Christian Peterson
reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
Guardian ad Litem (GAL) may be one of the most important institutions in Florida. The organization is focused on representing the legal interest of abused, abandoned and neglected children. “Florida law requires the Statewide GAL Office to represent Florida's children caught in the complex foster care system every day through no fault of their own,” their website reads. “They face a world of temporary living situations and intervening professionals with a high turnover rate. We are the only agency on the child's case who focuses only on the child and represents the child's legal interests in court and their social needs in the community.”
Live Oak has its own GAL office for the third judicial circuit, and they are always looking for volunteers. Riverbend News was provided the opportunity to sit down with nine volunteers: Monty Ashby, Dr. Susan Helvenston, Kathleen Cleveneger, Susan McLuty, Nichole Brown, George Scott, Ed Lee, John H. Bell and Sharon Davis. They were able to provide a deeper insight into the volunteer program and how the public has the unique opportunity to show love to some of the most forgotten people in American society.
The nine volunteers were inspired to volunteer for many different reasons. Scott spoke on how his own inspiration came from his children and how he wanted to help more than just his own. Ashby had a different experience, dealing with pain in his own family, divorce and custody battles. He didn't want children to feel pushed to the side and wanted to help be their voice. Cleveneger also had a personal experience dealing with family struggles. Davis, on the other hand had a unique viewpoint, as she had already been working with the foster system. She discussed her experience fostering a young lady. When Davis first started housing the child, she was stealing and lying. At one point, the child stole a product from Walmart, and Davis took her back to Walmart the store to return the item. By the time the young lady left Davis's household, she had stopped both the stealing and the lying. Davis saw the difference that she made in one child's life and felt inspired to continue. “For me its all about helping people and giving back,” said Cory Cannon one of the volunteers. “With age, I've become less self-focused. As I matured, I realized that happiness doesn't come from the things we have. Few things are more rewarding than helping someone in need. In short, Florida's GAL program and the children it serves need our help.”
GAL is always looking for more volunteers. These individuals spend time mentoring and helping uplife the children lost in the system. The volunteers are the only people who are fully focused on the children and what they need. They don't focus on the parents or the legalese surrounding the incident, but instead focus on helping the children feel heard and giving them a voice throughout court proceedings.
Lee's experience was different from others, as he had a normal childhood growing up with two loving parents. However, he realized that not every child is given this luxury, and so, he found himself with the need to serve those less fortunate. McLuty had another personal experience with the system, watching her grandson get taken away. She described how difficult the process was and how scary it was for her grandchild. She felt the need to help make the whole process less frightening for any child she could. Helvenston was introduced to GAL through her classroom when they came asking questions. She thought it would be an amazing opportunity and volunteered to help however she could. Bell was introduced to GAL through his role as a teacher, as well. He was observing many children that were lost, and there was only so much he could do as a teacher; but with GAL, he was able to be hands on.
“I wanted to shepherd parents through the process, and be an anchor for the child and the family,” he said.
Brown also had a more personal experience with children in the foster care system. She shared about her past and the poor decisions she made that she still regrets to this day. However, she spoke on how the experiences opened her eyes to how she can help by speaking to people that were dealing with similar experiences.
While the process is an incredible blessing for the children, that doesn't mean that volunteering doesn't come without its challenges. “The hardest part is not going home with a bunch of kids and leaving it at the door,” Brown said. Helvenston voiced how the volunteers felt overwhelmed and yearned for more volunteers so that they could help every child. Lee stated how hard it is to see the kids age out before they were able to be helped. Ultimately, all of the concerns voiced by the volunteers focused on moments when justice was not served for the child. Each volunteer no matter their background, yearned for justice to be served and for the children to go back to a happy life and a happy family. While there are struggles in the process, that doesn't mean there are not also great joys.
Children are the greatest joy of most people's lives, and that case is doubly true for those who volunteer with GAL. Bell spoke on the satisfaction one feels when they receive a call from one of their kids saying thank you and speaking about how much their life has improved. Everyone in the room agreed that seeing the families reunited was the most uplifting and satisfying part of the job. Cleveneger articulated the pleasure of the diversity of who volunteers work with, stating the varied experiences from the volunteers opens many doors to how to help different children. Davis spoke on the joy she feels when she sees a succesful adoption and sees a child she mentored finally become part of a loving family. Ashby agreed with Davis, saying the adoptions and reunifications are the best thing to see. Brown commented that another joy is seeing the growth in the child, themselves, as they grow to be better than they were. Scott said that, while adoption is the highest point of the job, it also is satisfying to sit at the table surrounded by professionals and know that your voice, the voice for the children, is heard and counted above most others. Bell said, “Being a representative of society and speaking words of sanity to a bureacrucy is a joy.”
The group also commented on the importance of GAL. When they were asked what Florida would look like without GAL, the overwhelming response was that, without GAL, there would be a lot of dead children, trafficked children and runaways. But with GAL and the mentorship of volunteers, they are able to curtail those consequences to a significant degree.
There is no normal day as a volunteer with GAL. Every day is different, and every child is different. But what never changes is the need for volunteers who can help mentor and raise up the next generation - to reunite lost children with their families, to bring together a new family, to show to broken children that there is still good in the world and there are still people who love them. Volunteers stand with confidence and strength as they defend the children as hard as they can, so that societies most innocent voices are protected. GAL is looking for more volunteers right now. For those who are interested, visit guardianadlitem.org or call the Live Oak office at (386) 364-7720.
