Nancy Denier – The Bridgeport News – Beth Andrews of Easton began her tenure at the Center for Family Justice as a volunteer. These days she is a staff member in charge of volunteers.
Andrews, who said she loves to talk and is comfortable in front of a crowd, addressed a gathering of volunteers at a breakfast Feb. 4 at the center at 753 Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport.
Debra Greenwood, president and CEO, and Amanda Posila, director of programs, training and internships, also spoke about the exciting times unfolding as the center prepares to open April 5 as Connecticut’s first full-fledged family justice center.
The new facility, which is at the same location in Bridgeport, will be a one-stop destination where victims of domestic violence can obtain all the services they need to recover and stay safe, all under one roof.
The center serves women and men and has clients from toddlers to people in their 90s.
“We believe you,” Greenwood said. “We’re here to help you. Those are our guiding principles.”
The center needs certified volunteers more than ever at this important time in its history. In addition, the state has a budget deficit that will affect funding for all agencies in the coming years.
Volunteers must pass a background check on an annual basis and complete a 40-hour certification course with an annual six-hour refresher course. The certification class is typically given twice a year, in January and July, but this year it is expected to also be offered in May because of the center’s opening, Posila said.
“We could not have this organization working as it does without our volunteers,” Andrews said.
Volunteers may perform some tasks before they complete their certification, but they may not work directly with clients, she said.
A variety of volunteer work is available, from helping out at events like Walk a Mile in Her Shoes and the annual fund-raising luncheon, to helping with mailings, hospitality, crisis services, court advocacy, child care, crisis hotline, hosting fund-raising parties, and many other opportunities.
Certification costs $250, but volunteers are eligible for a $100 refund after they complete 50 hours of volunteer work.
Volunteer Dawn Cantafio of Trumbull praised the center’s dedicated staff for their friendliness and knowledge.
“They appreciate everything you do,” she said. “I’m humbled by my little part.”
Cantafio cares for children while their mothers are learning healthy cooking methods. She also volunteers as a crisis services receptionist, after having first received training and shadowed the staff receptionist.
“Things can get intense when you have a victim on the phone and someone at the door who wants to come it,” she said. But she said she loves helping out and finds the work rewarding.
Cantafio brought two friends who are interested in becoming volunteers, Edlira Gjonbalaj of Bridgeport and Gail Ayotte of Trumbull. After attending the breakfast and learning more about the center, they said they are definitely going to do it.
More than 120 years of service
Greenwood provided a brief history of the center from its start as a YWCA in 1895 to where it is today.
It separated from the Y and became the Center for Women and Families of Eastern Fairfield County after the Violence Against Women Act was enacted in 1994.
It has always offered crisis services for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Then three years ago, the Center for Women and Families of Eastern Fairfield County held a public policy breakfast to explain to community leaders why the region needs a family justice center — a one-stop shop for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, offering all the services they need to become survivors under one roof.
It will be Connecticut’s first family justice center and will serve as a role model for subsequent centers in the state. In addition to Bridgeport, it serves victims in Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford, and Trumbull.
The justice center will offer advocacy, shelter placement, case management, counseling, safety, education and employment planning, emotional support, and child care when receiving services.
Safety is paramount in everything the center does.
“We live it here every day,” Greenwood said. “This is a very safe place. There are cameras in the hallways and outside, and no weapons are allowed in the building except for police officers’ guns..”
After the breakfast, staff and board members provided tours of the new facility under construction.
To view original article click here: Center for Family Justice Seeks Volunteers