Advocate News - Fall/Winter 2017

FALL / WINTER 2017

A BI ANNUAL PUBLI CAT I ON FR OM CHI LD A DVOCAT ES, I N C.

“It felt lonely. I had no love, no hope … I wanted another person in my life, so I asked for a child advocate.”

- Andrew, age 15 >

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OUR HIGHEST HONORS AWARDED TO TWO WORTHY ADVOCATES CELEBRATING FIVE YEARS OF OUR SUPERHERO RUN ADVOCATE NEWS

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CEO’S letter Hi everyone, Hurricane Harvey has impacted so much of our city. We have seen tragedy, but we have also seen the overwhelming generosity of the people of Houston, and their resilience in overcoming and helping each other. Many of our families were affected by the flood, but thanks to so many generous sponsors and supporters we are already helping them get back on their feet!

In light of Harvey, we chose to celebrate our advocate volunteers with a reception in our home office this year. Guests had the opportunity to see our new space and get to know other volunteers. We presented our James A. Gwinn Volunteer of the Year and our Rookie of the Year awards to two deserving recipients which you can read more about in this newsletter.

The beginning of fall has been filled with many happy days. In August, we sent our kids back to school in style with our annual Childspree. As always, the smiles we saw overshadowed the early morning and our children were able to take home a bag full of new clothes and shoes for the year. Then, in October, we watched 850 superheroes of all ages cross the finish line at our Child Advocates Superhero Run. It has been a wonderful few months!

As we round out the year, we will be celebrating the holidays with our children and working to close out 2017 strong. We will kick things off in just a few days with our Angels of Hope luncheon. We are thrilled to honor longtime supporter and board member Suzie Thomas for her many years of dedication to Child Advocates at this year’s event. The afternoon will include a beautiful fashion presentation by Neiman Marcus and a raffle of amazing items. There are still tickets available and we would love to have you join us.

PHOTO CREDITS COVER: Andrew and Sharon Barnes.

Children take off from the finish line at our 2017 Superhero Run THIS PAGE TOP TO BOTTOM: Rob Lee and Claudia Christin with Sonya at the Volunteer Appreciation reception. A child picking out a treat at the Childspree. Megan Cushing, Amanda Weeks, Suzie Thomas, Janice McNair and Hannah McNair, our 2017 Angels of Hope Luncheon chairs and honoree.

TABLE of CONTENTS

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CHILD ADVOCATES

We are looking ahead to 2018 with big ambitions and goals. Next year, we plan to serve 2,550 children. The Child Advocates family is made up of passionate, energetic and committed individuals and together we can give a voice to more of Houston’s abused children. I am eager to see the incredible impact we will continue to make in our city.

Thank you for your continued support, Sonya Galvan, CEO

Two Worthy Advocates

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A Special Thanks

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Focus on Friends

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Better Days Ahead

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Young Professionals for Children

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Thanks Donors

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A Closer Look

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Superhero Run

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Beyond the Advocate

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Snapshots

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Doing Something

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Board Voice

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Upcoming Events

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Thrive 24

OUR HIGHEST HONORS AWARDED: Volunteer of the Year & Rookie of the Year

Every fall, we invite our court appointed advocate volunteers to gather for an evening of celebration and appreciation, honoring all of their incredible work with Houston’s abused children. This year, we brought our volunteer appreciation reception into the comforts of our work home and opened up our office for our advocates to have drinks, hors d’oeuvres and the opportunity to get to know other volunteers.

The evening was filled with warm conversations and plenty of stories shared between guests. A video played throughout the office, highlighting our advocacy coordinators and their thoughts on what makes our volunteers so special.

JAMES A. GWINN VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR The James A. Gwinn Volunteer of the Year award, also known as our JAG award, is designed to recognize a tenured court appointed advocate who has shown independence, an ability to work with all parties on the case and is instrumental in some aspect of the case they work.

This award is given to someone who understands our goals and our mission and goes above and beyond to serve Houston’s abused children.

This year’s JAG recipient, Victoria Varner, has been an advocate volunteer for 12 years and has given over 700 recorded hours of service to Child Advocates. Over the course of eight different cases, Victoria has To top off the evening, Sonya given a voice to 25 children, some of expressed her gratitude and thanked whom have experienced sexual abuse our advocates for their commitment. or have special needs. Victoria often Two of our advocacy coordinators takes cases with multiple siblings who then spoke about volunteers who are usually placed in different homes, have shown to be exceptional in their never hesitating to make visits to work, presenting them with our James multiple locations each month.

A. Gwinn Volunteer of the Year and Victoria once worked on a case with our Rookie of the Year awards. a young girl who cried out that she

PHOTO CREDITS LEFT TO RIGHT: Victoria Varner, the 2017 James A. Gwinn Volunteer of the Year, and her advocacy coordinator Javier Gonzalez.

Rookie of the Year, Linda Stone and her advocacy coordinator Esmeralda Vargas.

had been sexually abused. There was little evidence that her perpetrator had spent any time with her, and her mother denied having contact with him. As her advocate, Victoria built relationships with the family, including her older brother who revealed that their mom had spent time with the perpetrator at a local store. Victoria contacted the store’s manager and spent eight hours reviewing security camera footage to prove that the brother’s statement was true.

Charges were pressed because of the additional evidence Victoria uncovered.

Shortly after, the older brother passed away from an aggressive cancer.

Victoria coordinated with the CPS caseworker, caregiver and other officials to ensure that the young girl was able to attend her brother’s memorial service. Victoria joined her there that day to offer support.

As a member of our Advisory Board, Victoria serves as an incredible ambassador for our mission, always CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE >>

ADVOCATE NEWS

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OUR HIGHEST HONORS AWARDED (CONTINUED) looking for opportunities to help us grow. She has recruited others to become advocate volunteers and frequently shares Child Advocates’ mission with her friends and family.

In December of 2016, Victoria was approached about a case with 12 children who were living in multiple homes across Houston. She knew she couldn’t handle a case of that magnitude on her own, so she recruited two other volunteers to work alongside her and take on the case as a team. Because of her enthusiasm and dedication, 12 more children have a voice during an overwhelming time in their lives.

Congratulations, Victoria, on such an amazing accomplishment and thank you for being a champion for Houston’s abused children!

PHOTO CREDITS TOP TO BOTTOM: Advocacy coordinator, Javier Gonzalez, giving a heartfelt speech.

Linda Stone recieving her Rookie of the Year award from CEO, Sonya Galvan.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Linda Stone, has proven to be a consistent, passionate and determined volunteer in just 18 months as an advocate. She is currently working her second case and has shown an outstanding ability to communicate effectively with everyone she interacts with. She is excellent with documentation, investigating and testifying in court—all in an effort to determine what is in the best interest of the children she serves.

On her first case, Linda was serving two young children who had witnessed the murder of their mother. The children were initially placed in a foster home, but when Linda popped in one day for a visit, it became very clear that their living conditions were not clean or safe. Linda knew that she couldn’t leave the children there. Linda stayed at the home, made phone calls and patiently waited from mid-morning until early evening when the children were moved to a safer foster home. Linda did not leave their side.

CPS then presented three potential family members to care for the children.

Linda investigated each potential placement thoroughly and learned that each of them had either a criminal background, a history with CPS or did not show any effort to provide the children with a safe and stable home. Linda gave a strong testimony to the judge, requesting that they stay in a wonderful foster home that was ready to adopt. Thanks to Linda’s due diligence, the judge agreed with this request and she continues to have a close bond with them today.

Linda’s dedication to finding the best possible situation for the children she serves and her thorough communication and documention are just a few of the qualities that make her so deserving of our Rookie of the Year award. She is sure to make a profound impact in the lives of more children in the future as she gives them a voice and advocates for their best interest. Congratulations, Linda, our 2017 Rookie of the Year!

