Posts Tagged ‘fulton county juvenile court’

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Delivering Happiness

Monday, January 16th, 2012

Smiles everywhere for this adoptive family at the Fulton County Courthouse ©c. releford

Part two of our coverage of the National Adoption Day event finds reflections from judges, more images, and stories of hope, patience and love.

Father and daughter

Wandering through the event, I was struck by the energy of joy and anticipation in the kids and their parents.

You could almost feel them exhale because the day had finally arrived, but also notice their jitters in wanting to finally hold their certificate of adoption.

As Judge Phillip Jackson pointed out, the process of adoption can take anywhere from ” a couple of months to well over a year.”

The Juvenile Justice Fund works year round through the Family Visitation Program to make sure that children find a safe and loving home environment, whether that be with a child’s birth family or with an adoptive family.

Rep. John Lewis & Judge Jackson

It’s all about finding the place that’s right for the child.

Adoption is a big step for our court families and for their children, which is why the practice of making the final legal action of adoption a real celebration and milestone began 10 years ago with then Chief Judge Sanford “Sammy” Jones.

I found a mother and her son seated under a portrait of the late “Sammy” Jones.

Magic in his adoption day

She was wearing a big smile on her face, studying his portrait, and then she told me the story of her adoption which had taken several years.

She persevered, and today was finally the legal mother of “Magic,”  a four year old boy in a wheelchair.

She said she’d been working on it since he was three months old, and because Magic had special needs, many had discouraged her from trying to adopt him.

A new family © c releford

Judge Jones, she explained, was different, and encouraged her.  He cleared the way for her adoption to go ahead, making special arrangements for her and for Magic. Today her joy was palpable.

Thanks to over 100 volunteers ranging from court personnel, Juvenile Justice Fund members, Boy Scouts and Lions Club, National Adoption Day at the Fulton County Juvenile Court becomes a real standout day for families.

Boy Scouts carry gift basket

The festivities included a full hot meal, a personal message from U.S. Rep. John Lewis, himself an adoptive father, a cake party, customized gift baskets, special activities for the kids, and of course, the official adoption ceremony for each individual family in judges’ chambers.

Judge Phillip Jackson spoke with me about Adoption Day at the Courthouse.

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Martha Turner is the Communications Manager for the
Juvenile Justice Fund
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‘Forever Families’

Monday, November 21st, 2011

The Juvenile Justice Fund is proud to be a part of the Fulton County Juvenile Court’s annual celebration of National Adoption Day. Check out this article and video from Fox 5 about this year’s event:

Fulton County Juvenile Court to Observe National Adoption Day
Tacoma Perry
Thursday, November 17, 2011

Fulton County Juvenile Court to Observe National Adoption Day: MyFoxATLANTA.com

For one day every year, courtrooms all over the country have a reason to celebrate – the joining of waiting children with forever families.

Having a loving and supportive family is so important to developing into a healthy adult, but so many children are waiting in foster care – hoping to have a chance at a good life.

To sisters Serenity and Abigail, Michelle Webb is known as mommy.

Serenity was 9-days old and Abigail was 10 months when they came to me. They don’t know anyone else but me,” said adoptive parent Michelle Webb.

Webb is their adoptive mother. Years ago as an intake worker for the Department of Family and Children Services she says she felt nothing but compassion for the children entangled in the system. She started fostering some of those children and has had more than 50 in her home over the past five years. She decided to adopt Serenity and Abigail.

“I saw the need and I was available to fill it,” said Webb.

Judge Belinda Edwards says now more than ever these children need permanent homes to provide the stability their birth parents couldn’t.

“Unfortunately, the cases that come through our courtroom are the cases you see on the news. They’re the cases where the child has been abandoned, they’re the cases were the child has been abused. They’re cases where the parents are on drugs,” said Chief Judge Belinda Edwards of the Fulton County Juvenile Court.

This weekend, Fulton County Juvenile Court will celebrate its 10th National Adoption Day – a day to recognize adoptive families and raise awareness about the process. Both Edwards and Webb hope more people will want to provide the happy ending some kids need.

“It’s always amazing and remarkable to us to be able to take a bad situation and turn it into a positive situation and give these children an opportunity to have and live the American dream – to have a family, to have support,” said Edwards.

“The most important thing on my mind right now is giving these children the opportunity to be productive citizens and learning how to love and giving love and sharing and caring,” said Webb.

Stay tuned for more coverage of last Saturday’s National Adoption Day Celebration!

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7200 Steps to Stop Demand

Thursday, October 13th, 2011

Special thanks to all the community members who joined us on Saturday, October 1st and took their steps to stop the demand for the prostitution of children in Georgia!

