Volume 5 The Guardian Globe -...

13th Circuit Guardian Ad Litem Program June 2016

Volume 5

The Guardian Globe

I am sure that many of you have heard on the news and read in the

newspaper about the difficulties that Eckerd is having finding place-

ment for some of our kids in the foster care system. I want to thank

each of you for continuing to advocate for our kids and thank you for

attending our recent meeting with Eckerd to discuss this important

issue. During this meeting, Lorita Shirley, Chief Operating Officer of

Eckerd, explained that the number of children coming into the system

is problematic and that there are not enough high-end placements

that can meet the needs of some of our more challenging children who

need a placement. During the month of May, there were 196 children

removed from their homes, which is much higher than normal.

One way that we, as Guardians ad Litem, can help is to assist Eckerd

in identifying particular cases that need assistance. Examples may be

those cases where the child or parents need services and the referral

has not happened; cases where a staffing is needed to discuss the case; cases where it seems as the child is languishing in

the system. We need your help so that we can find kids a permanent home faster! If you have a case that may fit in one of

those categories, please let your CAM know so we may pass on the info and get things done. Right now, we have the benefit

of Eckerd reaching out to the GAL Program to help in identifying these issues and we should take advantage! If you have

any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I know we are all working hard and are concerned about our

kids. Let’s continue to advocate and help as many children as we can. Thank you for your continued advocacy and your

dedication to our children!

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

GAL Spotlights 2

Upcoming Events 3

Featured Legal Lesson 4

Anniversaries 4

Team Tibet 5

Meet our Senior CAMs 6

Voices for Children 7

Find us! 7

A Letter From Our Director

13 Points to Ponder from the 13th Circuit “I am for the

child.”

WELCOME NEW GALS!

Congratulations to

our new

Volunteers!

Helen Rogers

Nichole Ryan

Hannah Terry

Joanne Tremont

Shea Lakin

Joie Lopes

Maria McKenzie-Williams

Rada McKinnon

Isaias Mejia

Roberta Mejia

Dana Pate

Priscilla Perez

Mona Remy

Yuliya Babichuk

Mariana Beristain-Mayol

Amnanda Gore

Jordan Howell

Chris Knight

The Guardian Globe

Juanita “Nita” Serrano has been a Guardian ad Litem for approximately a year and half, and has recently been recommended and agreed to become a Master Guardian ad Litem. Juanita is currently working two separate cases and advocating for 4 children. Juanita also always offers to complete one time visits to children in need. Juanita was born in New Jersey and her family moved to Tampa when she was

a child, so she has grown up in Tampa. Juanita is married with three adult children herself, as well as three fur babies. When not busy advocating for children Juanita enjoys tak-ing pictures. She is a family photographer. She and her husband enjoy going to parks just to take photos and Juanita is currently taking more classes about photography. Juanita also volunteers her time as the Vice President and Director of Paralegal Certification on the Board of Direc-tors for the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. On top of all that priceless time advocating and volunteer-ing, Juanita works as a full time civil litigation paralegal with La Cava & Jacobson, P.A. where she works in the area of general casualty insurance defense. Juanita states as a litigation paralegal, her work revolves around deadlines and she works her Guardian ad Litem cases the same way. Juanita is detail oriented and uses her paralegal skills in her Guardian ad Litem cases for research and investigating facts. Juanita advocates strongly for her children by taking the time to ensure she has gathered evidence based facts by collecting every medical, therapeutic, and educational rec-ords needed for the children to ensure they are receiving the

best and safest care while in the system. Juanita suggests that what makes an effective Guardian ad Litem is some-one who is compassionate and not afraid to disagree with others. Her suggestion to other Guardian ad Litem volun-teers is to not be afraid to ask questions. Juanita’s favorite holiday is Christmas, because it is the one holiday where all of her three adult children are home. Christmas time has also been her most favorite moment as a Guardian ad Litem by participating in the Guardian ad Litem Toy Drive and astonishing the chil-dren with surprising Christmas gifts and seeing the spar-kle in their eyes. Juanita is always very generous and tries to bring something small to her children for each holiday. Juanita’s favorite quote matches her lively personality, “Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often!”. For some people volunteering is about giving, but for people like Juanita, it is a way of living. It is only with the assistance of volunteers such as Juanita that the Guardian ad Litem Program accepts the challenge of en-suring a child has a voice and receives what they need while in the dependency system. ~ Maria Cuevas, Child Advocate Manager

GUARDIAN SPOTLIGHTS

Anita Spofford has been a GAL for approximately 5 years. Anita heard about the GAL Program from a close friend that is a GAL. Anita’s friend was so passionate about it that it sparked Anita’s inter-est. Anita decided to become

a GAL when her children were grown and leaving the nest. This allowed Anita to have the time to fully devote to the GAL Program.