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FOCUS on FRIENDS Born and raised in Waller, Texas, Michelle Gray sees children as beacons for the future who need and deserve positive, loving influences in their lives. She took this belief with her while she studied finance and marketing at Texas A&M University.

She went on to attend the University of Houston Law Center, graduating top of her class, and later clerked for United States District Judge David Hittner. It was during law school that she decided to learn more about Child Advocates and its work within the community. Initially, Michelle saw Child Advocates as an opportunity to give back to her community.

She began by volunteering at individualized special events. Almost immediately, Michelle knew that this was an organization that would grow to be near and dear.

Today, Michelle is a partner at the litigation boutique of Fogler, Brar, Ford, O’Neil & Gray LLP and, as suspected, Child Advocates has continued to be an organization dear to her. Michelle is drawn to Child Advocates believing everyone needs an advocate—be that a court appointed volunteer or an attorney.

She feels her involvement is an opportunity that aligns with both her passion and profession. Michelle wholeheartedly believes “one person

can make a difference in the life of a child and that can make a huge impact on the next generation.”

Michelle is a regular supporter of the Pull for Kids Classic and Wine Pull parties, and this past year she volunteered on the team sales committee to ensure a successful event. A dedicated Friends governance council member, Michelle is excited to move into her new role as president this next year.

When asked why she continues to volunteer her valuable time with Child Advocates, Michelle shared that she is impressed by the leadership and passion throughout the organization which motivates her to keep Child Advocates a priority. When she isn’t working or volunteering, Michelle spends her time with her high school sweetheart and husband, Buddy, their two-year-old daughter, Nora, and their two dogs, Kase and Sarge.

PHOTO CREDITS LEFT TOP TO BOTTOM: Michelle Gray. Michelle and her husband, Buddy with their daughter, Nora.

BOTTOM: 2017 Angels of Hope honoree, Suzie Thomas.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 ROYAL SONESTA HOUSTON GALLERIA Join us as we honor longtime supporter and board member, Suzie Thomas.

Kick off the holiday season with a Neiman Marcus fashion presentation and a raffle of priceless items.

Purchase tickets and preview our raffle items at www.childadvocates.org/angelsofhope.

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YOUNG PROFESSIONALS for CHILDREN Young Professionals for Children (YPC) is a diverse group of young adults who are committed to making a profound and positive impact for the children Child Advocates serves. With networking events, fundraising efforts and children’s events, YPC supports the work of Child Advocates and they make the days a little brighter.

The temps might have been blazing in Houston, but thanks to members of YPC, Tenaris and Whataburger, children had the chance to cool off and celebrate

PHOTO CREDITS LEFT TOP TO BOTTOM: Jacob Eberhart cooling off at water day. Coby Lazarine playing with our kids.

Guests at our Summer Pub Crawl. TOP RIGHT: A little baseball fan cheering on the Astros.

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the summer at our annual Water Day on Saturday, July 15. More than 60 of Houston’s abused and neglected children played outdoor laser tag, slid down a water slide and took turns racing through the water inflatables.

Lunch from Whataburger was also enjoyed by everyone after a few hours in the sun. There was no doubt that the children had fun splashing around and racing each other, but the volunteers had just as much fun!

Most of them were soaked from head to toe after jumping right in alongside the kids.

On July 29, YPC hosted a Summer Pub Crawl with more than 40 guests who enjoyed beverages while celebrating the summer season.

The event raised funds for YPC’s children’s events and brought awareness of Child Advocates’ mission. The group visited four different pubs through the afternoon: Little Woodrow’s, Dogwood, Pub Fiction and Irish Cowboy. The participating pubs helped support Child Advocates by offering drink specials just for Pub Crawl ticket-holders, and some even donated a portion of the sale back to Child Advocates.

As our Child Advocates children geared up to go back to school, YPC members helped at the annual Childspree. More than a dozen members woke up early on August 19 to help children shop for back to school clothes at the Pearland Target.

A successful morning of shopping was capped off with a group brunch where they shared stories from the hours prior.

To round out the summer, YPC planned an outing to the ballpark.

Over 70 children and their caregivers were hosted at Minute Maid Park for an Astros game.

Everyone received ball caps and snacks to go with their complimentary tickets to the game.

We cannot thank the Astros Foundation enough for generously donating the tickets. It was a wonderful evening that our children will not forget.

YPC helps give kids hope. Their circumstances might be difficult, but with this dynamic group, children can experience glimpses of a childhood full of happy memories, hugs and plenty of fun.

Whether you’re looking to network with other young professionals, help a child or just learn more about Child Advocates, YPC would love to have you! You can learn more by emailing christine.howard@childadvocates.org for more details. n

a closer look: MACQUARIE & TWIN EAGLE Headquartered in Sydney, Australia since its founding in 1969, Macquarie also manages locations across North and South America, Asia, Europe and Africa where they deliver the same excellent, client-centric approach to financial services. While Macquarie is committed to their clients, it is also committed to the communities where their employees live. Macqaurie has always been a generous philanthropic partner within communities across the globe. Looking to further engage their employees and expand their efforts to give back, Macqaurie launched Foundation Week four years ago. Each office across the globe chooses a charity beneficiary, and whatever dollar amount the employees raise, Macquarie matches—more than doubling their overall contribution!

Child Advocates was excited to be selected as the Houston office’s charity of choice for Foundation Week this past October. The Houston Community Advisory Committee, an internal team consisting of three officers—Liz Schaffner, Chair & Community Affairs Liaison, Vanessa Stacey, Vice Chair and Sydney Bass, Secretary and 10 employees across different departments—selected Child Advocates from several applying charities. With a company focus on helping the community, especially children, it was a perfect partnership. Macquarie employees kicked off the week with a reception where their employees heard from Jan Mendenhall and her experiences as a court appointed advocate with Child Advocates. The rest of the week held exciting events for the staff, including a bake sale, a chili cook off between departments and a rowing competition between Houston coworkers their colleagues in other cities. Child Advocates is very appreciative of all the hard work and fundraising efforts of the Macquarie team.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Houston, Twin Eagle is rapidly growing in the ever-diversifying energy market. It provides midstream energy and wholesale services across the country. Employing more than 400 energy professionals, Twin Eagle offers natural gas, power and environmental products across the United States and Canada. The leaders throughout the company also share their time and resources with nonprofits across the communities where they live and operate. In 2015, Twin Eagle launched “Soar to Success: Making a Difference in our Communities”, a campaign to focus their company-wide efforts on three pillars: health and wellness, youth and human services. Twin Eagle supports causes and organizations that are important to their team members and customers and encourages its employees to be actively connected across the community. This past year, Twin Eagle partnered with Child Advocates by sponsoring and attending several of our events throughout the year. At the Pull for Kids Classic last May, Twin Eagle had two teams at the sporting clays tournament. In August, they sponsored a store for the Childspree—an event where children served by volunteer advocates shop for back-to-school clothes and shoes. And just this past month, Twin Eagle sponsored the Superhero Run at CityCentre and had eight employees compete in the 5K run. Child Advocates is proud to have partnered with Twin Eagle and its generous and committed employees!

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beyond THE ADVOCATE JAG COMMITTEE Les Schmaltz, an advocate volunteer and the 2009 recipient of our James A. Gwinn (JAG) Volunteer of the Year award, decided he wanted to do more than just have his name on the wall. He organized other JAG award winners to discuss challenges that advocates face and work together to find solutions, thus forming the JAG committee.

These volunteers demonstrate an understanding of our mission and goals, going above and beyond to not only serve children as a court appointed advocate, but also to serve as an ambassador for Child Advocates through additional volunteer work or by promoting our work to others in the community.

