Fall 2014 News From Our House The Children’s LAW Center of Connecticut  Protecting children & strengthening families Happy Endings & Stronger Families Please note: our stories are true but names have been changed to protect our young clients. 860.232.9993 w w w. c l c c t . o rg We hope our services have helped you or a child and family you know. Maybe you’ve been a client, a volunteer, a donor, an attorney or social worker involved with the Children’s Law Center. If so, tell us your story and how CLC inspired you and helped you succeed. Please contact us at [email protected]. 7-Year Old Jonathan was living with his mother, while his dad was incarcerated. When Jonathan and his mother met with our CLC attorney, it was clear that mom had significant mental health issues. She was withdrawn and barely spoke. DCF was brought in and Jonathan was sent to live with his paternal grandparents. In the meantime, dad was released from prison, but had no job, no place to live. Jonathan’s mother entered counseling and treatment, showing good signs of progress: her behavior is now stable, she is on regular medication and is holding down a job. Dad is also making positive strides, has been compliant with parole, has a job and an apartment. During this time, Jonathan has remained with his grandparents. Both parents are anxious to be a part of Jonathan’s life. The court and our attorney have concurred that it is time to reunify him with his parents. They now share joint custody and Jonathan is beginning to experience a safe, consistent family environment with both his mother and father in his life. Our cases are among the most complex and difficult the courts see. All are exacerbated by conditions of chronic conflict like violence, addiction, physical abuse, incarceration, mental illness and more. Our goal is to provide the best possible living environments for these impoverished children caught in the middle of their parents’ contentious disputes and challenging problems. • Interested in volunteering? CLC’s Families in Transition program is currently in need of mental health professionals who have completed a 40-hour certified mediation training. For information about becoming a volunteer mediator, please contact CLC’s Staff Social Worker Nikki Lewoc at [email protected] or 860.232.9993. • We welcome you as a member of our Founder’s Society with your long time giving and personal legacy. Contact Rosalie Roth at 860.232.9993 or [email protected]. WE ARE GROWING! CLC is pleased to announce that with the support from our generous funders and board of directors, the organization is planning to be statewide by the end of 2015. Currently with a presence in nine of Connecticut’s family court jurisdictions (Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, Fairfield-Bridgeport, Stamford-Norwalk, Waterbury, Tolland, Windham, and New London-Norwich), there are four districts remaining: Litchfield, Middlesex, Ansonia-Milford and Danbury. New CLC Staff: Meet Monique: Monique Ryan joined the Children’s Law Center as staff attorney in the Norwich judicial district, as part of CLC’s expansion into this jurisdiction earlier in the year. Atty. Ryan is a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law and completed her undergraduate studies at UCONN. She is an experienced family law attorney and is also an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University. Meet Nicole: Nicole Lewoc, hired as CLC’s new social worker, brings years of experience specializing in social work with children in public and private school settings. Ms. Lewoc holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Springfield College in Massachusetts and an undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree from Keene State College in New Hampshire. She obtained her Clinical Social Work License (LCSW) from the State of Connecticut. Ms. Lewoc’s appointment comes at a strategic time in CLC’s history as we take the opportunity to restructure and more effectively invest in and enhance the mental health aspect of our work in conjunction with our expansion plans. New Board Member: Meet Jeanne: Former State Child Advocate Jeanne Milstein has joined our Board of Directors. After retiring as the Child Advocate in 2012 after twelve years as the high-profile head of the watch dog office, Milstein has continued her work on behalf of children, working for the State of New York and the City of New York. Recently she has also been a consultant to the Partnership for Strong Communities in Hartford. Milstein began her Connecticut career in 1977 as a volunteer for VISTA, and then went on to work for the Department of Children and Families, and the Connecticut Commission for Children. She also served as Executive Director of the Women’s Center of Southeastern Connecticut and Legislative Director of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women. Milstein holds a B.S. degree from Cornell University. “To have