A place for hope
By Brian Cronin
ORLANDO Fla. – Students at VCC were educated about the incline in domestic violence when Robin Landwehr, a spokeswoman and shelter service manager for Harbor House; spoke on Tuesday, March 14 to students and faculty. Concerned about the growing population of domestic violence, spokeswoman Landwehr for Orlando’s Harbor House was invited to make a presentation about domestic violence by VCC Honor Society.
“As a nation, the abuse of women is on the decline; however, in our own backyard it is on the rise and Harbor House employees are there to answer the call.” Landwehr said, “Over 8,000 calls were made to police concerning domestic violence here in Orange County. “ Landwehr continued, “One in four women is slaves in their own home.”
Samantha Rogers, a student at Valencia East Campus said, “All people need more education on the topic of domestic violence. It is horrible to see my friend cry every night because of an abusive relationship.” She also said, “I wanted to see if I could get my friend some help and the meeting today gave me great information and places to go for help.”
Landwehr states their objective at Harbor House is to keep domestic violence victims and their children safe. “We have the best facilities in Orlando,” said Landwehr and it is a state certified institution. Harbor House does not discriminate, accepting anyone, in any situation. One of their missions is to educate the family about outreach programs that their staff has to offer each victim and their children.
The Orange County website on domestic violence indicates that, last year 3 million to 10 million children witnessed assaults against a parent by an intimate partner. It also states that most cases of abuse go unreported because of victim fears, including fear for their life.
Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) secretary, Robert A. Butterworth said, “This past year, Florida Legislature appropriated 28 million dollars to promote and support programs the Governor believes will affect the change necessary to hold offenders accountable and support local organizations to make a difference and end this terrible crime.” Violence against women is an epidemic problem for our society. Orange County has the largest reported cases of domestic violence in the state of Florida.
Harbor House is a safe haven for abused woman and children. Their rule states no one is allowed on property and this includes: police officers, DCF case workers, and family members without prior notice. The shelter is an 88 bed facility, but they have seen as many as 113 residents in one night in some cases. The shelter’s staff provides legal assistance, outreach programs, and education to the women who have bravely sought out assistance.
“Our job at Harbor House is to attend to the needs of the less fortunate.” Landwehr said. They do not allow visitors in order to protect each person’s privacy. “The reason for that is the abused is already in a weekend state; we do not want to complicate it anymore.”
Ashton Owens, a student at Valencia said, “I have seen it firsthand; what abuse does to a family and I am glad there are organizations like Harbor House to help those that are in need.”
Stephanie Parenti, the president for Amnesty International USA, Valencia East Campus said, “The numbers are staggering. Already this year we have seen an increase of 25 percent of cases reported for domestic violence compared with the same time last year.” Unfortunately, the data for domestic violence is skewed because reporting it is uncommon for both the victim and the abuser.
Bernice Henry, a student at Valencia said, “The place where a woman is supposed to feel safe, at home with her partner and children, sometimes she feels like a slave because of the abuse. We need more sessions like the one today to educate the youth so domestic violence stops once and for all.”
Landwehr also confirmed the hardship for the children in an abusive home. She said, “Few options are out there for the children. We at Harbor House want to make the transition from their home to Harbor House as painless as possible.” We bus them to their school of record if they want, keep them with their parent in the same room, and give them some psychological help with counselors that are on staff.”
The average stay in Harbor House according to Landwehr is six to eight weeks; however they have seen people stay longer and others who recover in no time. The future is bright for Harbor House they are building a school for the children, recruiting legal assistance volunteers for the woman, and offering jobs to former residents that cannot locate employment.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Supporting the local community
By Brian Cronin
ORLANDO Fla. – Mike Adkins, pastor for Grace Fellowship Church and a member of the board of directors for the Destiny Foundation, carved time from his busy schedule to speak in front of the journalism class about the programs he and his church members do for the local community and abroad.
