Crafting the News

BCFS HHS-Kerrville Director, Dennis Ferguson visits with Hill Country Caring Crafter to provide some update on programs offered within the community. 

BCFS Health and Human Services-Kerrville Director-Community Services Dennis Ferguson visited with the Hill Country Caring Crafters to give an update on some of BCFS-Kerrville’s programs.

The Hill Country Caring Crafters are a group of artists and crafters who meet weekly to work on their art. Some paint, some quilt, some create ceramics, and others handcraft everything from greeting cards to flower arrangements. The group in turn then sells the creations to raise funds for various Kerr County nonprofit organizations. BCFS Health and Human Services’ Our House-Kerrville is one of the organizations the crafters have chosen to help.

“We do what our heart leads us to do,” says crafter Jeanette Ruark.

At Our House-Kerrville, a transitional home for youth who have aged out of foster care and are working toward establishing their lives as adults, the crafters have “adopted” two residents with the intention of helping them outfit their apartments with home accessories.

“We make their place homey with things like towels, dishes, pots and pans, and cleaning supplies,” says Jeanette. “It’s a lot like the things you might purchase when you send your child off to college.”

Our House-Kerrville residents arrive in search of a safe place to sleep at night, often in the midst of working to overcome obstacles like poverty, homelessness, and joblessness, in addition to repairing long-term damage from experiencing abuse or neglect as a child. The Hill Country Crafters are helping a pair of youth at Our House-Kerrville get some of the homemaking items that youth would otherwise likely do without.  

In addition to helping BCFS-Kerrville’s Our House, the Hill Country Caring Crafters support of a variety of organizations such as Hill Country Youth Ranch, The Order of the Elks, and Junction House all focusing on helping youth.

The crafters were excited to hear Dennis’s update on the Our House-Kerrville residents they support, and learn a bit more about some of the other life-changing programs impacting youth that BCFS-Kerrville administers in the Texas Hill Country.  

Inhale Confidence. Exhale Doubt.

Youth from foster care in BCFS-McAllen’s Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) program joined youth from a variety of boot camp programs to hear Aida Rodriguez’s hopeful message.

On January 15, 2018, BCFS Health and Human Services-McAllen held the inspiring “Inhale Confidence. Exhale Doubt.” event at the Amador R. Rodriguez Juvenile Boot Camp and Educational Center in San Benito, Texas. The event’s theme—“You Set the Stage for Your Own Success”—was reinforced for the 56 youth in attendance with a keynote address from nationally renowned comedian, actress, writer, and activist Aida Rodriguez.

Youth from foster care in BCFS-McAllen’s Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) program joined youth from a variety of boot camp programs to hear Rodriguez’s hopeful message. Her talk resonated with her audience as she spoke about overcoming the stigma of being labeled “bad kids,” and how their futures are based upon the decisions they make each day. Afterward, she visited with each youth to listen and talk with them about their own stories.

Aida Rodriguez is best known for her top 10 finish on NBC’s eighth season of Last Comic Standing. She has toured the United States as both actor and comedian, has a growing list of acting credits, released her 2017 comedy album, I’ll Say It for You, and hosts her weekly Truth Serum podcast, where she presents each episode as a platform to support up-and-coming entertainers and the issues of the entertainment industry. 

As a keepsake, youth at the event were gifted personal journals with uplifting, motivational quotes on which they could reflect and write their thoughts and feelings from the inspiring day.

The event culminated with an emotionally powerful balloon release where youth were asked to write with a marker on a helium balloon the one thing they wanted to let go of in their life and then release it to the sky as a symbolic gesture of letting go!

Common Thread Grows Its Advocacy in Houston, Texas

With office in Waco, Killeen, and San Antonio, Texas, Common Thread adds Houston to their list! With a multi-disciplary team to advocate for individuals who have been exposed to human trafficking.

BCFS Health and Human Services Residential Services Division’s (RSD) newest program, Common Thread, is expanding! In the first week of 2018, Common Thread has been named the advocacy agency to work alongside partner organizations in Houston, Texas, in working to help survivors recover from experience with human trafficking.

In late 2017 in central and south Texas, Common Thread began administering programs, services, and advocacy in response to the alarming and unfortunately underreported crime of child sex trafficking. Common Thread provides immediate, flexible, and relationship-focused services 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for domestic and foreign survivors of child sex trafficking under the age of 25. The program helps survivors by offering immediate in-field response when victims are identified, intensive case management, and long-term mentorship.

