Dear Volunteers and Supporters of the Guardian ad Litem Program:
The month of June brings to mind many different things. It ushers in summer and unusually
long, warm days and short nights. Its unhurried and non-threatening manner makes one think Juno,
the Roman Goddess, is really looking out for us.
June also marks the celebration of Father’s Day. A day when most of us gather with our Dads to
thank them for their many gifts and sacrifices and reluctantly admit that their advice, on one or more
of our life-changing decisions, may have been more or less correct.
Regrettably, for far too many of “our” children, Father’s Day is not celebrated. Instead of the warmth
and comfort brought about by family gatherings, much more commonly, they are left alone to think
about the person they haven’t met or don’t know. They recall the man wearing the stripped jump suit,
who will be incarcerated for the next three years, and secretly wish they had different Dads or at least
someone who said what he meant and meant what he said.
Right now, in the Fifth Judicial Circuit, most of the 1,400 plus children served by the Guardian ad
Litem Program are facing life without the presence of a capable, caring man in their lives. “Our” girls
have no one to tell them they’re special and should be treated as such and “our” boys lack the guid-
ance and support necessary to become accountable, successful men.
As we approach the lazy days of summer, in addition to having fun and enjoying your visits up north,
please keep in mind less than 15% of our volunteers are men. Consider the important role your Father
played in your life, and before the cooler evenings descend upon us, resolve to recruit at least one
man to our volunteer ranks.
Have a wonderful summer and thank you for making a difference in the life of a child.
Sincerely yours,
Marcia
Marcia Hilty
Circuit Director
A message from Marcia Hilty, Circuit Director
I N S I D E
T H I S
I S S U E :
Father’s Day 1
Employee Recognition
2 4
Training Updates
2
Around the Circuit
3 6 7 9
Outstanding FCMs
4
VOICES 5
5 t h C i r c u i t G A L
J U N E 2 9 , 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3 H I G H L I G H T S
I am for the Child — always our
focus and commitment
June 17th
Father’s Day
Employee
Recognition
Training
Resources
Around the
Circuit
Outstanding
FCMs
Acronyms &
Abbrevia-tions
Earn .5 Continuing Educational Units (CEUs) by reading each issue of our 5th Circuit
GAL Newsletter! Yes, you will be credited each time you read our quarterly newsletter,
which should help you toward the 2012 required 12 CEUs, for annual GAL Re-
certification. Don’t forget, last year you were only required to obtain 6 CEUs by the end
of the year. This was changed to 12 CEUs, starting with calendar year 2012. Create your
own convenient CEU training log to keep track of all your training throughout the year.
Don’t forget, CEUs for Brown Bags, On-line Training, On-line reading materials, semi-
nars, conferences, and more . . .
http://www.guardianadlitem.org/att_conf_train.asp
.5 CEUs
I am for the Child
Staff Directory
10
P A G E 2
Employee of the Month - Extraordinary People Amy Robertson is
our May Employee of
the Month.
Amy, who has been
with the Program for
twelve years, began as
a volunteer, advanced
to part-time Volunteer
Trainer and today
serves as Supervisor of
our Marion County
Case Coordinators.
Amy can best be de-
scribed as an unassuming,
yet exceedingly compe-
tent, dependency profes-
sional. Her work ethic,
diplomacy skills and qual-
ity of advocacy are un-
paralleled. If it’s a high
profile or exceedingly
difficult case, chances are
it’s assigned to Amy.
Verna Wall said it best
when she said, “Amy is a
wonderful person who is
adored by her volunteers
and trusted by her co-
workers. She is the ulti-
mate sweetie.”
Marcia Hilty
5 T H C I R C U I T G A L
ing training. You should
have already received a
copy as we email blast-
ed it to all volunteers
asking them to distrib-
ute and/or display it to
all their contacts.
For more information
on training, please con-
tact Lynn Sennett 352-
274-5231
With your help, we can
achieve our goal!
Amy
Robertson
—May
Employee
of the
Month
Amy Robertson
Important Training Updates
They need our voice
Please help us pro-
mote this training by
telling your friends, colleagues, neighbors
and family members
about our next train-
ing.
We have a flyer an-
nouncing the upcom-
We’ve got an ex-
cellent pre-
service volunteer
training beginning August 7th at a
convenient loca-
tion for partici-
pants throughout
our Fifth Circuit -
Oxford - and we
just need our
best resource
YOU, to help us
promote this
timely training oppor-
tunity.