“Our church is designed to bring people back to faith,” said Rev. Adkins, “We guide those people in their next step toward Christ.”
The Church members donated 500 bags of groceries to the working poor of Orlando at their ‘Easter at Eola’ celebration. Rev. Adkins said, “We had more than enough food and we would have liked for more people to show.”
Other organizations help the local committee, such as,The Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida who are also helping the community with food drives and outreach programs. They predict with the economic downturn there will be twice as many people homeless this year than there were last year.
A spokesman for the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida said, “The Coalition is able to help nearly 650 people each day.” The employees at the Coalition are an all volunteer organization that help feed the homeless. “Last year, the Coalition served nearly 270,000 meals to the homeless.” However their mission is to not only feed the homeless but to, “Return our residents to self-sufficiency, through counseling, job training, and educational programs.”
The Department of Children and Families for the state of Florida admits due to the upturn in foreclosures, up 69% since last year, the homeless population is growing and in need of some serious help. Statistics from their web site show that all areas of assistance from the state and federal government are up. In February 2008, there were 436,315 applications form families applying for cash assistance it was an increase of 74,129 from one year before.
Rev. Adkins and the church members are also able to help the local community; by donating food, conducting outreach programs, and empowering people who are having difficulties. He also donates his time and money to places as far away as Africa, with contributions from the church members; Rev. Adkins and his close friends are able to visit and finance enough money for a drinking well system for the citizens of Rwanda.
Rev. Adkins praises the Destiny Foundation for their involvement in the community. To be eligible for the services at the Destiny Foundation you are pre-registered based on need. Rev. Adkins said, “There has been a dramatic increase of need because of the economic downturn, but we are thankful we can help.” He also said, “A lot of people at the Destiny Foundation help give back when they get on their feet.”
Rev. Adkins plans on extending his outreach in the future to other people in need. He would like to partner with other organizations to do more in helping, “assist battered women, serve the poor, take care of the fatherless, and help the widow’s.” He also plans to do more for the people of Africa; he plans a trip at least once a year to help them with medical issues and basic economic needs.
By Brian Cronin
ORLANDO Fla. – Mike Adkins, pastor for Grace Fellowship Church and a member of the board of directors for the Destiny Foundation, carved time from his busy schedule to speak in front of the journalism class about the programs he and his church members do for the local community and abroad.
“Our church is designed to bring people back to faith,” said Rev. Adkins, “We guide those people in their next step toward Christ.”
The Church members donated 500 bags of groceries to the working poor of Orlando at their ‘Easter at Eola’ celebration. Rev. Adkins said, “We had more than enough food and we would have liked for more people to show.”
Other organizations help the local committee, such as,The Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida who are also helping the community with food drives and outreach programs. They predict with the economic downturn there will be twice as many people homeless this year than there were last year.
A spokesman for the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida said, “The Coalition is able to help nearly 650 people each day.” The employees at the Coalition are an all volunteer organization that help feed the homeless. “Last year, the Coalition served nearly 270,000 meals to the homeless.” However their mission is to not only feed the homeless but to, “Return our residents to self-sufficiency, through counseling, job training, and educational programs.”
The Department of Children and Families for the state of Florida admits due to the upturn in foreclosures, up 69% since last year, the homeless population is growing and in need of some serious help. Statistics from their web site show that all areas of assistance from the state and federal government are up. In February 2008, there were 436,315 applications form families applying for cash assistance it was an increase of 74,129 from one year before.
Rev. Adkins and the church members are also able to help the local community; by donating food, conducting outreach programs, and empowering people who are having difficulties. He also donates his time and money to places as far away as Africa, with contributions from the church members; Rev. Adkins and his close friends are able to visit and finance enough money for a drinking well system for the citizens of Rwanda.
