"Be proud of where you work."
That is Denise Derdeyn’s message to those who work in human services, and it is an ethos that has carried her through a 43-year career at the nonprofit Kenosha Human Development Services Inc.
Derdeyn was honored Thursday as the recipient of Kenosha County’s Connie Reyes Award for Excellence in Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention, receiving the accolade in a room packed with current and former colleagues.
"The thing about my agency is, I’ve always been proud to refer people to it," Derdeyn said. "I think it’s an agency where people are treated humanely, where we take everybody where they’re at and try to figure out what they need for the next step, and try to make that happen."
Derdeyn began her career in 1983 at what was then known as Kenosha Youth Development Services, as a teaching parent at the Phoenix House group home for adolescents. She then served as a juvenile crisis and home detention worker before becoming KHDS’ prevention/intervention coordinator in 1988 — a position she would hold for 28 years.
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She continues to serve as KHDS’ director of special services.
Kenosha County Division of Children and Family Services Director Pamela Condos noted that one of the individuals who nominated Derdeyn for the Connie Reyes Award referred to her as "one of the fiercest advocates for children and families in our community," always willing to go above and beyond for families.
The Connie Reyes Award honors Reyes, a Kenosha County social worker who worked with families experiencing child abuse and neglect. On April 12, 1990, she tragically lost her life while serving these children and families.
"Today is extra special, having Denise receive this award," Condos said. "Denise worked with Connie Reyes and holds those memories close to her heart."
Derdeyn credited her three directors over her years at KHDS — George Schwartz, Byron Wright and Jeannine Field — for driving an agency that always strives to figure out how to make positive things happen for youth and families.
She also praised the strength of the partnership between agencies in Kenosha County’s human services community, where agencies work together to achieve better outcomes for the community.
In the 1990s — a time she referred to as "the renaissance of social services" — Derdeyn was part of the committee that formed Kenosha County’s Coordinated Response to Child Abuse and Neglect (CoRe) program, which continues to bring stakeholders together on a united mission.
Derdeyn offered a bit of simple but significant advice to her colleagues at Thursday’s award ceremony.
"You never say, ‘That’s not my job,’" Derdeyn said. "What you say to people is, ‘I don’t know the answer to that question, but I will find it for you, and I will call you back.’ That’s what you do. And that’s what we’re committed to doing at KHDS."