The JAG committee has taken on a variety of projects to help improve the volunteer experience as they continue to champion Houston’s abused children.

Every new advocacy coordinator who is hired has the opportunity to meet with a JAG committee member, allowing them to hear the perspective of an outstanding volunteer. Currently, the JAG committee is working on an advocate retention

project where they are interviewing former advocate volunteers to find new opportunities to improve. The committee also meets with Judge Frank Rynd to gain his insights and brainstorm solutions to improve the courtroom experience.

They have been instrumental in addressing concerns of their peers, helping Child Advocates as an organization strengthen our program so we may continue to give a voice to Houston’s littlest victims. Thank you Les and the JAG committee for your hard work and dedication!

ADVOCATE MENTORING PROGRAM Child Advocates’ need to grow and serve more children certainly does not come without challenges. One of those being how to moblize more volunteers with fewer staff members, but still provide quality work for the children.

The challenge presents an opportunity, so we developed the Advocate Mentoring Program.

With the help of our staff, Child Advocates is testing a new program that allows tenured advocate volunteers to serve as a mentor and coordinator to new advocates.

Thanks to these dedicated volunteers, we will be able to assign new advocates to cases

PHOTO CREDITS TOP TO BOTTOM: Team Leader, Betsi Sanchez with mentor Quinton Harp. JAG Committee members Duane King, Les Schmaltz, Diane Rifai and Dave Cooney. Previous JAG Winners, Bonnie & John McMillan, Zack Coapland, Linda Murphy, Bernie Powell and John Krebs.

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faster, ultimately helping us serve more children who need us.

GRAD SCHOOL COMMITTEE It is no small task to plan and organize continuing education classes that are beneficial and of interest to our nearly 800 active advocate volunteers.

However, the Grad School committee, a dedicated group of advocates, is up to the challenge.

Comprised of all current and former advocate volunteers, these individuals organize, plan and execute nearly a dozen grad school sessions each year.

From finding topics and speakers that are relevant to the casework to organizing food and even making copies of any handouts, they do not miss a beat.

What used to take the manpower of many staff members, has now been charged to this committee of volunteers; allowing our staff focus further on volunteer management and casework. We are so thankful for this committee and all their efforts! n

ADVOCACY UNIVERSITY BEGINS JANUARY 10, 2018!

Learn how you can be a champion for Houston’s abused children. www.childadvocates.org

doing SOMETHING

NIGHT COURT

KAPPA GAMMA TEACHERS

SER-NINOS MIDDLE SCHOOL

For more than 25 years, a group of Houston-area lawyers and judges have been singing and dancing and have raised more than $1 million for charities across this great city!

This past August their performance, Con Law-From the Beginning was centered on the U. S. Constitution and the unique history and laws of America.

For months, the performers spent their days negotiating contracts, litigating lawsuits and deposing witnesses … but in the evenings, they were singing and dancing the night away in preparation of their four performances at The Hobby Center. This year broke all sponsorship and ticket sales records!

Child Advocates is exceedingly grateful to everyone associated with Night Court for choosing our mission as a beneficiary this year!

Delta Kappa Gamma Society International was founded in 1929 on the campus of the University of Texas by a group of 12 women with a commitment to promote women in education and bring respect to their profession. This group of dedicated educators has grown significantly over the years and is now an international organization. This past summer they held their 88th Texas State Organization Convention in Houston and invited Sonya to be their keynote speaker. While attending this three day convention, these women donated more than 10,000 items to Rachel and Gilbert’s Closet—a space at the Child Advocates’ offices where volunteers can select toys, games, diapers, books, clothes and a host of other items for the children they serve. Additionally, they donated more than $6,500 in gift cards and cash to provide additional support for the abused children we are committed to serving. Thank you to Bonnie Moore, who chaired the event, her husband Greg—a court appointed advocate—for recommending Child Advocates as the beneficiary and Mary Ann Slaughter and Ella Gauthier, Co-Chairs who spear-headed the women’s generosity!

Three eighth grade students at SERNinos Middle School in Gulfton were assigned to research a topic that impacts their community. They chose to learn more about child abuse and how it affects their peers and other children across the community.

After learning just how prevalent and serious child abuse is—and just how easily it can be hidden—the students decided to raise money for a charity that helps abused children. They hosted a bake sale and donated the proceeds to Child Advocates. In May, we attended a check presentation hosted at the school. The students shared their newfound knowledge and asked for more information about Child Advocates and how we help abused children. Thank you to the students and teachers at SER-Ninos for raising awareness and money to help victims of child abuse.

PHOTO CREDITS THIS PAGE LEFT TO RIGHT: Legal professionals take the stage at “Con-Law— From the Beginning”. Delta Kappa Gamma members collect items for Rachel & Gilbert’s closet. Students present a homemade check for Child Advocates.

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upcoming EVENTS December 5 Angels of Hope Luncheon 5 - 13 Santa’s Wish List January 10 14

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Advocacy University Begins Chevron Houston Marathon Hoopla Station Advocacy University Begins

February All Month Car Pros for Kids 10 YPC Valentine’s Party March 10

YPC Children’s Day at the Zoo

April 4 8

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Advocacy University Begins McDonald’s Houston Children’s Festival Pull for Kids Classic - Sporting Clays Tournament Pull for Kids Classic - Evening Party

May 2

Advocacy University Begins

KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST AT

www.childadvocates.org/calendar

Help leave a lasting legacy.

JOIN THE BERNIE POWELL LEGACY SOCIETY. The Bernie Powell Legacy Society honors those supporters who have made a legacy commitment to Child Advocates. By planning a gift as part of your overall estate and financial plans, you will allow us to continue to speak up for abused children who are lost in the system for years to come. With your gift, you’ll also receive substantial tax and financial benefits and you’ll join a group of outstanding individuals who are making a lasting difference in the fight against child abuse.

A HEARTFELT THANKS TO OUR CURRENT MEMBERS… Mrs. Mary E. Ainslie Mr. David Baird Mr. Jeff C. Cotner Mrs. Jane Dabney Mr. and Mrs. Tom Farrell Mr. and Mrs. Rex Grey Mr. and Mrs. Hub Hawthorn Ms. Betty Joe Haynes Mr. Edwin Jennings

Mrs. Lucile Melcher Ms. Alice Minatra Mrs. Alison Comstock Moss Mr. and Mrs. Ed Powell Mr. and Mrs. Brad Robbins Mr. and Mrs. Jim Sloan Swalm Foundation Mrs. Nancy Thorington Ms. Lynda Lighthouse Transier

goals UPDATE CHILDREN SERVED

2020 SERVED | GOAL: 2350 AS OF 11/8/2017 VOLUNTEERS TRAINED

256 TRAINED | GOAL: 300 AS OF 11/8/2017 DOLLARS RAISED

3,091,548 RAISED | GOAL: $5,104,510 AS OF 09/30/2017

$

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To learn more about our planned giving program, contact Emily Bhatti at (713) 529-1396 ext. 248 or emily.bhatti@childadvocates.org.

a special THANKS Childspree — Thanks to EDF, NAI Partners and Twin Eagle for donating school supplies. Thank you to Shipley Donuts and Target stores for providing breakfast for our kids and volunteers.

Superhero Run - Thank you to Direct Energy for our superhero capes. Thank you to Enterprise Truck Rentals for donating our weekend transportation, H-E-B Foods for food and water at our post-race party, Hotel Sorella CityCentre for donating hotel rooms, LJA Engineering for providing a traffic control plan, Michael Nguyen for taking photos, Orion EMS for providing an on-site medic station and Whataburger for breakfast for our volunteers. Thanks to Signature Care Emergency Center for the drawstring runners’ bags and to Becks Prime, Cigna, Stewart Title, Twin Eagle, Vahle and Whataburger for the items to go inside the bags.