Offices began operating in Waco, Killeen, and San Antonio, Texas, and—after an invitation from the Office of the Governor to present Common Thread’s unique spectrum of services and staff—will soon be operating in tandem with the Houston-area’s Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) to advocate for individuals who have been exposed to the scourge of human trafficking.

“Our Common Thread team, led by RSD’s National Director Susan Rosas, presented to 15 stakeholders to explain what Common Thread’s services would resemble in Houston,” explains Sonya Thompson, Executive Director for BCFS Health and Human Services’ Residential Services Division.

“After lots of discussion and a final vote,” she says, “the MDT voted for Common Thread to be their Houston advocacy program. The vote of confidence is a true testament to the extraordinary work this team is doing in our Texas communities.”

Currently, Common Thread collaborates with other agencies in a 26-county area in central Texas to build a proactive and mobile team that works toward becoming an ally for children and youth who have been through some of the darkest recesses of human trafficking. Common Thread employs a mobile approach to its advocacy to help a survivor build critical trusting relationships with their advocate, even if the survivor continuously relocates as part of his or her recovery.

“We already know that children are at a heightened risk to be trafficked, or re-victimized, when they have had a history of broken relationships,” said Rosas in 2017. “Common Thread aims to support survivor recovery by building long-term positive adult relationships, modeled first by Common Thread advocates, and then replicated for each child in his or her community. Evidence shows that survivors often have a complex and transient recovery, and we are honored to operate the first program in Texas that can flex with them. We’re with our clients, no matter what.”

Common Thread’s teamwork model includes trainings and action plans for agencies to ensure consistent quality improvement of service delivery.

Common Thread welcomes volunteers and interns. If you are interested in volunteering for this program, please email commonthread@bcfs.net. To refer someone 21 years old or younger who may have been the victim of human trafficking—to include sexual exploitation, survival sex, and other forms of commercial sex—in the United States, call the 24/7 Common Thread hotline at 1-888-8THREAD. For information, visit www.commonthread.net.

 
Common Thread is overseen by Asennet Segura, BCFS Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer–Community, International & Residential Operations, and BCFS Health and Human Services Residential Services Division personnel, including Sonya Thompson, Executive Director; Susan Rosas, National Director; Graciela Gomez, National Operations Manager; Irasema Resendez, National Partnerships Manager; and Eyra Montemayor, Program Director

BCFS CSD in the Community

BCFS Community Service Division attend a continuing education event at the UT Health San Antonio to help others understand the services provided by BCFS CSD for victims of human trafficking.

BCFS Community Services Division (CSD) participated in a continuing education event the Human Trafficking: The Role of Healthcare Providers in Recognizing and Effectively Intervening held on Friday, November 3. The event was hosted by UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing’s Department of Lifelong Learning and the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Department of Social Work with the goals of recognizing potential victims of human trafficking and learning prevention strategies based on social and economic circumstances.

BCFS Health and Human Services-San Antonio’s Tracia Westley, a case coordinator for BCFS-San Antonio’s new Resiliency Through Healing program for survivors of child abuse, and Sandy Bar-Yadin, a counselor for the STAR (Services to At Risk Youth) program staffed an information table offering a variety of material about some of BCFS-San Antonio’s programs and services that strengthen children and families.

Featured speakers at the event included international human trafficking expert Dr. Donna Sabella, the founder and director of Project Phoenix, an outreach program for trafficked and prostituted women in Philadelphia; Statewide Human Trafficking Mapping Project for Texas Coordinator Dixie Hairston; and Lt. Bill Grayson of the San Antonio Police Department, who discussed the role of law enforcement in human trafficking investigations.

BCFS-Del Rio Hosts Interagency Luncheon

BCFS Health and Human Services-Del Rio Grabs Reins for Del Rio’s Interagency Luncheon

BCFS Health and Human Services-Del Rio has assumed organizational responsibilities for the Del Rio community’s Interagency Luncheon, an ongoing meeting on the third Thursday of every month for social services agencies to discuss the most effective ways to achieve a safer, healthier and smarter Del Rio.

BCFS-Del Rio hosted the October installment of the luncheon, where BCFS-Del Rio Family Advocate Wayne Richardson briefed the luncheon contingent on the agency’s spectrum of family-centric services before mentioning that BCFS-Del Rio would be the point of contact for 2018 Interagency Luncheon planning.

“Each of us plays in an important and unique role in servicing the needs in our community, Richardson said. “The Interagency meeting provides a monthly forum for learning about resources and discussing issues in the community.”