JJF Fellow and Spelman College student Mercedez Dunn and her team!

Fulton County Juvenile Court Judge Philip Jackson

AFNAP Campaign Director Kaffie McCullough, JJF Board Member Tera Doak, and JJF Staff Member Kei Breedlove

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Showing Respect to Child Welfare Workers

Friday, August 26th, 2011

Judge Phillip Jackson, JJF Director Sharon Simpson Joseph, Judge Bradley Boyd

 

Chief Judge Belinda Edwards

To look at ways of improving the state of child welfare over the next year, Fulton DFCS Director Glenda McMillian hosted a Fulton County Child Welfare Retreat at the Carter Center yesterday.

JJF staff and board members came to strengthen the collaboration among the stakeholders in this arena: i.e. the Courts, DFCS and Nonprofits.

Judge Bradley Boyd

From our Juvenile Courthouse, Honorable Chief Judge Belinda Edwards and Presiding Judge Bradley Boyd gave opening remarks. Also in attendance from our court was Judge Phillip Jackson, JJF Executive Director Sharon Simpson Joseph, JJF Board Members Melissa Trimble and Karlise Grier, and six JJF Staff Members.

JJF Staff: Allison Hood, Cheron Crouch, Melissa Rochester, Kelly Cox, and Yvette Bell

Social workers were able to express their concerns about problems they face working in the field, and a team of experts provided pathways for solutions for them.  It began an important conversation  between the Court, DFCS and Nonprofits so we can  come together more powerfully to help our children.

Leaders of the seminar pointed out that
DFCS workers are no different from our police or firefighters in an important way, and that is that they are consistently faced with traumatic situations, from abuse, even to death, but this unfortunately is sometimes overlooked in our system.

They stressed how crucial it is that we find ways of supporting our case workers in the same way we support our military and civil servants who protect the most vulnerable members of our society. They deserve our respect.

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Back To School & The Judge Jones Youth Fund

Friday, August 19th, 2011

Tonnisha LaSalle, JJF Director of Operations

JJF’s Tonnisha LaSalle, Director of Operations is busy helping our children get ready for school. Find out how you can help below.

“As we approach a new school year, we recognize that many of the children we serve may have needs directly associated with attending school.

“Each child should be properly prepared to learn and be allowed every opportunity to succeed.

“I encourage you to donate to the Judge Jones Youth Fund (JJYF).  Unfortunately the funds in this account are very low, so your support right now is greatly needed and appreciated.

Judge "Sammy" Sanford Jones

“Judge “Sammy” Jones was always interested in our children as children, not just faces coming through the system. He hoped each child could enjoy a whole sense of well being. A champion of a play space for the children, and of providing a homelike environment when they came through the courts, Judge Jones created the JJYF so that any child coming through the Court with a specific need, such as transportation or tutoring services, could be provided these necessities.

“With the support from one of the FCJC Judges, a Court employee can utilize funds from the JJYF by contacting us. Judge Jones’ Fund is endowed solely by the generous contributions of the Juvenile Justice Fund staff and supporters, the Fulton County Juvenile Court staff, and by friends and loved ones of Judge Jones.”

If you’d like to give, we invite you to participate in this campaign, not only to honor the memory of our beloved Judge Jones, but to also continue his mission of mending the lives of children.  Each donation will change the life of a child for the better.

“Last year we provided:

  1. Tickets to the America I Am exhibit
  2. Marta Passes
  3. Clothing
  4. G.E.D.Testing Services
  5. I.D. Badges
  6. School supplies
  7. Registration fees for classes and extracurricular activities
  8. Mentor Training Supplies

You can make a donation online through Paypal,

or:

If you wish to pay by check, checks should be made payable to:

Juvenile Justice Fund
395 Pryor Street SW
Suite 2117
Atlanta, GA 30312

Memo line on check should note JJYF

Please feel free to contact me for any additional information about the JJYF.  Your support is truly necessary for the success of this service.

Thank You.

Tonnisha LaSalle
Tonnisha.LaSalle@fultoncountyga.gov
404-613-4916

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Why The Young Need Nature

Saturday, June 18th, 2011

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth
find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.
———————————- Rachel Carson

Nature is essential for children

From the national bestseller Last Child in the Woods comes a compelling argument for why the young (and the rest of us) need nature. The sense of well being we gain from exposure to nature is a powerful healing agent, and one that Melissa Rochester of our Ready, Set, Go! Program recognizes and incorporates into her curriculum, dubbed Ready, Set, Grow!