During Anita’s 5 years with the GAL Program, she has advocated for 20 children and is currently the GAL for 11 children spread over 4 cases. Anita generally likes to ac-cept cases that need a lot of work quickly, such as the up front TPR cases because she has the time and flexibility to devote to trials. She also loves to see children be adopted and get a fresh start, when appropriate.

When asked about her favorite part of being a GAL volun-teer, Anita described a recent occurrence that was very touching. Anita received an invitation to the baptism of a little girl that was adopted last year! Anita was very touched that she made such an impact on this family’s life that they wanted to include her on this family’s celebra-tion. Anita further stated that she enjoys receiving Christmas cards and seeing how the kids that she once advocated for are growing in a safe environment. Seeing these pictures makes being a GAL worth-while!

~ Alicia Green, Child Advocate Manager

UPCOMING TRAININGS & EVENTS IN SERVICE TRAININGS!!

Tuesday, 7/12, 6-8pm

Early Childhood Court Project

A Family Place,

9391 N Florida Ave, Tampa

GAL Office:

Thursday, 7/14, 6-9pm

JR Bootcamp

Presented by Liza Ricci, Supervising

Attorney

Tuesday, 7/19, 6-8pm

Psychotropic Medication

Presented by Valentina Villalobos, Attorney

Have a suggestion for a training? Let us know!!

Brown Bag Lunch! Come have lunch with some fellow GAL Volunteers to talk

about your cases and mingle. Bring your lunch!

It will be on Friday, 7/15 from 12-1pm at the GAL Office.

RSVP required to [email protected]

June 2016

CALLING ALL TRANSPORTERS!

The GAL Program has received donated tickets

to several events to help provide some free nor-

malcy activities for our kids in foster care.

Please contact your CAM for more info on the

following opportunities:

Glazer Children’s Museum– free admission tick-

ets

10 tickets for Free Admis-

sion to MOSI

2016 Tampa Yankees Tick-

ets (approximately 8 tickets

per game). Visit their web-

site at www.tybaseball.com

for more info. They often

have some great specials!

If you are not an approved GAL transporter, talk to

your CAM today about submitting your application so

SAVE THE DATE!

The Guardian ad Litem Foundation is excited to

host 6 Regional Volunteer Conferences across

the state, presented by Sunshine Health. The

Tampa conference will be in February 2017. Reg-

istration will open soon!! Registration is $25.00

and includes: lunch, breaks, and 6 hours of in-

service training. Details regarding registration to

follow soon. Visit FLGAL.org for a list of topics that

will be presented.

UPCOMING OPTIMA TRAININGS! Wednesday, 7/6: 6:00pm – 8:00pm at the

GAL office (must have computer or laptop)

Tuesday, 7/12: 2:00pm- 4:00pm &

6:00pm – 8:00pm at County IT Building

(505 N. East St, Tampa)

Wednesday, 7/13: 6:00pm – 8:00pm at

the Carrollwood Cultural Center (4537 Low-

ell Rd, Tampa)

Thursday, 7/14: 10:00am– 12:00pm &

6:00pm – 8:00pm at HCC the Regent

(6437 Watson Rd, Riverview, Room 109)

RSVP required to [email protected]

One challenge that often pre-

sents itself in the dependency system is

incarcerated parents. While the system

focuses on the rehabilitation of those

parents, the effect, or the toll, of the in-

carceration on the child/children in-

volved is often overlooked. Two and a

half million American students are al-

ready further along the pipeline to prison

than their classmates –simply because

they have a parent who is behind bars.