Del Rio’s Community Health Improvement Coalition (CHIC) began the Interagency Luncheon several years ago, steadily growing its list of participating agencies. According to BCFS-Del Rio Director of Community Services Delia Ramos, when the luncheon’s primary organizer left her position at CHIC, BCFS-Del Rio stepped up to lead subsequent organizing efforts.

“When Mr. Wayne heard that she was no longer going to be able to help,” she says, “he brought the idea of BCFS-Del Rio doing it, we talked about the commitment, and ultimately decided to go forward.”

“The luncheon is an opportunity for all the agencies in the area to touch base,” Ramos says. “It can be about new initiatives, updates on current plans, or staff changes. We are happy to be able to continue planning the event for all the agencies in the Del Rio area.”

Thirty to forty social services agencies regularly attend the monthly luncheon, and one agency presents its array of services at each event. The Interagency Luncheon calendar for the remainder of 2017 and into 2018 is filling up. Agencies in the Del Rio area wishing to participate in the next Interagency Luncheon can call BCFS-Del Rio at (830) 768-2755.

Big Country Children’s Benefit Hunt

Agencies, Community Sponsors Join to Educate Youth about the Outdoors

BCFS Health and Human Services-Abilene collaborated with the Big Country Children’s Benefit Hunt on an outdoor hunting expedition that will provide an educational opportunity for youth to learn about the responsibilities of firearm safety, hunting safety, and basic outdoor survival training. Youth were nominated by Child Protective Services (CPS) staff based on each youth’s case file and consultations with each youth’s case manager, foster family, and experienced hunters from within CPS and the community.

BCFS-Abilene volunteer Marshall Davidson, an experienced outdoorsman who lives by the values, trainings, ethics, and ideals of hunting, believes teens should be exposed to wildlife and nature, and the seriousness of firearm safety as they enter adulthood.

“I’ve worked with kids for a long time, and I feel like hunting, fishing, gaming…is not really something that a lot of them are exposed to, especially for youth who have not had a steady parent figure,” says Davidson. “We really want to teach them about the importance of firearm safety, wildlife, and being outdoors.”

After a rigorous vetting process, in order to go on the hunt, the selected six boys and one girl attended a daylong hunting certification education training approved by Texas Parks and Wildlife, and administered by Davidson, a certified Hunter Education Instructor. Youth learned the details of firearm and hunting safety, hunting ethics, and wildlife conservation, earning hunter certifications and licenses to hunt in the state of Texas. The young lady in the group claimed a gift card as the winner of a shooting competition during the training.

On the hunt, each youth will be paired with an experienced hunting guide, and accompanied by volunteers who will help ensure a safe environment. Everyone on the hunt will wear daylight fluorescent orange vests while engaged in hunting activities.

Several community sponsors help make the hunting experience possible. Special thanks to:

  • Karon Bingaman Hall & Harley Hall
  • Taylor County Child Welfare Board
  • Stephens Wild Game Processing
  • Double Barrel Outfitters
  • Trophy Case Taxidermy
  • Walmart #535
  • Market Street/United Supermarket
  • Vagabond Pizza
  • Rodeway Inn
  • Glasgow
  • Cabela’s
  • Keith & Propst Law Firm
  • Clayton’s Monogramming
  • Thompson Graphics
  • McDuffee Media
  • Lawrence Hall Abilene

The Big Country Children’s Benefit Hunt (BCCBH) is a hunting club conceived to take youth in DFPS Conservatorship and others on outdoors experiences to include hunting, fishing and camping. BCCBH is not part of nor sponsored by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Marshall Davidson has brought the BCCBH under the BCFS Health and Human Services label in Abilene. No youth involved in BCFS Health and Human Services’ programs have participated in BCCBH.

For information about the Big Country Children’s Benefit Hunt, contact Marshall Davidson at (325) 232-4047. To learn more about BCFS programs and services in Abilene, visit DiscoverBCFS.net/youthcenters/abilene.

BCFS Health and Human Services Launches Common Thread

BCFS Health and Human Services Spearheads Common Thread,
Advocacy for Victims of Human Trafficking in San Antonio, Waco, and Killeen

Through a grant awarded from the State of Texas Office of the Governor, BCFS Health and Human Services is excited to spearhead the Common Thread project. Common Thread is BCFS HHS’ necessary response to the alarming and unfortunately underreported crime of child sex trafficking. Common Thread provides immediate, flexible, and relationship-focused services 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for domestic and foreign survivors of child sex trafficking under the age of 25. The program helps survivors by offering immediate in-field response when victims are identified, intensive case management, and long-term mentorship.