someone with such substantive and relevant knowledge of the issues we face is a real asset. We are honored to have Jeanne join us and look forward to her energy and relentless dedication to advocating for children,” remarked Board President Attorney Barbara Aaron. Board of Directors: Barbara Aaron, President Robert Madden, Vice President Jonathan Fink, Treasurer Pamela Magnano, Secretary Mark Boxer Tim Buckley Sandra Gersten William Johnson Christine Miller Jeanne Milstein Patrick Proctor James Russell Elizabeth Thayer Jovanni Valentini Maureen Zavatone CLC Staff: Justine Rakich-Kelly Executive Director Randa Hojaiban Deputy Director Rosalie Roth Director of Development Aisha Roche Staff Attorney David Coughlin Staff Attorney Seon Bagot Staff Attorney Parul Patel Staff Attorney Kathryn Bissonnette Staff Attorney Artila Lubonja Staff Attorney Monique Ryan Staff Attorney Nicole Lewoc Staff Social Worker Summer Spellman Development Associate Brooke Garcia Administrative Professional American Savings Foundation Comes Full Circle: From Grant to Scholarship to Employee The Children’s Law Center has a long standing relationship with the American Savings Foundation (ASF) and was an early grant recipient in 1996. “One of the first grants in our history helped expand services at the Children’s Law Center,” said David Davison, President and CEO of American Savings Foundation. Since that time, ASF has generously awarded CLC $684,000 in total program support. In more recent years, an additional grant opportunity and collaboration has developed between the two organizations. The Foundation funds a summer internship program at CLC. College students apply to the Foundation for a paid internship at our non-profit; CLC interviews and makes the final decision on which applicant will receive the paid summer internship. The summer project, which funds the Children’s Law Line Outcome Report, is compiled by the ASF intern, and provides CLC with important feedback on our Law Line telephone help line available free to the general public. Close to 2,000 callers are assisted each year. Through the ASF summer internship program, we are able to reconnect with our callers to learn how helpful we were in addressing the family law issues they were encountering. These are people we never see face-toface but who trust us to assist them with the very personal, life altering and critical problems they are dealing with. They are often stressed, scared and don’t know where to turn. Most of the time, we are their first line of information as they seek help navigating a complex and overwhelming system of laws, procedures and unfamiliar jargon. When we hear comments like this from the annual outcome reports, “I called you and it was a weight lifted off my shoulders to have someone listen and help me figure out what I needed to do to protect myself and my son,” we know that our service is important and working well. The ASF interns who have worked for us over the years have been highly competent self-starters. In fact, the 2008 ASF intern Artila Tasho Lubonja was exceptionally capable. From her experience at CLC she was inspired to attend law school and is now a permanent staff attorney at CLC covering the Waterbury Family Court. She is an outstanding example of the effectiveness of the partnership of our two organizations! Thank you, American Savings Foundation, for all you do for us! The mission of The Children’s Law Center is to protect poor children in family court cases and to advocate for systemic changes to the adversarial system and other policies that advance the well-being of children involved in family transitions. With your help we served more than 2,700 children and families last year. We look forward to your continued support. Thank you for your belief in our mission and your generous support! Donate now at www.clcct.org! Support CLC on a monthly basis! We’re glad to set up a recurring monthly gift on your credit card – simply call Summer Spellman at 860.232.9993 with your amount and account information. Thank you! Non-Profit Org US Postage PAID HARTFORD, CT PERMIT #3418 Connect with us! Online at www.clcct.org Save These Dates! October 18th On SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18TH the Wallingford Moose Riders are hosting a Bike Show, Dinner and Concert to benefit CLC from 12:00 - 8:00 PM at Wallingford Moose Lodge, Wallingford, CT. December 5th CLC hosts its annual IMAGINE: We Are Family! Gala on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5TH Hartford Golf Club, West Hartford, CT 5:30 - 8:00 PM Honoring Judge F. Herbert Gruendel & Dr. Janice M. Gruendel Tickets and sponsorships are available. January 31st On Saturday, January 31st we are teaming up with the Hartford Wolf Pack to host a fundraising night for CLC. Fun for the whole family and CLC will receive a portion of all tickets sold! For more information please contact Summer at 860.232.9993 or [email protected]!