When the Maryland Crab Cake Tour presented by The Maryland Lottery comes to Greenmount Station in Hampstead, we’re always trying to serve the community in Carroll County with ways to pitch and Lisa Weaver and Anthony Santuago educated Nestor about the important work of the Carroll County Youth Services Bureau and the “Chocolate Ball” that serves as an important fundraiser each February.
Nestor Aparicio discusses the work of Carroll County Youth Service Bureau (CCYSB) with Lisa Weaver and Anthony Santiago. CCYSB, a nonprofit in Westminster, provides mental health and substance abuse services to children, adolescents, and adults. In 2024, they served 2,100 individuals in Carroll County, which has a population of over 170,000. They emphasize the importance of immediate access to services, noting that one in five people will experience a mental health crisis, with 50% untreated. CCYSB collaborates with local partners and hosts events like the Chocolate Ball Gala to raise funds and awareness.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Carroll County Youth Service Bureau, mental health, substance abuse, nonprofit, behavioral health, community partnerships, open access program, intake coordinator, holistic approach, fundraising, Chocolate Ball Gala, local restaurants, philanthropy, youth services, Maryland Lottery.
SPEAKERS
Lisa Weaver, Anthony Santiago, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:00
Welcome home. We are W, N, S T. Am 1570 task Baltimore. We are Baltimore positive. I love getting these shows out on the road. Meet new people. We’re out here in beautiful Carroll County. We are in Hampstead at Green mount station, a place that is no we’re no stranger to this joint. I’ve been doing shows here about 15 years. We’re over in the next to the OTB and next door to the green mount bowl. We had David Richardson stop by say hello. Chris is back in the kitchen slinging crab cakes out here at two Fried crab cakes. It is all brought to you by our friends at the Maryland lottery. You have the scratch offs. I’m back to the future. I’m gonna be giving these to our guests here. And you know, I come out to Carroll County. I used to come out here Christmas time do my Raven shows and stuff. And I always saw the Christmas lights and the main street, and you have to, like, drive through pastoral settings to get out here. It’s a little far flung, but it’s not too far. It’s close, but not far. And I come out here, and I try to get the Carroll County vibe, a Baltimore County guy lived in the city. And every time I come out here, I always say to Chris, things are a little different, and you’re a little different pace, a little slower. I get all my North Carol stuff here, and I let all the people the high schools all fight amongst themselves. But when I saw Carroll County Youth Service Bureau, and Lisa is a LinkedIn, speaking of LinkedIn local, I had melody here, LinkedIn being a thing, she has brought with her one of her board members, board is that right? Anthony Santiago is here. He’s with Worthington financial partners in the real world over timonia, my neck of the woods, Baltimore County guy, but I want to get Lisa to talk about ccysb.org, and things are going on out here. You’re helping youth out here try to find a better path. And you know, I’m from Dundalk originally. Don’t hold that against me, but I am familiar with people trying to do the good deeds. And I wanted to have you come on and talk about and talk about good things going on up here
Lisa Weaver 01:44
in Carroll County. No, absolutely, we appreciate it. And then, and Carroll County is home for me and CcY. SB, we’re a non profit behavioral health organization based in Westminster, Maryland, and we’re dedicated to providing comprehensive mental health and substance abuse services to children, adolescents and adults throughout Carroll County. We’ve been established for over 53 years here as an organization, as a nonprofit, says youth, but this is for everybody, exactly. The name does not give it away. Actually, we do service adults and families.
Nestor Aparicio 02:23
I just think mental health challenges. And, you know, Jim Irsay passed two weeks ago, and he had dedicated the end of his life to that sort of work. And, you know, I lost a friend to suicide last week. Yeah. I mean, like, think you know, to know their services out there, and people out there, especially a little further out of the city, isolated, it would take a family member, take a workmate, take a friend, to know somebody’s having a challenge in some way, how do people come to you and access and service your organization? Now
Lisa Weaver 02:57
that’s a great question, and I want to hit home on one thing that you said is honestly one in five will have a mental health crisis, and 50% of them are untreated. And this is a major problem, and it’s increasing in our youth, from six to 17 years old, we’ve seen an increase in depression in the youth. COVID was a weird thing, exactly, and socialization and lack of that has increased those numbers. And so how do folks hear about us? One is we have great partnerships out in the community with life bridge hospital, with our law enforcement teams, with the Department of Juvenile Services. All of these folks are aware of our services and will bring the community to us as an outpatient service.
