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Archive
Angels we have Heard
Cover photos by Wendy Dwyer: (Back row) Doris Plym, = Stacey=20 Azzinaro, Robin Chesser, Hilary Appen, (middle) Darlene Gleaves, Judy = Robidoux,=20 Sue Werlin, Eduardo Gonzalez, (front) T. Butler, Debbie Butler and Terri = Gonzalez work to improve the lives of children that have been removed = from their=20 homes.
Guardian ad Litem volunteers need your help
By Wendy Dwyer
luminaries@scripps.com
Can you imagine being a child, awakened in the middle of the night by = the all=20 too familiar sound of shouting and fighting, then being removed from = your bed=20 and relocated to live with strangers or extended family?
While home sweet home may not always be sweet, it is, after all, = home. And=20 when you=E2=80=99re a child being taken from your home just before = Christmas, having to=20 live where a judge decides you will live - worrying about Santa being = able to=20 find you should not be added to your list of problems.
Fortunately, our judicial system has a group of dedicated, caring = allies who=20 volunteer their time, their knowledge and their love to help ensure that = grownup=20 problems don=E2=80=99t transfer to the innocent children who are = neglected, abused,=20 abandoned or caught in the crossfire.
Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) Angels are volunteers appointed by a judge to = help=20 advocate for children who end up in the court system through no fault of = their=20 own. A group of 300 passionate volunteers currently represent nearly 900 = children throughout Florida=E2=80=99s 19th Judicial Circuit, which = covers St. Lucie,=20 Martin, Indian River and Okeechobee counties. Last year, Guardians for = New=20 Futures, the nonprofit organization established in 1991 to secure = financial and=20 practical support for the children served, began collecting gifts for = the=20 children, who often are taken from their homes with nothing but the = clothing=20 they are wearing and have no hope of finding a gift waiting for them on=20 Christmas morning.
The GAL Angels are collecting items to help fulfill a wish for each = of the=20 children they serve. Long time volunteer guardian Doris Plym was touched = by the=20 requests of the children last year.
=E2=80=9CWe don=E2=80=99t realize how fortunate we are,=E2=80=9D said = Doris. =E2=80=9CSome kids have never=20 had a gift wrapped. Some have never had a gift at all. One little boy = asked a=20 volunteer for socks and others asked for food. More often than that, = they ask=20 for a gift for a sibling whom they feel needs a gift more than they = do.=E2=80=9D
Even though they didn=E2=80=99t get started until October, last = year=E2=80=99s debut GAL=20 Angels Holiday Gift Drive provided gifts for more than 700 children. As = expected=20 with the difficult economic climate, this year, there are 1,300 children = in the=20 system. The group is hoping for donations from individuals, businesses, = churches=20 or organizations to help shine a little light onto the holidays for all = of the=20 children they serve. The list ranges from clothing for children from = birth to=20 age 18, toys and personal items, too. Guardians for New Futures board = president=20 Debbie Butler said gift cards are especially welcome and helpful for the = teens=20 in crisis situations. The gifts are then wrapped and delivered to the = children=20 by the GAL volunteers. Doris said that last year, though each volunteer = had the=20 opportunity to put their own name on the gift tag as the gift-giver, = every=20 single gift ended up with a simple, handwritten =E2=80=9CFrom: = Santa.=E2=80=9D For GAL program=20 staff, it was an affirmation that Santa truly does exist.
Debbie said her Christmas wish is that, next year, the Guardian Ad = Litem=20 Program has enough volunteer guardians to serve all the children of the=20 community who need a caring advocate in their lives.
Cover photos by Wendy Dwyer: (Back row) Doris Plym, Stacey Azzinaro, = Robin=20 Chesser, Hilary Appen, (middle) Darlene Gleaves, Judy Robidoux, Sue = Werlin,=20 Eduardo Gonzalez, (front) T. Butler, Debbie Butler and Terri Gonzalez = work to=20 improve the lives of children that have been removed from their = homes.
Comments
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. We = don't=20 allow comments that degrade others on the basis of gender, race, class,=20 ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or disability.=20 Epithets, abusive language and obscene comments will not be tolerated... = nor=20 will defamation.
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