Volunteer Appreciation Reception - Thank you to JAX Grill for preparing hors d’oeuvres for the evening.

YPC - Thanks to Whataburger for providing lunch for our kids at our annual Water Day. A special thanks to Irish Cowboy, Little Woodrows and Pub Fiction for drinks at our YPC Summer Pub Crawl.

We would like to send a special thanks to Alyssa Beach Photography, Roopal Amin, the Akin Group, Bay Area Quilters Guild, Mentie Cochran, the retired teachers of Delta Kappa Gamma, Bob Kossman and the Knights of Columbus, Lakeview Quilters Guild, Tom McCaffrey, The Merrill House, Nicholas Turner and Richard Rothfelder. You helped our children have brighter days.

Hurricane Harvey affected all of us, and after the storm, we learned nearly 40 of our families had been displaced. For our children, it was one more time they would have to call a new place home.

The Child Advocates family stepped up to make sure that the needs of Houston’s abused children were being met. Through grants, gift cards and generous donations, nearly $22,000 was raised to help our children who were directly impacted by the storm and flood waters.

Thank you to…

AG Law Eiman Alian Bernadette Bernardino Max Bulk Emily Einhaus Mark Faist Shay & Anthony Garcia Bret Gardner The Kerley Family The Knights of Columbus Brian Leeke Betsy Lowe Mattress Firm National CASA Association

New Town Elementary School Students Meghan Peckis Sara Neese Rice Military Neighborhood Roosevelt Elementary of Tampa Bay, Troop #32004 Joseph Rubbo SANS Institute Angie Sherrell Ticket to Dream Foundation Waverly Park Neighborhood Vitol, Inc.

…who donated to our efforts. Because of you and the continued support of our community, we really are Houston Strong.

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BETTER DAYS AHEAD: a

boy becomes a man with the support of his advocate.

Scott Washburn had been volunteering with Child Advocates for more than a decade when his advocacy coordinator approached him about a new case with a teenage boy named Andrew. Child Advocates had been appointed by the court on a PMC case—a case that is no longer considered active because the child or children are in the permanent custody of the state. Often children on PMC cases experience “benign neglect” because the state does not make a good parent. In those cases, the court may appoint an advocate to serve as an extra set of eyes and ears for the judge. After looking briefly at his case file, Scott could tell Andrew needed a male role model and agreed to take on the case. As an advocate, Scott was tasked with getting to know Andrew, learning about his background and helping offer crucial insight to the judge as to what would be in Andrew’s best interest.

At their first meeting, Andrew was standoffish and quiet. He kept his head down and his arms crossed as he showed Scott around to his bunk and where he kept his things. He clearly didn’t trust anyone, but slowly opened up as the visit went on.

After spending some time with him, Scott began to read Andrew’s extensive case file.

Andrew came into care at just the age of six. His father was not a part of his life and his mother struggled with severe drug addiction, often leaving Andrew and his older siblings without supervision. Without the watchful eye of his mother, Andrew suffered traumatic abuse at the hands of a relative. They lived with his maternal grandmother, but she was unable to support his family financially. He often didn’t get enough to eat and was harshly disciplined 12

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by his mom’s boyfriend. Ultimately, Andrew was taken into the care of Child Protective Services.

For the next eight years, Andrew would call 13 different places home.

He struggled with his behavior, often having aggressive outbursts.

Counselors observed that he was hyperactive and anxious, depressed and had trouble concentrating. Twice he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital to help regulate his medications.

When Andrew was 12 he broke his finger in a fight and began to frequently visit his school nurse, Sharon Barnes. She observed a sad and skinny young man. “He was coming to my office every day. So as a nurse, I tried to figure out what’s going on. We began to talk, and I found out that he was in CPS care and that he didn’t have a mother or a father, that he was living with his grandmother. We began to build a relationship because he kept coming.”

For the next year, Sharon became close with Andrew and told his case manager if the placement with his grandmother didn’t work out, that she would be interested in adopting him. “I made a promise to him that I wouldn’t forget about him,” she said.

After six months of living with his grandmother, Andrew was moved to a group home. Over the years he had seen other children in foster homes or treatment centers who had advocate volunteers come and visit them. Andrew recalled, “It felt lonely. I had no love, no hope … I wanted another person in my life, so I asked for a child advocate. Everyone else had one at some placements I went to, and I never had one, so I wanted one.” Andrew spoke to his caseworker and requested that he have an advocate, so she worked

with the court and Scott was appointed to his case.

Scott met Andrew at school one afternoon a few months after he started on the case and saw him being escorted out of the building by his principal and counselor. Andrew had a rough day with his behavior and was waiting to be picked up by his group home. Scott followed them home and suggested they play a quick game of basketball. It was the perfect release for a frustrated young man. Andrew had a lot of big talk that day, but Scott ultimately won in their games of ‘Horse’ and 1-on-1.

Sharon recalled, “From the first time they met, he called and told me he had an advocate and I could just tell in his voice, they had connected. This was something different.”

Andrew preferred not to say much about his past, but shared what his life had been like and what having Scott meant to him: “My childhood was not the worst, but it was one of the worst. I went through things … I didn’t have a responsible family. I had a family that loved me, but did not have parents that took care of me. Then, in CPS, it was horrible. I remember wanting love, and being angry at CPS for taking me from my family. The day I met Scott I thought he was a great person. He is a caring person with a lot of knowledge and ability to teach, and he has helped me be a better person and have a better attitude,”

Sharon expressed her own gratitude for Scott, saying, “He advocated for him. He was at every court date.

Andrew started laughing more and cracking jokes, and that made me feel good because not only was [Scott] there checking on him when I couldn’t, but he wasn’t going to feel lonely or sad. It was like I had a teammate.”

Scott played a crucial role in changing Andrew’s outlook on life and his aggressive attitude.

He regularly met with Andrew’s principals, counselors, teachers and coaches. He put together a plan

to help Andrew overcome each obstacle, angry outburst, failed class or misbehavior. He even hand-wrote personal contracts with Andrew to hold him accountable for steps he needed to take to better his own situation, teaching him to respect the people around him even when he got upset and frustrated. Scott could see how Andrew was growing and improving as he spent time with Sharon and her family, so he coordinated all of the pieces needed to ensure that Andrew could be moved from the group home to live with Sharon permanently.

“From the first time they met, he called and told me he had an advocate, and I could just tell in his voice—they had connected. This was something different.”

—Sharon Barnes, Andrew’s mom

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE >>

PHOTO CREDITS LEFT TO RIGHT: Scott and Andrew laughing together. Andrew and his family at the annual Barnes family crawfish boil. Andrew goofing around at the museum.

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BETTER DAYS AHEAD: A BOY BECOMES A MAN WITH THE SUPPORT OF HIS ADVOCATE (CONTINUED) Though she had already raised four children, Sharon wanted to adopt Andrew—a scenario that is often unlikely for children who have been in foster care for so long.

Andrew and Scott had fun, too. They played basketball frequently, and Scott helped Andrew get ready to try out for his school’s basketball team. They worked together on projects and Scott taught Andrew basic life skills like how to change a shower head and use a power washer. Around Christmas time, they spent an afternoon at Top Golf. This young man was growing, not only physically but emotionally and in maturity thanks to the role model and support he had in Scott.

In December of 2016, Scott drove downtown to the courthouse as he prepared himself for what he calls one of the most joyous days of his life. It was Andrew’s adoption day. With tears and smiles, Andrew officially became a Barnes, and Scott had the privilege of standing and clapping with a packed courtroom as the judge granted the adoption. After eight years in foster care, Andrew finally had a permanent, loving home with Sharon.