Nestor Aparicio 03:50
I talk so much about education here, and we talk about crime, certainly in the city all the time, and murder numbers that the mayor is up against, and all of that, it really does take a village. And I think about, okay, you’re out here, and you’re a troubled young person. And, you know, I grew up in Dundalk in the 80s. I mean, I saw it, you know, everywhere in my middle school. Kids that went the wrong way, kids that are long since dead, went to jail. You know, had problems, all drug all the above, check, check, check, all the above. When you’re from a densely populated lower middle class area like Dundalk, like where I was New York, right? Of course. I mean, you know, so you see all these people with challenges. And I think back to my youth and think, Well, what services did that kid have? What chance did that kid have? His parents were messed up. Their situation at home was messed up. Didn’t have money, food on the tape, just all the way around, things that would lead to the wrong side of the tracks, wherever that would be, whatever crime, drug, whatever would become a problem. Child, male, female, you know, violence or non violence, wherever it is. Where does that child turn? Where would their parents turn? And I hear so much, especially on the right side of the aisle, about taking away government. Taking away resources. They have nowhere else to turn exactly in any small community, too, other than they’re going to get some government help in some way, the government’s going to get involved either in the law, right, exactly, correction, in the hospital, in the victims, and whatever happens, government’s going to be involved in that problem, especially if that’s a problem youth that we can’t get in the right way, correct?
Lisa Weaver 05:27
Yes, absolutely. And our goal is to create a brighter, healthier community, and by servicing our community based mental and substance abuse help, we’re creating less hospitalizations. We are creating an environment where there’s less crime. Those are that is the change that we’re putting in place, not only for the individuals involved, but from the community standpoint as well.
Nestor Aparicio 05:53
How many people year are you servicing? And 2024
Lisa Weaver 05:57
we were able to service 2100 individuals just here at Carroll County? Yes, just here in Carroll County, that’s so surprising. What’s the population Carroll County? You know question I know in Carroll County, the last statistics I saw, which was in 2025 were over 170,000 population in just Carroll County. And you service 2100 people? Correct? Yes, it is. And as much as we’re servicing, we’re turning away. We need to do more, and that’s why we do fundraising, so that we’re able to provide more staff members, more counselors. We have social workers that work with us, licensed therapists. We have RNs on staff. We have our medical director, Dr James. We’re we’re providing a holistic approach towards our care. Anthony
Nestor Aparicio 06:44
Santiago came. He said, I’m just going to sit here and nod my head, say nothing. Tell me about your involvement. Is it on behalf of Worthington
Anthony Santiago 06:52
financial it’s more so on behalf of Carroll County Youth Services Bureau. I’m a financial professional. However, we’ve gotten involved with the philanthropy group and come up with several ideas, one of which she did, local restaurants donating proceeds to Carroll, county services, Youth Services Bureau, as you said, the government doesn’t get involved here. A lot of what goes on here are grants and donations. So what we at the philanthropy group have been trying to do is just make awareness of what the Youth Services Bureau is doing and what’s needed, mostly.
Nestor Aparicio 07:29
So someone’s in need here, let’s just talk to somebody out there. Someone lives down the street, their child, loved one, is in need. What is the pathway to being involved in your organization to get the help and the care that they need, sure.
Lisa Weaver 07:42
So there’s several ways. One is, we are a facility that has a Open Access Program on Tuesdays and Wednesdays where they can just come in get an assessment done. They don’t have to wait for an appointment. It’s called open access. The other way is to call our main line and speak with Emily, who is our intake coordinator, and she’s great at making sure they’re comfortable and talking and getting into the right program that would make sense for them. First things,
Nestor Aparicio 08:09
first gets get a meeting. Let’s get you in right away. Yes, I can’t begin to say like my eyes were changing, getting into my eye doctor. It’s acute. It’s not like I’ll see you next month, right? If you’re having a mental health challenge, you want it. This is not about, I’ll see you a week from month, right? Exactly. This is about, hey, we got to this is right here, right now. And you say one in five people will have a crisis? Yes, that crisis could, is temporary, right? You know, I mean, like it, yes, in the moment, it doesn’t feel that way at all. Feel like the weight of the world, I think, for any of us, exactly. And, you know, I’ve been times in my life not knowing exactly where to turn, but knowing that there are resources. One of the reasons I like this open mic is to make sure that somebody is out there suffering. You can know that you’re not alone, and there are resources out there, and people working at this all day long. Yes, and, and you have success stories too, right? Absolutely.