Last year we had 38
people attend this train-
ing. This year, we’d like
to have 50 new partici-
pants! GALs are our
best source of referral.
When: August 7, 8,
14, & 15 from 9 AM
to 4PM
Where: Oxford
Assembly of God,
12114 N. US Hwy
301, Oxford, FL
34484
ALL GALs - Can you think of
someone who would be a good GAL?
Social clubs
Shop owners
Family members
Neighbors
Colleagues
Church members
SIGN UP FOR Facebook today and like us!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Florida-
Guardian-ad-LitemProgram/164070170277062
Around the Circuit - Hernando County
P A G E 3 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3
Hernando County welcomed
the Class of 2012 with open
arms. After four intense days
of training, they were treat-
ed to a warm welcome by
the Honorable Barbara
Gurrola, a retired judge,
who regaled them with sto-
ries of her experiences in
Dependency Court and then
swore them in.
If you were anywhere in the
courthouse those two
weeks, you would have seen
the new class busily complet-
ing their court watch.
The new Guardians are: James Rumpel (Citrus) Adriana Probus (Hernando)
Carol Brandt (Hernando) Deborah Marholin
(Hernando) Jeanette McCants (Hernando) Paula Gaustad (Hernando)
Peggy Prebble (Hernando) Rodney Lane (Hernando)
Travis Pantiel (Hernando) Victoria Groeger (Hernando)
Julie Taylor (Lake) Donna Flores (Marion)
Ozzie Edwards (Marion)
If you see them in the course
of your volunteerism, please
welcome them.
On Saturday, May 19th,
a group of GAL volun-
teers as well as office
staff gathered at Delta
Woods in Spring Hill to
hold a “Celebration of
Life” picnic lunch to
honor the memory of Case
Coordinator, Christine
Morrison. Christine’s hus-
band and mother were in
attendance.
It was a beautiful summer
day where we all gathered to
honor Chris and all she
meant to our program. The
afternoon ended with pink,
lilac, and white balloons scat-
tered to the sky as our way
of saying thank you to Chris
for all she meant not only to
all of us, but to the children
she served as well.
Peg Donovan
“A child mis-
educated is a
child lost.”
John F. Kennedy
Hon. Judge Barbara Gurrola
swearing in ceremony
GAL volunteers in training
DON’T FORGET TO PATRONIZE THOSE
SUPPORTERS RECOGNIZED IN OUR NEWSLETTER
Many wonderful local businesses and organizations support our GAL efforts in many ways throughout the year. You can help us recognize their contributions by saying thank you when you visit their business and enjoy their services.
Local businesses and GALP -
Partners in our efforts to help our children in need.
The-Florida-Statewide-Guardian-ad-
Litem-Program Is on Facebook
P A G E 4
“Act as if what you
do makes a
difference. It
does.”
William James
Starting with this quar-
terly newsletter issue,
we are very pleased to
recognize our out-
standing FCM for
Marion County:
Jessica Webster
5 T H C I R C U I T G A L
Outstanding FCMs - Extraordinary People Because of Jessica’s
professional perfor-
mance and solid collab-
oration with her GALs,
cases that could have
resulted in negative
outcomes for the fami-lies actually resulted in
very positive outcomes
for all involved - and
the children have been
reunited with their
parents.
“Professionalism, great
attitude and excellent
communication charac-
terize Jessica.“
Marcia Hilty
Jessica has been an
FCM for almost two
years, having worked
as a dispatcher in law
enforcement prior to
joining The Centers.
Always proactive, and
responding quickly to
phone calls and emails,
Jessica has been work-
ing with her GALs on
several extremely diffi-
cult cases this past
year, that required
constant vigilance to
ensure consistent
headway with both
children and their par-
ents. Jessica Webster
Meryl Trahant Winner of Award I’m pleased to
announce
Meryl
Trahant, 5th
Circuit
Guardian ad Litem volun-
teer and DVRAC co-
chair has not only been
selected as our State-
wide nominee for
Community Advocate
for the year, she has
been selected by the
Points of Light
Foundation as a
Celebrity Cruise Award
Winner from its National
Volunteer Week cam-
paign!
Cabot Creamery, a 1,200
farm family dairy cooper-
ative since 1919, with
mem-
bers in
New England and Up-
state New York, has
joined the Points of Light
Foundation in this na-
tional recognition of out-
standing community vol-
unteers.
