DRC Services

DRC Staff and Volunteer Holiday Party!
2025-12-11 15:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | DRC Office Middletown, 210 East Main Street, Middletown, NY, 10941, United States
Join us for our annual Holiday Party!
DRC Staff and volunteers are welcome to gather for refreshments, gifts, and some fun holiday activities.
It’s a chance to relax, connect, and share our appreciation for one another.
Date: December 11, 2025Time: 3:00-6:00pm – drop in anytime and stay as long as you’d like
Location: DRC Middletown Office, 210 E Main St
We hope to see you there!

CASA: Webinar + Discussion
2025-10-29 12:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
DRC CASA will host a viewing of a webinar presented by NYS CASA in the past, titled CASA on the Witness Stand – Testifying in Court.
There will be opportunity for discussion and general case questions after the presentation, and the slide deck will be emailed to everyone after.

Attendance Mediation with Duke Fisher - DRC
2025-09-25 17:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
This training takes place on Zoom over two days, September 25 & 30, 5:00-8:15pm each day.
An email with the Zoom link will be sent to you a few days before the training begins.
Description: DRC would like to offer additional services to the students in our schools and will be training our mediators in Attendance Mediation. This form of mediation is a supportive, problem-solving process that helps students, families, and schools work together to improve school attendance. In a neutral and non-punitive setting, a trained mediator facilitates a conversation to identify the root causes of absenteeism, and create a plan that addresses barriers and promotes consistent school participation.
This 6-hour training will teach participants how to address the conflicts that may be contributing to poor attendance or school refusal; develop skills to customize mediations for attendance application; and create a plan to gather support and resources to improve attendance. This training will draw on challenges that mediators personally faced as young people to understand how mediation can be used to create tailored and realistic plans for students.

Zoom Info Sessions
2025-07-23 09:30 - 2025-08-13 10:30 | Zoom
Informational Sessions: We will be hosting info sessions on Zoom for anyone interested in learning more about becoming a mediator and volunteering with the DRC. You can join by video or phone.
During these sessions, you will be able to learn about our work, available mediation training, and volunteer opportunities.
The next session is scheduled for:
July 17 at 10:00am
As a volunteer mediator, you’ll help people talk through their conflicts and find solutions that work for everyone. Mediators listen carefully, stay neutral, and help guide the conversation so everyone feels heard and respected.
Volunteers receive comprehensive training and ongoing support to build skills in communication, problem-solving, and conflict management.
This role is ideal for individuals who are compassionate, calm under pressure, able to remain neutral and unbiased, and committed to helping others find common ground.
Training Time Commitment: 30-hour initial training + 3-month apprenticeship, then 4-6 hours per month of mediation work.

ADR: Judge's Corner
2025-06-25 17:30 - 19:00 | DRC Office Middletown, 210 East Main Street, Middletown, NY, 10941, United States
Join us for a conversation with Judge Krahulik from Orange County Family Court.
For volunteer mediators.
Light dinner will be served.

CASA NYS Book Club
2025-06-03 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom
We will be reading and discussing The Child Catcher by Andrew Bridge.
Volunteers who register will be provided with a free copy of the book
Andrew Bridge’s bestselling memoir, Hope’s Boy, told the story of his survival after he was taken from his mother, who struggled with schizophrenia, and was left to foster care. Bridge was first confined at one of our country’s most notorious children’s institutions, MacLaren Hall. Now, in The Child Catcher, he chronicles his role in the longest-running, most bitterly fought mental health lawsuit in American history. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Bridge joined the small team of civil rights lawyers representing the children of the Eufaula Adolescent Center, a violent and secretive institution in the rural South, against the State of Alabama.
Eufaula was a place Alabama had refused to surrender. Parents were lured into sending their children there, unable to get them back. Thousands of children went through Eufaula, just as thousands went through the institution that Bridge survived as a boy. The fight for justice led him through squatters’ camps in backwoods and into the lives of families caught in a permanent underclass. He sat with children as they struggled to explain what had gone wrong in their lives. In this David and Goliath battle, The Child Catcher is the story of Bridge’s personal redemption and the hope that justice for children is possible.

Mediation - How to Break an Impasse
2025-05-29 09:00 - 16:00 | DRC Office Middletown, 210 East Main Street, Middletown, NY, 10941, United States
Advanced Training with Chris Daly from New York Peace Institute
Agenda:
9:00 – 9:15 Welcome & Training Objectives
9:15 – 9:45 Introductions & On-Theme Community Building
9:45 – 10:00 Conflict Theory
10:00 – 11:00 Identifying Barriers Getting to the WHY
11:00 – 12:00 Process-based Transitions and Flow during Uncertainty
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 1:30 Mediator as Connector when Conflict is Isolation
1:30 – 2:15 Tools for Impasse
2:15 – 3:30 Fishbowl Role Play & Feedback
3:30 – 4:00 Debrief & Lessons Learned to Take-away
Lunch will be provided, and snacks/drinks will be available all day.

CASA: Webinar + Discussion
2025-05-14 17:00 - 19:00 | Zoom
Closing a Case and Saying Goodbye

CASA: Judge's Corner
2025-04-07 17:00 - 19:00 | DRC Office Middletown, 210 East Main Street, Middletown, NY, 10941, United States
• Topic: Judge’s Corner – A Conversation with Orange County Family Court Judge, Judge Krahulik

An Introduction to Restorative Justice.
2025-04-07 09:30 - 12:00 | DRC Office Middletown, 210 East Main Street, Middletown, NY, 10941, United States
The following topics will be on the agenda:
• An overview of what Restorative Justice is
• What kind of practices are included under the RJ umbrella
• A discussion on who has so far implemented these practices, and scenarios of when RJ might be used effectively
• The successes of such programs in schools and other institutions
• Participate in a short community-building circle to experience the process.
Training Details:
• Trainer: Trudy Junkroski, RJ Supervisor for CLUSTER
• Date: Monday, April 7, 2025
• Time: 9:30 am to 12:00 pm
• Location: DRC Office, 210 East Main St, Middletown, NY
• Lunch will be served at noon after the training is complete – feel free to hang out and mingle with other DRC volunteers
Attending this training will fulfill 2.5 hours of continuing education requirement for FY2025-2026.

CASA: Educational Issues and CASA
2025-03-17 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
This is a 2-part series of a recorded webinar presented by NYS CASA.
March 17 & March 24, 12:00-1:15pm both days.
Information about how the educational system works, what special ed options are available to children who need them, and how to effectively advocate for children in foster care.

CASA: Book Club
2025-03-05 18:00 - 19:00 | Zoom
• Book Club Read and Discussion: featuring Foster to Friends by Patricia Russell. Author will be present for discussion. Arranged by CASANYS.
• Volunteers will be provided with a signed copy of the book
