In celebration of National Volunteer Week
Volunteers of
Florence Crittenton Services,
we appreciate you!
Because of your Love,
Because of your Caring,
Because of your Support,
your Heart,
and Time spent Sharing,
We Succeed,
we Shine,
we Strive.
We Overcome,
we Achieve,
we Thrive.
We Are, because of You!
Thank you, FCS Volunteers,
from the bottom of our hearts!
Having a job at Florence Crittenton is kinda awesome! You are given the opportunity to make a difference every day. Whether you are cooking the food, teaching a class, transporting the babies to childcare, or collecting donations, everything and everyone works together to help our clients be successful.
Last night one of our amazing relief staff went above and beyond and assisted our residents with a super fun craft. She bought and brought all of the supplies for the clients to paint and design picture frames for their baby’s photo’s. What a wonderful way for our mom’s-to-be to get excited about the new life about to enter the world. They loved every minute of the activity. Its nice to have the opportunity to specially design something for your child, and this wonderful employee made that possible. Not because she had to, but because she believes in our mission and helping the wonderful women who grace our presence every day! Thanks, Kamina!! You rock!
Revelations
I know life isn’t easy
but who would have thought it would be this.
Sometimes it gets so overwhelming
I just feel like giving up.
But my pride won’t let me walk away,
and fear keeps me from getting ahead.
That’s when I compromise my options
to sit and do nothing instead.
That way there is no losing
because there is nothing for me to fight.
Yet those are the times I miss winning,
which I finally do get it right.
I know life isn’t easy
and sometimes
I’m glad its not.
Because victory is always sweeter
when the war is not easily fought.
Plus, who said that life was made up of pain
just to bring me down?
It’s when times get the hardest
That I refused to be pushed around.
And where would my strength be
if life had not prepared me for this day?
I’m stronger that I give myself credit for,
and despite the pain, I’ll be okay.
Poem written by former Florence Crittenton Resident.
If Fay Green were alive today she would want to tell you a story…she was a great story teller! Fay and her hubby Danny, were both actively involved with FCS for many years. For her devotion and dedication to FCS, Fay was awarded the Lucille P. Giles Award in 1999. She was co-chair of the FCS Auxiliary from 1989-1993. Together with her dear friend, Claire MacGregor, they established the FCS Auxiliary Scholarship Fund in the 1980s. A few weeks before she passed away, I was with her in Temple Beth-El’s library and as she turned the pages of her personal scrapbook, she recounted stories not only about her but about a culture that was changing because of her. I was deeply affected by the scope of her accomplishments as she volunteered in a myriad of ways throughout the Charlotte community. The photo, below, shows her standing tall in pink, smartly dressed, accessorized and coiffed, as this was her signature demeanor. The one you see here is of Fay enjoying an afternoon with the Auxiliary ladies, just one of many spanning 30 years! Fay was always snapping photos of others and relished giving them away. She loved decorating FCS for the holidays and took part in the annual plant sale. Whenever I see a hand knit cap with a pom pom on top, I think of Fay since she loved to knit them for the newborns to keep them toasty warm. Lovely submitted by Gene Ruth Poler.
Volunteering at Temple Beth El’s Mitzvah Day, I made my choice to come to Florence Crittenton. For four years my husband and I came on Sunday where we cooked (Phil barbequed hamburgers) while I helped serve lunch in the kitchen. We were a team with others from Beth El. I made cookies and so enjoyed helping the moms and moms to be with crafts after lunch.
I loved being able to be with the women and sometimes their babies as well. I enjoyed encouraging them in the projects we did. BINGO was a highlight for the women as we Temple Beth El volunteers brought baby gifts for the women as Bingo prizes.
It was a joyous time for all!
Betsy Garfinkle
Time and Reason
With each passing moment,
each blinking eye,
every feeling of atonement,
every breath and every cry,
I realize that the Life I Live
is but a gift to me,
counting every mistake and every success
the young woman I have come to be.
Never let another Judge you,
or discourage the path you choose.
All things have time and reason,
as a sunset, or a rose.
I’ve Lived and Loved,
Loved and Lost,
Lost and Found again;
These times I fell and realized
I was my only friend
Yet I am strong, I am bold,
I am someone special,
all truths be told.
Tears may fall from weary eyes,
But the following morning brings perfection.
I am me, I am one of a kind,
I am the world, and the world is mine.
Poem written by a former FCS client. So beautiful!
B is 18 years old, only months out of 3 years of foster care. She had been sexually molested by her father for 11 years when authorities became aware of the horrific situation and DSS took her into their custody. Her mother was institutionalized in a mental hospital. When she was referred to the FCS maternity program, B was homeless , had been going days with very little food to eat, had not gotten prenatal care, and had been arrested for theft and forgery. During her stay, she received food, shelter, good prenatal care, counseling, and parenting classes. B delivered a healthy baby, and went to live with the father of her baby who successfully secured employment and housing and could provide a safe environment for B and their baby.
This email was sent out to FCS staff today by our Residential Coordinator:
As most of you know, clients are asked to complete a consumer survey when they discharge from the agency. I want to share some of the feedback from one of the ladies who just discharged this week:
“Thanks for helping me all the staff and being here for me and even calling me out on my own mistakes and making me want to be a better me and a better mommy”
Just wanted to share this reminder of how important our mission is and how important each of you are in making this mission a reality for this young lady.
Miracle Kick
You kick, and everything gets better. You bring love and joy to myself and everyone that comes in contact with you.
You kick, and I don’t remember all the negative things that the doctor told me. You are strong. I can feel it, and together we will over come anything.
You kick, and my dad calls and asks for us to work on having a relationship that was never there.
You kick, and your father decides to go to school and get on when everyone had stopped believing in him. You make him new and I see that. I love you, and don’t have to say anything. Its visible through your eyes. The both of you have a relationship that makes me happy and jealous.
You kick, and the world becomes a better place. You are a miracle and I’m honored to have you living inside me.
Written by former FCS client.
E was 24 years old and homeless when she entered FCS. She had been removed from her birth parents’ custody when she was an infant because of her parents’ drug abuse and domestic violence. She lived in foster care for the next 5 years before she was adopted. E is developmentally limited. She was gang raped by 6 men when she was 17 and had reoccurring nightmares about that attack. She dropped out of high school in 9th grade, suffered from depression and began to abuse drugs. She entered the Maternity Program reporting that she had stopped doing drugs but was having seizures and bad headaches, and on the Maternity Program’s admission for she wrote she had “no home.” E became an active participant in the Maternity Program. Her life situation stabilized and she stayed clean and sober. She ate regular meals, started keeping her room clean, and began to sleep well. She went to special school classes to help her prepare for taking her GED, and attended counseling sessions, substance abuse prevention/intervention groups, and in-house class sessions to learn parenting skills and early child development. She had been at FCS for 5 full months when her baby was born, drug free and healthy, and weighed 8lbs. and 11ozs. E released her healthy baby for adoption and reestablished a connection with her adoptive parents.