With offices in San Antonio, Waco and Killeen, Texas, Common Thread collaborates with other like-minded agencies in a 26-county area in central Texas to build a proactive and mobile team that will work to accomplish the goals of:

  • employing a first-responder mentality to ensure a rapid and thorough response for each referral;
  • remaining a constant, accessible, and dependable ally for each child engaged with Common Thread, and
  • advocating for children in order to build trust between the child and adult allies in their communities.

Common Thread’s innovative mobile approach will allow advocates to customize their rapid response to survivors throughout the region. Common Thread allows for survivors to maintain a critical trusting relationship with their advocate, even if the survivor continuously relocates as a part of his or her recovery.

“We already know that children are at a heightened risk to be trafficked, or re-victimized, when they have had a history of broken relationships,” says BCFS Health and Human Services Residential Services Division’s National Director Susan Rosas. “Common Thread aims to support survivor recovery by building long-term positive adult relationships, modeled first by Common Thread advocates, and then replicated for each child in his or her community. Evidence shows that survivors often have a complex and transient recovery, and we’re lucky to launch the first program in Texas that can flex with them. We’re with our clients, no matter what.”

BCFS HHS is proud to lead the Common Thread project. The relationships formed with other community organizations will help build a strong, substantial network of advocacy for clients. The teamwork model will include trainings and action plans for agencies to ensure consistent quality improvement of service delivery.

Common Thread welcomes volunteers and interns. If you are interested in volunteering for this program, please email commonthread@BCFS.net. To refer someone 21 years old or younger who may have been the victim of human trafficking — to include sexual exploitation, survival sex, and other forms of commercial sex — in the United States, call the 24/7 Common Thread hotline at 1-888-8THREAD (884-7323).

Common Thread is overseen by Asennet Segura, BCFS Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer–Community, International & Residential Operations, and BCFS Health and Human Services Residential Services Division personnel, including Sonya Thompson, Executive Director; Susan Rosas, National Director; Graciela Gomez, National Operations Manager; Irasema Resendez, National Partnerships Manager; and Eyra Montemayor, Program Director.

Marissa Cano Speaks at Community Events

BCFS-McAllen’s Marissa Cano Shares Insight with Rio Grande Valley Community

Photo: Marissa Cano

BCFS South Texas Regional Director Marissa Cano was recently invited to deliver the keynote address at the Family Crisis Center of the Rio Grande Valley’s sixth annual Champagne Brunch. The event is held annually to advance the center’s mission to empower adults and children experiencing domestic violence and/or sexual assault, increase awareness and responsiveness in the community through prevention, education, outreach and advocacy.

At the event, Marissa discussed the adverse effects of domestic violence and her firsthand experience with the brutality that affects one in three women (and one in four men) in the United States. In a candid engagement, Marissa talked about living with — and overcoming — abuse, and how her personal history informs her career as the director of a social services agency and a passionate advocate.

Also this month, Marissa spoke at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley as part of the Delta Tau Lambda sorority’s fourth annual Salute to Latinas: Fuerza de la Mujer Latina, where she addressed human trafficking, its telltale signs, and our collective responsibility to say something if we see something. She also talked about some of the work being done in the Rio Grande Valley to undermine the horrific crime.

Marissa joined BCFS Health and Human Services-McAllen in 2012. In 2016, she was named South Texas Regional Director, expanding her leadership vision of the BCFS Community Services Division efforts to include Harlingen and Corpus Christi.

The Courage of a Warrior Mom

BCFS-Del Rio Helps a Domestic Violence Victim Start Over

Jhenovia Campbell had served our country in the United States Air Force, earned several promotions, and seen her share of tense situations as a service member. Ironically, one of her most harrowing experiences was when she decided to uproot her life to escape a domestic abuse situation. She chose to leave as a survivor, before becoming a victim.

As she loaded her 2-year-old daughter in the car, Jhenovia replayed in her mind the gut-wrenching decision to leave her teenage daughter behind in Georgia with a relative while she searched for peace and safety. With no more than a few dollars and the clothes they were wearing, Jhenovia and her toddler drove straight through to Texas, choosing Del Rio to seek immediate refuge with a friend.

Soon after her arrival, Jhenovia learned of BCFS Health and Human Services-Del Rio, where she met Family Violence Specialist Claudia Lopez. BCFS-Del Rio operates the Del Rio Domestic Violence (DRDV) program, providing safety, support and resources to victims of domestic violence. Through one-on-one support, legal assistance, emergency medical care and referrals for access to community resources, the DRDV program promotes violence-free relationships and community awareness through collaboration, public information, education and advocacy.