Studies show parental incarceration can

be more traumatic to children than even

a parent’s death or divorce, and the

damage it can cause to children’s’ edu-

cation, health, and social relationships

puts them at higher risk of one day going

to prison themselves. Yet, often, that

circumstance is a hidden problem, hard

for teachers to track and difficult for chil-

dren and caregivers to discuss.

More than 2.7 million American

children and youths have at least one

parent in federal or state prison, and on-

third of them will reach age 18 while a

parent is behind bars, according to the

National Resource Center on Children

and Families of the Incarcerated, at Rut-

gers University in Camden, N.J.. Parental

incarceration can be safer for a child,

particularly when the parent was impris-

oned for domestic violence or child

abuse. But regardless of why a parent is

behind bars, emerging research suggest

it puts children at high and often invisi-

ble risk, as well as aggravating existing

racial and poverty gaps.

Children of incarcerated parents

have higher rates of attention deficits

than those parents missing because of

death or divorce, and higher rates of

behavioral problems, speech and lan-

guage delays, and other developmental

delays, according to a study published in

the Journal of Health and Social Behav-

ior. In a related study, higher rates of

asthma, obesity, depression and anxiety

were also identified. For education, the

statistics are equally as dramatic: only 1

percent to 2 percent of students with

incarcerated mothers and 13 percent to

25 percent of students with imprisoned

fathers graduate from college, according

to a report from the American Bar Associ-

ation and the White House.

For children who go into foster

care, helping parents stay involved in

their children’s lives and education can

make a big difference in whether those

children succeed. That is not an easy

task for a parent in prison. More than

40 percent of those in federal prison are

kept at least 500 miles from home, and

61 percent of those in state prison are

incarcerated 100 or more miles away,

according to a presentation by Philip M.

Gentry, a professor at Columbia Law

School. Despite the realistic challenges

of facilitating a relationship between the

incarcerated parent and the child/

children, it is vital to a child’s develop-

ment and success as studies show. In

making recommendations to the court

regarding an incarcerated parent’s visita-

tion and/or continued contact, please be

aware that the effects are significant and

long-lasting.

Jennifer Sarmiento, Esq

WORKING WITH INCARCERATED PARENTS

Featured Legal Lesson:

1 Year

Sarah Cauley

Charles Murphy

Holly Vermette

Stacy Appleton

Tia Massey

Louis Rigney

Andrew Arace

Debrah Arace

2 Years

Karen Horii-Stever

Margaret McCleland

Synthia Denis

Esther Auzirus

Renee LaSala

Elizabeth Miller

Jennifer Rodriguez

Peggy Fuhr

3 Years

Kenneth Tedeku

Georgeta Ionescu

Elizabeth Ledee

Ronda Storms

Alexcia Wiggins

Lyn Young

Barbara Warren

4 Years

Lisa Griffin Hodgdon

Monica Epstein

Sheila Moree

Lorraine Sierra

Gracia Sugantharaj

Wilbur Wiggins Jr

Ashley Goodman

Shella Hendricks

Art McNeil

Marilyn Beiser

Seema Sabir

5 Years

Katherine Bazarte

Marsha Kearney

Theresa Penn-Lavery

Paula Kuntz-Long

John Pappas III

Edward Peters

Micah Washinski

Steve Gillespie

Michelle Cloutier

Yasmin Rhodes

Miguel Isasmendi

Marlene Henderson

Sue Griffin

Linda Coomey

6 Years

Evelyn Lopez

Jessica Arthur

Rosemary Cossuto

Julie Anderson

Suzanne Hulls

7 Years

Lavone Henry

Sandra Gay Smith

Julie Seward

Marilyn Exum

8 Years

Sean McSharry

Julie McDaniel

LaShawn Strachan

Edith Jefferies

Niurka Rosario

9 Years

Lorraine Smith

Judy Wolfe

Kari Neller

11 Years

Sandra Show

Kelleigh Ambs

Kathryn St. Clair

22 Years

Shayla Sumner

These Guardians cele-

brate their anniversaries

with the GAL Program in

June:

It's hard to believe that Team Tibet has been on

the job for 2 ½ years! A lot has happened in that

time! We have learned a lot along the way and

we've made a lot of friends all across our system

of care. Tibet has served primarily the children of

the Dependency court system - both at the court-

house and at Mary Lee's House. We are proud to

serve alongside such very caring and dedicated

professionals! Most recently, we are being consid-

ered for more work in our criminal courts for those

cases that originated in dependency. I am excited

about the idea of being able to provide continuity

of care to these victims.