Cabot’s announcement
explained further: “Based
on the exemplary contribu-
tion that you have made in
your state, Cabot Creamery
and Celebrity Cruises®,
along with Points of Light
have named you a 2012
Cabot Community Celebrity
Award Winner.”
As an
award
winner, Meryl and a
guest will join 40 other
2012 Cabot Community
Celebrity Award winners
from major U.S. cities for
a seven-night, all-expense
-paid cruise for two with
air on Celebrity Cruises.
“This is our chance to
honor you for all you
have done,” said a
Cabot official.
Please join me in con-
gratulating Meryl on her
well-earned recognition.
Way to go, Meryl!
Marcia Hilty
Meryl Trahant
Voices For Children & The Villages Hook Up!
P A G E 5 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3
“We can do no
great things, only
small things with
great love.”
Mother Teresa
With the help of several
Village Guardians and the
support of local clubs, such
as the Quilters Guild, the
Photography Club and The
Villages Crafters, as well as
local businesses and res-
taurants, more than 200
Village residents attended
the event and we were
able to raise $3900.
Because of the favorable
response, this will be-
come an annual event to
be held in April, Child
Abuse Prevention Month.
Helen Peek
What a Successful
TRIVIA NIGHT Looks Like:
On April 14th, 2012, Voices
for Children held its first
fundraiser at The Villages.
VOICES is considering
sponsoring a cruise to
Alaska next year if there
is enough interest. The
trip would include travel
by air from Tampa to Se-
attle, with a 7-day cruise
to Alaskan ports. The ap-
proximate cost will be
about $1200. If you would like to be on the mailing
list for further details
when they become availa-
ble, please e-mail Helen
Peek at
with the word CRUISE
in the subject line.
Helen Peek President
funds for the children our GALs serve. For tickets or to donate
an item for the event please call 352-484-
0319 x1, 352-362-5851 or
352-601-011
The event will be held at the American Legion in Dunnellon and will in-
clude dinner donated by Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grille, door prizes, many silent auction items and a spirited game of trivia. Tickets are $25.00 per person. Please join us for this fun evening to raise
Voices for Children
is hosting Trivia
Challenge #3 on
September 29th.
VOICES - Trivia Challenge Cruise 2013?
P A G E 6
Around the Circuit - Marion County
Around the Circuit - Citrus County COLD NOSE,
WARM HEART
We’re going to shift
gears here and talk about
advocating for children
from a different point of
view: a four-legged one
that is!
Most children
like dogs. A
friendly dog is
a warm, non-
judgmental
companion
that they can
bond with easi-
ly and quickly.
Now, our
courts can use this natu-
ral child-dog bond to
help comfort children in
their care, thanks to the
efforts of a new local
organization.
Courtroom Dogs for
Kids, Inc.
(www.courtroomdogsfor
kidsinc.com) is a non-
profit agency established
in 2010 by Joanne Peters.
It is dedicated to provid-
ing registered and
trained therapy dogs to
comfort and calm chil-
dren whose testimony is
necessary, whether in a
courtroom, deposition,
or some other setting.
The organization has an
expanding group of dogs
and handlers; any candi-
date dog or handler must
pass a thorough back-
ground check, and re-
ceive extensive training.
Of course, the use of
dogs is not always suita-
ble: Some children may
be fearful of dogs; oth-
ers, allergic. But for so
many children, they can
be magic.
Barry Foy
ence with the Sickle Cell
Foundation, LaVetta is
also able to bring
healthcare provider and
delivery processes ex-
pertise to her new posi-
tion.
Welcome to the 5th
Circuit Guardian ad
Litem Program, LaVetta!
During the early month
of June, the Marion
County Office hosted a
circuit-wide quality im-
provement audit. Advo-
cacy teams, including the
Volunteer, Best Interest
Attorney and Child
Advocacy Coordinator
presented two cases for
review. The audit team,
which consisted of our
Regional Director and
Legal Counsel and a
Circuit Director and
Child Advocacy
Coordinator from a
nearby program, re-
viewed files and listened
to case presentations.
The results of the audit
were very favorable. The
reviewers found that we
are providing strong legal
and non-legal advocacy
and have developed pro-
cesses and procedures
worthy of duplication.
Marcia Hilty
Please join me in wel-
coming LaVetta
Waters-Jacobs to our
team.