Lisa Weaver 09:03
And I have great teams. We have our Assertive Community therapy treatment teams. We have our mobile treatment teams, where we’re actually physically going out and as a community, meeting people where they are and need us, monitoring their medication, providing them even support with job applications, school applications. We’re not just providing them mental health, but we’re providing them life skills. That’s
Nestor Aparicio 09:29
that’s the way out of the crisis, right? Here’s a job skill, here’s a job app, here’s a school here’s the next step on the ladder, exactly that you can take in facilitating that some people don’t even know where that next step is, and
Lisa Weaver 09:42
there’s hope in that. Hope in that. And I think that’s what’s lacking for many, is I feel alone and I can’t find hope or change. And so that’s what we’re bringing, is change and hope
Anthony Santiago 09:52
and awareness. And as she said, you know, 50? How many years has it? 53? Years? So you have to imagine. 53 years this has been in the community. This was
Nestor Aparicio 10:02
a farm out here 53 years ago.
Anthony Santiago 10:07
How many folks are just now becoming aware that it exists and it’s been here for 53 years? So that’s what a show like this would help with.
Nestor Aparicio 10:14
My appreciate that Carroll County Youth Service Bureau is the the group. They’re out here in Carroll County, but they’re not just for youths. I’m see. I would have gotten that wrong. I would have been I would have gotten the buzzer wrong here. I still do. Anthony Santiago is also here. He works by day, Worthington, financial planners, over in Timonium, Lutherville, but he’s out here in Carroll County with us. Um, from a Carroll County perspective, you said you’re from here, right? Yes. What do you see as a uniqueness about this area that would lend itself to your organization, to their you know, I do a lot with opioids. I’ve talked a lot of people about that problem being something that’s a little bit not that it’s not a city problem, but that that is the problem on in the rural areas isn’t really rural, but more rural you get there are rural areas. Yes, true, yeah. And, and this is something that has become like a real problem. And I’m sure 53 years ago, maybe that wasn’t the problem. People were coming in the Carroll County Youth
Lisa Weaver 11:16
Services for no but we’ve seen the increase in, I think, with the youth now more suicide is despair. Despair. We still see drug use that hasn’t changed. What type of drugs have changed, but drug use itself has not changed. But what is very unique about Carroll County is that we are a community. We are caring for each other. We have great supporters throughout the county, and we’re came never
Nestor Aparicio 11:48
left. Yeah, David’s from Dundalk, and he built a bowling alley here. He’s like, I’m from Carroll County. You’re not, you’re from Dundalk, right, right. No, I’m not going back. I’m just where I am, you know. And people come out here, they really do love it. And every time I drive out, I’m like, It’s not that far. I came in from Hunt Valley. I’m here 15 minutes. Yeah. Now, when I lived downtown, it was a little, felt a little further from the beltway, but it really is a place where people identify this. And my buddy, Tim watts, who went to North Carroll, who I’ve had here, you know, identify themselves as well. Yeah, we’re Baltimore, but we’re a little different. You know, we identify a little differently. Yeah,
Lisa Weaver 12:23
we do, we do, but it’s a great place to be, and it’s peaceful. I find peace in this area, so that’s great. Well, I’m
Nestor Aparicio 12:32
gonna roll the top down. Find peace on 80 degree day. You should. I hope you guys have a Super Bowl. Do you have a big event? Do you have something you do every year, month to month. That is part of the fundraising that you do.
Lisa Weaver 12:43
Yeah. So we have our chocolate ball Gala, which, oh, my
Nestor Aparicio 12:46
chocolate ball. Yes, I like chocolate and I like balls. Go ahead.
