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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0112.005 2014-2016Murashicle, Laura Please find attached written testimony regarding the allocation of funds for 2015 -2016 to the Friends of the Children of West Hawaii. If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call me. Unfortunately I'm not available to do personal testimony as I have a prior commitment. Bea Fraser Executive Director Friends- of the Children of West Hawaii PO Box 9041 Kailua Kona. 111 96745 p:808-331-2425 f:808-315-8473 m:808-936-9965 e: fiicndscwh 4Lgnml.com w: httii'/ft-iendsotthecliilcircnwh.coni Comm, No. I V%. S Ref. TaYLrtSrsC. Ref. Dote gqc •-sem_-q�. o From: Bev Fraser <friendscwh@gmail.com, a Lo Sent: Monday, April 13, 2015 11:57 AM s To: Council Testimony Cc: Manago, Dawn Subject: Testimony for Non Profit Allocation of funding -- Attachments: Response to allocation of funds.pdf n c� N D O Aloha, Please find attached written testimony regarding the allocation of funds for 2015 -2016 to the Friends of the Children of West Hawaii. If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call me. Unfortunately I'm not available to do personal testimony as I have a prior commitment. Bea Fraser Executive Director Friends- of the Children of West Hawaii PO Box 9041 Kailua Kona. 111 96745 p:808-331-2425 f:808-315-8473 m:808-936-9965 e: fiicndscwh 4Lgnml.com w: httii'/ft-iendsotthecliilcircnwh.coni Comm, No. I V%. S Ref. TaYLrtSrsC. Ref. Dote gqc •-sem_-q�. April 13, 2015 Friends of the Children of West Hawai'i P.O. Box 9041 Kailua Kona, HI 96745-9041 Office: 808.331.2425 Fax: 808.315.8473 Email: friendscwh@email.com www,friendsofthechildrenwh.com County of Hawai'i Committee for Allocation of Non -Profit Grant Requests Council Members 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, HI 96720 Dear Committee and Council Members: John Doe is a 14 year old boy who resides in a faster home with four other children. He has been o foster child since the young age of 2, when it was reported that he had unexplained bruises on his back, and two broken ribs. It was further revealed that he was also a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of his father and an uncle who lived with the family. He also witnessed horrific domestic violence between his parents, one incident resulting in his mother's hospitalization for several weeks. Both parents are now incarcerated for several crimes and they no longer have any parental rights. As members of the West Hawaii Community, concerned citizens, parents, and Board Members of the Friends of the Children of West Hawai'i, we wanted to share with you the above, to give you some indication of why we are very concerned about the proposed allocation of the County Non -Profit grant monies for 2015 — 2016, which reduces our funding by 50% from last year. Unfortunately, John's story is one that is heard way too often, and often ignored by those who don't want to believe that child abuse and neglect exists in our community. His situation is just one sample of the challenges faced by children and youth for whom the Friends of the Children of West HawaVi exists to support— children who have been abused, neglected, or have witnessed domestic violence. And he is just one of the thousands of children and youth that the Friends have provided support for over the past 25+ years. Yes, John will get assistance from Child Welfare Services and the State of Hawai'i Department of Human Services to make sure that he is safe from future harm; that his needs for shelter, food and clothing are met; perhaps he will get some psychological support through a therapist; — all of which is funded for the most part through our tax payer dollars and provided through a variety of non-profit agencies. However, it is NOT ENOUGH. There is only one Non -Profit in West Hawaii that we are aware of which will support John with his individual needs and interests that are not, or cannot be met by, any other agency, public or private. Based on what those needs and interests are, as determined by his social worker, case manager, therapist or other professional, the Friends uses County funds to support their request for assistance. For example: John has an inherited musical talent, and wanted very much to be able to get his own guitar and take lessons. The Friends purchased a guitar for him, and paid for three months of lessons. His thank you to the Friends was in the form of a video where he is seen smiling from ear to ear! As a growing 14 year old, he was in much need of clothing and shoes as that which he had was well worn and no longer fit. The Friends provided him with a gift card to a local store, allowing him to purchase clothes that were his style, and shoes that fit him that didn't have any holes in them —giving him the self-esteem boost that he needed. At the beginning of the school year, his first year in High School, John's foster family were not in a financial position to purchase the needed school supplies or school pictures. The Friends provided him with a new backpack filled with everything he needed to start his year off—and he was able to start his year focused on his education rather than worrying about the peer pressure of "being poor'. We also covered the fee for school pictures. These are just a few examples of how funding from the County of Hawaii helped just one of the over 300 children we assisted for the past two years. Over 630 requests were filled on behalf of these children with such things as clothing, school supplies, Christmas and graduation gifts, swimming lessons, music/hula lessons, school break activities, art camp, Winner's Camp etc. For at least the past 15 years, the Friends have been receiving grant funds from the County of Hawai'i