Jhenovia recounted her recent history and journey for Lopez, discussing how her commitment to her daughters led to her decision to flee a dangerous home environment. As they spoke, Lopez began carefully planning an effective strategy for Jhenovia’s recovery and reintroduction to a safe, stable and normal life.

“She had done her research and learned about BCFS-Del Rio,” recalls Lopez. “She made it clear she was ready for a change. We filed a protective order, contacted law enforcement in Georgia and obtained all the incident reports.”

“I was impressed with her demeanor and calm voice,” Lopez says. “After all the abuse, here she was standing tall and proud. Then it dawned on me that she was a warrior. The fact that she had served our country made her strong. She was eager to learn and not take any handouts. She values hard work and discipline, and I admire that about her, too.”

Through its Special Non-Residential Program, BCFS-Del Rio’s Domestic Violence Program helped Jhenovia find an apartment and provide her a few items to start a new home. She began her job hunt, and as the start of the school year approached, she coordinated the arrival of her oldest daughter, who would begin sixth grade in a new school. Jhenovia learned about additional community resources that helped empower her and her daughters, and she attended support groups and counseling sessions to help process the events of her recent past to recover from the abuse she suffered at the hands of her former spouse.

Through sheer determination, in just under 60 days in new surroundings, Jhenovia reclaimed her independence, fully aware that the scars of abuse, although in check, remain in her memory. She is gainfully employed and caring for her children. As a testament to her resiliency, unconditional love for her daughters, and strong self-image, Jhenovia is living a life free of the insecurity and uncertainty of domestic abuse.

“I knew she didn’t want to ask for help because she wanted to work and get things done with her own hard-earned money,” says Lopez. “Everyone, at some point, needs help. Thankfully, BCFS was there to offer a few important resources, a little hope, and a shot at a new beginning.”

BCFS Education Services’ Head Start Expands to Victoria, Jackson, Calhoun, Gonzales, Dewitt and Lavaca Counties

The federal Office of Head Start awarded BCFS Education Services the Head Start program in Victoria, Jackson, Calhoun, Gonzales, Dewitt and Lavaca counties, beginning this upcoming school year. BCFS Education Services is a well-established Head Start provider, serving nearly 2,000 students and families throughout Texas.

BCFS Education Services will provide full-day preschool for 450 children, ages 3-5, in its first year, and 467 children in subsequent years. The full-day classroom model is part of a national movement led by the Office of Head Start aimed at bolstering school readiness for children gearing up for kindergarten.

BCFS Education Services’ Head Start not only provides individualized teaching, bilingual services, disability services, and healthy meals and snacks, but goes beyond the classroom to offer support services – such as trainings for parents and caregivers – that make a long-term impact on families’ quality of life.

BCFS Education Services is working closely with the previous provider and federal Office of Head Start to ensure an easy and seamless transition for children, families and community partners.

Information for Parents

Parents who have already submitted paperwork for their child’s enrollment or whose child is a returning student will be contacted by BCFS Education Services in July to confirm receipt of paperwork and enrollment.

Parents who have not already enrolled their child can still do so by contacting BCFS Education Services at 1 (855) 742-5010. Applications are available online at DiscoverBCFS.net/HeadStart, along with a list of required enrollment documents.

Recruitment and Staffing

The new service area will employ more than 90 personnel in various positions. Opportunities to join BCFS Education Services are open to all applicants, and staff of the previous Head Start provider must apply for a position with the new program. Interested applicants may visit www.BCFSjobs.com or attend a job fair hosted by BCFS Education Services the week of July 10th in the Victoria area. Specific date, time and location of the job fair will be posted on our website at www.BCFSJobs.com.

BCFS Education Services’ Head Start program provides:

  • Preschool
  • Individualized teaching
  • Degreed teachers
  • Bilingual services
  • Social services
  • Parent trainings
  • Meals and snacks
  • Disability services
  • Dental exams
  • Mental wellness
  • Health services
  • Field trips

A child is eligible to enroll in Head Start if he/she falls into one of the following categories:

  • The child is in foster care
  • The family is homeless
  • The family receives Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
  • The family has a gross income below federal poverty guidelines
  • The child has a family member living with and supported by the child’s family receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

To be eligible, the child must be 3 or 4 years old on or before September 1, 2017 and live in one of the serviced counties. For more information about BCFS Education Services, visit DiscoverBCFS.net/HeadStart.