 6:30 p.m., Mikas said; the location may move to the Hearing Room at Town Hall if…