| |
 Raintree Children and Family Services
Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans When that's where you left your heart...
Raintree Children and Family Services
Part of the song, "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?" sung by Louis Armstrong that "is so true for the staff, board, and our program participants," says Raintree Children and Family Services Executive Director Laura Jensen. "We are here to help each other and our beautiful city rebuild. We are still proud to be from New Orleans."
Raintree Children and Family Services has, after all, served the Greater New Orleans Area since 1926. Its mission is to assist children and families by providing hope and opportunities for independence through a history of commitment.
Its services include support coordination to prevent the institutionalization of children and adults with developmental disabilities, therapeutic and private family foster care programs, a group home for girls who have been abused or neglected, and afterschool services for at-risk children.
As a result of Hurricane Katrina, 34 of the foster children in the agency's care were displaced--23 of them together with their foster parents and 9 girls from Raintree House, the organization's group home. Raintree House staff and girls are grateful for their temporary living arrangement in Nachitoches, Louisiana, but they are anxious to return to their New Orleans home. Two foster families have lost their homes, and others' need repairs.
The hurricanes' impact on staffing has been severe. Out of 55 full-time employees, the agency has only 14 more than one month after the hurricane--only 25.5% of its full-time workforce. And these staff are spread between four work sites.
Last year, Raintree served 1,423 program participants. Although it is now providing offsite services to many of its foster children, many other program participants are still being located. According to Jensen, Raintree keeps looking forward, although it seems like some days they take two steps forward and one back.
"We keep looking toward the future and what we can do for our community, which has become more endeared to us throughout this tragedy," Jensen says. "We are witnessing the devastation of the city and lives, but we are fortunate to be part of its new growth and rebuilding."
Needs
Raintree is still in the process of determining the individual needs of its families and program participants, but in general the agency needs funds to rejuvenate programs and to help with the expenses of the relocated group home staff and residents. There will be additional costs to recruit, hire, and train new employees, as well as to assist those who can return. Louisiana needs additional foster homes, as it currently has a hiring freeze. Thus, not only will Raintree's current program participants, staff, and foster parents be looking to the agency for assistance, but the state will be looking toward private providers like Raintree for help.
 Snapshot
The girls from our group home are very sad...they miss their home, their schools, mentors, Big Sisters, and, for those with capable or interested family members, they miss their relatives. For foster children who have already experienced tremendous losses of families and homes, this is a very sad and painful experience.
Many of the people with disabilities we serve are having a very difficult time. Wednesday, we received a call regarding one young man who is intellectually challenged, has a psychiatric disability, and is noncompliant with his medication. He was staying in a Greyhound bus station. Sadly, another of our families experienced the loss of their child during the evacuation. The stress was too much for him.
--Laura Jensen, Executive Director, Raintree Children and Family Services
The moonlight on the bayou...a Creole tune...that fills the air
I dream about magnolias in bloom...and I'm wishin' I was there
|
CWLA is extremely efficient: 94¢ of every dollar goes directly to hurricane-related activities.
 Back to Top  Printer-friendly Page  Contact Us
|
|
