CASA Newsletter - September 2007 Open Letter on Visitation Center Closing
CASA Newsletter - September 2007
Open Letter on Visitation Center Closing by Linda Osmundson, Executive Director, and Kris Nowland, Visitation Center Director
The following letter was originally sent to The St. Petersburg Times, the Juvenile Welfare Board and the Board of County Commissioners in August.
We are writing reluctantly to give you a "heads up" that the CASA Visitation Center will close its north county site as well as scale back services at the mid-county and south county sites due to funding reductions related to decisions of our elected officials. The last day services will be offered at the Clearwater site is September 29, 2007, unless of course there is a miracle out there waiting to happen.
To retain services at the same level CASA needs to find an additional $120,000. We are still waiting to hear what percentage of the $62,897 requested from the County Social Action Funding will be awarded. If we receive the full amount, we still need $57,000 to keep the Clearwater site open. We have no choice but to reduce the visits and ultimately the safety we offer for children and families of Pinellas County.
With the closing of the Clearwater site, immediately, 11 parents that are currently visiting their children at our center will return to a waiting list. The last time the Visitation Center had a waiting list, we had space for only one or two additional families per month. Some parents will not visit their children for up to six months. New families that are referred will also be added to the bottom of the waiting list. In order to accommodate as many families as possible, all visits at the remaining sites will be reduced from two or three hours to 90 minutes. This is the best way to accommodate the number of families currently using the program.
CASA is waiting until the last possible moment to make our intentions final, hoping that funding will be found. An influx of phone calls from angry parents and attorneys is inevitable. It is anticipated that attorneys, Judges and Guardian Ad Litem, may also receive calls from angry parents and there will inevitably be more calls to law enforcement. Families required to shift their visits from Clearwater to one of the other locations may experience hardships with transportation and scheduling. We hope to make this transition as smooth as possible, however we know that reducing or removing the time spent with children will cause emotional fallout as well as increase danger. We apologize that our communities do not believe that safety of children and families is sufficiently important to make funds available.
Bright Spots in CASA's Fall Season
John Karas, a Papa John's Pizza franchise owner on Fourth Street and 23rd Avenue in St. Petersburg, has become a hero to the residents and support group participants at CASA. John delivers free pizza once a month to the CASA shelter, transitional housing and to the Tuesday night support group which is a part of CASA's outreach program. Just to put John's generosity in perspective, one woman from the support group cried the first time the pizza arrived. "I had started to think that most people are only out for themselves. That someone who doesn't even know us brings pizza for everybody -- just because we need it -- that's hard for me to believe. It actually gives me hope," she said. Many support group participants have to make choices between supper and paying the electricity bill. Some work part-time, but because of regulations that limit the per-hour pay rate for food stamp recipients, they find they are ineligible for help with groceries. John's regular pizza deliveries are a real, tangible example of a how a local business owner became part of the whole community that it takes to stop domestic abuse.
Tara (not her name) is a third grader who is living at CASA's transitional housing. Tara comes from a home shattered by domestic violence, and she suffers from anger and severe depression . In addition, Tara is large for her age. She never feels that she fits in with kids in her class. This summer the transitional housing staff took Tara for a special back-to-school shopping trip. They took her to shops that cater to kids of larger sizes. They found several complete outfits for Tara, and she has started school this year in new and fashionable clothes that fit her and help her feel good about herself. Her teachers have told her mom that Tara had a great beginning this year! It's the kind of small success story that CASA's staff, with the support of our donors, make possible every day.
Another success story from transitional housing is a resident who received her culinary arts certificate while living in one of CASA's transitional housing apartments. It was the first education she had received in her adult life, and in her graduation speech, she thanked the CASA advocates who had supported her throughout her training. Now she is poised to find a job that will allow her to support her family.
The Florida Association of Realtors® collected 267 pounds of cell phones for CASA at their Annual Convention and Trade Expo! Cell phones are refurbished and given to women at risk for domestic violence as a means of reaching 911 immediately in an emergency. Phones not used for residents are sold to a recycler and the funds raised help survivors in other ways. CASA welcomes all cell phone donations at the CASA Community Center on First Avenue North in St. Petersburg, or in specially marked donation drop boxes at local stores and banking institutions in Pinellas County.