She has started the first ever, we believe, Child’s Garden in a courthouse. Children of parents who come through the courthouse are the recipients of select services to help with family reunification, and now for the first time they have the opportunity to help something grow.

Tomatoes, peppers and squash are the summer fare, and here is our update on the progress of this little garden gem.

JJF's Child's Garden is beginning to bear fruit

Stay tuned for more developments from Ready, Set, Grow!

Martha Turner is the Communications Officer
for the Juvenile Justice Fund
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Family Drug Court Graduation

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Join us on Wednesday, May 25 at 2:00pm
for the Fulton County Family Drug Court Graduation
“The Next Level: Pushing Beyond Personal Limits”
at the Romae T. Powell Juvenile Justice Center
395 Pryor St. SW
First Floor Training Room
Atlanta, GA 30312

For more information, email Allison Hood at allisonhood@juvenilejusticefund.org

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Understanding Addiction

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

Yvette Bell, M.S.

Yvette Bell, Family Preservation Clinician for Project Ready, Set, Go!, will be holding a training on addiction on March 24th from 10:30am-12:00pm. It is free and open to the public.

The training is the first of a four part series on  Understanding ADDICTION and will be held at the Fulton County Juvenile Court in Training Room 1132.

“People don’t really understand the connection between substance abuse and mental illness. They are really two sides of the same coin, and there are more commonalities than differences.”

To register for the event, please contact Yvette by email at yvette.bell@fultoncountyga.gov or by phone at 404.613.4612.

Yvette Bell, M.S is the Family Preservation Clinician of the
Juvenile Justice Fund-Project Ready, Set Go!

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Summer 2011 Internships

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Allison Hood, Internship Program Coordinator

We at the Juvenile Justice Fund help fulfill the unmet needs of children and families coming through Georgia’s juvenile justice system. Partnering with the Fulton County Juvenile Court, we advocate at the federal, state and local level; implementing direct service programs, providing education and training, and increasing public awareness.

All children always matter is the driving force behind our programs, which are specifically focused on stopping the commercial sexual exploitation of children and supporting family reunification efforts.

Our Internship Program is designed to give undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to actively participate in the work we do to protect and serve the children who need us most.

Although interns will work within a specific program or department, our hope is that they will understand the totality of JJF and will be able to work from a framework that encompasses the entire organization.

In addition to providing essential programmatic assistance to JJF staff, interns will gain an understanding of critical issues for youth in metropolitan Atlanta, learn more about the way a non-profit organization operates, obtain valuable skills they can take into the workforce upon graduation and participate in networking opportunities with JJF staff and juvenile court employees.

We are accepting applications for four internship positions for the Summer Session:

1. CEASE Voices Project Intern
2. Development and Community Outreach Intern
3. Family Visitation Intern
4. Operations Intern

The deadline for applications is April 4, 2011. For more information, please contact me by email at allisonhood@juvenilejusticefund.org or by phone at 404.612.4628.

Allison Hood is the Operations Coordinator of the Juvenile Justice Fund and the Internship Program

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Judge “Sammy” Jones Youth Fund

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

Honorable Judge Sanford "Sammy" Jones

Honorable Judge Sanford “Sammy” Jones, one of our founders at the Juvenile Justice Fund (JJF), was the Chief Judge of the Fulton County Juvenile Court when he passed away unexpectedly in a plane crash almost two years ago.

Not a day goes by that we aren’t reminded of how he worked tirelessly to mend the lives of children and their families. We, the staff of the JJF strive to continue his mission of service in the work we do every day.

During his time at the Juvenile Court, Judge Jones created the Judge Jones Youth Fund (JJYF) so that through monetary donations, any child coming through the Court with a specific need, such as glasses or tutoring services, could be provided those necessities.

With the support from one of the Juvenile Court Judges, a Court employee can utilize funds from Judge Jones’ Fund by contacting JJF so we can partner together to support these children.  Our Fund is supported through the generous donations of the Fulton County Juvenile Court staff, supporters and staff  of the Juvenile Justice Fund, and friends and loved ones of Judge Jones.

www.lwvor.org

Each year we set a goal to secure 100 pledges, each in the amount of $5.00 per month to raise $6,000 annually.

We invite you to participate in this campaign, not only to honor the memory of Judge Jones, but also to continue his mission of mending the lives of children.

Tonnisha LaSalle, Director of Operations

Each donation will change the life of a child for the better.

If you’d like to donate to the fund, or have any questions, please feel free to contact me by phone at 404.613.4916 or by email at tonnisha.lasalle@fultoncountyga.gov.

Thank you for your support; it is necessary for the success of this service.

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