LaVetta, a
CCI, who
is assigned
to Marion
County,
brings a
wealth of
experi-
ence to
the posi-
tion. Having previously
worked for DJJ, she has
case management, report
writing and courtroom
experience.
Because of her experi-
5 T H C I R C U I T G A L
“The
willingness to
share does not
make one
charitable; it
makes one
free.”
Robert Brault
Wolf
Joanne Peters with Wolf
LaVetta Jacobs
Rosie sharing a moment with a child
Around the Circuit - Lake County
P A G E 7 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3
Lake County Volunteer
of the Year:
Bill Deschenes
Bill Deschenes has been a
tremendously valuable GAL
in Lake County since
October of 2008. In these
three plus years, he has
gone above and beyond the
call of duty many times
while advocating for13 chil-
dren. Currently he has six
children on his case load.
Bill always represents the
children’s wishes and always
remembers that their best
interest is first and fore-
most. Even when his chil-
dren are placed out of state,
he still maintains telephone
contact.
This Guardian ad Litem is
also instrumental in assisting
with the Christmas gifts for
approximately 100 children
in Lake County. He not only
is the liaison with the associ-
ation donating the gifts, but
he manages to get all gifts to
the office in a timely manner
- and even helps pull it all
together for distribution.
It is with great honor that
we recognize Bill Deschenes
as our Lake County
Volunteer Guardian Ad
Litem of the Year.
Kim Goldman
Successful GAL Quilt Donation 2012
“Wherever a
man turns he
can find
someone who
needs him.”
Albert
Schweitzer
Bill Deschenes
Shockley Quilters of
Altoona
“I decided a few years back to involve the Lake County Quilters in a dona-tion of quilts. As I am only
here 6 months of the year, I got a small group in
Shockley Heights together and we decided to make quilts to assist the children involved with GAL. Keep-ing us updated, Murray McMahon and his wife Marilyn come up to our area periodically to let us know what is going on with GAL.
Each year, our group gets together in mid December to decide the style of do-nated fabric we take
home, in order to make the “tops” of our quilt designs. We then come together to “tie the quilts” and to solve
any quilting problems we may have. We purchase the batting ourselves, but as a small group we are able to complete and donate at least 12 quilts a year.
Myself, I make quilts for teens, as there is a need for quilts for the bigger kids. And as a treat to ourselves, we go out for lunch after dropping off the quilts at the Tavares GAL office. We really enjoy making and donating these small tokens of our hope for the children, as they are our future.”
Anne McKenzie
(Top L-R) LuAnna Marx, Marcine Geiger, Alice Ann Ferderber (Bottom L-R) Ann McKinzie and Carol Reams
P A G E 8
“The difference
between a helping
hand and an
outstretched palm
is a twist of the
wrist.”
Laurence Leamer
Florida State
capitol building
Reaching Out Through Billboards
Legislative Update
SB 1960, which was unani-
mously supported by both
the Florida House and
Senate and fully endorsed
by Governor Rick Scott,
goes into effect July 1,
2012. This legislation allows
volunteers to assume the
added responsibility to
transport children to plac-
es, activities and events that
were previously out of
reach or simply denied, The
Transportation Program,
which began as a pilot pro-
ject in 2011, has been
hailed by participants as a
commonsense way to en-
hance children’s lives.
“Since I began transporting
the five children assigned to
me, I have become more
than a volunteer, a person
who visits monthly and
advocates for them in
court.” said Joe Ward, a
GAL volunteer. “You can
see it in their eyes and
smiles. I’m someone, who
through this seemingly in-
consequential action, has
conveyed their importance
and brought them happi-
ness. These kids deserve
these kinds of experiences.
They are very apprecia-
tive.”
Tom Greenaway, resident
of The Villages and one of
the first Guardian ad Litem
volunteers to receive ap-
proval to transport his chil-
dren, said the opportunity
has been life-changing for
both him and his child.
“The young man to whom
I’m assigned is happier than
he used to be. He’s more
confident in himself and this
has improved how he inter-
acts with others. This is
very fulfilling. It gives me a
greater sense of accom-
plishment and purpose.”
For an application or more
information on the
Transportation Project,
contact your Case
Coordinator or Verna Wall
at (352)-671-5752 or via
email at
.