Andrew is now part of a large family with older siblings and a nurturing mom. He is active in his school choir, takes family vacations to the beach and works hard to keep his grades up so he can participate in extracurricular activities. Since Sharon first met him in the nurse’s office, he has grown four inches and gained a healthy 20 pounds. His smile stretches from ear to ear, and the first impression he makes is one of joy. You would never suspect the horrible childhood he endured.

Andrew and Scott have maintained a relationship since his adoption and Scott frequently checks in with Sharon to see how Andrew is doing. Scott may have won their first basketball game, but Andrew, now six foot four inches tall, beat him in a recent rematch. Andrew is a happy, friendly, thriving young man. He loves basketball and choir and is working hard to bring his grades up so he can go to college. “I want to make my mom proud,” Andrew said. “Scott mentors me and shows me how young men act in business and with others, how to be respectful and make good choices.”

There are sure to be many more pickup basketball games in the future. While Andrew might not always win the ballgame, or any of life’s games, he is able to live with a positive outlook, motivated to move forward. He likes to live by words of wisdom he has learned from his mom, “It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you end.” n written by Lauren Bair, along with Andrew & Sharon Barnes. Photos courtesy of Alyssa Beach Photography.

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PHOTO CREDITS LEFT TO RIGHT: Andrew and Scott having a rematch of their first basketball game. Scott and Andrew at Top Golf for Andrew’s Christmas gift. Scott, Judge Lombardino, Andrew, Sharon and Selena Ford at Andrew’s adoption hearing.

thanks DONORS The donors listed contributed to Child Advocates, Inc. between May 1, 2017 through October 31, 2017. Since we are not a United Way agency, we rely on gifts made by individuals and non-government groups for more than 75% of our budget each year. Thank you for your help, it is truly appreciated.

50+ CHILDREN FOR A YEAR Leslie Alexander & the Houston Rockets Child Advocates Endowment, Inc. Texas CASA, Inc. Victims of Crime Act 29-49 CHILDREN FOR A YEAR Spectrum In honor of Child Advocates Volunteers 14-28 CHILDREN FOR A YEAR Direct Energy The Ellwood Foundation Harris County Community Services Department Palmetto Partners, Ltd. 5-13 CHILDREN FOR A YEAR Atwood Oceanics, Inc. Boeing Co. Harry S. & Isabel C. Cameron Foundation CenterPoint Energy The Enrico and Sandra di Portanova Charitable Foundation Mr. James Freeman Mr. and Mrs. Richard F. Gornto Mr. and Mrs. Derrick Jensen The Junior League of Houston Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Lack Master Auto Service, Inc. John P. McGovern Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Shane Merz MRE Consulting, Ltd. Opportune LLP Spark Energy Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Twin Eagle

The Wyatt Foundation 3-4 CHILDREN FOR A YEAR AIG American General Ms. Mary E. Ainslie Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Dabney Mrs. Kimberly C. David Mr. Gary L. Forbes HEB Tournament of Champions Albert & Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation The Kiwanis Foundation of Houston Ms. Brandi Maxwell Mr. and Mrs. Bill Morgan National CASA Association Mr. and Mrs. Ron Orsini Republic Waste Services of Texas RMS Auto Care, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Roe Schlumberger The John T. Shea Charitable Foundation Ms. Suzanne Thomas Ticket to Dream Foundation 1-2 CHILDREN FOR A YEAR Abbvie Mr. and Mrs. Eugene R. Allspach Dr. and Mrs. Melvyn A. Anhalt Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Mr. and Mrs. Manu Asthana Bank of America Mr. Ned Barnett Mr. and Mrs. James R. Bratton Mr. and Mrs. Vince Burkett Mr. and Mrs. Gill Cheesman Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Chevalier Ms. Becky Chmielewski Mr. Jeff J. Cotner Mr. and Mrs. Rick K. Crump Mr. and Mrs. Harry H. Cullen, Sr. Mr. Mike Davidson

Mr. Trent Davis Mr. Talib Dhanji Mr. and Mrs. Dan Duncan Ernst & Young LLP Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Eschbach ExxonMobil Foundation Ms. Paula Gibson Mr. and Mrs. Buddy Gray The Grey Family Charity Fund Harris County Treasurer Mr. Kelly Hawkins Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hite Holmes, Diggs & Eames, PLLC Houston Junior Forum Mr. and Mrs. Scott Humphries Mr. and Mrs. Dwayne L. Hyzak The Jackson Foundation Mr. Barry D. Kahan and Ms. Marsha K. Capen Mr. George W. Kaleh and Ms. Lisa Folloder The Kalman Foundation Mrs. Kara Kinder Vidal Mr. and Mrs. Bob Krenzelok KRJ Management Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Langford Lewis and Joan Lowenstein Foundation MAXIMUS Foundation Ms. Gay Mayeux Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church Midway Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Peter O’Brien Mr. Gary Peterson Phillips 66 Mr. and Mrs. Jarrett Pierce Mr. and Mrs. Paul Posoli Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Powell Mr. and Mrs. David Quackenbush Ms. Melissa Rootes SANS Institute Mr. Robert A. Seale and Ms. Chalon Fontaine

Signature Care Emergency Center Mr. and Mrs. Mark W. Smith St. Anne Catholic Church Mr. and Mrs. John W. Storms Mr. and Mrs. Jack Sweeney Mr. and Mrs. Stephen G. Sweet Target Mr. Brian H. Teichman and Mr. Andrew Coroes Tenaris Ms. Welela Tereffe Volunteer Houston Mr. and Mrs. Peter Wallace Wells Fargo The Williams Companies, Inc. Winstead PC Mr. Steven Wyatt 1 CHILD FOR 6 MONTHS TO A YEAR Mr. Javier Aguilar and Ms. Nanette V. Gend Mr. and Mrs. Gerald A. Anhalt Baker Botts LLP Benevity Community Impact Fund Mr. and Mrs. Philip Carroll CASA of Denton County, Inc. City of Houston Mr. and Mrs. Edward T. Cotham, Jr. Ms. Cheryl Cunningham Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Davis Digisonics, Inc. Ms. Kelly Dilts Ms. Lysa Elkins GA Group, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Bert J. Griese Gulf Interstate Engineering Mr. and Mrs. Emerson K. Hankamer Honeywell Mr. Tony Houck and Mrs. Chastiti N. Horne Indo-American Charity Foundation Mrs. Lora Kenyon Knights of Columbus

KRBE Cumulus Radio Houston Mr. Brian A. Leeke Mr. Lee Lehmann Ms. Michelle Lilie Mr. Jeff M. Manley New Town Elementary School Mr. and Mrs. Donald Rickertsen Mr. and Mrs. Brad W. Robbins Mr. Joseph M. Rubbo Mr. Frank B. Rynd Shell Oil Company Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Smith Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Spedale The Abbott and Leslie Sprague Foundation St. Paul’s United Methodist Church Ms. Lori A. Stewart Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey A. Thomas TRUiST Mr. and Mrs. Scott Washburn Wood Group Mustang, Inc. Mr. Stanley Wysocki 1 CHILD FOR 3-6 MONTHS ABC Home & Commercial Services Accenture Aetna Foundation, Inc. Mr. Warren Augenstein Ms. Julia Batdorf Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Berkman BP Brady, Chapman, Holland & Associates Mr. and Mrs. David Baird Mr. James D. Brodnax Mr. and Mrs. Ron Brownlee Mr. and Mrs. Rick Burnett Mr. and Mrs. Michael Calderaro Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc. Ms. Kay Champiomont Ms. Caroline Chase Ms. Connie Cheng Chevron

