by Caroline Gabsewics
Staff Writer
A local non-profit organization has come up with a “crafty” way to help support the Guardian Ad Litem program for the Fourth Judicial Circuit.
Voices for Children of the First Coast is hosting “Jax Crop for Kids” next month in an effort to raise awareness of their organization, but also to help fund the Guardian Ad Litem program.
“Jax Crop for Kids” is the Voices for Children’s first-ever charity event. It is also one of the first large scale charity events in Jacksonville that involves scrapbooking, said Jessie Harrell, who is chairing the event and is a Voices for Children board member.
The fundraising event is from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Oct. 13 at Independent Square.
Harrell, who is an attorney with Foley & Lardner, said Voices for Children of the First Coast has been around for a few years, but active for the past two years. The organization includes about 12 board members from all different backgrounds.
Guardian Ad Litem is a state-run agency that provides children in the dependency system with a volunteer guardian who meets with them monthly and provides them with a “voice” when they have to go to court.
Guardian Ad Litem cannot raise money because they are a state agency, said Harrell.
“Voices for Children is there to be an auxiliary for Guardian Ad Litem,” she said.
In the Fourth Judicial Circuit, which includes Duval, Clay and Nassau counties, about 3,400 children who have been abused, abandoned or neglected are in the dependency system, she said.
“On any given day, 1,100 of the children will not have a guardian,” said Harrell. “And every child should have a guardian.”
Currently, because there is a shortage of volunteers, they are trying to fill the gap by funding staff advocates, who are essentially paid volunteers.
Besides raising awareness about Voices for Children and raising money to help fund the Guardian Ad Litem program, Harrell also hopes the fundraising event will generate more Guardian volunteers.
“We would love it if the event ended up bringing in volunteers,” she said. “We have a dire shortage of Guardians in this circuit.”
Currently, there are 233 active volunteers and the goal is to reach 300 in 2008.
In order to be a volunteer, you must complete 30 hours of training, on a computer or in a classroom-type setting. The volunteer must also go through a background check. The volunteer is then assigned to a case that involves a child or several children. Harrell said one case can involve more than one child when the children are related. The volunteer meets with the child once a month.
“They also look closely at the placement of the child into a home to make sure they are going to a home that can support them,” she said. “They will also go to court to represent the child’s best interest.”
The volunteer guardians will go through training while they are volunteers to keep up with any changes.
“Duval County has the lowest percentage of representation of children in the state,” she said.
Duval County is at 57.2 percent while the state average is 76.5 percent.
“It would be ideal if we had 100 percent (representation),” said Harrell. “That is our ultimate goal.”
The funds that will be raised through the “Jax Crop for Kids Event” will go to several different areas. One is the Children’s Special Needs Fund, which is used by guardians to provide for the unmet needs of children. When the need is approved, like a pair of glasses so the child can see, the money is there to provide immediate support. Other areas include staff advocates, holiday outreach and pediatric AIDS care.
Harrell said the staff advocates can see about 60 children per month and Voices for Children pays for some of these positions. Staff advocates fill the void between the 3,400 children and the 1,100 of them that don’t have a guardian on a given day.
Harrell and the rest of Voices for Children are looking forward to the fundraising event.
“We want to get a bigger presence in the community and we hope this will help,” she said.
The admission price includes lunch, dinner, tea time, three free scrapbooking classes, four feet of cropping space for 12 hours, an exclusive silent auction and a tote bag full of prizes.
For more information or to register, visit www.scrapbookroyalty.com. If you are interested in serving on the host committee, donating to the silent auction, or for more information on how to become a guardian contact Harrell at 359-8742.
Jax Crop for Kids