Lisa Weaver 12:50
So this is a gala DC reference. I heard
Anthony Santiago 12:58
it spot on. So, so our upper
Nestor Aparicio 13:02
class, high society,
Lisa Weaver 13:05
yeah. So chocolate ball. So chocolate ball is our big event in February, near Valentine’s Day, dark chocolate, or any kind of chocolate, any kind of chocolate you want. Chocolate theme this year is, is a red carpet, Hollywood red carpet. We have over 300 elite members of Carroll County attend the Scala. We’re going to have a VIP champagne portion this year, an
Anthony Santiago 13:32
elite member. Okay, you can be invited. You can still you’re invited now, February sevens.
Lisa Weaver 13:36
Oh, all right. It’ll be cold that night, but it’d be great. It’d be great. We had such a good time Super Bowl week. I need to get away. I know we were gonna have Ryan Ripken there, but he said he was traveling and going to super, super bowl. Yeah, you come out? Yeah, I’m there. Be at the VIP last
Nestor Aparicio 13:54
year. I like chocolate. I like balls, yeah,
Anthony Santiago 13:57
roaring 20s, costume party. And, man, it pulled no stops. What am I
Nestor Aparicio 14:02
wearing? This your Hollywood, yes, I’m good with that.
Lisa Weaver 14:04
Yes, like bond, yes, I’m gonna let my
Nestor Aparicio 14:08
hair down. Goes, Fabio. Oh,
Lisa Weaver 14:10
perfect. And then just other new initiatives that we’re putting in place. Is like our taste of giving, where a portion of proceeds go to ccysb try to promote more local restaurants, to
Nestor Aparicio 14:25
promote like green mount station, yeah, hey, we
Lisa Weaver 14:28
need to do one here too. So our next one is going to be at rock salt. I’m looking at Tony locos doing one there, and
Nestor Aparicio 14:37
I’ve had the crab cake at rock salt. I had all the tour two years ago, before they changed management. But fantastic place downtown Westminster brings back all my memories of ravens camps back in the late night.
Anthony Santiago 14:48
Yes, change there, just under new management, but, but Aaron is
Lisa Weaver 14:51
a great manager of rock salt. He really is
Nestor Aparicio 14:54
Westminster man boggers up on a hill with yes, some ice cream. Yeah. It, yes, yes. God’s country out here.
Anthony Santiago 15:05
And then with the restaurants doing that, what it also has been doing, if she she would let you know there have been some pretty cool stories that go along with it, as far as folks coming in to the restaurant because of the day, and then understanding that it is a thing, and it’s not just for youth. There have been adults that have felt comfortable enough now to go in
Lisa Weaver 15:26
exactly looking and get help on and get help. Yeah.
Nestor Aparicio 15:29
How many years you Carroll County Youth Service?
Lisa Weaver 15:30
So I actually started in October of 2024, okay, so last
Nestor Aparicio 15:35
year, yes, if there’s a success story that that you’ve seen in the first year meeting someone that said, I got helped here changed my life. Those are the stories when I’ve worked. I mean, I’ve been doing this 35 years, and I go back to, you know, helping Ed block in the 1990s and I’m thinking, Man, that little 12 year old kid I met that day is now 42 years old. And I run. And when I see those kind of people that like story. Hey, you did this back and I’m like, that was last century, but look at you. You’re doing good, you know? I mean, you try to help people along the way, so you run into them a little later on and
Lisa Weaver 16:10
check in. Only I have a wonderful story, and it absolutely touches my heart because I was so new to the organization and wanting to do so well for them, because I love my community, and I put on a breakfast at the Bureau event where businesses can come to our facility and get to know us and take a tour. And it was reaching out to our Chamber members. At one of the Chamber members said, Hey, Lisa, I’m glad you reached out. Can I give you a call? And he gave me a call, and he said, I wanted to let you know that I had gone through ccysb As a teenager, and I really appreciate all the help that you guys provided me. And he was working at a very great he had a great job, and I told him, be proud of you. You took the advice, you took the initiative to make the change. We were just a tool to help you. Let’s get him to the chocolate ball. Oh, he will. Gotta get him to chocolate ball. He’ll be he’ll be there. All right, good. He’ll be there. And don’t forget to meet him and and I’m just a show. So proud of him, and the fact that he was willing to share his story, the willing that he came to the breakfast and shared a story with others to say, I made it through this. They were my hope and they were my guidance. And look at where I am. That’s
