New Web site
Green Haven Advocates, Inc. has its first Web site, www.greenhaven4help.com.
The site provides basic contact information, explanations of services provided, volunteer and internship information and a wish list for donations. Information on the new openings can also be found here.
James Posey of Mightysite.net volunteered to design and set up the site.
"James did an excellent job," said Alice Franks-Gray, interim executive director for Green Haven. "We appreciate all he has done to help reach those needing assistance in this new way."
Green Haven Family Advocates, Inc. is a community-based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the individuals and families of Green County affected by abuse and violence through prevention education, advocacy, support and services.
MONROE - Popularity of programs is causing Green Haven Family Advocates, Inc. in Monroe to undergo a makeover.
Board members have decided to restructure the organization in an effort to better serve their clients and to better work alongside other community organizations and agencies. To do that, they opened three new positions: a full-time executive director, a part-time administrative assistant and a part-time youth coordinator.
Interim Executive Director Alice Franks-Gray hopes the changes will help Green Haven reach those in need earlier and break the cycle of abuse and family violence sooner. More attention will be focused on teaching living skills before violence happens and after it is removed.
"We are going to approach this holistically," Franks-Gray said. "There are people who would like to leave the violence. We would like to take them from living in violence to living in a manner that is self-sufficient."
Franks-Gray said Green County has the resources and potential to make the new programs work.
"This is an incredibly giving community. I can't for the life of me see - if the community knew the stories - how they wouldn't be compelled to help and assist," she said.
The impetus for the restructuring came after a three-year-old program, begun by Green Haven's youth program director with only six students, grew to more than 100 teens in the Monroe and Albany schools. The idea was a spin-off of the organization's adult program, helping people learn to cope with violence. For teens, the idea includes early preventative education.
The program now requires a full day and a half each week working with teens and the schools' counselors and social workers on issues like date violence, healthy relationships and good communication.
"The board and our partner organizations recognized the need to continue the youth programs," Franks-Gray said. "They found it so important that they added it (preventative education) to our new mission statement."
The board also found Green Haven could fill a vital role in helping other agencies that have had budget cuts, such as schools that no longer can afford full-time counselors.
"The board wanted to increase our programming, do more community relationship building and increase our external partnering," Franks-Gray said.
She said a significant part of the role of executive director in the future will be building relationships with other agencies.
That is why the Search and Screen Committee, which is looking for a new executive director of Green Haven, includes a member from the Green County Family Court, Green County Sheriff's Department and Green County Human Services Department, along with four members of the board.
In the new structural outline, youth programming will become a greater aspect. Franks-Gray said in 2006 the organization saw 454 new, unduplicated clients, and 333 children were impacted by those new cases. The numbers for 2007 are expected to be higher.
Green Haven also is looking to expand its legal services and to increase the bilingual services coordinator time. Two new programs coming soon include early contact with victims of violence and a transitional program.
Besides the new positions, Green Haven is preparing to provide intern opportunities for students training in technical schools and universities for social and legal services.
Board members have decided to restructure the organization in an effort to better serve their clients and to better work alongside other community organizations and agencies. To do that, they opened three new positions: a full-time executive director, a part-time administrative assistant and a part-time youth coordinator.
Interim Executive Director Alice Franks-Gray hopes the changes will help Green Haven reach those in need earlier and break the cycle of abuse and family violence sooner. More attention will be focused on teaching living skills before violence happens and after it is removed.
"We are going to approach this holistically," Franks-Gray said. "There are people who would like to leave the violence. We would like to take them from living in violence to living in a manner that is self-sufficient."
Franks-Gray said Green County has the resources and potential to make the new programs work.
"This is an incredibly giving community. I can't for the life of me see - if the community knew the stories - how they wouldn't be compelled to help and assist," she said.
The impetus for the restructuring came after a three-year-old program, begun by Green Haven's youth program director with only six students, grew to more than 100 teens in the Monroe and Albany schools. The idea was a spin-off of the organization's adult program, helping people learn to cope with violence. For teens, the idea includes early preventative education.
The program now requires a full day and a half each week working with teens and the schools' counselors and social workers on issues like date violence, healthy relationships and good communication.
"The board and our partner organizations recognized the need to continue the youth programs," Franks-Gray said. "They found it so important that they added it (preventative education) to our new mission statement."
The board also found Green Haven could fill a vital role in helping other agencies that have had budget cuts, such as schools that no longer can afford full-time counselors.
"The board wanted to increase our programming, do more community relationship building and increase our external partnering," Franks-Gray said.
She said a significant part of the role of executive director in the future will be building relationships with other agencies.
That is why the Search and Screen Committee, which is looking for a new executive director of Green Haven, includes a member from the Green County Family Court, Green County Sheriff's Department and Green County Human Services Department, along with four members of the board.
In the new structural outline, youth programming will become a greater aspect. Franks-Gray said in 2006 the organization saw 454 new, unduplicated clients, and 333 children were impacted by those new cases. The numbers for 2007 are expected to be higher.
Green Haven also is looking to expand its legal services and to increase the bilingual services coordinator time. Two new programs coming soon include early contact with victims of violence and a transitional program.
Besides the new positions, Green Haven is preparing to provide intern opportunities for students training in technical schools and universities for social and legal services.