which has allowed us to support children in ways that other agencies cannot. There is no doubt that without these funds, children in our community who have suffered more in their young lives than most of us will in a lifetime, may have thought that there wasn't anyone in their community who truly cares about them as an "individual" rather than just a "victim". The Board of the Friends of the Children of West Hawaii wishes to express its concern that with the severe reduction in funding over the past five years ($20,000 down to $6,000 and now down to a proposed $3,000 for 2015 —2016) we are going to have to drastically reduce our ability to meet the needs of these children and youth. This impact will be widely felt, as we are not aware of any other resources in the community that are available for these children. With all due respect, we urge you to reconsider the 50% reduction in the allocation of funding for 2015 — 2016, and re -instate it back to the level of 2014 — 2015. Mahalo for your consideration, Following is additional testimony for your consideration from two of our partner agencies: HAWAII COUNTYCOUNCIL—TESTIMONY FOR NONPROFIT GRANT APPLICATION FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN OF WEST HAWAI'l. Aloha Bev! Thank you so much for helping my client kids with school supplies, Christmas gifts, and activity funding. You have made such a difference in their lives. My 14 year old male client has been able to attend Judo classes and hejust earned his first belt. His family is struggling financially and they have little transportation. Mom has struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues, but she is now sober. The boy suffered through his family's substance abuse, neglect, and post irresponsible parenting and domestic violence. He now struggles with depression and anxiety. Judo has helped his self- esteem and physical fitness. School supplies and Christmas gifts have mode him very happy. Another 14 year old male client has been able to take ukulele building classes, which he is excelling at. He comes from o family history of substance abuse, domestic violence, on uninvolved convict father, and witness to community trauma and family death. His single mother is committed, but struggling financially. The bay will be attending a new school and will benefit from the funding for the special school supplies he needs. My 9 year old femole client hos received funding for the SKEA art comp, Kamo'aina Kids, Susan Page modeling classes. She lives with her grandparents because her mother is a severe drug addict and her father is uninvolved. She has experienced horrific abuse and neglect and she suffers from serious emotional problems. The various activities have improved her self- esteem and helped her to adjust socially. I hope that we can continue to get funding for these children who have been so traumatized and are at such high risk for future difficulties in their lives. Thank you again! Aloha, Monica Deg MHCC, CAMHD DOH Dear Bev, The following arejust a few examples of how important the support of the Friends of the Children of West Hawaii is to the foster youth in our care: Body Glove Snorkel/Whale Watch Tour: This activity has been of great benefit to the youth in our TFH program both last year and this year. This year we brought a 10 year old boy with a history of physical and sexual abuse who is currently receiving services for the abuse and the subsequent PTSD. This child experiences strong fear/anxiety reactions to many situations and he has never been in the ocean deeper than to his knees. His parents have been working with him for 2 years trying to get him to feel comfortable in the water. He very much wanted to go on the boat but was adamant that he would not go in the water. He watched the other youth jumping in and swimming and having fun. For over two hours staff encouraged and supported him. Over the course of day trip he put a life jacket on and off about a dozen times. He tried on the snorkel gear almost as many times and played with flotation toys the boat staff provided. As the morning went on the other TFH youth would encourage him to come in the water with them. Finally holding tight to the hand of his therapist he went into the ocean holding three swim noodles and bundled into a life vest and wearing his snorkel mask. He frantically tried to swim back to the boat to get out but staff and other youth gently encouraged him to kick his fins and to look into the ocean through his mask. By the end of the cruise this fearful child was jumping off the boat, going under water, swimming back to the boat and jumping in again. His smile was a mile wide. The other kids and boat crew cheered. After the boat docked this youth joined the others swimming in the shallow waters of the bay. The feeling of accomplishment and power he felt after conquering an ongoing fear appears to continue as he shows more bravery in his social skills group and when put in situations where he interacts with strangers. His parents are astonished and the TFH staff are able to use this brave behavior to help him believe he can overcome many of his other fears. In addition the other youth had the opportunity to assist a vulnerable child to overcome a fear and they reported understanding how he felt and joined in his success along with him. This might have been a first for him but also a first for the other youth to be able to share their own success in a way that another child could benefit. My second story of how the Friends of the Children of West Hawaii has made an impact on our clients is regarding one of our older clients. The Friends provided funding for an adolescent to take driving instructions in preparation for getting her license. This youth was placed in foster care twice by