Essie Simmons, Thrift Shoppe Associate, Sal Tramontano, Store Manager and Sue La Plante, CASA Volunteer, welcome you to the CASA Collections Thrift Shoppe!
Mark Your Calendars
CASA Collections Thrift Shoppe has a full Fall Schedule of Events. Shopping at CASA's Thrift Shoppe is a wonderful way to support programs that help survivors of domestic violence. All money spent for purchases at the Thrift Shoppe becomes unrestricted funds for CASA programs!
In addition to great finds at great savings every day, this fall the CASA Collections Thrift Shoppe will feature events each month with deep discounts, special decorations, and refreshments. Not to be missed!
October 19 -- 20: CASA Collections Thrift Shoppe Grand Re-opening Celebration. A celebration of the Thrift Shoppe Makeover in 2006. See how far we've come! Take home a momento of the Thrift Shoppe Makeover's one-year anniversary.
October 25: CASA's Annual Meeting at the Thrift Shoppe! An opportunity for CASA Friends, old and new, to celebrate CASA and discover shopping bargains at the same time!
October 31: A Halloween Party! See the staff in costume. Come put your Halloween costume together with the help of the Thrift Shoppe's creative consultant.
November 1: The Holiday Season begins at the CASA Collections Thrift Shoppe. Specials for early bird shoppers!
November 23: The Day after Thanksgiving! The busiest shopping day of the year, and CASA's Thrift Shoppe is ready for your shopping pleasure. Something for everyone on your list!
December 5 -- 6: A Holiday Extravaganza! Shop, sip cider and nibble cookies in an atmosphere of holiday cheer. 'Tis the season for giving and good will!
Save the Date for the CASA Peace Breakfast!
CASA's 11th Annual Peace Breakfast will be held at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort, Palm Court Ballroom in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, December 12, 2007, 7 a.m. -- 8:30 a.m. This inspiring and much-loved event raises funds for CASA and awareness about domestic violence in our community. Make your plans now to attend! For more information, call Tuesdi Dyer, Director of Development, at (727) 895-4912 x 114 or e-mail
Reflections on 30 years of CASA
In 2007, we are featuring regular contributions on CASA Past by Judy Lambdon who has worked at CASA for 22 years.
Many years ago, a woman named Jane called the shelter and kept repeating that she was an abused woman and needed to come to shelter for safety. We offered safety and she was brought into the shelter. Jane appeared to be somewhat elderly and frail. She expressed her gratitude for the change of clothes and small bag of toiletries we gave her and asked permission to take a shower. Over the next few days we discovered that she couldn't remember some of the things she had told us and her story just didn't add up. Jane finally confessed that she wasn't abused but was homeless and needed a place to clean up and sleep. One day she just went for a walk and never returned.
A couple of years later she returned to shelter having used a different name to gain entry. She once again asked if she could take a shower. By now we had the thrift store so Jane was given a gift certificate to shop for clothing. When she returned from her shopping trip she insisted on "modeling" her new clothes for staff. She was smiling and laughing and looked years younger. Jane was in tears she was so overcome. Once again she disappeared after a few days of rest still denying that she was a victim of domestic violence.
The third time she came back she began to trust the staff and opened up about the abuse she had suffered. She really was a victim of domestic violence despite her denials to the contrary. Jane said that she denied the abuse because she was too embarrassed to admit it as her generation just didn't talk about "things like that." She said she had learned from her previous stays in shelter that she was not to blame and didn't ask for the abuse. She stated that thanks to CASA she now felt comfortable enough to try to break away from the abuser and start over on her own. She stayed a little longer this time but once again went for a walk and never returned. We can only hope that she didn't return to the abuser and her life on the streets. We may never know. We do know that CASA will keep its door open to the Janes of our community for as long as we have doors to open.
