Community Connections Celebrates 20 Years

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Community Connections Celebrates 20 Years

By Traci Sanders

In March 2022 Community Connections will celebrate twenty years of helping place local children in loving foster homes, with some eventually moving on to being adopted into their forever homes.

Executive Director Karen Jackson co-founded and established Community Connections in 2002, having extensive experience in the child welfare realm since 1994. Community Connections serves as the middleman between the Division of Family and Children Services and individual foster homes where children are placed. The mission of Community Connections is to support Georgia’s children in foster care by providing comprehensive services and transformative partnerships with families and the larger community.

I recently spoke to Emily Stone, Community Engagement Specialist with Community Connections, who shared that they have forty-three certified homes in their network and fifty-eight kids have currently been placed in loving environments. The website houses multiple stories and pictures of children being fostered and adopted through their services. “We are also very proud of the fact that although we serve all children in foster care,” Emily Stone said, “we often place children in foster care with medically fragile needs such as g-tubes, prosthetic limbs, wheelchair mobility, and more. Our vision is for children to thrive in safe and healthy family environments.”

Applicants for foster parenting must live in the Metro-Atlanta area, be at least 25 years of age, be financially self-sufficient, pass criminal background checks through CPS, have references available, and complete a medical evaluation and drug screen. More information can be Continued on page 22

Proudly serving our community for more than 20 years.

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plans till the last minute, or you may be shut out completely. While some airfares are in the $200 to $300 range domestically, it will just be for a day or two until the flight fills up. Then the “giant computer in the cloud” will juggle everything around so that the airlines don’t lose any money. Up go the fares! It is also difficult at this time to find a decent hotel room for under $350 per night, especially if it is in a great location with great views. That is here in the USA. But in Europe, you will be lucky to find accommodations under 500 Euros per night (approximately $550 in US dollars).

So if you are ready to go, start your planning now! Ask your favorite travel advisor to help you to get the best of everything. They know where to look to help you with a wonderful get away from home!

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Currently, Community Connections has sixteen staff members on board. They also house the Closet Connection inside their corporate office where their foster families can shop for gently used donated items for no charge and are encouraged to take as much as they need. Community Connections also partners with volunteers from Side by Side Clubhouse, an organization that services families of traumatic brain injuries.

Community Connections will celebrate this twenty-year milestone with a fundraiser with their staff, foster families, volunteers, and the community.

Every child deserves a safe and loving environment, and Community Connections is doing their part to make that happen.

More information at https://www.c-connections.com/.

“It’s time to REDISCOVER Lilburn.” New revitalization efforts continue to enhance downtown Lilburn. City Park has become a central location for special events, food, entertainment and simply outdoor fun. We have much to look forward to with the addition of a new restaurant, brewery, marketplace, expanded parking and more. Now is the perfect time to “Rediscover Lilburn”!

www.cityoflilburn.com

• Increasing the number and availability of child psychiatrists –

Currently, only 8 per 100,000 children • Additional training for law enforcement and first responders – To identify, treat, and refer for services mentally ill or people in crisis during the response to a 911 call • Restore authority for commitment to community-based organizations – To seek involuntary commitment for individuals needing extensive and ongoing treatment via a probate court judge • Raising pay and advancing recruitment for mental health staff and professionals – The loss of 3,837 state mental health employees during the past two years meant 185 psychiatric beds could not be filled due to lack of staffing

“There is no issue – and I want to be very clear – there is no issue this session more important to me than this issue. I am tired of telling desperate, hurting families that we have no treatment options available in Georgia. I am tired of looking in the faces of mothers who have lost a child because they saw no hope, and I’m tired of seeing the faces of those whose downward spiral has been fed by substance abuse,” said Speaker Ralston (a bill co-sponsor) at a press conference announcing the filing of House Bill 1013.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has already announced his support for the bill. State Representative Mary Margaret Oliver (District 82, Decatur/Druid Hills) is a Democratic co-sponsor, the only House Democrat who chairs a committee, and a longtime advocate for expanding mental health services. She will be further rallying support on her side of the aisle.

This expansion of Georgia health care services is part of what Speaker Ralston and his GOP Caucus refer to increasingly as Georgia’s “culture of life,” including: • Preferring adoption over abortion • Increasing funding to reduce Maternal mortality rates • Expanding maternity/paternity leave time for state government employees

These significant public health and public safety challenges did not arrive overnight, and they will not be solved in one session or single omnibus bill. But, this IS a major step in the right direction, and a tip of the hat and thanks is due to House Speaker David Ralston as well as the bill’s many supporters and co-sponsors. Thus, after many decades of darkness, some light and Mental Help is on the way.

Bill Crane is the owner of CSI Crane. More information at www. CSICrane.com

Athlete, Teacher, Mom Continued from page 12 as a Georgia teacher, she is also training for the next Track and Field World Championships, scheduled to take place next year in Eugene, Oregon.

“I don’t do things unless I am passionate about them,” said Joanna. “I’m either all in or all out. It’s all I know.”

Indeed, Joanna only gives 100% all of the time, whether she is crossing the finish line on the track or inspiring her students to work hard and try their best. Aside from helping her students succeed academically, Joanna is also dedicated to developing the social and emotional health of her kids. She works with them on processing emotions and making wise choices, and she believes in giving every child a chance to be his or her best self in her classroom.

“Teaching isn’t just academic,” Joanna said. “Teaching is emotional. Some of these kids have dealt with a lot in their lives. I want to help them learn how to handle it.”

All of Gwinnett will be cheering for Joanna as she trains to take her place in the championships next year – including the students and families she has impacted so greatly.

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