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United for Families celebrates its 1300 ClubUnited for Families honored local dependency case managers and the respective agencies that helped bring the number of open cases in the child-welfare system below 1,400 during a picnic Nov. 30 at Jaycee Park, Fort Pierce.
The number of children in the local dependency court system soared from about 1,600 to more than 2,000 in 2004, shortly after the twin hurricanes of that year.
In an effort to close lingering cases and get children home to strong, healthy families, United for Families created the 1300 Club, named for the target number of cases that United for Families wants to serve. The club is a group of partner agencies that meet regularly and identify cases that have gotten "stuck" in the system. Resources are focused on those cases until they can be safely closed.
The picnic was a promise fulfilled; United for Families Chief Executive Officer Christine Demetriades had promised case managers a picnic once they broke 1,400. The latest number, as of Dec. 1, is 1,390. The target is 1300.
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You can take the IT out of the office, but you can't take the office out the the IT. Here, Chad Collins, Skip Rees, Richard Hall and Larry Olson work their Blackberries.
Supervisor Rob Stewart was one of 90 case managers who attended the Nov. 30 picnic.
Tammy Tappan and Elizabeth Holzapfel
United for Families received much of the food for the picnic as donations from TooJays and Big Boys Subs.
Michelle Wagner and Sharon Bogdavics
The sheet cake was a donation from WalMart.
This sand-spray castle, created by Jennifer Lipscomb, UFF volunteer, is part of the United for Families' holiday parade float.
Larry Fryer adds the finishing touches to the playhouse before the Fort Pierce parade gets underway Dec. 2.
Jennifer makes some last-minute changes to her sand man.
More than 25 local girl scouts joined UFF staff and volunteers on the float.
The float's 1,600 lights will glitter and glow Friday, during Stuart's nighttime parade.
Snow in Florida? Of course not -- but that doesn't mean we can't make a sand man!
Leslie Haviland-Smith, Katherine Fryer and Emily Kaiser
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UFF News
- United for Families will mark the grand opening of its new Stuart service center with a special tree-dedication ceremony at 9 a.m. Friday at 3465 SW Willoughby Blvd., next to the Martin County Health Department. An open house and continental reception will follow.
- United for Families will float into the holiday season this Friday with its Key West themed entry in the Stuart Christmas parade.
The float, a 16-foot long trailer featuring a pink and yellow play house and a sand yard full of a sand castle, Santa and sand man, was crafted by several United for Families volunteers and Homecrete Homes.
The float made its debut Sunday, Dec. 2, during the Sights and Sounds of Fort Pierce Christmas Parade.
- The next United for Families pre-service training for dependency case managers and protective investigators begins Dec. 10. The two-week trainings are offered monthly by United for Families and includes a court simulation component. Congratulations to the last class, which graduated Nov. 27.
- United for Families employees are encouraged to attend a United Way employee campaign meeting at 9 a.m. Dec. 13 in the United for Families' board room. United for Families is an affiliated agency with both the United Way of St. Lucie County and the United Way of Martin County. Employees may elect to make payroll contributions to United for Families or any charity of his or her choice.
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Caregiver News- A relative caregiver helping to raise her grandchild recently shared her story to help advance the mission of United for Families.
Diane Kloorfain, one of the first members of United for Families' Relatives As Parents Program, is featured in a 7-minute video produced by McNicholas and Associates.
The video highlights three key United for Families programs, including RAPP. It will be used during events to help educate the community and further United for Families' mission to end child abuse through a diverse network of community partners and innovative services.
In related business, the next RAPP meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at the new Stuart service center on Willoughby Boulevard. Call Jill Feaster at 398-2920 Ext. 203 for more information. - United for Families is asking foster families throughout the district to open their homes temporarily to children currently living out-of-district or in shelters.
The campaign, called Bring a Child Home for the Holidays, was the brainchild of St. Lucie County Foster Parent David Hall. The placements would be temporary and would allow children to experience the holidays in a home setting. It also will help with sibling visitation.
Families interested in participating should call Jill Feaster at 398-2920 Ext. 203. - "A Home for the Holidays," a special television show that follows adoptive families and children still waiting to be adopted, will air from 8-9 p.m. Dec. 21 on CBS.
- If your family is in need of holiday assistance and you have not already signed up for the Adopt a Family Christmas program, please call Lea Ely at 398-2920 Ext. 297 for help.
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Community News
- There is still room available in St. Lucie County’s Parks & Recreation Department’s after-school program at the Fort Pierce Community Center.
The after-school program, which is open to students in the green zone (north of Midway Road), runs during normal school days, Monday through Friday until 6 p.m., including early dismissal days. The cost is $40 per week per student, and the program is available for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Pre-registration is required.
Parents will need to arrange for transportation through the St. Lucie County School District. The necessary forms are available at the Fort Pierce Community Center.
Afternoons will be filled with activities including board games, arts and crafts, sports and more. Students will also receive guided and quite homework time with support from the Parks & Recreation staff.
The Fort Pierce Community Center is located at 600 N. Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce. For more information call the St. Lucie County Parks & Recreation staff at (772) 462-1792.
- United for Families will host its second in a monthly series of behind-the-scenes tours at 10 a.m. Dec. 19 at 10570 S. Federal Hwy. Ste. 300. The tours offer an up close look at United for Families programs and helps educate the community about its role in the child-welfare system.
- United for Families will host the Dec. 11 Stuart/Martin County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast. The event is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. at the chamber offices on Kanner Highway. The playhouse featured on the United for Families holiday parade float will be raffled off at that time. Please call Leslie Haviland-Smith at 398-2920 Ext. 292 for ticket information.
- Celebrated children's wildlife author and photographer Michael Patrick O'Neill will sign books from 2-5 p.m. this Sunday at Barnes and Nobles Booksellers during a children’s book fair hosted by United for Families.
Vouchers are available on line at www.unitedforfamilies.org. Please bring one with you and present it to the cashier when you purchase your books. Proceeds from the sale will benefit United for Families' Bookworm Babies Birthday Club program, which gives age-appropriate books to foster children during their birthday month. Vouchers also will be available during the event.
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