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thanks DONORS Cigna Coastal Securities/ FTN Financial Ms. Kaley Crane Ms. Nancy J. Critz Mr. and Mrs. Harry H. Cullen, Jr. The Delta Kappa Gamma Society Douglas County CASA, Inc. Mr. T. M. Dye Mr. and Mrs. Thomas L. Elsenbrook Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Facciponte

Mr. Joseph H. Loretto Mattress Firm Mr. Tal McAlister Trini and O. C. Mendenhall Foundation Ms. Yvonne Moody Mrs. Pinki Moore Mrs. Jennifer M. Paling Mr. Michael A. Parsons Mrs. Bernadette Payne Mr. and Mrs. James S. Prentice Mrs. Donna Ratliff Mr. Ershel Redd Ms. Diane Rifai

Mr. George A. Davenport Mr. and Mrs. William Dingus Dos Carolinas Mr. Rob Duncan Ms. Jan E. Farley Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Faterkowski Mr. Billy Fendley Mrs. Karen Forbes Mr. and Mrs. David Gregory Grocers Supply Company, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Crew Hart Thomas F. & Catherine Mary Hastings Foundation Mr. Jake Herd

Mr. and Mrs. David W. Winn 1 CHILD FOR 1 MONTH Ms. Joann Agee Mr. Thain Allen AmazonSmile Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Owen W. Anglum Mr. and Mrs. Randy Anhalt Mr. and Mrs. Kirby Attwell Mr. and Mrs. Robert Baker Mr. and Mrs. Glen Bassett Mr. Kurt Batenhorst Mr. and Mrs. Darren Bean Mr. Brett Bingham Mr. Brock Binkley

Ms. Barbara L. Eldridge Mr. Mark Faist Mr. Charles Fenner Mr. Todd Frankfort Mrs. Vesta Frommer Ms. Amy Funk Mrs. Carrie Gibson Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Graves Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Graybeal Ms. Channing Grigsby Mrs. Lauren Gross Mr. and Mrs. Deck Harrell Mr. Dave Hart Ms. Deborah S. Hartsfield Mr. Jeffrey L. Hass

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Farrell Dr. and Mrs. Jeremy Finkelstein Ms. Audrey Z. Flannery Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Fowler Mr. and Mrs. Michael R. Francisco Ms. Sonya M. Galvan Mr. Scott Gerow Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. Gordon Mr. Paul Grabowski Grant Thornton LLP Halliburton Mr. Will Holder Ms. Leslie K. Hollingsworth Houston Underground Punk Fest Mr. and Mrs. Jason Ingersoll Itzy’s Auto Repair Service Mr. and Mrs. Buz Jochetz Mr. Troy Johnson Mr. John Keeler Ms. Anne L. Kinder Mr. and Mrs. Curtis D. Knobbe Mr. Daniel Lathen Mr. and Mrs. Nolan Lehmann Ms. Michelle Leonard

Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. Rowe Ms. Susan D. Sarofim Thomas Scott & Elise Smith Family Fund Ms. Angie Sherrell Mr. Matthew Slataper Ms. Kristi A. Sorrels Spec’s Liquor Stores TAM International Mr. and Mrs. Paul B. Terry, Jr. Tootsies Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Tucker Mr. and Mrs. Dan Tutcher VAHLE Inc. Mr. Leyton S. Woolf Ms. Barbara A. Woolhandler Mrs. Cindy Wylie

Ms. Bobbi Hoyt India Hicks Ms. Jamie L. Johnson The Kayser Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Mike Knapp Ms. Angie Lapp Mr. and Mrs. Bill Lester Ms. Lynda Lighthouse Transier Mr. and Mrs. William R. Livesay, Jr. Locke, Lord, Bissell & Liddell, L.L.P. Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth C. Margolis Mrs. Bridgett M. Matthes Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Moore National Financial Services LLC Mrs. Betty Othold Mr. and Mrs. Andy C. Payne Mr. Avery Plank Ms. Jacquelyne M. Rocan Mrs. Molly Roe Mrs. Sue Schwartz Mr. Shible Simon Mr. and Mrs. Larry E. Stadler Mrs. Melanie Tomsula

Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Birmingham Mr. and Mrs. Troy A. Bringle Mr. and Mrs. Steve Brown Ms. Ashley Buist Mr. and Mrs. Max Bulk Mr. Dean Butler Ms. Stephanie Canas Mr. Michael Canfield Mr. Michael Metz and Ms. Clare Casademont Ms. Bonnie J. Colhour Mr. Rufus Cormier and Dr. Yvonne C. Cormier Mr. and Mrs. Brian Cox Mr. and Mrs. David Davis Mrs. Emily Davis Ms. Valerie Davis Mr. and Mrs. Peter A. Dayton Mr. and Mrs. Arthur De Leon Mr. and Mrs. Eddy L. De Los Santos Mr. and Mrs. Michael T. Deavers Mr. and Mrs. Michael Desormeaux Mr. Ryan Duncan Mr. William R. Dusing Mr. Max R. Dweck

Mr. and Mrs. Ron L. Henson Ms. Dedreah A. Hicks Mr. R.J. Hightower Ms. Susan Hodge Mr. Chris Holloway Mr. Jay Holm Houston Chapter American Payroll Association Houston Partners Realty, LLC IBM Employee Services Center Mr. Douglas Jackson Mr. and Mrs. Darren Jones Kacal’s Auto & Truck Service Mr. Eric White and Ms. Elsa Kapitan-White Mr. Gregory Kary Dr. and Mrs. Ronald Kerman Ms. Cindy Khek Ms. Patty Larason Mr. and Mrs. Al LaRose Mr. Robert S. Lee Mr. and Mrs. Michael Lingquist Macquarie Mr. and Mrs. Milton Magness Ms. Abigail McDonald Mr. Charles Meador

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1 CHILD FOR 2 MONTHS ABM Industries Adolf Hoepfl & Son Garage Mr. Eiman F. Alian Mrs. Paige Bennett Mr. Stephen Boutros Mr. and Mrs. John D. Carson Champions Women’s Club First Imperial Mortgage

CHILD ADVOCATES

thanks DONORS Mrs. Sherry L. Miller Mr. Bruce Mills Ms. Reena Moore Mr. and Mrs. Corey Mordacz Mr. and Mrs. Antoine Nassif Mr. and Mrs. Jack Niven Mr. Nick Nolan Mr. and Mrs. Ronald S. Oppenheimer Mr. Pradeep G. Panketh Ms. Magaly Parker Mr. George Patterson Mr. Andrew Peak Ms. Allyson Pellegrin Mr. and Mrs. Norman Peters Mr. Giao Pham Mr. Jarrett Pierce Mrs. Phyllis Prange Dr. and Mrs. Brian Prentice Mr. Andrew Rich Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Robbins Mr. Dylan P. Seff Mr. Lawrence Sherrick Mr. Travis Shoemake Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Smith Mr. and Mrs. Ross Staine Mr. and Mrs. Mike Staley Ms. Sally Storms Ms. Elizabeth Sweeney Mr. and Mrs. Eric Thompson Mr. Ross Tilden Ms. Constance Tran-Tsakiris United Technologies United Way of Midland County Vitol, Inc. Ms. Amanda Vlastas Mr. and Mrs. Jon Weeks Mr. and Mrs. D. C. Weiss Mrs. Bethany Williams Mr. Scott Wirges Mr. Larry Wood