Just a few reminders:

For dependency cases:

1) You can contact Brenda via email at [email protected] to request

Tibet's services. You may also text Brenda at 813-545-5882. Tibet may be re-

quested for a child attending a status hearing, providing in camera testimony,

closed circuit testimony, and on the stand testimony. In addition, any child undergo-

ing a forensic medical examination, sexual assault examination, or deposition may

benefit from Tibet’s services.

2) Please find out before requesting services if the child on your case likes

dogs. Please also find out if there are any allergies. A child may feel ambivalent

about dogs - and then usually Tibet wins them over, so we are open to meeting a

child who may be less than enthusiastic but open to the idea.

3) Only in very limited circumstances will Tibet go to a home. It must be a situation in which we can't meet with the

child any other way or a trial prep situation. In these instances, the homeowner has to agree to Tibet coming to the home, and

any pets that exist in the home must be locked up prior to Tibet's arrival and for the duration of her stay.

4) For trials when Tibet assists a child in closed circuit testimony: Please send the signed order for Tibet's involve-

ment to Brenda. The Child Advocacy Center will not permit us to be involved without the order. When writing orders about the

use of Tibet in a closed circuit testimony please include Brenda's presence in the room. Please refer to Tibet as a "facility

dog" (vs. "service, therapy, comfort") and please refer to Brenda as a "handler" (vs. trainer). It may seem like splitting hairs but

these terms matter. Your GAL attorney will take care of this for you, but be sure to ask!

For cases going to criminal court:

The folks at the State Attorney's Office want to know that Tibet has previously met a child and formed a bond prior to using her

in their procedures. If you desire Tibet to assist your child for any interviews at the SAO, please work with Brenda to have Ti-

bet work with the child at court, if possible, or at the very least facilitate a meet and greet with Tibet. Increasingly, we are con-

ducting these at Home Depots around Tampa - I usually try to accommodate the caregiver and meet them at the Home Depot

closest to their home. We can be creative - contact Brenda to brainstorm on how to best accomplish this.

Final thoughts:

Tibet was brought here as a tool for trauma-informed care. Trauma informed care is a multi-faceted notion that includes the

use of many tools. Tibet is just one tool. I have been struck by the number of GAL volunteers who say to me, "does this really

work? Does she really help the kids?". Being a first row witness to her incredible impact and the author of many short vi-

gnettes about her work, I'm astounded that there would be any doubt about

this. I have been making myself a student of the neurophysiology of trauma. I

am looking forward in the months to offering some of this amazing information

to our staff and volunteers. I promise I will keep it interesting and relevant!

~Submission by Brenda Kocher, GAL Volunteer and Tibet’s handler

T E A M T I B E T

mailto:[email protected]

Wayne Coleman is one

of the Senior CAMs in

the office and has been

with the GAL Program

for 25 years! Wayne is

the third of four children

born and raised in Taun-

ton, Massachusetts. Short-

ly after graduating from SMU (No, not Southern Method-

ist University) formally Southeastern Massachusetts

University –now University of Massachusetts, Dart-

mouth, with a Bachelors of Art degree in Psychology, he

moved to Tampa. Wayne has now resided in Florida for

35 years! He will be married to his lovely wife, Olympia,

for 30 years in November and has two great sons, Will -

25 and Alex -22. Prior to working with the GAL pro-

gram, Wayne worked with developmentally delayed

adults in a residential facility for several years. He has

been fortunate enough to have primarily worked in the

Social Services field, because he has always felt the

need to help people. Wayne states that he has thor-

oughly enjoyed advocating for our children and support-

ing the GAL volunteers over the years and if he were to

be given a second chance on life, he doesn’t think that

there is much that he would change.

Kim Cunningham is a

Senior CAM and has

been with the GAL

Program since August

2008. Kim supervises 5

CAMs and also a team of

volunteers. Kim was

born in Cincinnati, gradu-

ated from high school in

Maryland and received her bachelors degree from the

University of Central Oklahoma. Kim moved to Florida

in 1996. Kim has worked for social service agencies

since 1990 and has been a worker in both Oklahoma

and here in Florida. Kim has been an adoption/foster

care supervisor for DCF and an Independent Living Co-

ordinator for a CBC agency. Kim was married for 32

years before becoming a widow and has two sons and

their spouses that live in Florida as well as a daughter

and her spouse that live in Oklahoma. Kim has 6 grand-

children-four boys and two girls. Kim enjoys travelling,

reading and hanging out with family and friends.