Committee - Meryl Trahant
has negotiated a significant,
discounted agreement with
ClearChannel Outdoor, to
display our key messages of
Volunteerism and Train-
ing at key, high traffic loca-
tions throughout the Fifth
Circuit.
Through the creative hard
work of our Florida Fifth
Judicial Circuit,
Director’s Volunteer
Recruitment Advisory
5 T H C I R C U I T G A L
Legislation Recognizes Guardian ad Litem Program’s
Authority to Transport Children
P A G E 9 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3
terms, abbreviations and ac-
ronyms listed. We will peri-
odically update these and
make them available to you.
In the meantime, two recent
titles were updated that war-
rant your attention:
Case Coordinator - CC is
now being referred to as
Child Advocacy Coordinator
- CAC
It’s tough understanding and
keeping up with all the acro-
nyms, titles and abbrevia-
tions within our dependency
court and GAL Program. Just
when you feel you have it all
down pat—ugh, we change it
on you.
Many of you routinely refer
to your original training sylla-
bus which has many of the
- and -
Our GAL Attorney is
now being referred as
Best Interest Attorney.
We’ll do our best to keep
you updated as our no-
menclature changes!
Titles, Acronyms & Abbreviations - confusing?
“Pretty much
all the honest
truth telling
there is in the
world is done
by children.”
Oliver Wendell
Holmes
cases with 31 children, so
far, in her seven years with
us. Currently, Pat is an
Ambassador, traveling near
and far, with little notice to
meet and greet our new de-
pendency kids
Wanda Vogler: Not only
was Wanda select-
ed as Statewide
nominee for
Volunteer of the
Year, she is the
Go To person for
any GALs with
computer issues
and that includes
this Staff! She de-
veloped a Power
Point to help Vol-
unteers write
credible Judicial
Reviews and simplified a
daunting child visitation
form. In addition to all this,
Wanda manages all the in-
coming courtesy requests
and cases. She assigns them
and coordinates the flow of
information back to the re-
questing County.
Adding to our celebra-
tion, we were very
pleased to recognize
Jerry Williams as the
Outstanding Volunteer
for Sumter County and
Donna Fruzia as
Outstanding Community
Advocate.
Congratulations to all of
you for your tremendous
efforts on behalf of our
community and GALP.
Bob McIntyre
Sumter County GAL
recently recognized four
exceptional GALs
Tommy Greenaway:
Tom has been a CASA/GAL
child advocate in three
states, California, Tennessee
and Florida, over a period of
several years including seven
with us. Tom keeps in touch
with all of “his kids” from
years past who frequently
initiate the contact with him.
His dependency family keeps
on growing, 16 children at
last count.
Michael Harris: Michael
has been a faithful GAL in
Sumter for nine years. As a
Master Gardener, Michael
has worked at youth gardens
and developed a rapport
with the children. He taught
school for 32 years, in which
capacity he echoed part of
his GAL credo: “to help a
defenseless child become a
productive citizen.”
Patricia Kerans: Pat is a
veteran GAL, having had 12
Around the Circuit - Sumter County
Wanda Vogler
P A G E 1 0
Fifth Circuit Staff
Marcia Hilty
Circuit Director
Teresa Ashcraft
Assistant Circuit Director
Brad Bobbitt
Supervising Attorney
Lynn Sennett
Recruiter/Trainer
Newsletter Team Marcia Hilty - Director
Bob Seitz - Executive Editor
Tom Greenaway - Editor
Pam Barsness - Associate Editor
Bureau Chiefs/Contributors:
Collins Conner
Peg Donovan
Barry Foy
Kim Goldman
Bob McIntyre
Helen Peek
Lynn Sennett
Meryl Trahant
Wanda Vogler
Office Locations
Marion County
110 N. Magnolia Ave
Ocala, FL 34475
Tel. (352) 671-5757
Fax (352) 671-5758
Lake County
418 W. Alfred St., Suite 7
Tavares, FL 32778
Tel. (352) 742-3825
Fax (352) 343-0257
Sumter County
115 N. Florida St.
Bushnell, FL 33513
Tel. (352) 569-6980
Citrus County
110 N. Apopka Ave,
Inverness, FL 34450
Tel. (352) 344-1147
Fax (352) 344-1454
Hernando County
20 N. Main St.
Brooksville, FL 34601
Tel. (352) 200-8887
Fax (352) 200-8887
http://www.guardianadlitem.org
GAL STAFF DIRECTORY
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