Ms. Wonmi Yi Mr. Michael Galvan and Ms. Janell M. Zeug 1 CHILD FOR 1 TO 30 DAYS Mr. Warner Abel Mr. Radha Ahya Ms. Patty Akin Albertson’s Allstate The Giving Campaign Mr. Charles Alvarez Mr. Eric Anderson Armstrong Purselley Wealth Managemet Group Mr. Gregory C. Arnold and Ms. Katheryn A. Dietzmann Mr. Joey Arrazolo AT&T Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Babaz Ms. Elizabeth Bache Ms. Julianne Baird Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Barber Mr. Jose Barreda Ms. Marycruz Bazan Ms. Jacqueline Beach Mr. Ken Bendalin Mr. Sherry Samuel Bennikutty Ms. Sandra Besier Ms. Emily Bhatti Mr. and Mrs. Ed Billings Ms. Tiffany Black Ms. Seeta Brar Mr. James C. Broussard, Jr. Mr. Timothy A. Brown Mr. and Mrs. Gene Bruce Ms. Lindsay Buckenham Mr. and Mrs. William Bumpus Ms. Dauphine Cagle Ms. Jenna Caho Ms. Sarah Chapman

Charlie’s Collectibles Christian Brothers Automotive - Grand Parkway City of Houston Mr. Simon Coburn Mr. Russell Corgey Ms. Marlene Cox Mr. and Mrs. John Curtis W. N. Dabney Charitable Trust Mr. Matthew D’Agostino Mr. and Mrs. Marc Danile Ms. Ricki Davis Mrs. Conchita L. De La Garza Ms. Lisa Denman Mrs. Patricia Donnelly Mr. Dennis Donovan Ms. Margaret Drinkwater Ms. Heather Dusek Mr. Walter C. Ebarb Ms. Katie Edwards Mr. Mitch Edwards Mr. William Edwards, III Mr. and Mrs. Kirk P. Eggleson Ms. Elizabeth A. Eichelberg Mr. John Paul Encarnacion Ms. Lenny M. Esquivel Mr. Cody Everett Exelon Corporation Mr. and Mrs. Tony Failla Mr. and Mrs. David Falloure Mr. Anthony Felipe Forney Construction Ms. Donna Foss Mr. Jarred Foster Ms. Jami Fowler Mr. Chandler French Ms. Brenda Furman Ms. Karla Gabriel Dr. Lara Gaines Mr. and Mrs. Bret D. Gardner Ms. Latacha M. Gardner

Mrs. Radka Gattnarova Ms. Rachel Gigee Give with Liberty Goldman, Sachs & Company Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Good Mr. Eric Greenwood Mr. Carl Griffin Ms. Diane M. Guariglia Mr. Fred E. Haas Mr. and Mrs. Hunt Harper Mrs. Megan Harrison Mr. Rick Hartley Heights Tools, LLC Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Henley Mr. J. Herndon Mr. D. L. Hickman Mr. and Mrs. Jordan Hill Ms. Haley Hollis Ms. Haley Hubenak Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Hunt Ms. Amelia Irion Irish Cowboy Mr. John Ivey Ms. Ann R. Jacobson Ms. Adele James Ms. Charlene G. Jameson Mrs. Michelle Janiszewski Mr. Richard Jansen Mr. Lance Leisure and Ms. Samantha Jarvis Ms. Hayley Jaska JLL Community Connections Ms. Amanda Jones Mr. Dedric Jones Mr. Bryan Keir Ms. Anne Keithly Ms. Shona Kent Mr. Craig Knowles Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Kochenower Mr. Sachin Kulkarni Ms. Sherry Laughlin Law Offices of Joel A Nass

Ms. Coby Lazarine Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lee Ms. Nina Lewis Mr. Lawrence Lipton Ms. Tracey Logan Ms. Iveth E. Lopez Ms. Betsy G. Lowe Ms. Cathy Lowrance Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan E. Magnus Mr. Deryk Marks Mrs. Andy Marlatt Ms. Anya Marmuscak Mr. Lynn Martin Ms. Yolanda Martin Ms. Sheila Martinez Ms. Lacey McCafferty Ms. Jean McGowan Mr. Kaye McKee Ms. Michele McLendon Ms. Brenda Michalik Mrs. Kathleen Minemier Mr. Reheem Momin Mr. Bernard Mooney Mr. Carlton Moore Ms. Carmen Morales The Hon. Conrad Moren Ms. Eda Morita Mr. Arthur Mould Mr. and Mrs. Peter Muessig Ms. Allison Mundy Mr. Artemio Muniz, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. David Nathan O & R Property Management, LLC Ms. Catherine B. Oliver Mr. Brent Olson Ms. Emilie Olson Mr. Leonard Oosterwijk Ms. Nina Padgett Mr. Andrew Page Page Parkes Center of Modeling and Acting

DOUBLE OR EVEN TRIPLE YOUR GIFT! Many companies participate in gift matching programs. Some companies will even match gifts made by retirees and spouses of employees. To find out if your company has a company matching gift policy, please visit: www.matchinggifts.com/childadvocates.

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thanks DONORS Ms. Payal Patel Mr. Brian Pearson Mr. and Mrs. Michael Pelletier Ms. Cathy Perez Ms. Nicole Phillips Ms. Melissa Pifko Ms. Laura Pollard Mr. Guru Ponnuchamy Mr. Ken Pool Ms. Belinda Price PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP Professional Technical Services Ms. Carrie Pry Pub Fiction Ms. Lynda Ragsdale Mr. John Rangel Mrs. Colleen Reilly RFP Red Frog Promotions LLC Mr. William K. Rice Mr. A. Richards Mrs. Rebecca Rinehart Robert Half International Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Romano Ms. Julia Romero Peter Mr. Chris Roots Ms. Jasmine L. Ross Ms. Katharine Russell Salesforce.org Mr. Shawn Sanders Mrs. Amber Sandler Ms. Stephanie Sandri Ms. Irene Schaffer Ms. Sara Schleisman Ms. Suzanne Schleisman Ms. Deborah Schliesser Mr. and Mrs. Perry Sendukas Ser~Ninos Middle School Ms. Stefani Shapiro Mr. Scott Shuman Ms. Karen A. Silvestri Mr. Michael Silvestri Ms. Catherine Simmons Admiral Michael Singletary Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Skor Mr. and Mrs. Stephen E. Slater Mr. Ken M. Smith Mr. Kirk J. Smith Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Sobozak Mr. Ian Specht

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CHILD ADVOCATES

Mr. Stephen K. Hanrahan and Ms. Susan A. Speert Ms. Kimberly Sprague Ms. Nancy Stilwell Ms. Elizabeth G. Stock Mr. Alfred Stone Ms. Darla Stowe Mr. and Mrs. Justin Strachan Mr. Mark Streeter Mrs. Elizabeth Strelow Ms. Katie Sullivan Ms. Courtney Sutton Ms. Tayler Swanner Ms. Roberta P. Sweet Ms. Phyllis S. Tanksley Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Taylor Ms. Kellyann Thomas Mr. and Mrs. Peter Thompson Mrs. Karen Thompson Mr. and Mrs David Tipps Ms. Brooke Tolle Mr. Jereme Tom Ms. Megan Trevino Mr. Jason Trost Mr. Joe Tuffly, III Ms. Phyllis Turkel Universal Giving Mr. Jeffrey Uzick Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Van Dries Mr. Allan Van Fleet Mr. Robert F. Viola VMware Foundation Mr. Quan Vu Mrs. Suzanne Wager Ms. Megan Walker Mrs. Brittany Weisser Mr. and Mrs. Richard White Ms. Lisa Whittle Ms. Natalie Wilie Ms. Stacie-Marie Wilkins Ms. Octavia Williams Mr. Robin J. Winans Mr. and Mrs. John Winder Mr. Robert Wingardner Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Wirzberg Mr. and Mrs. Edward Wolford Mr. Joshua Yazman Ms. Shannon Young Zeta Mu Chapter Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Zook Mr. Jeffery Zuch

celebrating five years of the SUPERHERO RUN exciting for our tiniest superheroes, as they bounced in the Direct Energy bounce-house, played games with Child Advocates’ YPC group and posed in one of our two photobooths from MRE Consulting and KHOU.