Rev. Adkins praises the Destiny Foundation for their involvement in the community. To be eligible for the services at the Destiny Foundation you are pre-registered based on need. Rev. Adkins said, “There has been a dramatic increase of need because of the economic downturn, but we are thankful we can help.” He also said, “A lot of people at the Destiny Foundation help give back when they get on their feet.”
Rev. Adkins plans on extending his outreach in the future to other people in need. He would like to partner with other organizations to do more in helping, “assist battered women, serve the poor, take care of the fatherless, and help the widow’s.” He also plans to do more for the people of Africa; he plans a trip at least once a year to help them with medical issues and basic economic needs.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
A visit from Mike Adkins
By Brian Cronin
ORLANDO Fla. – Mike Adkins, pastor for Grace Fellowship Church and a member of the board of directors for the Destiny Foundation, carved time from his busy schedule to speak in front of the Journalism class about the programs he and his church members do for the local community and abroad.
“Our church is designed to bring people back to faith,” said Rev. Adkins, “We guide those people in their next step toward Christ.”
Rev. Adkins and the church members help the local community; by donating food, conducting outreach programs, and empowering people who are having difficulties. He also donates his time and money to places as far away as Africa, with contributions from the church members; Rev. Adkins and his close friends are able to visit and finance enough money for a drinking well system for the citizens of Rwanda.
The Church members donated 500 bags of groceries to the working poor of Orlando at their ‘Easter at Eola’ celebration. Rev. Adkins said, “We had more than enough food and we would have liked for more people to show.”
During his trips to Africa, Rev. Adkins has witnessed miracles. “When we first made it there they had many diseases because of dirty water. Now, drinking wells that provide fresh water have made a difference that helps the well-being of the villagers.”
Rev. Adkins praises the Destiny Foundation for their involvement in the community. To be eligible for the services at the Destiny Foundation you are pre-registered based on need. Rev. Adkins said, “There has been a dramatic increase of need because of the economic downturn, but we are thankful we can help.” He also said, “A lot of people at the Destiny Foundation help give back when they get on their feet.”
Rev. Adkins plans on extending his outreach in the future to other people in need. He would like to partner with other organizations to do more in helping, “assist battered women, serve the poor, take care of the fatherless, and help the widow’s.” He also plans to do more for the people of Africa; he plans a trip at least once a year to help them with medical issues and basic economic needs.
By Brian Cronin
ORLANDO Fla. – Mike Adkins, pastor for Grace Fellowship Church and a member of the board of directors for the Destiny Foundation, carved time from his busy schedule to speak in front of the Journalism class about the programs he and his church members do for the local community and abroad.
“Our church is designed to bring people back to faith,” said Rev. Adkins, “We guide those people in their next step toward Christ.”
Rev. Adkins and the church members help the local community; by donating food, conducting outreach programs, and empowering people who are having difficulties. He also donates his time and money to places as far away as Africa, with contributions from the church members; Rev. Adkins and his close friends are able to visit and finance enough money for a drinking well system for the citizens of Rwanda.
The Church members donated 500 bags of groceries to the working poor of Orlando at their ‘Easter at Eola’ celebration. Rev. Adkins said, “We had more than enough food and we would have liked for more people to show.”
During his trips to Africa, Rev. Adkins has witnessed miracles. “When we first made it there they had many diseases because of dirty water. Now, drinking wells that provide fresh water have made a difference that helps the well-being of the villagers.”
Rev. Adkins praises the Destiny Foundation for their involvement in the community. To be eligible for the services at the Destiny Foundation you are pre-registered based on need. Rev. Adkins said, “There has been a dramatic increase of need because of the economic downturn, but we are thankful we can help.” He also said, “A lot of people at the Destiny Foundation help give back when they get on their feet.”
Rev. Adkins plans on extending his outreach in the future to other people in need. He would like to partner with other organizations to do more in helping, “assist battered women, serve the poor, take care of the fatherless, and help the widow’s.” He also plans to do more for the people of Africa; he plans a trip at least once a year to help them with medical issues and basic economic needs.
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