Guardian ad Litem (GAL) may be one of the most important institutions in Florida. The organization is focused on representing the legal interest of abused, abandoned and neglected children. “Florida law requires the Statewide GAL Office to represent Florida's children caught in the complex foster care system every day through no fault of their own,” their website reads. “They face a world of temporary living situations and intervening professionals with a high turnover rate. We are the only agency on the child's case who focuses only on the child and represents the child's legal interests in court and their social needs in the community.”
Live Oak has its own GAL office for the third judicial circuit, and they are always looking for volunteers. Riverbend News was provided the opportunity to sit down with nine volunteers: Monty Ashby, Dr. Susan Helvenston, Kathleen Cleveneger, Susan McLuty, Nichole Brown, George Scott, Ed Lee, John H. Bell and Sharon Davis. They were able to provide a deeper insight into the volunteer program and how the public has the unique opportunity to show love to some of the most forgotten people in American society.
The nine volunteers were inspired to volunteer for many different reasons. Scott spoke on how his own inspiration came from his children and how he wanted to help more than just his own. Ashby had a different experience, dealing with pain in his own family, divorce and custody battles. He didn't want children to feel pushed to the side and wanted to help be their voice. Cleveneger also had a personal experience dealing with family struggles. Davis, on the other hand had a unique viewpoint, as she had already been working with the foster system. She discussed her experience fostering a young lady. When Davis first started housing the child, she was stealing and lying. At one point, the child stole a product from Walmart, and Davis took her back to Walmart the store to return the item. By the time the young lady left Davis's household, she had stopped both the stealing and the lying. Davis saw the difference that she made in one child's life and felt inspired to continue. “For me its all about helping people and giving back,” said Cory Cannon one of the volunteers. “With age, I've become less self-focused. As I matured, I realized that happiness doesn't come from the things we have. Few things are more rewarding than helping someone in need. In short, Florida's GAL program and the children it serves need our help.”
GAL is always looking for more volunteers. These individuals spend time mentoring and helping uplife the children lost in the system. The volunteers are the only people who are fully focused on the children and what they need. They don't focus on the parents or the legalese surrounding the incident, but instead focus on helping the children feel heard and giving them a voice throughout court proceedings.
Lee's experience was different from others, as he had a normal childhood growing up with two loving parents. However, he realized that not every child is given this luxury, and so, he found himself with the need to serve those less fortunate. McLuty had another personal experience with the system, watching her grandson get taken away. She described how difficult the process was and how scary it was for her grandchild. She felt the need to help make the whole process less frightening for any child she could. Helvenston was introduced to GAL through her classroom when they came asking questions. She thought it would be an amazing opportunity and volunteered to help however she could. Bell was introduced to GAL through his role as a teacher, as well. He was observing many children that were lost, and there was only so much he could do as a teacher; but with GAL, he was able to be hands on.
“I wanted to shepherd parents through the process, and be an anchor for the child and the family,” he said.
Brown also had a more personal experience with children in the foster care system. She shared about her past and the poor decisions she made that she still regrets to this day. However, she spoke on how the experiences opened her eyes to how she can help by speaking to people that were dealing with similar experiences.
While the process is an incredible blessing for the children, that doesn't mean that volunteering doesn't come without its challenges. “The hardest part is not going home with a bunch of kids and leaving it at the door,” Brown said. Helvenston voiced how the volunteers felt overwhelmed and yearned for more volunteers so that they could help every child. Lee stated how hard it is to see the kids age out before they were able to be helped. Ultimately, all of the concerns voiced by the volunteers focused on moments when justice was not served for the child. Each volunteer no matter their background, yearned for justice to be served and for the children to go back to a happy life and a happy family. While there are struggles in the process, that doesn't mean there are not also great joys.
Children are the greatest joy of most people's lives, and that case is doubly true for those who volunteer with GAL. Bell spoke on the satisfaction one feels when they receive a call from one of their kids saying thank you and speaking about how much their life has improved. Everyone in the room agreed that seeing the families reunited was the most uplifting and satisfying part of the job. Cleveneger articulated the pleasure of the diversity of who volunteers work with, stating the varied experiences from the volunteers opens many doors to how to help different children. Davis spoke on the joy she feels when she sees a succesful adoption and sees a child she mentored finally become part of a loving family. Ashby agreed with Davis, saying the adoptions and reunifications are the best thing to see. Brown commented that another joy is seeing the growth in the child, themselves, as they grow to be better than they were. Scott said that, while adoption is the highest point of the job, it also is satisfying to sit at the table surrounded by professionals and know that your voice, the voice for the children, is heard and counted above most others. Bell said, “Being a representative of society and speaking words of sanity to a bureacrucy is a joy.”
The group also commented on the importance of GAL. When they were asked what Florida would look like without GAL, the overwhelming response was that, without GAL, there would be a lot of dead children, trafficked children and runaways. But with GAL and the mentorship of volunteers, they are able to curtail those consequences to a significant degree.
There is no normal day as a volunteer with GAL. Every day is different, and every child is different. But what never changes is the need for volunteers who can help mentor and raise up the next generation - to reunite lost children with their families, to bring together a new family, to show to broken children that there is still good in the world and there are still people who love them. Volunteers stand with confidence and strength as they defend the children as hard as they can, so that societies most innocent voices are protected. GAL is looking for more volunteers right now. For those who are interested, visit guardianadlitem.org or call the Live Oak office at (386) 364-7720.