Since 2013, superheroes of all ages have been joining together at our annual Superhero Run. On October 21, we celebrated our fifth anniversary of this family favorite 5K and 1K race at CityCentre Houston. Direct Energy and MRE Consulting, LTD joined again for the fifth year, serving as the “powered by” title sponsor and presenting sponsor.

With the fifth year of this exciting event came many opportunities for change and growth. This year marked the launch of our new run logo and a dedicated race website, www.superherorunHOUSTON.com, along with Facebook page just for the run. These updates positioned us to grow our event and invite more of the local community to join in the fun, while raising even more funds and awareness for Houston’s littlest victims.

The award presentation was led by emcee, Chita Craft, and allowed for the crowd to cheer for their favorite costume finalists in three categories: best child costume, best adult costume and best group costume.

The loudest cheers went to a motherdaughter duo dressed as “hometown heroes”, two Houston Astros players.

When the morning festivities completed, Child Advocates had raised more than $140,000 for the fight against child abuse.

Thank you to our fearless event chair, Jeff Cotner, for five years leading this amazing run, our race director Angie Henderson for making everything run so smoothly, our wonderful sponsors and the superheroes of all ages who made our 5th annual race a huge success! n

The warmer October temps did not keep our 850 runners from enjoying a beautiful 5K & 1K course through the memorial area neighborhoods and CITYCENTRE. Volunteers from the National Charity League were waiting at the end of the race with noise-makers and lots of energy, making for a fun and exciting finish for our runners.

After crossing the finish line, superheroes dressed in costume awaited our award presentation and enjoyed drinks and snacks thanks to a generous donation from H-E-B. The post-race party was especially

PHOTO CREDITS THIS PAGE TOP TO BOTTOM: Captain America poses at the finish line. Superman shows off his muscles after finishing the 1K race. Our finalists for the best group costume cheer with the crowd at the awards ceremony.

ADVOCATE NEWS

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snapSHOTS

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CHILD ADVOCATES

FACEBOOK Child Advocates

INSTAGRAM @ChildAdvocates

TWITTER @ChildAdvoHOU

ADVOCATE NEWS

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board VOICE: Manu Asthana Though he was originally born in India, Manu Asthana spent most of his life in Oman, a small country in the Middle East. As a young high school graduate, Manu moved to the United States to attend college in west Philadelphia. His early career led him to Chicago and Dallas until he finally settled in Houston—the place he now considers home.

Manu and his wife Aparna have two teenage sons, Rohan and Saurav. Manu loves to read all kinds of literature and enjoys hiking. He recently drove with his 16 year old son Rohan to Big Bend National Park for a hiking trip to celebrate him earning his driver’s license.

As the President of Direct Energy Home, Manu leads 3,000 employees across the country. “One of my primary motivators in life is learning and making a difference for people, so I love my job,” he said. “I love working with people, I love trying to help people be the best version of themselves. That’s your job as a leader.”

After attending the Pull for Kids Classic in 2012, Manu and Aparna began to get more involved. Aparna attended Advocacy University and became a court appointed advocate volunteer and Manu connected Direct Energy to Child Advocates through sponsorships and matching gifts. Teams from Direct Energy ran in the Child Advocates Superhero Run and wrapped gifts together as part of our Santa’s Wish List program.

Initially, Manu was drawn to Child Advocates out of sadness for the problem of child abuse in Houston, but also out of respect and admiration for our cause. “I think the organization meets a really important need … For me, it has always been important to speak for people who can’t speak for themselves, or people who can’t help themselves. That was very central to why Child Advocates was so attractive. It’s about helping people when they need help but they aren’t able to help themselves,” said Manu.

Over time, his involvement with Child Advocates grew. A meeting was arranged between him and former Board Chair James Brodnax and Manu was asked to join the Board of Directors. Since then, he has proven to be a valuable asset to our leadership team, offering his business expertise and strategic thinking. “Manu has a fresh set of eyes to what we’ve been doing. He’s very analytical, always trying to figure out what we’re trying to accomplish and how he can help us get there,” said current board chair, Eddy De Los Santos.

“At the end of the day, the people that make a difference are the volunteers and the advocacy coordinators. I see my job as supporting those on the front lines, and supporting Child Advocates to support those people,” said Manu. “I’m just honored to have the chance to help.” n written by Lauren Bair 22

CHILD ADVOCATES

EXCITING CHANGES ARE COMING! This year’s event will now take place over the course of two days, with our sporting clays tournament on Friday afternoon and an 80’s inspired party the following Saturday evening.

Our evening party will still have all the auctions and entertainment you have come to love, but in 2018 the “Wine Pull” will transform into “Bourbon & Bubbles”.

Honoring

Sporting Clays Tournament American Shooting Centers

Evening Party Bayou City Event Center

For underwriter and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Hayley Jaska at 713-529-1396 ext 241 or hayley.jaska@childadvocates.org.

www.PullforKidsHouston.com ADVOCATE NEWS

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3701 Kirby Drive, Suite 400, Houston, Texas 77098 WWW.CHILDADVOCATES.ORG

NONPROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE -PAIDCHILD ADVOCATES, INC. PERMIT NO. 06664 HOUSTON, TX

2017 BOARD CHAIR

Eddy De Los Santos LEGAL COUNSEL

Suzie Thomas TREASURER / FINANCE CHAIR

Mark Smith Advocate News is published twice annually by Child Advocates, Inc., Ashley Brockette, Editor.

This newsletter is designed and published by Child Advocates, Inc. Houston, Texas 77098.

All rights reserved. Any use of materials herein in any form including, but not limited to photocopying, transcribing, excerpting or any print or electronic reproduction for any purpose for any reason without prior written consent of the publisher is strictly prohibited. ©2017

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

David Baird Paul Grabowski Brad Robbins Frank Rynd Angie Sherrell David Winn

BOARD MEMBERS

thrive Shannon* came in to care at four months old along with her 15 month old sister, Mara*. That was 33 months ago.

The girls originally came into CPS custody after being left in the care of there seven-year-old half brother at a motel. A concerned motel worker noticed something was not right and he called the police. CPS intervened and removed the girls from the mother’s custody.

After a lot of back and forth, the girls went home to their mother. Shortly after their return, their mom dropped them off at a CPS office. She has had little to no contact with anyone since.

Today, Shannon is a very happy, affectionate child and loves her little sister. Their advocate, Nancy, had this to say about them …

When I went to the girls day care for a visit, Shannon ran to me to hug me like she always does, then she quickly ran away to her lunch box. She brought back a crumpled, torn invitation and said, “Will you come to my birthday party?”

When I arrived at their three and four-year-old birthday party a few weeks later, they were surrounded by their foster family and friends. They had face painting, a gymnastic area and Moana themed everything, everywhere. It was evident that these girls are enjoying their childhood despite their circumstances.

While I pray that their case is resolved very soon, I cannot help but hope I will be invited back to more birthday parties. *Names were changed to help protect parties of the story.

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CHILD ADVOCATES

Manu Asthana Rick Burnett James Brodnax Jane Dabney David Davis Phil Dyson K. K. Eschbach Caroline Finkelstein Terrence Gee Cherie Hassenflu Grace Holmes Dwayne Hyzak Florence Langford Brian Mandell Jeff Manley Dana O’Brien Ron Orsini Joy Posoli Leslie Powell David Quackenbush Ellie Sweeney Dolly Dawson Thomas Nancy Thorington Shelley Washburn Milton West Steven Wyatt

Child Advocates mobilizes court appointed volunteers to break the vicious cycle of child abuse.

We speak up for abused children who are lost in the system and guide them into safe environments where they can thrive.