Nestor Aparicio 17:27
the power story. That’s why we do it, right? I love it. Nice. Well, Lisa Weaver is here. She is the major gifts and planned a giving officer. That’s a lot. It’s a hell of a title, you. I know I do all that. She’s with Carroll County Youth Service Bureau. We met on LinkedIn, just like I met melody Baron on LinkedIn, but just trying to get people together. And I was coming up Carroll County, I said, I want to do something. And I looked up and I found you, and I’m like, you know, I’m gonna invite these folks out. Anthony Santiago is here. We’re at Green mount station. We are what I call in the heart of Hampstead in Carroll County, right next to the bowling. I got duck pin bowling. I got duck pin bowling, and I can bet OTB, and I can watch every game on satellite here, and they got crab cakes and unlimited boost. Can’t go wrong. I told him if, if I come out here and do Taylor Swift dance party night at the Green Mountain, that is a real better get me a drive through something happening. But you service bureau helps people up here, not just use everyone. You can learn more at CcY sb.org, that’s ccysb.org, that’s Carroll County Youth Service Bureau. Very easy. And Anthony’s over to Worthington, financial partner. She’s over at Timonium, sits on the board doing good things. Well, I hope you guys have a good summer. I hope summer comes. I feel like it’s finally here, finally here, right around the corner. I had two Fried crab cakes. That’s the way I roll, because I’m from Dundalk up here, and I’m I’m ready for summer. I got 16 crab cake tours, stops on the on the the dance card this summer, and not even a chocolate ball. I’ll say that. But next Friday, we’re gonna be a fade leads at Lexington market. We’re also going to be back in Carroll County. We’re going to be at Eldersburg, I believe it’s July 18, 16, 16/16, 16th, 18th. Anyway, it’s middle of July. We’re going to be at 1623, brewing over beautiful Eldersburg. We’re going to be in Reisterstown at readers on the 26th of this month. We’re also going to be at the Y at the pool in Randallstown, Liberty Road. We’re gonna be doing that two weeks from now, and the new Costas at the racetrack in Timonium that also has an OTB, so two OTPs in one month. My thanks to the Maryland lottery are Back to the Future scratch offs. I feel like, Oprah, you get a ticket already. Are you got number 12? What number did you get there? That’s 63 All right, I’m making sure I’m giving lucky numbers out to everybody. Melanie already says she was gonna win the 10 grand and when I gave her her ticket earlier, my thanks to melody Baron from LinkedIn local for stopping by. They have an event at the zoo on Wednesday night. The 11th, before we get to Fauci is on the 13th, Chris and Dave, everybody up here is always great with us at Greenmount station, making us feel at home. And my buddy Howard share from Duck doctors, who came up, we did a little rock and roll. We did. Old school hockey, as well as some Orioles and some Raven stuff and some Justin Tucker stuff as well. Luke is going to be joining me next Friday at Faith Lee’s. It’s a big weekend. The Orioles are in Sacramento, California. Got some great stuff on the radio as well. If you want to support the chocolate ball, I get that at CcY, sb.org, I can purchase tickets. Get information
Lisa Weaver 20:19
right on the website, and there’s sponsorships right on there, under giving and donations. And if you don’t feel that chocolate ball is a fit, there is a link to donate
Nestor Aparicio 20:31
chocolate ball. Now, my wife is diabetic, and the chocolate ball is a fit for her. If she can make it, anybody can make it, yeah, she could. She could come February 7. That’s a Saturday night. I got it in here right now. Yeah, awesome time 2026 God, we’re getting old, right? That’s the first time anybody’s maybe look at next year’s calendar.
Lisa Weaver 20:49
I’m glad I did something today. I’m just trying to live through June,
Nestor Aparicio 20:56
buying yellow bananas summertime and crab fest support our friends here at CcY sp.org They’re up here. Carroll County, doing the right thing with the youth service bureau. My thanks everybody up here. My thanks to the Maryland lottery, curio wellness, at foreign daughter, for putting us out on the road. Liberty, pure solutions as well. I am Nestor. We are wnst. Am, 1570 Towson, Baltimore, signing off from God’s country. I call it Hampstead, Carroll County and green mount station, we are wnst am 1570 Towson, Baltimore, and we never stop talking Baltimore, positive. You.
