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December 13, 2013 Douglas County, Colorado | Volume 12, Issue 7 A publication of
parkerchronicle.net
Parents who lose a child not alone Parker-based foundation provides support, memorial events By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ourcoloradonews.com Corinne O’Flynn knows all too well that the grief of losing a child is unfathomable to those who haven’t experienced it. O’Flynn felt “isolated” after losing her daughter Rowan, who was born in December 1999 and passed away one day later from complications related to trisomy 18, a condition caused by an error in cell division. The Parker resident lost the ability to connect with people or enjoy activities she once loved. Nothing mattered in the same way. She recalled feeling like she had noth-
ing to lose when her friend signed her up for a therapy session with others who had lost children. O’Flynn admittedly wasn’t the “support group-type,” but it was during those first sessions that she realized she had stopped really talking to her husband. “The isolation is huge,” she says. “It overwhelms all other feelings.” None of the pre-natal tests indicated that anything was wrong, and the lack of online information about trisomy 18 at that time made things ever harder to comprehend. Through chat forums, O’Flynn met other parents who had lost children to the condition and started an online support organization. It was an immense success, and in 2005, O’Flynn realized she was reaching only “one small segment of the population of grieving parents.” Parents continues on Page 9
Corinne O’Flynn, founder and executive director of the Rowan Tree Foundation, reads a message to families gathered at the group’s angel memorial statue to mourn the loss of a child. Courtesy photo
President of union resigns Smith accepts position at Cherry Creek By Jane Reuter
jreuter@ourcoloradonews.com
Jenny Follmer, client services manager for the Douglas/Elbert Task Force, works through the paperwork of the more than 20 families that came in Nov. 26 for assistance. Photo by Virginia Grantier
20 families, 20 stories of struggle Douglas/Elbert Task Force is crucial safety net By Virginia Grantier
vgrantier@ourcoloradonews. com It’s in an industrial park on Park Street in Castle Rock — past storage units and a gun shop, and various other shops, in one of those nondescript rectangular buildings, where every day 20 or more families come to get help — many for food, clothing, money so utilities aren’t turned off, so rent can be paid. Jenny Follmer, the client service manager at the Douglas/ Elbert Task Force, 1638 Park St., usually stops at 20 families, a task force rule. The 21st person wanting to sign up to get help is asked to come back the next morning. But it’s the holidays. “We’re so swamped,” said Follmer, sitting behind a desk that has on it the day’s stack of file folders with 20 families’ paperwork in them.
So even though she’s seen 20 this day, she’s still trying to help three or four more and has calls out to churches and others to see if help is out there — for the family whose electricity has been turned off and the family with seven children whose house has been foreclosed on and they’re being evicted in a couple of days. Follmer, who has degrees in marketing and Spanish, volunteered here for four years, and liked helping people, so she took a job with the agency more than two years ago, trying to help some more. Sometimes she can, sometimes it’s tough. This day was some of both. And she goes back through them all. She opens up the first file folder: First family: A Castle Rock family, renters, mom, fiancé and three kids. The utilities have been turned off. Both adults are in school and have part-time jobs. They have food stamps, but they can’t buy some things with them — toilet paper, toothpaste, diapers. They need help getting their utilities
back on and they need food. Families can get food every 30 days from the task force, and the amount depends on how many people. This family of five leaves with 146 pounds of food, lots of canned goods from the food bank. Food stamps often are used to buy fresh produce. Like all the other families that day, they’re offered a turkey. All but one family takes one. “They’re desperate for protein,” Follmer said. Second family: A Highlands Ranch family, renters, two adults and two kids. Never been here before. Wife lost job and has filed for unemployment. Husband has a new job but doesn’t get paid until the end of December. They have two disconnect notices and need help with their December rent, utilities and need food. Third family: A Douglas County woman on disability, renter. Her ex-husband came back to Colorado with their three kids and then Struggle continues on Page 9
Douglas County Federation President Brenda Smith is resigning after leading the local teachers union for seven years, the last two of which were rocked with tumult when the group’s long-standing relationship with the school district crumbled. Smith starts her new position as the Cherry Creek School District’s director of educator effectiveness Jan. 1. The union’s 47-year collective-bargaining agreement with the school district expired in June 2012 after hours of sometimes-heated negotiations. Smith and a team of union board members and teachers led the 100-hour-plus process. In a Dec. 4 letter emailed to union members, Smith said she struggled with the decision but couldn’t walk away from a chance to again work in a school district. She was an elementary school teacher before taking a position with the union. “Our strength has always been in our active membership, and this will remain no matter who is elected into office,” Smith wrote in her letter to members. “Although I’ll be stepping down as president, I will continue to fight as a parent with three children in our schools and as a member of the Douglas County community.” She declined further comment. DCF Vice President Courtney Smith would not speculate on whether she will be the new president. “The process will go through the executive board, and that will be done in the next few days,” she said. “Brenda devoted many years to the employees and students of DCSD. That level of dedication will remain and the DCF will continue to work to benefit students, classrooms and our members.” Courtney Smith said the union continues its work, despite the outcome of the Nov. 5 election that saw the election of four reform-minded board members. The sevenmember board is unlikely to renew any relationship with the union. “We have not gone away because of the election,” Courtney Smith said. “In fact, because of the election, membership and access to legal representation for employees is more important now than ever before. I think we’re busier than ever answering questions and representing employees.” About 60 percent of DCSD’s teachers belong to the union, according to Courtney Smith. School board president Kevin Larsen had little comment about the change. “It’s like we’ve had a divorce,” he said. “We’ve moved on. We don’t want to focus on our ex — in this case the union entity. It doesn’t help us get where we need to go. “I wish Brenda well in whatever she wants to do.”
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