Marymarie King is a

Senior CAM and has

been with the GAL

Program since June

2007. She is originally

from Wyoming (hence

the picture of the Teton

Mountains in her of-

fice!) and relocated to

Florida in 2005. She has been married to her husband,

Matt, for 11 years, and has two beautiful daughters,

Elliana (5) and Kyla (1). When Marymarie is not work-

ing, she spends most of our time by the pool in the

summer and enjoys going to the zoo, Busch Gardens,

and taking weekend trips away.

Marymarie began with the program as a volunteer and

briefly worked for Hillsborough Kids, Inc. She currently

supervises 5 CAMs, including the Adoption Team, and

works directly with about 15 fabulous volun-

teers! Recently, Marymarie has been involved in the

Early Childhood Court (Baby Court) Project, and is excit-

ed to see the pilot grow in Hillsborough Coun-

ty. Marymarie states that she truly loves working for

the Program, because we help make life-changing dif-

ferences for the children we work with. She considers

herself very lucky to have extremely dedicated CAMs on

her team, as well as some of the best volunteers!

Angie Green is a Sen-

ior CAM and has been

with the program

since August 2000. Angie was born the third

of four children to now a

retired educator

(mother) and retired

government employee

(father). Angie states that she and her siblings were

reared in a Christian home and environment with an

understanding that we had to live above the considered

norm. Education was firmly pushed; not if education

would be pursued after high school but where

you wanted to go. Angie’s parents afforded them all to

attend private college or universities of their choosing

and that privilege is very appreciated and understood

today. Shortly after college, Angie married and recent-

ly celebrated 30 years of marriage. Angie has been

blessed with 2 magnificent children Alicia and Andrew

and could not be prouder. Angie has a 3 year old grand-

son, Jeremiah, and a granddaughter (Jackson Mariah)

who is expected to arrive soon. God has been good to

me and my family as I approach 1 year of being cancer

free! Life is good!!

Tammy Miller is a Sen-

ior CAM and has been

with the Hillsborough

County GAL Program

since July 2014. She

has been in the social

services field since 1994

when she was an Ameri-

corps volunteer with the

North Carolina Low Income Housing Coalition. She at-

tended NC State University and graduated from Mount

Olive College in 2001 with a BS in criminal justice and

an MS in criminology from Florida State University in

2003. Tammy began her Guardian ad Litem career in

Panama City and then moved to Jacksonville to be-

come a child protective investigator. She took a hiatus

from social services to teach college courses for two

years before returning to the field in the Tampa Guardi-

an Ad Litem program as a CAM since July of 2014 and

the Trainer since May of 2015. Her significant other,

John, lives in Jacksonville and serves as the DCF Com-

munications Director for northeast Florida. She is an

avid animal lover and currently has two dogs Callie and

Zoey.

www.facebook.com/GALTampa

FIND

US

www.galtampa.org

https://twitter.com/galtampa

By the end of July, Voices for Children will be sending

each of our volunteers a short survey to gage our volun-

teers’ understanding of the support that Voices for Chil-

dren provides to the Guardian ad Litem Program. The

survey will help Voices in understanding more about

our volunteers’ perceptions of our non-profit partner.

Please complete the survey to help Voices for Children!

Are you a Tampa Bay Bucca-

neers fan? If so, you will find

our ad in the upcoming Bucs

Annual Yearbooks! The ad to

the side will be in every Bucs

yearbook printed and will also

be on the electronic version on

their website. You may pur-

chase a Bucs yearbook at the

stadium, but they will also be

distributed to all advertisers in

the yearbook. Complimentary copies are provided to all

season ticket holders, the dedicated fans who sit in a box

or suite, and all corporate sponsors of the team. We are

excited about the potential to raise awareness about the

need for more GAL Volunteers to advocate for the rapid

number of children joining the dependency system every

day.

Volume 5 The Guardian Globe -...

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