her adoptive family and two days prior to reaching the age of majority the family moved from Hawaii without their daughter. This young adult will soon be solely responsible for providing for herself with no safety net of relatives to fall back on. Without the help of the Friends she would not have been able to learn to drive as she does not have anyone in her life to provide the lessons. She has almost completed the course and the instructor will accompany her to the final test. As we all know, having a drivers' license can be the difference between success and failure on Hawaii Island, where the public transportation is unavailable past 7:30pm. This young woman is currently employed in Kona and her shift ends at 8:00pm, so having her license will be critical to maintaining her position once she exits foster care. People have no idea how much of a blessing the assistance the Friends of Hawaii has been to our youth. This particular young lady has rarely been the recipient of such generosity and the impact it will have on her life cannot be measured. Third story: Often when children enter foster care they come only with the clothes they are wearing. If they are in therapeutic foster care legal guardians may not provide funds to cover new clothing and other items that would allow them to transition more easily into the new school setting. These youth are often in a chronic state of anxiety due to all the changes in their lives and it is especially difficult if they have inadequate, outgrown, or shoddy clothing. This adds to the layers of insecurity they are already experiencing. Last summer CFS had a new client in this situation and the Friends provided a gift card to Ross. The young man was able purchase several pairs of jeans, tee-shirts, misc. undergarments, and most of all a pair of popular running shoes. He reported never having had such nice things and he couldn't wait to start his new school wearing "the coolest clothes ever." This boy had been adopted early in life and experienced physical and sexual abuse in a home where birthdays were rarely acknowledged and gifts were not for him. This Christmas the Friends provided gifts for the young man which included another gift card. His new foster parents adore this boy and took the gift card to buy him things they knew he wanted but did not expect. This was his first Christmas in a home where he received gifts carefully chosen with love, thanks in part to the Friends of the Children of West Hawaii. As a therapist working with these vulnerable children I am grateful to the Friends for their generosity and for the opportunity to see the difference their help makes in these children's lives. Johanna Park Clinical Specialist I Child & Family Service Behavioral Health Programs Cell: (808) 443-9549 jpark@cfs-hawaii.org Hi Bev, The Friends of the Children of West Hawai' i were very helpful with a little guy that was living out of his parent's car with them. They were stopped at a traffic stop ... DHS had been trying to catch up with them for quite a while and had put out bulletins to take custody of him if found.... Because they had been living out of their car - AND they were angry (the parents) they didn't give anything but what he was wearing (which were extremely dirty and didn't fit correct anyway). We attempted to place with a family relative but they had nothing clothes wise or a car seat for him either! This is where all of your help and support stepped in! :) This little boy has been so lucky to have the help and support from The Friends of the Children of West Hawaii! Thank you again! With your help, I was able to drop him off with a new pillow that was all his, toothbrush, shoes, a couple sets of clothes and a nice bag to move in with (instead of a garbage bag to move his things). Thank you! I appreciate all of you and your agency's help and support! Sandra Davenport Department of Human Services SSA IV T.A. SW III- Licensing April 13, 2015 To Whom It May Concern wanted to express my sincere thanks for your support of the Friends of the Children of West Hawaii. In the past year, the organization has provided support for several children of whom I have in my case load at Child Welfare Services. The children have all suffered from some type of abuse and neglect. It's always my desire to help them more than I can. That's where the Friends of the Children of West Hawaii have been so great! I've picked up children and delivered them to foster care, in many cases, with nothing. I always know I can count on the Friends of the Children of West Hawaii to help fill in the gap for these children. They provided a car seat on loan to an infant that didn't have one. They provided a playpen to another. They purchased three fishing poles for brothers who had nothing and were placed in foster care where the family was going on a fishing trip. They provided outfits for karate for several boys and an art week experience for one of the girls in my case load. In another example, they provided a diaper bag full of necessities for a newborn taken from the parents after being born drug exposed. They have always been a go to place for me when I have had to help children in need. I urge you to continue support of their work. Please feel free to contact me at 327-9546. Sincerely, Denise Mc Andrews Assessment Worker, CAPS,MASP Child Welfare Services, The Department of Human Services HERE ARE SOME SAMPLE THANK YOU CARDS THAT THE FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN OF WEST HAWAII HAVE RECEIVED: Q I n V �a fo( h , ri o r �M � ImGr� yyakr i iS b�Por r ty to &D OGQhu !!! Z { was Sc) �"A 1 Learned (alo-t like hCJuU %o be sock clf O(d nx\c!Q %1 ) �nenos and Pcc IoaS Sonoo Gooj- - ao a L �� 11ICAr'r� JOU -For- Cvt^clin� i�� S - rlp. I leamej� nfc re., �b , �U\ resp an